Today if someone were to tell you that Europe was a muslim continent they would believe you were crazy, however numerous times in history Europe indeed looked like it was to become the next province of the Muslims' wide and powerful empire. When indeed European monarchs and nobles would shiver at the sound of Islamic armies gathering and conquering.
Besides being partially conquered multiple times Europe was economically revived thanks to the Muslim Golden Age, Europe would've been left behind in Medieval times if it were not for the Muslims. This is why we should be more than just proud of our culture and lifestyles, we should love it, embrace it and continue advancing it.
On an evening of the summer of the year 711, with the Dar al Islam spread from Sind (modern day Pakistan) to Morocco from East to West a fateful day would decide the future of the not yet existent Europe. Under the orders of the Amir of the Afriqiyan province, Musa Ibn Nusayr, a governor named Tarik Ibn Zayad, 20 military officers and 7000-12,000 soldiers crossed the straits of 'Jebel Tarik' (Gibraltar) and invaded the Visigoths' empire (the Visigoths were barbarians who took Spain from the Romans centuries earlier) on the Iberian peninsula.
The Roman Empire by then had fallen apart its decline begun with the about 3oo years of war with superpower Persia and then a doom caused by marauding barbarians (Visigoths, Huns and Vandals), internal conflict and the explosion of Islam out of Arabia. After the decline of Rome, Europe was left to an extremely backward state and was plunged into the medieval ages. However the Dar al Islam - the largest Empire on Earth - was greatly prospering, living standards high, city wonders built frequently, new inventions every day, knowledge thriving and justice prevailing (most of the time of course). Hence arises the reason why Musa Ibn Nusayr gave the orders to bring Islam to its third continent, some believe it was to conquer the weakened Visigoths (likely) and some believe it was also because of the plight of a woman.
A woman named Florinda, daughter of Count Julian, the governor of Ceuta in Morocco had her honor taken away from her and made pregnant by the violent Gothic King Roderic. Obsessed with revenge Count Julian pleaded for help by the Muslims, who offered an invasion, which would so be beneficial to the Dar al Islam. Tariq Ibn Zayad allied with Count Julian attacked one of the last of the barbarian empires that destroyed western Rome.
With high success Tariq advanced deep into the peninsula in July of 711.
Furious and arrogant, Roderic sent an army vastly greater in number than Tarik Ibn Zayad's armies to meet him at Sidonia, a hilltop town in southern spain. Some estimate Roderic's army numbered 100,000 men, but it was an exaggeration and the number was lower, some suggest 35,000-40,000. On the 28th day of Ramadan, while fasting, Tarik's 7000-12,000 men fought hard and won a victory that would change history forever. With the Visigoths greatly weakened Tariq Ibn Zayad was left to conquer the rest of Spain with little significant resistance. Musa Ibn Nusayr the governor of Afriqiya rejoined Tarik Ibn Zayad with more soldiers consisting of Berbers and Arabs, he would meet Tarik up in northern Iberia after conquering the remaining important Visigoth towns in the southern march of Iberia.
Caliph 'Abd al Malik back in Damascus denied importance to the Iberian conquest and ordered Musa Ibn Nusayr and Tarik Ibn Zayad to report back to the Caliphal court. However from 714 to 715, Tarik and Musa refused to listen to the old Caliph thousands of kilometers away in the vast Islamic Empire until conquering the final Visigothic centers of resistance in the north.
Triumphantly by 715, the Muslims under Tarik and Musa had conquered the whole peninsula and made it to the fringes of the border between modern day France and Spain. After accomplishing their goal, Tarik and Musa, by late 715, travelled back to Damascus with plenty of booty, gold, jewels and slaves to impress the ailing Caliph 'Abd al Malik and to ask forgiveness for disobeying him. 'Abd al Malik was definitely not going to be mad at those two great generals, conquerers of Iberia.
It must be noted that the Muslims liberated the oppressed people who lived under the savage Visigoths. It was the Christians and Jews whom the Muslims liberated that would protect the towns and villages the Muslims had captured while Tarik and Musa would fight on with the Visigoths. This is because under the Visigoths they were highly persecuted, especially the Jews, who were killed, forced to emigrate, stolen from and insulted. The Muslims freed them and gave them power, wealth and affluence as in Islam we tolerate and do not rob someone of their success. The Muslims were to practice this justice, civil freedom and prosperity for most of 700 years that they were to stay in Spain.
