The Muslim Golden Age
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was born in 571 C.E., in the
predominantly pagan environment of Makkah, and started his mission around 610
C.E at the age of forty. After an exhausting and onerous struggle that spanned
23 years, the domination of Islam was established throughout the Arabian
peninsula. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had started the process of expansion, or
export, of the Islamic Revolution into the neighboring countries before his
death in 632 C.E. This expansion continued unabated during the Caliphate of Abu
Bakr, Umar, and Uthman (RAA), when the Banu Isma‘el or the Ummiyeen gushed
forth like a mighty flood, and in less than a quarter of a century Iran, Iraq,
Syria Palestine, Egypt, as well as a major part of North Africa came under their
rule. These were the days of pure, authentic, and pristine Islam.
After a brief respite due to internal strife during the Caliphate of Ali (RAA), the process started again during the Umayyad era, and, within a short span of time, new lands were conquered that extended up to Turkestan, Afghanistan, and Sindh in the east, and included the entire North Africa and parts of Europe in the west. Spain was vanquished, and the Muslim armies reached even up to the heart of France. However, with the passage of time, the zeal of establishing the Just Social Order of Islam had started to diminish, and the element of Arab Imperialism began to dominate the Muslim conquests.
The supremacy of the Muslims reached its zenith during the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries C.E., when initially the Umayyads and then the Abbasids held the leadership of Islam as well as that of the Muslims. Strictly speaking, however, only the Umayyad era represents the true domination of pure Arab rule, as the Abbasids were generally infected and spoiled by Persian influences. Still, during this period, Banu Isma‘el were in ascendancy over a big chunk of land, and their culture, civilization, arts, sciences, and religion were dominant. The first three hundred years can therefore be described as the golden era of the Muslim history.
At this juncture, a point of contrast between the Muslims and the Jews becomes apparent. That is, while the first phase of rise for the Muslims began during the life time of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the corresponding period for the Jews could not start until about three hundred years after the death of Prophet Musa (AS). The reason for this difference is that the establishment of Islam as a politico-socio-economic system was achieved, at least within the boundaries of Arabian Peninsula, by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his devoted Companions (RAA). On the other hand the Israelites, by refusing to fight for the Promised Land, had brought the revolutionary process to a halt. Hence the delay of three hundred years.
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