Explanation: The source material confirms that the Umayyads were an Arab clan from the Banu Abd-Shams, a notable clan within the powerful Quraysh tribe of Mecca.

Explanation: Their prestige stemmed from their role in protecting and maintaining the Ka'ba in Mecca and their skills as wartime commanders, not from extensive pre-Islamic military conquests.

Explanation: According to genealogical tradition, Abd Manaf ibn Qusayy held these significant roles in the late 5th century and passed them down to his sons, including Abd Shams, the ancestor of the Umayyads.

Explanation: The source confirms that the Quraysh, with the Banu Umayya playing a key role, dominated trade networks and formed alliances with nomadic tribes to secure trade routes, thereby gaining political power in Arabia.

Explanation: The descendants of Abd Shams, including the Umayyads, were among the primary leaders of the opposition to Muhammad when he began his religious teachings in Mecca.

Explanation: Following heavy losses to the Banu Makhzum's leadership at the Battle of Badr in 624, the Umayyads, led by Abu Sufyan, became the primary leaders of the Meccan opposition to Muhammad's Muslims.

Explanation: Abu Sufyan and most Umayyads did not convert until much later, following the Muslim conquest of Mecca towards the end of Muhammad's life.

Explanation: To integrate the recently converted Umayyad leadership, Muhammad offered them gifts and key positions within the nascent Muslim state, including the governorship of Mecca.

Explanation: The Umayyad dynasty originated from the Banu Abd-Shams, which was a prominent clan within the larger and powerful Quraysh tribe of Mecca.

Explanation: The Umayyads' prestige in the pre-Islamic era stemmed from their significant role in protecting and maintaining the Ka'ba, which was considered the most sacred sanctuary by polytheistic Arabs.

Explanation: Genealogical tradition holds that Abd Manaf ibn Qusayy was responsible for these roles, which were then passed down to his sons, including Abd Shams (progenitor of the Umayyads) and Hashim.

Explanation: The Quraysh, with the Banu Umayya playing a dominant role, established political power by controlling extensive trade networks and forming economic and military alliances with nomadic tribes to secure them.

Explanation: When Muhammad began his religious teachings, he faced opposition from most of the Quraysh, and the Umayyads were among the primary leaders of this opposition.

Explanation: After the Battle of Badr in 624, where the rival Banu Makhzum clan suffered heavy losses, the Umayyads under Abu Sufyan became the principal leaders of the Meccan forces opposing Muhammad.

Explanation: Abu Sufyan and most of the Umayyads converted to Islam towards the end of Muhammad's life, specifically after the Muslim conquest of Mecca.

Explanation: To secure the loyalty of former opponents like Abu Sufyan, Muhammad offered them gifts and appointed them to important positions, such as the governorship of Mecca.

Explanation: After Muhammad's death, the Banu Umayya relocated to Medina, which remained the political center of the Muslims, to maintain their influence.

Explanation: Caliph Abu Bakr granted the Umayyads a prominent role in the conquest of Syria, appointing Yazid, son of Abu Sufyan, as one of the commanders of the expedition.

Explanation: While Caliph Umar generally curtailed the influence of the Qurayshite elite, he made an exception for Abu Sufyan's sons and did not disrupt their growing foothold in Syria.

Explanation: Uthman initially maintained his predecessors' appointees but gradually replaced many provincial officials with Umayyads or his maternal kinsmen over time, not immediately upon his accession.

Explanation: Uthman was an Umayyad by birth, but he is not considered part of the dynasty because he was chosen by consensus (shura) rather than through the hereditary succession that defined the later dynastic rule.

Explanation: The Qurayshite elite used the circumstances of Uthman's assassination to oppose Ali's accession to the caliphate, making it a powerful political rallying cry.

Explanation: Talha and Zubayr died at the Battle of the Camel. Afterward, the mantle of opposition to Ali was primarily taken up by Mu'awiya, the governor of Syria.

Explanation: The Battle of Siffin resulted in a stalemate, which led to an indecisive arbitration that weakened Ali's command but did not result in a decisive victory for Mu'awiya.

Explanation: To maintain their political influence after Muhammad's death, Abu Sufyan and the Banu Umayya relocated to Medina, which continued to serve as the political center of the Muslims.

Explanation: Caliph Abu Bakr favored the Umayyads by giving them a significant role in the conquest of Syria, appointing Yazid, son of Abu Sufyan, as a commander of the expedition.

Explanation: While Caliph Umar generally limited the power of the Qurayshite elite, he made an exception for the sons of Abu Sufyan, allowing them to maintain and grow their influence in Syria.