The brother of 'Abd al Malik and most probable next Caliph, Sulayman Ibn Abd al Malik, warned the two generals of not returning. He wanted them punished for disobedience and also he knew his older brother was dying and wanted to take advantage and credit of the conquering of Iberia to himself when he was to gain power after the death of his sibling. However Tarik and Musa refused and were determined to reach the ailing Caliph to offer him the spoils of war and not his brother, by late 715, after the election of Sulayman to power Tarik and Musa both disappeared. That is the sort of greed for power and selfishness that must always be avoided, with the terms of Islam Sulayman should've never come to power, for he did not have one caliphal attribute, he was not just and he came to power due to his ruling family, in Islam there is no such thing as a monarchy only pure democracy.
Muslim Spain would spend decades after the disappearances of Tarik and Musa in relative instability as resistance from the remaining Visigoths was fought and Muslim leaders governed for short periods of time due to power struggle. However in by the 730s the tremendous military force of the Islamic Jihad was back and stronger than ever.
Sulayman ibn Abd al Malik gave little importance to Islam in Europe, instead he gathered the largest army seen since the Roman-Persian superpower wars. 80,000 men and 1800 ships were sent to take over the last remaining territories of Rome, concentrating on the capital city Costantinople (modern day Istanbul). He suffered a terrible defeat in 617 and realized to destory Rome the Muslim armies should conquer the whole Mediterranean coast and attack a Rome for the West. This is what his successors set out to achieve.
By 732, al Andalus as muslim spain was known as was prospering and with that prospect the Jihad was pushed above the Pyrenees and into what was to become Frankland years later (modern day France). 'Abd Allah al Ghafiqi, the amir of al Andalus, attacked south western Gaul (France) with the largest army ever seen in Gallo-Roman history, as many as 50,000 men marched and ready for martyrdom. The Arabo-Berber legions of al Ghafiqi occupied southwestern Gaul and moved north at a staggering speed as far north as Orleans, only hundreds of kilometers away from Paris. Allah was on the side of the muslims as they conquered the world bit by bit.
Charles Martel, a leader deeply involved in the politics and power struggle of Frankland gathered the toughest men he had and allied with all the counts and dukes he could in order to fight back the seemingly invincible army. At Poitiers in 732, the Muslims would finally meet the Charles Martel and the barbaric Frankish army. As the endless amount of historians recount, the battle of Poitiers, truly decided the history of Europe, whether it was to be Muslim and advance into a golden age or Christian to be plunged into the Dark Ages.
Throughout the beginning of the battle al Ghafiqi and his men with pride and confidence slammed the Franks and fought them with juggernaut strength down the highway leading to a small town near Tours called Cenon sur-Vienne. However the Muslims lost momentum with a surprise cavalry and infantry attack, al Ghafiqi knew with too much confidence that he could just shrug off that surprise attack a retreat to the camps.
The muslim armies always brought their women and children along to battle for settlement in the newly conquered lands and so that they wouldn't have to live apart for so long. Charles Martel's savage army again surprised the Muslims by attacking them from the rear at their encampments and this time not only killing comrades to soldiers, but wives and children.
The muslims fought on hard the next day, but all ended at a place called Moussais-la-Battaille, where the muslims demoralized and exhausted were hit hard again with surprise attacks. 'Abd Allah al Ghafiqi was a loved man (may Allah be pleased with him) and just as the muslim army lost its formation he began to re-organize his forces with success until he was killed by an arrow, had he lived for a few more hours life today would be very different, we would be hearing the Islam call to prayer in the big city streets of London, Paris, Rome, Vienna and Berlin and the 'Europeans' would be a Muslim people.
From the battle of Poitiers arose the term 'Europenses', a term that would differentiate those from the mega Caliphate and those from the region the muslims called 'The Great Land', the to-be Europe. The battle of Poitiers was the beginning of a huge exertion of Islamic cultural, economic, political and military influence on these people living in 'The Great Land'.
Crowds of historians agree that it was this pressure that caused the Franks to rush the creation of their own state and their power in order to fight back the Muslim. Frankland arose as a result of fear of being conquered by Islam and the Franks used the great knowledge and strategies of the Muslims in order to survive, in anyway they could.
Fitna kept Islam from Europe (739-750)
Photo: Abbasid revolution of 750 and military advancements on Ummayad. (Below)
The humiliating loss of the mighty muslim armies against a barbaric and primitive people wasn't given much significance in the Dar al Islam, instead the Caliph in Damascus ordered another large push into Frankland. In 739, from the muslim stronghold base in the south of France, a man named Uqba Ibn Hajjaj al Saluli with the help of Yusuf of Narbonne slammed the Franks and conquered the regions of Aquitaine and Burgundy, taking cities such as Lyon and Dijon. The muslims knew the day had come, with their eyes set on Paris, they pushed deeper and deeper into the heartland of Frankland.
This is when Fitna broke out, as I said the only force capable of stopping the muslim Ummah are the muslims themselves, there was a large Berber revolt in the year 740 and Uqba was forced back to North Africa to keep the Caliphate together. The Berbers revolted for more power and spoils of war and because of that selfishness Islam would have to wait over a over a millennium in order to become a force in France.
