Islam
Spreads

When the Messenger was alive,

there was no doubt as to who was the leader of the muslims.

After all,

God spoke to them through the Messenger,

so his word was law.

But still he consulted with others

on matters not related to God's word,

and took their advice.

And clearly, as far as all the clans forming the new umma were concerned,

the centre of power was with the Messenger in Madina.

But when the Messenger died,

when it was quickly agreed that Abu Bakr would be their new leader,

he took the title of Caliph,

meaning successor, next in line, or stand-in for the Messenger,

a title that continued to be used by many others in the years that followed.

Very soon, Islam had spread, north through Palestine and Syria,

west into Egypt and Africa,

and east into Iraq and Persia,

and when Ali became Caliph, he quickly moved the capital city,

from which to govern the umma,

from Madina to the newly built city of Kufa in Iraq.

Then, when Muawiyya took over the Caliphate,

he moved the capital city to Damascus in Syria,

where it remained for many years.

But by that time the Caliphate no longer had very much concern for the spirit of Islam,

and was clearly all about political allegiances and earthly power.

And with those who came to power by the sword often leaving the same way,

as the Caliphate changed hands over the years,

the capital seat of power often moved as part of the process.

In the years after Muawiyya, there were lots of wars

between different parties laying claim to the Caliphate,

but the Umayyad clan managed to hold on

for over a hundred years.

During this time, Islam spread

across North Africa and into Spain,

but finally the Umayyads were defeated at a battle near Mosul in Iraq,

and the new Caliph, Abdul Abbas set about getting rid of anyone else in the clan who might oppose him.

Which he did with great efficiency.

He gave the job to his uncle, Abdulla,

who invited eighty princes of the Umayyads to a great banquet.

Then just before the meal, he gave a sign,

and soldiers emerged from all sides

and slaughtered all the guests.

Then the meal was served,

and the hosts proceeded to eat it amidst the bodies of the dead,

and the groans of those still dying.

Then after that, he sent bands of assassins around the world,

finishing off the rest of them.

So much for the Mercy of Islam,

and the idea of muslim brotherhood.

And so it was that over the centuries,

the Caliphate changed hands many times

through warfare,

with at some points there being as many as three separate Caliphates

all claiming to be the genuine article,

the successor to the Messenger.

But the party of Ali,

the Shi'a Ali,

always held that position to be owed to the descendants of the Messenger through his grandson Hussein,

with a much less worldly view of the Messenger's inheritance.

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