The rise and fall of the medieval Islamic Empire - Petra Sijpesteijn & Birte Kristiansen

Translator: Intan Andini Reviewer: aditya prayogi

In the 7th century CE, one man started a chain of events

Di abad ke-7 M, seorang pria memulai rangkaian peristiwa

that would change the world order for good.

yang mengubah tatanan dunia untuk selamanya.

The prophet Muhammad united the people of the Arabian Peninsula

Nabi Muhammad menyatukan orang-orang di Jazirah Arab

through the formation of Islam.

melalui terbentuknya Islam.

These people included both nomadic Bedouin tribes

Orang-orang ini termasuk suku Badui nomaden dan

and the inhabitants of oasis cities like Mecca and Medina.

penduduk kota-kota oasis seperti Mekah dan Madinah.

Until Muhammad’s time, the region hadn’t been considered a serious match

Sampai zaman Muhammad, wilayah itu belum menjadi tandingan serius

for the powerful neighboring Persian and Byzantine empires.

bagi tetangganya yang kuat, kerajaan Persia dan Bizantium.

But the alliance Muhammad formed was political as well as religious,

Namun aliansi yang dibentuk Muhammad bersifat politis dan religius,

an empire with Medina as its political heart

sebuah kerajaan dengan Madinah sebagai jantung politiknya

and a force to be reckoned with.

serta kekuatan yang patut diawasi.

Muhammad was a one-of-a-kind leader.

Muhammad adalah pemimpin yang unik.

He had been a member of the Quraysh, the tribe that controlled Mecca.

Dia pernah menjadi anggota Quraisy, suku yang menguasai Mekah.

After Muhammad’s death,

Setelah kematian Muhammad,

those close to him deliberated who should succeed him—

mereka yang dekat dengannya mempertimbangkan penggantinya—

a contentious question.

pertanyaan yang kontroversial.

Abū Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law,

Abu Bakar, ayah mertua Muhammad,

emerged victorious and became the new caliph, or successor.

muncul sebagai pemenang dan menjadi khalifah baru, atau penggantinya.

Over the next 30 years, four caliphs, all from Muhammad's tribe,

Selama 30 tahun berikutnya, 4 khalifah, semuanya dari suku Muhammad,

conquered vast areas beyond Arabia,

menaklukkan wilayah luas di luar Arabia,

including their mighty neighbors, the Persians and the Byzantines.

termasuk tetangga perkasa mereka, Persia dan Bizantium.

But as the empire expanded, dissent within it grew

Namun saat kekaisaran berkembang, perbedaan pendapat di dalamnya tumbuh

and a civil war erupted.

dan perang saudara meletus.

The fourth caliph, Ali, was assassinated.

Khalifah ke-4, Ali, dibunuh.

Afterwards, the Umayyad Dynasty came to power.

Setelah itu, Dinasti Umayyah berkuasa.

The Umayyads were from the same tribe as Muhammad,

Bani Umayyah berasal dari suku yang sama dengan Muhammad,

but from a different, rival clan.

tapi dari klan saingan yang berbeda.

They extended the empire’s reach from present-day Spain to India

Mereka memperluas jangkauan kekaisaran dari Spanyol saat ini ke India

and made Damascus their capital.

dan menjadikan Damaskus ibu kota mereka.

But an empire this vast, full of many different peoples,

Tapi kerajaan luas ini, dipenuhi banyak orang yang berbeda,

was at risk of conflict and fracture.

berisiko konflik dan keretakan.

The Umayyads stabilized it by replacing the ruling elite in conquered territories

Bani Umayyah menstabilkannya dengan mengganti penguasa di wilayah taklukan

with Muslim officials,

dengan pejabat Muslim,

while largely allowing the day-to-day customs of local populations—

sementara sebagian besar membiarkan kebiasaan sehari-hari penduduk lokal—

including their religious preferences— to continue.

termasuk preferensi agama mereka— untuk dilanjutkan.

Arabic was used as the administrative language,

Bahasa Arab digunakan sebagai bahasa administrasi,

unifying political affairs across the empire,

pemersatu urusan politik di seluruh kekaisaran,

but people continued to speak and write local languages, too.

meski orang-orang masih berbicara dan menulis dalam bahasa lokal juga.

Still, many in the empire were dissatisfied with Umayyad rule

Namun banyak yang tidak puas dengan pemerintahan Umayyah

and questioned the dynasty's legitimacy.

dan mempertanyakan legitimasi dinasti itu.

