Destructive Wealth

The Muslim Empire

Key: Green= Analysis

Q: How did the wealth that brought the Abbasids power also lead to their downfall?

A: Wealth is a very wanted and important item today, and it was in the past, too. The Abbasids received power and overthrew the Umayyads to capture the Islamic Empire. Do you know how the Abbasids received that power? From wealth, of course! Although the wealth gave the Abbasids control over the empire, it also lead to their downfall. It was because other groups, such as the Fatimids, did not like the way that they Abbasids lived a fancy, rich life. They thought that Muslims should live a life simply. So, the Fatimids conquered the western area of the Muslim Empire. I think that it was the Abbasids' own actions that lead to their decline because since they are Muslim, they should live according to their rule, which was to live simply. But they lived elaborately, which was not the Muslim rule, so that gave the Fatimids a reason to oppose and conquer the Western area of the Muslim Empire.

I think that it wasn't wealth that was the main reason of the Abbasids' decline. After the Fatimids took control of an area in the Muslim Empire, the Abbasids could have just conquered more land and keep the empire strong. In my opinion, the Abbasids were weak from the beginning so they didn't make any more advances. It is a fact that when the Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads, they were with other joined forces. If the Abbasids were alone, they wouldn't have been able to conquer the Muslim empire. But because they had help and WEALTH, they took over the empire.

In conclusion, wealth brought the Abbasids to their decline because the factions didn't like that the Abbasids lived a wealthy life. And so they were overthrown of some of the areas in the Muslim Empire, and that made the Abbasids weaker then they were.

So you can see that although wealth is important today as it was in the past, it is not always an item of positivity and good purpose. Wealth could destroy you, just like it did to the Abbasids.