Views and Criticisms of German School Orientalists Regarding the Umayyad State

Abstract

The study examines the views and critiques of the German Orientalist school regarding the Umayyad state concerning the problematic
interpretation of Islamic history through modern Western methodologies, which focused on analyzing social and political structures and
attempting to explain the rise and fall of the state based on material and critical criteria. At the forefront of these scholars is the German
Orientalist Julius Wellhausen, who presented a critical reading linking the manifestations of general public discontent and administrative
mismanagement to the "Mawali" issue as a primary factor in explaining the nature and collapse of the Umayyad state.
However, this proposition was met with criticism by Arab thinkers who rejected generalized judgments. They asserted that some of what was
presented by Orientalists relied on a selective reading of historical narratives, influenced by the conditions of their documentation during the
Abbasid era. They highlighted that the Umayyad state was not a monolithic entity, and that there were prominent reformist models such as
Omar bin Abdul Aziz, alongside the active participation of the Mawali in various political and scientific spheres of life.
Accordingly, the study concluded that the views and critiques of the German Orientalist school, while characterized by an analytical dimension,
were marred by generalization and exaggeration, whereas Arab thinkers provided a more balanced reading based on the historical context and
the multiplicity of factors influencing the trajectory of the Umayyad state