THE MUSLIM WEST
During the reign of Al-Walid ibn Abdul Malik, goes the honour of the
most spectacular event of the early era of Islam – the conquest of al-Maghrib
or known as Algeria and Morocco today and of Spain[1]. Waleed is known in
history as the Emir who gathered around himself the most capable generals of
any Omayyad. Noteworthy among these generals were Muhammed bin Qasim (the
conqueror of Sindh and Multan), Qutaiba bin Muslim (the conqueror of Sinkiang),
Musa bin Nusair and Tariq bin Ziyad (conquerors of Spain)[2].
In the year 91 A.H. (710 C.E.), Musa ibn Nusair won the
approval of Caliph Al-Walid ibn Abdul Malik to open Spain on the condition that
there first be an exploratory operation. Musa sent Tarif ibn Malik, one of his
generals, with four hundred infantrymen and a hundred cavalrymen to raid on the
coasts of the south of Spain. They embarked in six ships, which anchored near a
small peninsula known now as Green Island or Tarif's Island. The raid of Tarif
ibn Malik was a success and the spoils were many. They returned bearing
information about the unstable conditions of the land. This motivated Musa to
execute the planned opening.
After Abbasid
took control of caliphate stand from Umayyad, the western provinces of the empire- Spain and North Africa not under
‘Abbasids control and finally cut loose from it[3] when ‘Abbassids began to
sink.
The Muslim West that being mention in this chapter consist of North
Africa and Spain after Islam spread until west.
NORTH AFRICA
In North Africa, The Berber revolts had been overcome. The Berbers
were enlisting in the Muslim armies with the newfound zeal of faith. In
Damascus, Waleed I had ascended the Omayyad throne. A skillful administrator
and shrewd statesman, he had successfully crushed a rebellion in far-away
Khorasan and had even outmaneuvered the Chinese emperor into a stalemate in
Sinkiang[4]. The
Omayyad governor of the Maghrib, Musa bin Nusair, waged a constant struggle
with the Visigoths for the control of Maghrib al Aqsa (The western frontier,
today’s Morocco). One by one, the Visigoth strongholds on the Mediterranean had
been captured.
The first serious attempt to expand
Islam in Africa is credited to 'Uqbah bin Naafi' who is revered to this day as
the founder of Muslim Africa by the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, a member
of the powerful Umayyad family, who had succeeded Umar three years earlier.
The second invasion
started by Mu’awiyah ibn Sufyan when he appointed ‘Uqba ibn Nafi’ because of
his hard-earned knowledge of
the region made rapid progress back across Libya and into North Africa[5]. In 684
M, ‘Uqba ibn Nafi’ was killed by Kusayla[6] a Berber
convert and former ally who had grown embittered by Uqba’s disdain in battle.
Kusayla declaring himself as Emir of Ifriqiya and Maghreb after took Kairouan and turning it into Berber city[7]. After
four years later, in 688 M he and his supporters were killed by Arab armies.
The third invasion was
under Abdul Malik ibn Marwan (685-705M) when he tried
to take back North Africa. For years Berber revolts continued to trouble the
Arabs, leading one Arab governor wrote a letter to the Caliph ‘Abdul Malik : “The
conquest of Ifriqiya is impossible”[8].
After the legendary
al-Kahina, the seer and the Christian Berber, who once led the uprising to free
the Berber from any foreign domination died fighting the Arabs, Arabs had
conquered virtually the whole of North Africa. They proceeded to divide the
region into the provinces of Egypt, Ifriqiya and the Maghreb[9], with
their capitals at Fustat, Kairouan and Fes, respectively.
In the spring of 710 Arab forces took the city of
Tangier, completing the conquest of North Africa.
SPAIN
In year 710, Tarif
ibn Malik with 500 men raid on the
coasts of the south of Spain to test what resistance there might be to Muslim
annexation of lands reputed to be rich in human and natural resources[10].
