▁by ▁territorial ▁expansion ▁and ▁by ▁the ▁administrative ▁and ▁cultural ▁problems ▁that ▁such ▁expansion ▁created . ▁Despite ▁some ▁notable ▁exceptions , ▁the ▁Um ay y ads ▁t ended ▁to ▁favor ▁the ▁rights ▁of ▁the ▁old ▁Arab ▁families , ▁and ▁in ▁particular ▁their ▁own , ▁over ▁those ▁of ▁newly ▁converted ▁Muslim s ▁( ma w ali ). ▁Therefore , ▁they ▁held ▁to ▁a ▁less ▁universal ist ▁conception ▁of ▁Islam ▁than ▁did ▁many ▁of ▁their ▁riv als . ▁As ▁G . R . ▁Haw ting ▁has ▁written , ▁" I sl am ▁was ▁in ▁fact ▁regarded ▁as ▁the ▁property ▁of ▁the ▁conqu ering ▁arist ocracy ." ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁period ▁of ▁the ▁Um ay y ads , ▁Arab ic ▁became ▁the ▁administrative ▁language ▁and ▁the ▁process ▁of ▁Arab ization ▁was ▁initi ated ▁in ▁the ▁Lev ant , ▁Mes op ot am ia , ▁North ▁Africa ▁and ▁I ber ia . ▁State ▁documents ▁and ▁currency ▁were ▁issued ▁in ▁the ▁Arab ic . ▁Mass ▁convers ions ▁also ▁created ▁a ▁growing ▁population ▁of ▁Muslim s ▁in ▁the ▁territory ▁of ▁the ▁C ali ph ate . ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁one ▁common ▁view , ▁the ▁Um ay y ads ▁transformed ▁the ▁cal i ph ate ▁from ▁a ▁religious ▁institution ▁( d uring ▁the ▁R ash id un ▁cal i ph ate ) ▁to ▁a ▁d yn astic ▁one . ▁However , ▁the ▁Um ay y ad ▁cal i ph s ▁do ▁seem ▁to ▁have ▁understood ▁themselves ▁as ▁the ▁represent atives ▁of ▁God ▁on ▁earth , ▁and ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁responsible ▁for