ʿIrāq

Al-ʿIrāq (Iraq) is a historic region of southwestern Asia situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Corresponding largely to the territory of modern Iraq, it encompasses much of ancient Mesopotamia, one of the earliest centers of human civilization. Owing to its fertile river valleys, Iraq witnessed the rise of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian civilizations and became a major center of political, economic, and cultural activity in the ancient Near East. Its strategic location between Arabia, Persia, Anatolia, and the Levant made it a crossroads of trade and ideas, while its agricultural wealth contributed to its enduring importance throughout history.

During the lifetime of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, Iraq formed part of the Sasanian Empire and was among the most prosperous regions under Persian rule. The area contained important urban centers such as al-Ḥīrah, the capital of the Arab Lakhmid kingdom, which served as a buffer state between the Sasanians and the tribes of Arabia. Commercial and cultural contacts between Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula were extensive, and many Arabs travelled to Iraqi markets and settlements. The region also possessed significant religious diversity, including Zoroastrian, Christian, Jewish, and other communities. Although Iraq lay beyond the political boundaries of Arabia, it was closely connected to the world in which Islam emerged and was well known to the early Muslims.

The incorporation of Iraq into the Islamic state occurred during the caliphates of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb. Muslim armies achieved decisive victories against the Sasanians, most notably at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah in 15/636 and subsequently at Jalūlāʾ and Nihāwand. These campaigns led to the collapse of Sasanian authority in Mesopotamia and the establishment of Muslim rule throughout the region. New garrison cities such as al-Kūfah and al-Baṣrah were founded and soon developed into major centers of administration, military organization, and scholarship. Iraq subsequently became one of the most important provinces of the early Islamic empire and played a decisive role in the political events of the Rāshidūn, Umayyad, and ʿAbbāsid periods.

The significance of Iraq in Islamic civilization is immense. Al-Kūfah and al-Baṣrah emerged as leading centers of Qurʾānic studies, ḥadīth transmission, Arabic grammar, theology, and jurisprudence. The city of Baghdad, founded by the ʿAbbāsid caliph al-Manṣūr in 145/762, became the capital of the Islamic world and one of the greatest intellectual centers in history. Scholars such as Abū Ḥanīfah, al-Ṭabarī, al-Jāḥiẓ, al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, and countless others contributed to the flourishing of Islamic learning in the region. Iraq also occupies a prominent place in Islamic historical memory through its association with major events involving the Companions, the family of the Prophet ﷺ, and the development of various intellectual and religious traditions. As a cradle of ancient civilization and a principal center of Islamic scholarship and governance, al-ʿIrāq holds a central position in the history of Islam and the broader history of the Middle East.