What do you known about the administrative system of Banu Umayyads.

ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM OF THE BANU UMYYADS:

The Ancient East peoples, including the Arabs, were mere novices in political organization and practice. The same was true of early Islam. It did not process any coherent and organized system of the state structure's fundamental laws, called a CONSTITUTION.

The evolution of the caliphate institution was determined more by accident than by fore-thought or theory of the state. The ORTHODOX CALIPHATE was an elective and republican institution suitable for its tribalistic, patriarchal, and paternalistic environment. There were only a few general principles of consultation by the head of the state, which led to a rudimentary consultive system called the SHURA. There were a few rules regarding the ruler and his advisers' duties and qualifications, but they were mainly contractual and personal in nature.

The central government of the Umayyad caliphate consists of:

The Khalifa
Court
Five central departments or DIWANS.

THE KHALIFA:

The Umayyad Caliphate, like that of the Orthodox, was headed by a KHALIFA, also known as the IMAM of the AMEER-UL-MOMINEEN.

The Umayyad Caliphate occupied the same position and performed similar functions as an Orthodox Caliph but with a different attitude and spirit. Most of the Umayyad Caliphs led the public Prayers in Damascus's central mosque, read the Friday KHUTBA, and adjudged disputes brought before them after the afternoon prayers in the courtyard of the Mosque.

In actual practice, however, the Umayyad Caliphs were quite unlike their orthodox predecessors. They were autocrats, with the solitary exception of Umar bin Abdul Aziz.

Unlike the orthodox caliphs, they were inaccessible to their common subjects and kept themselves aloof, even in the Mosque where they ensconced themselves in a stone enclosure, called MAQSURAH. In short, paternalistic absolutism was the chief characteristic of the Umayyad Caliphate.

THE COURT:

With the rise of the Umayyads to power, the Shura of the orthodox days ceased to exists. It has really vanished in the reign of Hazrat Uthman.

Under the Umayyads, the Court took place, which comprised the Umayyad clan members, towns, and tribes. Only during his brief reign, Umar bin Abdul Aziz re-instituted the Shura's consultive system both at Medina, when he was its governor and at Damascus when he became caliph.

The Umayyad Court was really patterned on the Byzantine model, with which the people of Syria were accustomed during the long rule of the ROMANS and GREEKS. In other words, the Umayyad caliphate was a worldly government rather than a theocratic state of early Islam.

CENTRAL DIWANS :

Like that of the Orthodox Caliphs, the Umayyad's central government was simple, even primitive. The five central departments of the Umayyad Government were as described below:

DIWAN AL-KHARAJ :

Hazrat Umar originally established it to collect land-revenue, but under the Umayyads, it also administrated the state's entire finances. It received all taxes, disbursed all expenses, and maintained records of all receipts and payments.

DIWAN AL-JUND :

It was the military department, first established by Hazrat Umar. It paid annual data or pensions to the Arabs and a few non-Arab Muslims by the register or DIWAN of pensions.

DIWAN AR - RASAIL:

It was the department of Royal correspondence. It also existed since the days of the pious Caliphs. It performed several functions. It was headed by a khatib or scribe who composed the letters and orders of the caliph.

DIWAN AL-KHATIM:

It was the chancery of the Umayyads, first established by Muawiya to prevent forgery of Royal correspondence. A copy of them was entered in a register, while the original was sealed and despatched. The provincial governors also had similar departments.

DIWAN AL-BARID:

It was the postal department to transmit Royal mail between the capital and the provinces. It was first set up by MUAWIYA but was properly re-organized by Abdul Malik. Each province had an officer in charge of the provincial Post office, called the SAHIB AL-BURID. He was the postmaster.