TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > History > Muhammad's consolidation
Importance new ideological factors and growth of new polity under Muhammad which have rise to Islamic state. Political consolidation:
- Establishment firmly as leader Medina – opposition various powerful groups – exiled two Jewish clans and liquidated another
- Defeating of Quyrash – took Mecca by blockade but only killed a few people 630. Incorporated as partners and the Islamic state continued to expand at a rapid rate in the final years of Muhammad’s life.
- Initially nomadic groups do not help Muhammad - by conquest of Mecca backed by groups form Hijaz. End of career tribal groups recognising tribal power – dependent on Hijaz. Final defeat of Hijaz leads to so-called “year of Delegations” tribal groups from far away seek alliance with Muhammad.
All three factors interdependent.
- Still uses traditional means to bolster support – Arabian tradition of hija or satiric poetry to bolster one’s prestige an prestige of one’s tribe.
- Muhammad marries a lot to bolster network of family kinship despite umma’s distaste for such like.
- Promised of material gain used by Muhammad – such as gains from victory at Hunayn. Abu Bakr given a house in Medina – “conciliation of hearts” to victors at battle of Hunayn. Bolstering of tribe pious resolve with “prize”. Even pays clan of Bali rives as a means of winning them over to Islam.
- Distribution of largesse seen as normal behaviour – sign of Mecca’ wealth and notion of wealth in Western Arabia – Muhammad a Meccan and use of wealth solidly engrained in the culture. Other wealthy groups would do the same – Quraysh viewed by Muhammad as main threat to power.
- Use of promised of participation in offices as effective in tying med to Muhammad’s state – especially Quraysh who talented and sophisticated society – exclusion would have left them with a sense of grievance- sworn allegiance to Islam in exchange for a position is echelons of power – Amr b. al – As swore allegiance to Muhammad “on condition that my past sins be pardoned and that he [Muhammad] give me an active part in affairs; and he did so”
- Knowledge of political and economic situation leads to ability build coalitions with leading tribes – for example Muhammad gets a foothold in tribes of Bajila and Khath’am – gets one on-side and makes other smash idol and bring the other to Islam. Knowledge of all such of tribes across the peninsula – got this from Ecca as trading point with a variety of tirbes, Meccan upbringing important to political success. He and early followers such as Abu Bakr specialized knowledge of subtle details of trial coalition.
- Yes utilises old Arabian tactics of gifts, marriage strategy – and Meccan background certainly helped him. Overpowering of Quraysh in Mecca greatest testament – genius as a politician and a strategist – not every player who can beat his masters at own game.
- Got Muhammad’s consolidation and used after Muhammad during Ridda wars and Islamic conquests to preserve hegemony over Arabic tribes. Muhammad’s Islamic features gave it more cohesiveness than before – perennial problem Arabia. New ideology that gave accomplishments durability and made them the foundation of the conquest movement. Discern them in features of the state.
- Pre-Islamic tributes and taxes and Qur’anic injunction – or alms – required of virtually all Muslims. Restriction in terms if incidence and usage to make groups and individuals within umma more willing to acquiesce to financial demands. Destitute according to Qu’ran do not have to pay.
- Qu’ran talks of system to prevent extortion and to stop taxation of the really poor. Early stages disparity in arrangements to pay taxes – some nomadic groups pay tributes others nothing even after allegiance. But in later career we see further centralisation. Time of campaign to Tabuk in 630 – tribes of Aslam, Ghifar, Layth, Damra, Juhayna, Ashja, Ka’b taxed at the same time. 632 Muhammad sends representatives to Medina to tax tribes aligned there.
- Creation of a centralised tax regime formed culmination of Muhammad’s long process of political consolidation.
- Less spectacular was centralisation of legal authority – inherent in Muhammad’s teachings. Jurash northern Yemen – came and embraced Islam in return Muhammad gave them a reserve of land around new vicinity of Hima. Shows assertion of Islamic authority over grazing rights. Made effort to eradicate lawlessness of existing land tenure agreements in favour of much stricter regime of land rights.
- Sent out agents which was done before but also to non-sedentary nomadic groups. Goes beyond old Arabia as not necessarily personal relatives or alliances with. Beyond personal ties – direct representatives of his authority.
- Agents have taxation collecting and military raising powers – judgement as well but undocumented.
- Spread as Islam spread – again difficult to define but in: parts of Yemen, Najd as well. Worked by persuasion more than coercion – key step in transition for purely personal and tribal relations to thorough political integration. Loyalty not to agent but to Muhammad and god – considerable advance toward fully centralised control.
- End of career Muhammad had created a new state in Western Arabia – constructed by traditional means bound together by ideological and institutional factors that allowed it to transcend usual forms of political organization in tribal confederations.
- Hitherto unknown durability and centralised control over subjects- by prevalence eof overriding concept of law, focusing of political authority in God, the umma and Muhammad, systemisation of tax and justice, establishment network of administrative agents.
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