'Abd al-Malik: (Makers of the Muslim World)

'Abd al-Malik, who came to promience during the second civil war of early Islam, ruled the Islamic empire from 692 until 705. Not only did he successfully suppress rebellion within the Muslim world and expand its frontiers, but in many respects he founded the empire itself. By about 700, the forms of a new realm which stretched from North Africa in the west to Iran in the east had taken clear shape with 'Abd al-Malik at its head.

This book covers the beginnings and rise to power of this immensely influential caliph, as well as his religious policies and innovations, (including the Dome of the Rock, the oldest surviving monumental building erected by the Muslims), his fiscal, administrative and military reforms, and finally, his legacy for later Muslims.

Table of Contents:
List of illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgments

Glossary

Chronology



INTRODUCTION: JERUSALEM IN 692

When and Why the Dome?



1 ‘ABD AL-MALIK AND THE MARWANIDS

The Marwanid Background

The End of the Sufyanids and the Beginning of the Marwanids

2 THE CALIPHATE OF IBN AL-ZUBAYR

The Case for Ibn al-Zubayr

The Rebellion of ‘Abd al-Malik



3 THE IMAGES OF ‘ABD AL-MALIK



4 ‘ABD AL-MALIK’S EMPIRE

Sufyanid Arrangements

Innovations

5 ‘ABD AL-MALIK AS IMAM

The Problem of Evidence

The Caliph



6 ‘ABD AL-MALIK AND THE ISLAMIC STATE

Sermons and Letters

Public Islam and the Marwanid State

Conclusion



CONCLUSION: THE LEGACY OF ‘ABD AL-MALIK



Further Reading

Bibliography

Index

About the Author :
Chase F. Robinson is Lecturer in Islamic History at the University of Oxford. His works include: Empire and Elites after the Muslim Conquest: The Transformation of Northern Mesopotamia (Cambridge University Press, 2000).

Review :
"Any reader, whether coming to 'Abd al-Malik for the first time or already familiar with some of the evidence and literature pertaining to him, will find this book rewarding." "This book is great. It combines crystal-clear writing with original and tightly argued ideas. Some of the more complex issues of early Islamic history are (seemingly) effortlessly elucidated for the benefit of students and scholars alike."