Arabic Books and Libraries in the Umaiyad Period

Abstract

With the murder of cAli, the fourth caliph, and the establishment of the Umaiyads at Damascus, the capital of Islam moved into a country which had been predominantly Christian for centuries. This fact was to have an influence both in the development of life and religion at the court and in the homeland. Despite prejudices against the Umaiyads on the part of many of the devout, Medina was not cut off entirely from the political capital. Some would have no dealings with the caliphs of Damascus, whom they regarded as godless impostors, and accordingly the interests and studies of this party had a backward look. Others, however, accepted the Umaiyads as the legitimate heads of Islam, asking only that the rulers pay outward homage to the religion of the Prophet; this group was willing to serve them. An intermediate position held it to be the duty of every Moslem to support the head of the state, however unworthy he might be, for the unity of Islam must be preserved at all costs.1 Hence scholars and poets passed back and forth between the Hijdz and Syria, to some extent bridging the gap between the uncompromising position of the devout of Medina and the freer ways and outlook of those attached to the court at Damascus. It is exceedingly difficult to deal justly with the Umaiyads, for most of the extant Arabic literature comes from a day when their names were anathema. The Abbasids not only sought to exterminate every surviving member of the previous dynasty but were determined to destroy their very memory. When that was impossible they were portrayed in a most unfavorable light. Their inscriptions were defaced, and those who dared to speak a word in their praise were subject to persecution. The scheme succeeded all too well, for it is impossible to write anything approaching an adequate history of the Umaiyad period. Except for cUmar II (caliph from 99-101/717-20),