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Mar 2021
28m 10s

Episode 17: The end of an era

ZAYD
About this episode
The first four leaders of the umma were collectively bestowed with the honorific "the rightly guided caliphs". They were all close companions of the prophet, and their reign was succeeded by the beginnings of imperial rule. Taking the time to appreciate this disconnect is vital and we'll spend this episode surveying the impact it had on our classical Arab so ... Show More
Up next
Mar 2021
Episode 18: Mu’awiya bin Abi Sufyan
It is one of the sharper ironies of Islamic history that the clan which had led the resistance to the young religion went on to found its first dynasty. Umayyad influence swelled under the third caliph, but Mu’awiya was the one to formalize it as the foundation of a dynasty. The ... Show More
25m 53s
Apr 2021
Episode 19: Umayyad glory
The same skills which propelled Mu’awiya along his relentless rise to the top of the caliphate helped him rule the Arabs unlike any man had managed to until then. Our sources contrast his reign to what came before it sharply, and it is worth reflecting on how they began to recogn ... Show More
29m 9s
Apr 2021
Episode 20: Succeeding the dynast
Just because Mu’awiya held supreme power within the caliphate didn’t mean he thought his will was absolute. He had displayed a keen understanding of tribal politics during his rise to power, painstakingly building a strong network of support to challenge for and win the title of ... Show More
25m 43s
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