Ma`rifat Siyasi

One of the significant deviations during the Umayyad era was the transformation that occurred within the institution of the Caliphate. The Umayyad dynasty played a prominent and profound role in fundamentally altering the concept and function of the Caliphate. This descriptive-analytical study, based on library research, seeks to answer the question: What was the nature and impact of the Umayyads’ agency in altering and deviating the concept of the Caliphate? Findings indicate that the Umayyads’ intervention led to a fundamental transformation both in the meaning and structure of the Caliphate, with far-reaching implications for the broader intellectual and political orientation of the Muslim community. The dimensions and consequences of this transformation can be seen in the prioritization of kingship over prophethood, the emergence of autocracy, the adoption of Persian and Roman models of monarchy, secularization, hereditary rule, and the propagation of the doctrine of obedience to unjust rulers and the illegitimacy of rebellion against them.