The creation of early Islamic Beirut: The sea, scholars, jihad and the sacred

This dissertation examines the processes through which Beirut, a town on the periphery of the Early Islamic Empire (7th-9 th century C.E.), was integrated into a nascent Islamic landscape. Chapter 1 describes the role of Umayyad naval policies in the creation of communal and administrative networks that brought Beirut into the orbit of Damascus. Chapter 2 discusses the changes in early Abbasid naval policies and the subsequent elaboration of the concept of ribāt&dotbelow; , a form of passive jihad. During the 8th century, as a result of these policies, Beirut became the primary locus of ribāt&dotbelow; for the inhabitants of Damascus and its province. Chapter 3 examines the reasons behind the move of the imam of Syria ‘Abd al-Rah&dotbelow;mān b. ‘Amr al-Awzā‘ī (d. 157/774) to Beirut, while Chapter 4 argues that his move to Beirut and the presence of the majority of his students in Beirut led to the early demise of his law school. The dissertation concludes with Chapter 5, a longue durée look at the inclusion of Beirut in an Islamic sacred landscape populated by saints, prophets and Companions of the Prophet.