Explanation: As an Umayyad himself, Caliph Uthman gradually appointed fellow Umayyads and kinsmen to key provincial posts, which allowed the clan to regain significant power and influence.

Explanation: Uthman's rule is considered non-dynastic because he was selected as caliph through a process of consensus (shura), unlike the later Umayyad rulers who established a hereditary system.

Explanation: The assassination of Caliph Uthman in 656 became a powerful rallying cry for the Qurayshite opposition, who used the circumstances of his death to challenge the legitimacy of his successor, Ali.

Explanation: After the leaders of the initial opposition died at the Battle of the Camel, Mu'awiya, the governor of Syria, became the primary figure leading the opposition to Ali.

Explanation: The Battle of Siffin in 657 ended in a stalemate, which led to an indecisive arbitration process that ultimately weakened Ali's position and elevated Mu'awiya's stature.

Explanation: While Umayya ibn Abd Shams was the eponymous progenitor of the clan, the Umayyad Caliphate was founded by Mu'awiya I in 661.

Explanation: Following Ali's assassination, Mu'awiya marched on Kufa and compelled Ali's son, Hasan, to cede caliphal authority, leading to his widespread recognition as caliph.

Explanation: This event signified a major shift, as the Umayyads, who had been primary opponents of Muhammad, reestablished their position to lead the community he founded within thirty years of his death.

Explanation: In contrast to Uthman, Mu'awiya I's power did not primarily rely on the Umayyad clan, and he generally did not appoint Umayyads to major provincial governorships, confining their influence to Medina.

Explanation: The Umayyads of Medina were resentful of Mu'awiya I's rule because they experienced a loss of political power, as he largely confined their influence to Medina.

Explanation: This was an unprecedented move in Muslim politics. Earlier caliphs had been chosen by consensus or consultation, making Mu'awiya's hereditary designation a significant departure from tradition.

Explanation: While the Umayyads were expelled from Medina during the revolts, they joined the Syrian army to defeat the rebels. They were expelled a second time after Yazid's death.

Explanation: Following the death of Yazid I, Umayyad authority collapsed in most provinces, allowing Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr to declare himself caliph in Mecca.

Explanation: Marwan I was from a different branch of the Umayyad clan. He became caliph after Mu'awiya II's death by volunteering his candidacy and gaining the consensus of loyalist tribes at a summit in Jabiya.

Explanation: A key policy of Abd al-Malik was to concentrate power within the Umayyad dynasty by appointing his close male relatives to govern the provinces and Syria's districts.

Explanation: Abd al-Malik's court was filled with far more Umayyads than under his Sufyanid predecessors, precisely because the clan's exile from Medina had concentrated them in Damascus.

Explanation: Al-Walid I attempted to replace his designated successor, Sulayman, with his own son, but this attempt failed. Sulayman acceded to the caliphate as planned in 715.

Explanation: Umar II was Sulayman's cousin, not his son. He was likely chosen due to his seniority within the clan and his father's previous position as Marwan I's second designated successor.

Explanation: The Umayyad Caliphate, the first hereditary dynasty in Islamic history, was founded by Mu'awiya I in 661 and ruled from Damascus until it was overthrown in 750.

Explanation: Mu'awiya I is recognized as the founder of the Umayyad dynasty, establishing the Umayyad Caliphate in 661 and marking the start of the first hereditary dynasty in Islamic history.

Explanation: Following Ali's assassination in 661, Mu'awiya compelled Ali's son, Hasan, to cede caliphal authority, which led to his widespread recognition as caliph and the end of the First Fitna.

Explanation: The reunification of the Muslim community under Mu'awiya marked the end of the First Fitna and the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate, the first hereditary dynasty in Islam.

Explanation: Unlike Uthman, whose power relied heavily on his kinsmen, Mu'awiya I did not primarily rely on the Umayyad clan and, with minor exceptions, did not appoint them to major provincial governorships.

Explanation: The Umayyads of Medina were resentful because Mu'awiya I limited their influence, possibly due to wariness of their political ambitions, leading to their loss of political power.

Explanation: In a significant departure from the tradition of choosing caliphs by consultation or consensus, Mu'awiya I installed his son, Yazid I, as his successor, establishing a hereditary principle.

Explanation: The primary opposition to Yazid I's succession came from prominent Medina-based sons of earlier caliphs or close companions of Muhammad, most notably Husayn ibn Ali and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr.

Explanation: The death of Yazid I triggered a major crisis (the Second Fitna), during which most provinces rejected Umayyad rule, and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr declared himself caliph in Mecca.

