Foundations of Umayyad Political Legitimacy: A Comparative Study of the Foundational Phases in the Mashriq and Al-Andalus

This study examines the foundations of political legitimacy among the Umayyads through a comparative study of the foundational phases of the two Umayyad states: the first in the Mashriq at the establishment of the Umayyad state (41- 132 AH / 661-750 AD), and the second in al-Andalus (138-422 AH / 756-1031 AD). The significance of this study lies in the fact that it does not merely identify the foundations of legitimacy in each experience separately, but goes beyond that to compare the two experiences at the foundational stage, with the aim of revealing the points of convergence and divergence between them, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms through which political legitimacy was formed and developed in medieval Islamic history. The study adopts the historical-analytical method in reading the sources, while also employing the comparative method, which has shown that the two experiences shared a few basic foundations, most notably Qurashi lineage, political and military competence, the ability to impose stability, and the regulation of succession. The study concludes that the unity of the Umayyad reference framework did not lead to an identical construction of legitimacy; rather, its elements were re-employed according to differing founding circumstances. While they were used in the Mashriq to construct the legitimacy of Umayyad rule within the existing Islamic state, they were employed in al-Andalus as a tool for establishing a new authority in a fragmented political environment. Thus, the study reveals that political legitimacy was not a fixed given, but a flexible historical construct shaped in accordance with the demands of reality.