النظام الإداري في العصر العباسي

Administrative System in the Abbasid Era

• The Abbasid administration was centralized, unlike previous eras.
• Governors were appointed as agents rather than independent rulers.
• Key officials included the "Sahib al-Bait al-Mal" (Head of the Treasury) and "Sahib al-Barid" (Head of the Post).
• The roles of governors were limited, mainly focused on prayer and commanding troops.
• Caliphs directly selected regional administrators.
• Different types of emirates existed: general emirates (divided into voluntary and compulsory types) and specific emirates.
• General emirates had broad responsibilities (military, judicial, revenue collection, religious affairs, etc.).
• Specific emirates were more restricted, focusing solely on military or administrative matters.

Ministers and Advisors (Wazirs)

• Knowledge of war and taxes was important in the appointment of ministers, but not during their implementation.
• The Barmakids were prominent ministers.
• Caliph Harun al-Rashid delegated significant authority to his ministers.
• The Abbasids appointed ministers like Fadl ibn Salih and his brother Hassan ibn Salih.
• Caliph al-Wathiq appointed Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik az-Zaiya as minister.

Scribes and Officials

• With increased Abbasid bureaucracy, scribes were needed to support ministers in the various divisions (diwans).
• Key scribes included those for letters, taxes, military, police, and judges.
• Scribes wrote and authenticated official letters.
• Some scribes (e.g., the "كاتب الرسائل") were present in the Caliph's court.

The Office of the Chamberlain (Hajib)

• The concept and role of the Chamberlain evolved across different periods.
• Early Caliphs did not use a formal chamberlain system, but later dynasties established one.
• The role of the chamberlain was to manage access to the Caliph for commoners, considering their social standing.
• The Abbasid chamberlains held considerable influence, surpassing ministers in some cases.
• Prominent chamberlains included Fadl al-Rabbi and Itaq.

Financial System (Diwans)

• Various diwans (administrative divisions) existed: Diwan al-Kharaj (revenue), Diwan al-Diya (fines), Diwan al-Zamam (expenses), Diwan al-Jund (military), Diwan al-Mawali (clients), Diwan al-Barid (postal), etc.
• The Abbasid revenue system depended on taxes like the kharaj, jizya, zakat, fai'y, and spoils of war.
• Methods of taxation included direct collection (cash or kind), shares or parts of the harvest, or specific agreed-upon contracts (muqata'ah).

Postal Service (Barid)

• A formal postal service was established in Baghdad.
• Postal stations were set up throughout the empire.
• The postal service was mainly for government communications regarding military and intelligence operations.
• The head of the post office (Sahib al-Barid) monitored officials and spied on potential enemies.

Justice and Legal System (Qadi and Diwans)

• Justice was overseen by Qadis (judges) and, when complex matters arose involving powerful figures, by the court of Diwan al-Mazalim (court of grievances).
• The Abbasid legal system was based on Islamic jurisprudence.
• Qadis were restricted to implementing the opinions of legal scholars.
• Each region's judges were expected to follow the particular legal viewpoints prevalent in that area.
• The position of "Qadi al-Quddat" (supreme judge) was established to oversee and manage the entire judicial system which was equivalent to the 'ministry of justice'.

Military System

• The Abbasid military comprised numerous soldiers (hundreds of thousands), receiving a fixed monthly salary.
• The military comprised of professional troops plus mercenaries from Bedouins and farmers.
• The Abbasid army also included cavalry (primarily Arab) and infantry (predominantly from Khurasan).
• The composition of the army evolved over time with the influence of ethnicity (e.g., reliance on Turkish troops).

Economic System

• The Abbasid treasury generated significant wealth, with substantial income from taxes and resources.
• The main sources of revenue included the kharaj (land tax), jizya (tax on non-Muslims), zakat (religious tax), fai'y (state treasure), and spoils of war.
• The era saw successful agricultural and industrial development, boosting the empire's economy.
• Caliphs in this era patronized agricultural development.

Societal Structure

• Different ethnic groups and religious communities existed.
• There were considerable interactions between various communities with varying degrees of tolerance.
• The Abbasid era saw a transition in emphasis from Arab to Persian, then further to Turkish influence.