Murjiah Sect in the Politics and Governance of the Umayyads

Murjiah was one of the sects which gained popularity after the demise of the Prophet (S). Doubtlessly, the transformations which affected other aspects of the nascent Islamic society after the demise of the Prophet (S) were also at work in the emergence of Murjiah. Meanwhile, the orientations after Jamal and Seffeyn battles affected the Muslims’ religious and political inclinationsin general, and led to the emergence of Murjiah in particular. The early Murjiah sect claimed its dependence via evading judgment about the two Alavid and Othmani campaigns and postponing their verdict on the subject. Gradually, its followers justified and approved their silence and tolerance rhetorically through proposing their specific definition of faith; which was the focal point of their doctrine. This doctrine, which directly affected their political acts, turned their thoughts and beliefs into one of the influential movements in the political and cultural transformations of the Islamic world. Their alignment or misalignment with the Umayyadsand their role in legitimizing Umayyad Caliphate became a serious issue. In a similar vein, the present paper aims at investigating the effects of Murjiah rhetorical approach and the nature of power held by them on the political transformations of the Islamic territory during Umayyad Caliphate. While adopting an analytic-interpretive approach, weattempt to review the theological view of the Murjiites, clarify their position against the radical Kharijites, and critique the two conflicting views concerning the Murji’ah’s advocacyof oropposition to Umayyadcaliphate. The findings of the study reveal that, contrary to the assumptions that representthe political directions of the Iraqis against Damascus, Murjiah was a dominant trend formed in Iraq and itsspecific political orientation played an important role in stabilizing the status of the Umayyads and the political base of Damascus.