The Umayyad caliphate
The government of Caliph Muawiya was the beginning of a new era for Muslims. Muslim culture is spreading rapidly around the world and rightly guided caliphs had laid the basis for rational interpretation and practice of Islam, without miracle or enlightened messianic charlatans.
Now the Muslims were the most important power in the Mediterranean and perhaps the world. The wealth of nations were flooding and Muslims were tempted by such power and wealth.
Muawiya was a tolerant and progressive ruler who freed more territory from feudal oppression Byzantine and Persian. Created a Muslim fleet to defend the ports of the Mediterranean against pirates. Laid the foundation for industry and commerce Muslim on an equal footing with other countries, despite being the dominant Muslim power.
Perhaps the only serious error was Muawiya stop the restraint had been imposed Caliph Rightly Guided caliphs. Caliph Muawiya appointed his son Yazid instead of choosing between the more mature, capable and wise Muslim leaders.
This provoked a new crisis and serious clashes which resulted in the death of Hasan and Husain, the grandsons of Muhammad and Abdullah ibn Al Zubair, grandson of Abu Bakr. Yazid wrongly adopted some Christian customs that the Caliphate came to European monarchical tradition. This brought serious protests and disputes in the Muslim world, but Yazid and his descendants were concerned to suppress while reinforcing the practice of Muslim law in other respects.
The Islamic world was facing a new form of government, the monarchy, headed by the family of Muawiya, who would establish a dynasty, the Umayyads.
However, the political errors had not affected the Islamic culture or decrease the greatness of Islamic civilization. Muslims are able to release the Berbers and Hispanics from the tyranny of the Visigoths and the Byzantines. Just stopping in the territory of the Franks who were reluctant to cede power, even at the cost of keeping the French in medieval ignorance.
In the East the Muslims entered India and set up an egalitarian society there, freeing the Hindus from tyranny of caste and human sacrifice. Also defeated the Chinese in the famous Battle of Talas and forced them to withdraw from Central Asia.
The Umayyad period lasted from 662 CE until 750 CE and the main contributions of Islam to the development of civilization were:
* Freeing the human spirit of idolatry and superstition.
* Free man from feudal oppression and injustice.
* Creation of the first schools and colleges of free public education.
* Systematization of science on the basis of the scientific method developed by Muslim theologians and jurists. Rise to the first Arabic grammar books of hadith and other Islamic sciences.
* It ensures free trade and transit of goods in the Silk Road and Spice Route, both under Muslim rule.
* Islam enter Europe and the Muslim Andalusia is the most advanced European country at the time.
