Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik is the son of the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (reigned 685–705) and half-brother of the caliphs al-Walid I (r. 705–715), Sulayman (r. 715–717), Yazid II (r. 720–724) and Hisham (r. 724–743).

Maslama himself had been excluded from the line of succession as his mother was an enslaved woman.

He is first mentioned as leading, along with his nephew al-'Abbas ibn al-Walid, the annual summer campaign (ṣawā'if) against the Empire in 705.

His first major expedition is the 707–708 campaign against the imperial city of Tyana in southeastern Asia Minor, which had been launched in retaliation for the defeat and death of the distinguished general Maimun the Mardaite the year before.

The siege lasts through winter and the Arab army faces great hardship, but after the Arabs defeat an imperial relief force in spring 708, the city surrenders.

A few months later, in the summer, …

…Maslama leads another expedition into Asia Minor and defeats an imperial army near Amorium.

Maslama raids into the region of Isauria in 709.

In the same year, Maslama is appointed military governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan, succeeding his uncle Muhammad ibn Marwan.

He had already holds the post of governor of Jund Qinnasrin, which is based around Aleppo.

His governorship of this province is not as well-documented by early Arabic chroniclers as his other posts, although contemporary historian Jere L. Bacharach claims Maslama was the likely patron of the Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo and possibly some construction works in Qinnasrin.

Muhammad ibn Marwan, when al-Walid I acceded to the throne in 705, had begun to be eclipsed by his nephew Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, who like him had also born to an enslaved woman.

Maslama had assumed the leadership of the campaigns against Constantinople, and finally replaces Muhammad completely in his capacity as governor of Mesopotamia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in 709/710.

Theodosios' son had been captured by Leo in Nicomedia.

The feeble emperor, realizing that opposition is futile,chooses to resign the throne on March 25, 717.

He and his son subsequently enter the clergy; Theodosios will end his life in a monastery at Ephesus.

Leo now heads an empire humiliated by the presence of pagan barbarians upon Balkan soil rightfully considered “Roman,” threatened by an attack upon its Anatolian heartland and its capital, and reduced, finally, in the West to Sicily and the remnants of the Ravenna exarchate.

Leo's first task is the organization of the defense of Constantinople against eighty thousand Arab troops under Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, who has angrily perceived his client’s deception.

Approaching Constantinople from Pergamon (Bergama), the Arabs besiege the Roman capital by land and sea from August 15, 717.

Leo's military prowess, augmented by the skillful deployment of Greek fire, forces the invaders from the city walls.

Caliph Sulayman joins the attack with two thousand warships and another eighty thousand troops, but upon landing is driven back by the Roman army.

The caliphate's forces camp for the winter.

Arab armies have meanwhile invaded Asia Minor.

Leo the Isaurian deceives them into believing that he will subjugate the empire for them, and thus wins their goodwill and support for his own attempt to seize the throne.

After persuading them to spare Roman territory, he rebels against Theodosius' rule in collusion with Artabasdos, the strategos of the Armeniac Theme, and marches on Constantinople.

Tervel, making common cause with the empire against the caliphate, provides Constantinople with timely support by marching a Bulgar force into Thrace and crushing a Muslim army encamped near Adrianople.

The Arabs renew their attack in the spring but lose a series of encounters with imperial land and sea forces.

Greek fire, a severe winter, desertions from the Arab fleet, and the Bulgarian assault upon those Arabs who had encamped in Thrace aids Leo's skillful defense and in mid-August of 718 compels Maslama to abandon the siege, the second and supreme Arab effort to capture Constantinople.

The Arabs begin retreating through Asia Minor, pursued by imperial troops.

The Muslim fleet, departing with large troop contingents, is destroyed by a storm.

Leo's victory marks an important check to Arab expansionism, preventing their establishment of a bridgehead in southeastern Europe.

His complicated negotiations with the Arabs, as well as those earlier with the Alani, bring him a contemporary reputation for cleverness.

He now turns his military attentions to expelling the Arabs from Anatolia.

Patriarch Germanus has composed a tract delineating the orthodox teaching of the two natures (human and divine) in Christ and directed it to the Armenian church in order to convert it from the errors of the Monophysites, who hold that Christ had only one nature.

Unsuccessful in this endeavor, he now institutes a liturgical service of thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary for the deliverance of Constantinople from the Persian siege of 626 and the Arab Muslim attack of 718.

Yazid ibn al-Muhallab, the former governor of Iraq, leads a rebellion against Caliph Umar in 719-720.

Defeated by the Caliph's forces under Al-Abbas ibn al-Walid and Maslamaibn Abd al-Malik, Al-Muhallab is killed at Basra, the center of his revolt.

Basra remains a focus of the political strife that has arisen between the competing religious factions in Islam, a political friction intensified by a volatile social situation.

Whereas the Arab army constitutes an aristocracy in Basra, the local and various migrant peoples who have settled there (Indians, Persians, Africans, Malays) are merely mawali, or clients attached to Arab tribes.

The Middle East: 724–735 CE

Umayyad Consolidation, Administrative Reforms, and Cultural Flourishing

Stability under Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik

The period from 724 to 735 coincides primarily with the reign of Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (724–743), a notable figure who provides stability and efficient governance to the expansive Umayyad Empire. Hisham undertakes critical administrative reforms to better manage the vast territories stretching from the Iberian Peninsula to the edges of Central Asia.

Administrative and Economic Developments

Hisham introduces fiscal and agricultural reforms aimed at improving state revenues, which significantly enhance economic productivity across the Middle East. He expands irrigation networks, particularly in Iraq and Syria, boosting agriculture and securing food supplies. His government meticulously regulates taxation and administration, fostering economic prosperity and social stability.

Cultural and Intellectual Activity

During Hisham’s reign, the cultural life of the Islamic world continues to flourish. The caliph supports scholarly activities, notably encouraging the preservation and translation of classical texts, thus laying the foundations for the later Islamic Golden Age. Major urban centers such as Damascus, Basra, and Kufa witness significant intellectual debates, especially on theological and legal matters.

Military Challenges and Frontier Defense

Despite internal stability, the empire faces ongoing military challenges. Arab–Byzantine frontier clashes intensify, particularly in Anatolia, where frontier fortifications are expanded and strengthened. Meanwhile, Hisham’s generals, notably Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, maintain military pressure on Byzantine defenses, although no significant territorial shifts occur during this time.

In summary, the era of 724–735 CE under Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik is characterized by effective governance, cultural advancement, and economic prosperity, setting a robust foundation for subsequent generations in the Islamic Middle East.