Muawiya+grace+carroll

Grace Carroll 4/10/12   Word count: 498 MUAWIYA: A GREAT LEADER A great leader understands that he may not be able to achieve all of his goals for his empire within his reign. Therefore, a great leader has a vision and makes choices to ensure the ultimate success of that vision. Muawiya was such a leader. Muawiya chose to focus on the geographic expansion of the Islamic empire and the development of administrative systems to sustain that expansive empire. Muawiya’s ability to deliver his goals during his reign and create on foundation for the ultimate Islamic empire to be built upon demonstrates his greatness. Between 600 and 700 A.D., most leaders sought to expand. While Muawiya’s rise to power through military means has been criticized because he was the first Islamic leader to take his power versus being elected [1], those same military skills allowed him to expand his empire in a period when expansion was expected from a great leader. If Muawiya had not expanded the empire, it would not have sustained through history and delivered some of Islamic culture’s greatest architectural achievements. Muawiya was responsible for the acquisition of Constantinople in 671 A.D. [2] Acquiring Constantinople enabled the future expansion of the empire and protected Islamic culture from potential oppression by Byzantium. While there are many successful military leaders, Muawiya also ensured that his empire had an infrastructure that facilitated economic growth and day-to-day civility. Muawiya enhanced the transportation within the empire, standardized currency, and provided administrative support through a postal system and organized police force to ensure the newly expanded empire operated efficiently. [3] Without these administrative systems, the empire might have not sustained after Muawiya’s death. As a result of the systems Muawiya created, the Umayyad Caliphate survived beyond his death and is recognized as the first Islamic Caliphate. [4] Although Muawiya’s religious dedication has been questioned because he used spears wrapped in the Quran to defeat Ali for control of the Islamic empire [5], the Islamic religion spread during his rule as his empire expanded its borders. During Muawiya’s rule he focused on the geographic expansion and administrative systems within the empire. The stability of the empire allowed future leaders to focus on the expansion of the Islamic religion. The greatness of a leader should be evaluated based on that leader’s ability to expand his empire while providing for economic prosperity and religious unity, even if the prosperity and unity are achieved after the leaders reign. Muawiya was a great leader because he decided that expansion of the empire was vital so he used creative military tactics to gain power and expand his empire while growing the empire’s economic power and cultural influence. Muawiya’s empire became economically powerful and Islam grew during his reign. In the years that followed his death, the Islamic empire built on the foundation he provided both culturally and economically.

[1] Ahmed, Nazeer. "Muawiya." http://historyofislam.com/contents/the-age-of-faith/muawiya/. (rubric grade=11)

[2] Ahmed, Nazeer. "Muawiya." http://historyofislam.com/contents/the-age-of-faith/muawiya/.

[3] Ahmed, Nazeer. "Muawiya." http://historyofislam.com/contents/the-age-of-faith/muawiya/. [4] "History of the Caliphs." []. (school subscription website)

[5] Princeton University. "Muawiys B. Abi Sufyan (c.602-680)." http://www.princeton.edu/~batke/itl/denise/muawiya.htm.