Final answer:
The early Muslim rule was characterized by a status structure between conqueror and conquered, in addition to the importance of Arab ethnicity and the central unifying role of the Islamic faith.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the earliest decades of Muslim rule, the most important differentiator of status was not primarily based on wealth, ethnicity, religious devotion, or loyalty to the caliph. Instead, the key status differentiator was between conquerors and conquerors.
This delineation categorized society into those who paid taxes for the benefits and protection of the state, and those who were on the receiving end of the payments. Notably, ethnicity played a part in that Arabs typically held a higher status. Moreover, religion was also a unifying and differentiating force within the Islamic ummah, where the Islamic faith, more than anything, brought followers together under the final prophet Muhammad's leadership.
Within this social structure, the mawali, or non-Arab converts to Islam, were often considered second-class citizens despite their religious conversion. The use of Arabic and the administrative skills of the caliphs, together with their cultural and religious authority, were crucial in upholding the caliphate. Over time, the Islamic society grew into a vast ummah interconnected through trade and travel, with Islam as a powerful cultural force that shaped the region's destiny.