The Sufyanids have generally retained the Roman…

The Sufyanids have generally retained the Roman and Persian administrative bureaucracies they had inherited in the provinces; politically they are organized along Arab tribal lines, in which the caliph is chosen by his peers to become, theoretically, “first among equals,” and act on the advice of a shura, or tribal council.

Muawiyah, however, in securing during his lifetime an oath of allegiance to his son Yazid, has disregarded the traditional “election” and introduced the alien concept of hereditary succession.

For this reason, the Umayyad dynasty will sometimes be referred to as the Arab kingdom, reflecting traditional Muslim disapproval of the secular nature of the Umayyad state.

The Umayyad attacks against Constantinople from 669 to 678, while ultimately unsuccessful, have offset the secular image of the state, because they have been directed against the Christians.