The governor of Syria, Mu’ Awiyah, was the nephew of Uthman, the former, and now murdered, caliph. Mu’ Awiyah accused Ali of planning the murder of his uncle, so that he could take power for himself.
The supporters of Mu’ Awiyah fought for several years against the supporters of Ali for control of the government. In A.D. 661 Ali was murdered by one of his own followers, ending the civil war.
Mu’ Awiyah was now the undisputed ruler of Islam. The followers of Ali were upset at their lose, and refused to accept the rule of Mu’ Awiyah. Instead they installed the son of Ali as their leader. A man by the name of Husayn.
Those who followed Husayn became known as the Shiite Muslims, while those who remained faithful to Mu’ Awiyah were known as the Suni Muslims.
The Umayyad Dynasty
From A.D. 661 until A.D. 750 Islam would be ruled by the descendants of Mu’ Awiyah known as the Umayyads. Under the guidance of the Umayyads, Islam continued its rapid spread throughout the world.
The Umayyad armies went as far East as China, and as far West as Spain. Islam quickly became one of the largest and most powerful nations on Earth.
The Abbasids Dynasty
The Shiites continued to work against the Sunni Umayyad leaders. A building resentment for the Umayyads was furthered by their mistreatment of non-Arab Muslims. These non-Arabs were considered second class citizens. They paid higher taxes, and had fewer rights.
In A.D. 747 the Shiites and non-Arab Muslims gathered together an army under the leadership of Abu’ l-‘ Abbas, who was a direct descendant of Muhammad.
After defeating the Umayyads, Abbas established himself as caliph. He and his descendants would rule Islam until A.D. 1258. They would become known as the Abbasids Dynasty.
Abbas commissioned the building of a new city. A city that would grow to become one of the wealthiest cities in the region. He named his new capital city Baghdad. By A.D. 900 over one million people lived and worked in Baghdad.
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