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ight to use them except the caliphs, their children, and their oppressive, dissolute ministers. As
for those who did not flatter the rulers, they led a life of poverty and misery. Now, let Abu al‐
‘Atahiya tell us about that Golden Time, as the historians say: The dry loaf of bread you eat in a
corner, and a narrow room where you are alone or a mosque far from the people is better than
the hours in the shade of the high palaces.
This statement tells (you) about my state.
Blessed is he who hears it! By my life, it is sufficient.
Therefor, listen to the advice of the loyal one called Abu al‐‘Atahiya.
These kinds of hopelessness, pessimism, and pain mentioned by the poet of the ‘Abbasid society
resulted from the corruption of the then rulers and their bad power. For their crooked policy
spread among the people poverty and deprivation, while it placed wealth among a special class
that went too far in practicing pleasures. They decorated their palaces with excellent furniture
and their walls with silk. They planted flowers in their gardens, to the extent they brought to them
excellent flowers from India. They went too far in creating different kinds of enjoyments. When
they were tired of a certain enjoyment, they changed it into another. Abu al‐Faraj al‐Asfahani said:
“Some of them were about to bang his head against an iron bar due to the good singing.” The
result of that was the spreading of poverty among the popular classes.
Anyway, the ‘Abbasid governments at the ‘Abbasid Time 1 plundered the properties of the Islamic
peoples, spread poverty throughout their countries, spent the money in central budget on
prostitution, amusement, and spoiling morals. So the masses were sure of the corruption of those
authorities and of their illegal rule. In the meantime, they were sure that the ‘Alawids were the
summoners to social justice, the shelter of the oppressed and persecuted.
The Policy of the ‘Abbasid Government
During most of its times, the ‘Abbasid government stood on oppression and tyranny. It did not
witness social and political justice. Through their governing, the ‘Abbasids followed a special
dictatorial method. They controlled all the judicial and administrative authorities. There was no
administrative and consultative council to deal with the affairs of the subjects, their interests, the
means of their development and progress. The nature of the government was dictatorial. The
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