The Punishment of Exile in the Eastern Islamic World until the End of the Abbasid Caliphate (132 AH - 656 AH): A Historical Study

Abstract

Exile was one of the most prominent tools of the rulers of the Islamic East, especially in the Abbasid era, with the aim of getting rid of political and intellectual opponents to confront opposition groups such as the Umayyads, Shiites and others, and also removing threats. Military rule was applied within the country, and the punishment included exile to distant areas or even outside the borders of the Abbasid Caliphate.

Over time, the central authority in Baghdad declined as a result of internal conflicts and the rise of local military powers such as the Turks and Persians. The use of the punishment of exile gradually declined in the late Abbasid era. The state of intellectual and political pluralism led to a change in the caliphs' policy towards dissenters, as they began to encourage thought and discussion instead of resorting to repression and punishment.

 This research helps to clarify the relationship between power and different groups in society, whether religious or political, and how the Caliphate exploited punishments such as exile to control internal affairs and protect the stability of the state and study exile in the history of the Islamic world, and it is a reference for understanding the contexts of the use of political punishments in the Islamic era. By studying the punishment of exile, the impact of oppressive policies on the development of the Abbasid state and its eventual fall can be understood, and it helps to create a comprehensive vision of the factors that led to the collapse of the Abbasid Caliphate.