Creed, Conquests, and Culture: A Historical Perspective on the Development of Islam

How well were the Islamic conquests able to keep hold of territory and subjects? After learning about the contributions that the Umayyad dynasty made to the development of Islamic identity, we see the growing opposition of the Mawali, the piety-minded Muslims, and the Shiites, who were all unhappy with the Umayyad rule. These disparate sources of discontent were able to form a single unity and overthrow the Umayyad dynasty during the Abbasid Revolution. Little did they suspect, however, the significant changes which would occur after the transfer of power.