The Abbasid family capitalized on these sentiments,

Keluarga Abbasiyah memanfaatkan sentimen ini,

promoting themselves as more direct descendants of the prophet,

mempromosikan diri sebagai keturunan langsung nabi,

though their actual relation to Muhammad was more tenuous than they claimed.

meski hubungan mereka dengan Muhammad lebih lemah dari yang diklaim.

They overthrew the Umayyad caliphate in 750 CE,

Mereka menggulingkan kekhalifahan Umayyah pada 750 M,

becoming the second great dynasty of the Islamic Empire.

menjadi dinasti besar ke-2 dari Kekaisaran Islam.

To establish themselves as the new rulers,

Demi menetapkan diri sebagai penguasa baru,

they relocated the capital once more,

mereka memindahkan ibu kota sekali lagi,

this time building a new city: Baghdad.

membangun kota baru: Bagdad.

Under Abbasid rule, the elite enjoyed a lifestyle of luxury,

Di bawah pemerintahan Abbasiyah, kaum elit menikmati gaya hidup mewah,

thanks to extensive trade networks that brought both products and people

berkat jaringan perdagangan luas yang membawa produk dan orang-orang

from all over the known world to Baghdad.

dari seluruh dunia ke Baghdad.

Byzantine, Persian, Indian and Arab cultures and knowledge intermingled,

Budaya dan pengetahuan Bizantium, Persia, India dan Arab bercampur

leading to artistic and scientific advancement.

menghasilkan kemajuan artistik dan ilmiah.

The caliph was wealthy and powerful beyond imagination.

Khalifah kaya dan berkuasa di luar imajinasi.

But there was never a clear line of succession

Namun tak pernah ada garis suksesi yang jelas

dictating who would become the next caliph.

yang menentukan siapa pengganti khalifah berikutnya.

Any male relative of the former caliph was eligible,

Setiap kerabat laki-laki mantan khalifah bisa jadi pengganti,

so brothers, nephews, and uncles fought to gain power.

karenanya saudara, keponakan, dan paman berebut mendapatkan kekuasaan.

Within the court, army officers, wives, concubines, and government officials

Di pengadilan, perwira militer, istri, selir, dan pejabat pemerintah

all demanded their share of the treasury.

semuanya menuntut bagian mereka dari perbendaharaan.

Because the caliph depended on his entourage to stay in power,

Karena khalifah bergantung pada rombongannya untuk tetap berkuasa,

each transition of rulership opened the doors for favoritism and corruption.

setiap transisi pemerintahan membuka pintu bagi pilih kasih dan korupsi.

Outside the court,

Di luar pengadilan,

many questioned the legitimacy of the caliph,

banyak yang mempertanyakan legitimasi khalifah,

noting that the caliph’s religious duty to moral excellence

mengingat kewajiban agama khalifah dalam keunggulan moral

was at odds with the court’s decadent displays of wealth.

bertentangan dengan tampilan dekaden kekayaan pengadilan.

In 1258 CE, the Mongols approached Baghdad.

Pada 1258 M, bangsa Mongol mendekati Baghdad.

They encountered little resistance as they thoroughly destroyed the city.

Mereka menghadapi sedikit perlawanan saat berhasil menghancurkan kota.

Legend has it that they rolled the caliph in a rug

Legenda mengatakan mereka menggulung khalifah di karpet

and had horses trample him to death,

dan kuda-kuda menginjakinya sampai mati,

and that the Tigris River ran black from the ink of the manuscripts

dan Sungai Tigris menjadi hitam karena tercemar tinta manuskrip

that were thrown into it.

yang dibuang ke dalamnya.

The siege of Baghdad laid bare a longstanding reality:

Pengepungan Baghdad mengungkapkan kenyataan yang sudah lama ada:

for centuries, the caliphs had ruled mostly symbolically.

selama berabad-abad, para khalifah kebanyakan memerintah secara simbolis.

Local leaders throughout the empire had grown more powerful,

Para pemimpin lokal di seluruh kekaisaran tumbuh lebih kuat,

and they refused to pay taxes,

dan mereka menolak membayar pajak,

spending the money on their own courts instead.

dan justru menghabiskan uang di pengadilan sendiri.

The time of one united Islamic Empire was over,

Masa Kerajaan Islam yang bersatu telah berakhir,

but its influence through written and spoken Arabic,

tetapi pengaruhnya melalui tulisan dan lisan Arab,

Islam, and the ideas of its greatest intellectuals,

Islam, dan ide-ide para intelektual terbesarnya,

left a lasting mark on the world.

meninggalkan jejak abadi di dunia.