History of the Arab State

From the emergence of Islam to the end of the Umayyad state

Author: Julius Wellhausen

This book by a German Orientalist chronicles the period of emergence and formation in Islamic history, shedding light on the Western European approach to that era, its perspective, and the clarity of the German Orientalist vision. Julius Wellhausen's book consists of an introductory statement and nine chapters. He discusses the Islamic state during the era of the Prophet and a large portion of the history of the Muslim caliphs during the reigns of Abu Bakr and Umar. He then discusses the events of the Fitna (discord), the murder of Uthman, and the manner in which Ali succeeded to the caliphate. He then discusses the Kharijites and their fight at the Battle of Nahrawan, the murder of Ali, and the abdication of the caliphate by al-Hasan ibn Ali in favor of Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan. He recounts the history of the Umayyad state in detail in several successive chapters, devoting some detail to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz. He then completes the history of the Umayyad state until it reaches the stage of its decline as a state, its fall, and the rise of the Abbasid state. He discusses the causes of this decline, relying on European and Arab sources.