Primogeniture is a European idea that never took root in Muslim dynasties

Evidence

The principle of primogeniture—of succession from father to eldest son in the direct—is a European idea. It was not accepted among the ancient Arabs, and it never took root in the great Muslim dynastic empires. Descent in the male line from the founding and the ruling families was the sole requirement. The most usual practice was for the ruler to designate his successor, choosing whichever of his uncles, brothers, nephews, or sons might be the most suitable. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 537

Categorization

• QUESTION: Why did primogeniture take root in Europe but not in the Islamic Middle East? What institutional or economic conditions favored it — land tenure? Christianity’s marriage rules? Worth chasing.
• SEED: An essay angle: ‘The West’s oldest family rule is actually an anomaly’ — primogeniture as culturally specific inheritance logic versus Middle Eastern ruler-designation, and what each produces in statecraft.