lavi became the Shah of Iran at twenty-two years of age. He would go from a powerless figurehead to one of the most powerful monarchs in the region.

However, the Shah was brought down by an obscure Shiite scholar name Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. In this episode, we'll start to discover the history behind the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

After the show is over, be sure to visit the Show Notes page.

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http://islamiclearningmaterials.com/Iran1

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1d:T60d,In this episode, we explore the fragile balance of power during the later years of the Umayyad Caliphate under Caliph Hisham ibn Abdul Malik. Between 112–114 AH (731–733 CE), the empire faced crushing defeats on nearly every frontier. Yet Hisham refused to abandon his policy of ceaseless expansion. Temporary truces bought the Caliphate breathing room, but soon the armies were back in motion—sometimes roaring, sometimes limping—toward new campaigns. From 115–120 AH, the Umayyads managed a partial comeback. Victories against the Turgesh in Central Asia, renewed advances in Sindh, and territorial gains in France seemed to restore momentum. But these successes often proved hollow. Each campaign drained the Caliphate’s coffers and manpower, leaving little capacity to improve life for its citizens. Meanwhile, internal cracks widened. The Mawali, non-Arab converts to Islam, increasingly protested an unjust tax system. Tribal rivalries were deliberately stoked by Hisham to maintain control

The Shah And The Ayatollah Part I