The place where he landed is named Tarifa in his honor, and Ibn Malik, as the
first Muslim to enter Spain. He then reported to Tariq Ibn Ziyad, the governor
of Tangier at that time that a full-scale invasion was feasible[11].
The next year after
the conquest of North Africa, Spain had been in Arab hands since 711 when
general Tariq ibn Ziyad sailed across the Straits invaded via Gibraltar (Jabal
Tariq) with 7 000 men[12]
during the reign of Al-Walid ibn Abdul Malik. Invasion of Spain occurs after
the invitation of Spanish rebels who want to get rid of the ruling King[13] after Julian traveled to Kairouan to
confer with Musa and ask him to invade Spain and humble. Roderick was defeated
in 19 July 711 in the hand of Tariq Ibn Ziyad.
Musa conquered the rest of
Spain such as Medina Sidonia, Seville and Merida in Jun 712[14]
after Tariq conquered a greater part of central Spain.
During
the reign of ‘Abbasid, one of
the few members of the Umayyad family, ‘Abd Rahman I Al- Dakhil who had escaped
from the massacre of the ‘Abbassids founded in Spain a powerful and flourishing
principality. ‘Abd Rahman I Al- Dakhil made Cordoba his capital and unified
Spain under his rule with a firm hand, while establishing diplomatic ties with
the northern Christian kingdoms, North Africa, and the Byzantine Empire and
maintaining cultural contact with the Abbasids in Baghdad[15].
The reign of Spain continued by Almoravids, Almohads
and Nasrid Dynasty until the expulsion of the Muslims from the Iberian
Peninsula by of Ferdinand and Isabella[16].
This proved to be the downfall of the Nasrids in 1492.
Throughout the period of Islamic rule, Spain
was a remarkable example and outstanding model of tolerance[17].
Spain produced a great civilization far ahead and advanced than the rest of
Europe. As a result, Spain gave rise to
a great many intellectual giants. Muslim Spain produced philosophers, physicians, scientists, judges, artists, and the like. Ibn Rushd(Averroes), Ibn Sina(Avicenna), Ibn Zuhr(Avenzoar), Al-Kwarizmi(Algorizm), and Al-Razi(Razes), to name a few, were all Muslims educated in Spain [18].
[1] The Story of Islam; Group Captain S.F. Mahmud; page 52
[2]
http://historyofislam.com/contents/the-age-of-faith/the-conquest-of-spain/
[3] Islam An historical introduction 2nd
Edition; Gerhard Endress translated by Carole Hillenbrand; page 101
[4] http://historyofislam.com/contents/the-age-of-faith/the-conquest-of-spain/
[5]
http://www.historytoday.com/eamonn-gearon/arab-invasions-first-islamic-empire
[6] Sejarah Peradaban Islam dari masa klasik hingga Moden, Siti Maryam dkk.
Page 260
[7]
http://www.historytoday.com/eamonn-gearon/arab-invasions-first-islamic-empire
[8]
Spanish Islam
A History of The Moslems In Spain by Reinhart Dozy page 125
[9]
http://www.historytoday.com/eamonn-gearon/arab-invasions-first-islamic-empire
[10] Lisbon: City of the Sea: A History by Malcolm Jack page 14
[11]
Lisbon: City of the
Sea: A History by Malcolm Jack
page 14
[12] The Story of Islam; Group Captain S.F. Mahmud; page 52
[13]Muslim Rule in Spain, Muslim Rule in India, Memories of Two
Failures; Mohammad Abdulhai Qureshi; page 6
[14] The Story of Islam; Group Captain S.F. Mahmud; page 53
[15]
Al-Andalus : the art of Islamic Spain edited by Jerrilynn D. Dodds page XXIX
[16]
Al-Andalus : the art of Islamic Spain edited by Jerrilynn D. Dodds page xxx
[17]
The Routes of Al-Andalus by Benchrifa, Mohamed. Page 6
[18]
http://www.hispanicmuslims.com/andalusia/andalusia.html
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