ADMINISTRATIONhonored his reputation for hierarchic centralization and authoritarian
control by quoting from him the principle that "he who does not obey
his superior is not obeyed by his subordinates."2oThe Early Islamic Amirate
The earliest application of Sasanian theories and practices to Islamic
government are not to be found primarily among the Commanders of
the Faithful at Madina or Damascus but among the Muslim governors
of Iraq and the east during the seventh century. Perhaps this was
natural since only one seventh-century Commander of the Faithful
(,All, 656-61) ever resided in Iraq, but it was supported by the nature
of the governor's office in which the combination of military, fiscal,
and religious responsibilities was remarkably and conveniently close
to the Sasanian concept of monarchy. This helps to explain the intro-
duction of royal customs by Muslim governors, the employment of
hierarchic concepts, and the separation of powers at the provincial
level below that of governor in his appointment of subordinate finan-
cial and judicial officials.
'The Islamic'governor (Ar. amlr), at least in the seventh century,was
more than simply a military official. The nature of the early amirate
was the result of Muhammad's own practice as leader of the Muslim
community in all of its activities, especially at Madina between 622
and 632. Immediately after the conquest of Iraq, when the local Mus-
lim community was practically identical with the armies of occupation
that settled at Basra, Kufa, Mada'in, and Mawsil, leadership of the
army also meant leadership of the local community. This was ex-
pressed formally by leading public worship as the imiim (Ar.), deliv-
ering the sermon (Ar. khutba), and rendering or receiving allegiance
(Ar. bay'a) on behalf of the community. Likewise, the combination
of financial with military responsibilities under early Muslim governors
in Iraq was an extension of the authority exercised by Muhammad at
Madina where he had collected the tithe and distributed it to the needy.
It was also a direct result of the nature of the conquest of Iraq where
the income from the Sasanian taxation system was made the permanent
booty (Ar. fay') of the Muslim community, an arrangement which
treats of the Persian Empire," jRAS (1900), p. 250. Khusraw Parviz refused to spend
any of it during the crisis at the end of his Byzantine war, so it fell fairly intact into
the hands of the Muslim conquerors when Mada'in fell in 637 and was divided among
them (Tabari, Ta'rikh, I, 2434).
20 Tha'alibi, Ghurar, p. 690.