jan 1, 720 - Emergence of Islamic Education
Description:
During 720 C.E., Islamic education began to widespread all over Maghrib. This was due to the effort solely depended on the order of current caliph, 'Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz. He wanted to seriously made Maghrib as an ideal Islamic region.
This event was one of the most crucial as it embarked the real advent of Islamic education. Not to mentioned that Caliph 'Umar Abdul Aziz was so pious that only he among the Umayyad caliphs whom took Islam as an education seriously as a part of essential elements within their territories. Caliph 'Umar Abdul Aziz took several actions for this effort. Other caliphs simply did not put and hardly showed any interest in the conversion to Islam of the non-Arab-origin over whom they ruled. Unlike Caliph 'Umar Abdul Aziz, he sent his best Islamic teachers to preach and to teach the Governors of Maghrib. This was done in order to implement the leadership by example policy for his officials. 10 experts in religious studied were sent in hope that they would preach the Berbers. Unfortunately, the relationship between the Berbers and Islam was not in a good term.
The islamization of Maghrib community could be said as a complex process. The Berbers on the other demanded their rights and often thought that they will enjoyed full rights as the citizen of an Islamic state as Islam although Islam promotes equality. The Berbers also being included as a part of Muslim armies thus it alsoled to their conversion towards Islam. Other than that, the arrival or merchants and traders particularly from Islamic region had caused the enormous interest within the Berbers to join Islam. For instance, the merchants were responsible for the Islamization of people in southern Morocco and western Sahara.
Caliph 'Umar sent many preachers all over Maghrib and it resulted with immense conversion of Berbers. However, this effort was challenged by the establishment of Shi'tes and Kharijite. These two forces were spreading their teachings and were active in opposing Umayyad's rule and reign. The Islamic Berbers also became a challenge to Umayyad's reign and preaching. They presented their causes as a dakwah in which they argued that the caliphial rule as having departed from the true of Islamic path. This was presented as the cause of their action because they suffered from the excessive and overbearing policies of caliphs' representative. In this case, the Berbers emerged themselves as the real Muslim compared to the Arabs.
Source:
Jamil M. Abun-Nasr, A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period (London, New York, Cambridge University Press, 1987), 26-27.
Added to timeline:
Maghreb in 7th CE to 8th CE
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