The study of the impact of weather predictions on political and military life within the framework of Islamic civilization during the Abbasid era, particularly in the lands of the Islamic Mashriq, is considered one of the important historical topics. It reveals the nature of the prevailing intellectual perceptions of that period regarding climatic phenomena and the movement of celestial bodies, as well as their influence on human political and military activities and on the patterns of thought among the political and military elite in the Islamic Mashriq. The study also highlights the development of geographical thought and its impact on human society during that era.
The success of political and military activities was closely linked to the ability to adapt to the climatic conditions prevailing in areas of operation. Climate constituted an important factor in directing human activities within the frameworks of time and place. Likewise, the success of many military campaigns and operations depended on the commanders’ and soldiers’ knowledge of weather conditions and on their reliance upon astronomers and astrologers in observing climatic changes and predicting them. Such influence continued throughout the Islamic world, especially in the lands of the Islamic Mashriq, though with varying degrees according to the nature of events and the surrounding circumstances.
Despite the presence of astronomical and climatic predictions in certain political and military events, they were not the decisive factor in determining the outcome of political conflicts or the success of military operations. Rather, their primary influence was psychological, through raising the morale of commanders and soldiers and strengthening their steadfastness on the battlefields and during military operations.