How the Abbasids Created Islam’s Golden Age

The Abbasids are an Arab family, descended from the Prophet Muhammad's uncle Al-Abbas, from whom they take their name. They and their supporters believe this blood tie to the Prophet gives them legitimate claim to the title of caliph, far more so than the Umayyads, whom the Abbasids later portray as decadent and despised. The Abbasids promise a return to true Islam, to correct teachings and moral leadership, and send missionaries and agents out across the caliphate to spread their message. — In 747, with the caliphate once more racked by revolts and civil war, the Abbasids will seize their chance. In eastern Khurasan, a general named Abu Muslim, probably a Persian convert, launches a revolt and takes the black banner of the Hashimites as his symbol. The Hashimites, descendants of Hashim, are the extended family of the Prophet, with the Abbasids prominent amongst them. This frontier region, today comprising northeastern Iran and parts of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, is particularly ripe for rebellion. Here, Arabs and non-Arab converts live side by side. They intermarry and fight alongside each other to defend the frontier. For many, the Umayyads are distant and unpopular overlords. What's more, opposition has been stoked for decades by Hashimite agents and missionaries who seek to topple the Umayyads and replace them with one of their own. They have sowed the seeds of revolution. — So, when Abu Muslim begins his revolt, he quickly attracts followers, Arabs, Persians, and Central Asians, many of whom are experienced warriors. And he proves a brilliant commander, winning a series of victories over Umayyad forces and occupying Kufa, capital of Iraq, in 749. The Abbasids now assume leadership of this revolution. And the following year, their forces meet the army of the Umayyad caliph Marwan II at the Zab River. — Most of what we know about the battle that follows comes from Abbasid sources. Caliph Marwan appears to have been a brave but reckless commander, launching a head-on cavalry charge against the Abbasid line.