Arab (Muslim Administration)

It was deemed necessary to compile a work on administration under the Arabs giving a continuous history of their administration at Madinah, Damascus, Baghdad, Cordova and Cairo at different periods. It seeks to give a vivid picture of the administrative set-up of the governments, civil and military, albeit brief and short. While dealing with the institutions of administration their historical growth and development have been kept in view throughout the discussion and their assessment has been made in the Resume.

Dr. S.M. Imamuddin was born in Monghyr (1924) and educated in Calcutta. He graduated from Islamia College (1941) and obtained his Master’s degree (1943) and Doctorate degrees from Calcutta University (1951) and Madrid University (1956). During this period he enjoyed Calcutta University Post-Graduate Fellowship, R.G. Casey Research Fellowship and Spanish Government Scholarship, visited monuments and museums and worked in the libraries of India, Spain, Spanish Morocco, England and France and taught Graduate and Post- graduate students at Central Calcutta (Islamia) College, Calcutta University, India and Dacca University, Bangladesh.

The author has made researches on Moors’ Rule in Spain and Afghans’ rule in India and Published nine text books and reference works in 13 volumes, four being on Muslim Spain alone, as enumerated elsewhere and also more than fifty research papers, about thirty being again on Muslim Spain in International Journals like Al-Andolus, Islamic Culture, Islamic studies, Dacca University Studies and Journal of Asiatic Society of Pakistan and Pakistan Historical Society. His books have been reviewed in and outside Pakistan and in various European languages. His works were highly commended by scholars like Professor Hardy, Nevill Barbour, H.K. Sherwani and others. By writing books and papers on Spain he has made rich Spanish Muslim culture known to the English knowing world and established Muslim culture known to the English knowing world and established it great impact on other European cultures.

Having written the political history of the Muslims (from Prophet Muhammad to the ‘Abbasids) in two volumes and the Political history of Muslim Spain (711-1492), it was deemed necessary to compile a work on administration under the Arabs giving a continuous history of their administration at Madinah, Damascus, Baghdad, Cordova and Cario at different periods. It seeks to give a vivid picture of the administrative set up of the governments civil and military, albeit brief short. While dealing with the institutions of administration their historical growth and development have been kept in view throughout the discussion and their assessment has been made in the Resume.

Of the Arabic sources in original or translation mainly the works of Baladhuri, Tabari, Masudi, Abu Yusuf, Qudamah, Ibn al-Khatib, Ibn Bassam, Maqqari, Maqrizi, Ibn Tiqtaqah, al- Qalqashandi, Jahshiyari, Suyuti, al-Nadim, Ibn Khaldun and others have been consulted and depended upon. Critical notices of some of them have been appended here in the Introduction serving as an index to the nature of materials utilised in giving shape to this short work on ‘Arab administration much needed by regular students and interested laymen. The author will feel his labour amply rewarded if their purpose is served.

Among the modern works, the books of Mez, Von Kremar, Levy, Hitti, Levi- Provencal, Vatikiotis, Gaston Wiet, Muin al-din Nadvi, scott, Monigomery Watt, Zahid ‘Ali, Jurji Zaydan, Khuda Baksbsh, Husaini and of the present author himself have been of great help in preparing the text of this work. The authors acknowledge the Medieval as well as modern writers mentioned above as his authorities and, in case of a successful presentation of the subject. He feels that credit goes mainly to those pioneers in the field alone on the fruits of whose researches the present writer has largely depended. The present work is intended to be a companion volume of ‘ the Political History of the Muslims from Prophet Muhammad to the ‘ Abbasids’ and also of the author’s other works on Muslim Spain.

The author is conscious of his shortcomings in the plan of this book and also its execution and others to which his attention may be drawn by learned critics on reviewing this work. Because of non-availability and short supply of diacritical signs ‘irab (ancient marks) could not be put properly in some cases giving in complete accent.