From Subordination to Agency: The Trajectory of the Mawālī in Kufa between Tribal Fragmentation and Abbasid Empowerment (41–232 AH)

Abstract

Abstract:

This research examines the transformations in the social structure of Kufa from the beginning of the Umayyad era to the end of the early Abbasid period, using this as an explanatory framework for the rise of the mawali (non-Arab Muslims) from a position of subservience to one of influential political power. The study is based on the premise that the shift in the mawali's status was not the result of a single political decision or a fleeting revolutionary event, but rather stemmed from profound changes in the demographic composition, tribal structures, urban economic networks, and power dynamics within the city. The study employs a historical-analytical approach, critically reading primary sources and analyzing the relationship between social transformations (such as class differentiation, wealth accumulation, and the expansion of education and administrative positions) and the mawali's involvement in political movements, culminating in their attainment of leadership positions during the early Abbasid era. It also sheds light on the impact of Arab tribal conflicts in creating political spaces for the mawali, and on the role of the Abbasid state in reshaping the criteria for legitimacy and competence within the governing apparatus. The research concludes that the rise of the mawali (non-Arab Muslims) was not a marginal phenomenon, but rather one of the most prominent manifestations of the redistribution of power within Kufa society, contributing to the reshaping of the early Islamic political landscape. Thus, the research offers an integrated reading that links social structure with political transformation, and re-evaluates the role of the mawali as a central historical actor in the trajectory of the Islamic state.