Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
15. The Qur’an—The Prophet’s Miracle
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language. The Umayyads had been a purely Arab
dynasty. Strong supporters of Arab nationalism,
they took their promotion of Arabic literature and
language almost to the point of partiality. Their
capital was situated in Damascus, in the Arab
heartland. In their time, both the military and the
civil administration were controlled by Arabs.
Now the Abbasids took over the reins of power.
Iranian support had brought the caliphate to the
Abbasids. It was inevitable then that the Iranians
should maintain a strong influence on their
administration. This influence led to the capital
being moved to Baghdad, on the threshold of
Persia. The Abbasids gave the Iranians a free hand
in affairs of government, but looked down on the
Arabs and their civilization, and made conscious
efforts to weaken them, unlike the Umayyads who
had always preferred Arabs for high posts.
With the wane of pro-Arab favouritism, Iranians,
Turks, Syrians, Byzantine and Berber elements were
able to gain control over all affairs of society and
state. Marriages between Arabs and non-Arabs
became commonplace. With the mixing of Aryan
