ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the heritage and explains the origin and nature of the dilemma. It has three sections: a description of the essential characteristics of the Abbasid caliphate Empire and the devolution of its power, an analysis of political theory and practice in the post-Abbasid environment, and a review of the concepts of the Shariah, Sufism, and jihad. The Abbasids eliminated the Arab ethnic and tribal basis of power and identity and established a cosmopolitan imperial regime. Sacral kingship and the circle of justice explain the nature of the Abbasid regime far better than any concept of Islamic origin. The military and financial structure of the Abbasid Empire reflected that of its Sasanian predecessor. The nature of the Abbasid army changed significantly in the early ninth century with the development of military slavery. In the post-Abbasid period, military slavery became one of the two standard forms of military organization, the other being tribal military armies.
