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Apr 2021
29m 9s

Episode 19: Umayyad glory

ZAYD
About this episode
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 recognize elements of their own imperial times even at the dawn of the Umayyad age. 
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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
May 2021
Episode 21: Yazid bin Mu’awiya
Mu’awiya’s thorough preparations before his death left little doubt as to who would succeed him. His mastery over the umma’s various social forces must have made his job look easy when it was anything but, and Yazid made it his first priority to snuff out all resistance in order ... Show More
25m 25s
May 2021
Episode 22: The second fitna
The umma spiraled further into disorder and civil war after the sudden death of the caliph and the subsequent collapse of Umayyad authority. Ibn il Zubayr’s candidacy was transformed from an unlikely proposition to a victory by default as he became the last man standing. Despite ... Show More
27m 34s
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