Explanation: Amidst the collapse of Sufyanid authority, Marwan I, from a different Umayyad branch, volunteered his candidacy and was recognized as caliph by loyalist Arab tribes at a summit in Jabiya.

Explanation: To consolidate power and centralize control, Abd al-Malik appointed his close male relatives, such as his brothers and sons, to govern nearly all of the Caliphate's provinces.

Explanation: Abd al-Malik maintained ties with the preceding Sufyanid branch by according Yazid's son Khalid a prominent role in his court and through strategic marriages, including his own to Khalid's sister Atika.

Explanation: Sulayman appointed his cousin, Umar II, as his successor. This choice may have been influenced by Umar II's seniority within the clan and the fact that his father had been Marwan I's second designated successor.

Explanation: The rule of the Sufyanid branch of the Umayyad dynasty ended with the death of Mu'awiya II, the son of Yazid I, in 684.

Explanation: Mu'awiya I ibn Abi Sufyan founded the Umayyad Caliphate in 661 and was its first Syria-based ruler, with his capital in Damascus.

Explanation: The Umayyads in al-Andalus first held the title of Emir for the Emirate of Cordoba, and only later, in 929, did Abd al-Rahman III elevate the title to Caliph.

Explanation: As a grandson of Caliph Hisham who survived the Abbasid purges, Abd al-Rahman I made his way to al-Andalus and, with the help of Umayyad clients (mawali), established the Emirate of Cordoba in 756.

Explanation: The Umayyad immigrants had a significant cultural impact, importing Syrian styles of living that included trees, plants, food crops, and traditional foods, leading to a Syrianization of the countryside.

Explanation: During their initial period of rule in al-Andalus, from 756 until 929, the Umayyad rulers held the title of Emir of Cordoba.

Explanation: Abd al-Rahman I, a grandson of Caliph Hisham who escaped the Abbasid purges, made his way to al-Andalus and established the Emirate of Cordoba with the support of Umayyad clients (mawali).

Explanation: The Umayyad immigrants brought Syrian culture to al-Andalus, importing trees, plants, food crops, and traditional foods, which led to a significant Syrianization of the countryside.

Explanation: The political rule of the Umayyad dynasty came to a definitive end in 1031 when the Caliphate of Cordoba disintegrated into several independent taifa kingdoms.

Explanation: The Umayyad Caliphate in Damascus lasted from 661 to 750 (89 years), and their rule in Córdoba lasted from 756 to 1031 (275 years). The combined duration is approximately 364 years, not over 500.

Explanation: Prior to their conversion to Islam, the Umayyad clan was divided into two main branches: the A'yas and the Anabisa.

Explanation: The Marwanids, who ruled as caliphs in Damascus and later in Cordoba, originated from the A'yas branch of the Umayyad clan.

Explanation: While most Marwanids were killed, some escaped to al-Andalus, and others settled in Egypt and Iran, where descendants like Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani became notable figures.

Explanation: Although Uthman was from the A'yas branch, he is not considered a dynastic ruler because he was chosen by consensus (shura), not by hereditary succession.

Explanation: The Sufyanids, the family of Abu Sufyan which included Mu'awiya I and Yazid I, were the most well-known family of the Anabisa branch, not the A'yas branch.

Explanation: Although Sufyanid rule ended with Mu'awiya II's death in 684, Yazid I's other sons, Khalid and Abd Allah, continued to have roles in the court and army.

Explanation: The Banu Abi Mu'ayt, a family from the Anabisa branch, made Iraq and Upper Mesopotamia their home, not Syria.

Explanation: In the early 7th century, the Umayyad clan was divided into two primary branches: the A'yas and the Anabisa.

Explanation: The Marwanids, who ruled as caliphs in Damascus from 684 to 750 and later in Cordoba, descended from the A'yas branch of the Umayyad clan.

Explanation: Following the Abbasid takeover, most Marwanids were killed. However, some managed to escape, with the most notable survivors establishing a new state in al-Andalus, while others settled in Egypt and Iran.

Explanation: The most well-known family of the Anabisa branch was the Sufyanids, descendants of Abu Sufyan Sakhr, who produced the first Umayyad caliph, Mu'awiya I, and his successor, Yazid I.

Explanation: The Banu Abi Mu'ayt, a family descended from Abu Amr of the Anabisa branch, established themselves in Iraq and Upper Mesopotamia.

Explanation: The green border is a visual key in the genealogical chart to denote individuals related to the Banu Hashim, the clan of the Prophet Muhammad and the later Abbasid caliphs.