The Berbers also began revolting in al Andalus along North Africa and in order to maintain the peace in his superstate the Caliph Hashim I sent an army led by Balj Ibn Bashir of 30,000 men to finish the revolt in North Africa. The result was disastrous the Berbers slaughtered the army of Balj Ibn Bashir and left him requesting the amir of al Andalus for protection on the peninsula. The amir kindly accepted and saved the last 10,000 men of Bashir, men who were Palestinian, Syrian, Jordanian and Yemeni, the army crushed the Berber revolt in Iberia and left the Caliph Hashim to end the revolt in North Africa with other legions.
Kharijism was the sect that the Berber rebels followed, the same sect that was responsible for the murder of Ali Ibn Abi Talib stemming the Fitna between Shia and Sunni and the sect that crowds of historians would later agree to be the first fundamentalist Islamic group. It shows, fundamentalism and extremism have done nothing beneficial to Islam, they should be eradicated for fundamentalists and extremists not only stopped progress but also have given Islam the wrong image and have tried to distort Allah's perfect message.
Fitna was not over, by in the year 749-750 a clan called the Abbasids coming from Khorasan in Persia proclaimed that they should be the rightful rulers of Islam as they were the descendants of Muhammad's* family, the Banu Hashim. Again, Islam is not a monarchy and it is clearly notified that the leadership of the Ummah is chosen due to competence not blood. However, with their minds consumed with fitna, the Abbasids declared war on the Ummayads and defeated them by 750, proclaiming themselves rightful Caliphs, starting with Caliph Al Saffah.
This internal power struggle decided the fate of Islam in Europe and due to it Islam was to never advance into Western Europe with the conquering sword ever again.
One of the Ummayads, grandson of the last Ummayad Caliph Hashim, prince of the house of Abu Sufyan and to be amir of al Andalus was named 'Abd Al Rahmam. He was half Berber half Arab and as he fled from his palace in Rusafa, Iraq with his four year old younger brother upon hearing that assassins were coming to kill them, he had no idea what was in store for him. While fleeing his baby brother was killed, his childhood place became his own nightmare as chaos ensued with the Abbasid revolution. Thanks to being part Berber 'Abd al Rahman was protected in North Africa as he made his way to Al Andalus the final Ummayad centre of influence.
In Iberia, the last Ummayad rulers were preoccupied with the fitna between the different Arab and Berber tribes. Fitna constantly revived and was the cause for the end of the Caliphate's expansion. 'Abd Al Rahman journey accross North Africa took him five years and his decision to go to Iberia was made final in 755. The final Ummayad declared himself amir and he set his own mission for Iberia, keeping it Ummayad away from the massive threat of the Abbasids who had by then inherited the largest empire on Earth.
In order to secure his power as amir 'Abd al Rahman had to depose of the incumbent amir Yusuf of Narbonne who had fought intense battles against the primitive Franks up north. After a year of war with amir Yusuf, 'Abd al Rahman with his growing army finally took power of Iberia in 756, the Abbasids were disgusted.
'Abd al Rahman was a simple man, he was a people's man that was frequently seen at the mosque on friday preaching and giving advice to his people. He managed to end the fitnabetween the Syrians and Yemenis, the same fitna that engulfed the Caliphate in the early 680s between northern and southern arabs.
The Falcon of the Quraysh, as 'Abd al Rahman was to be called would rule for 32 years and turn al Andalus into the most thriving economical and cultural hub in the world, the capital city Cordoba had no match on the other side of Pyrenees. Trade from China, India, Northern Europe, North Africa, South Russia and Arabia would meet in what would become the most cosmopolitan area since Rome reached its peak. Besides the slow down of the Jihad against the Franks the muslims in Spain could've never been in a better position at that time.
Tolerance like nowhere else in the world was to be seen in Muslim Spain, the Jews lived under their own Rabbinical law and the Christians lived under their own laws. As long as the actions of the People of the Book didn't break the laws of Islam in public, they were free to do anything under the protection of the state. Jews rose so high that many had the high government position of vizir and some Jews even made it to the highest position behind supreme leader, hajib (chancellor/prime minister).
'Abd al Rahman institutionalized Iberia, organizing the state's power with ministers, governors and judges. The to-be Francia looked upon Andalusia with plenty of envy and jealousy for they were not to see such advancement in science, philosophy, medicine and a boom of knowledge for hundreds of years.
The major rising cities of al Andalus included Cordoba, Toledo, Barcelona, Zaragoza and Merida. One of which, Cordoba would surpass the size and prosperity of every European city for centuries. However, under pressure from the Muslims the Franks beyond the Pyrenees were about to respond and they were not happy.
Charlemagne invades in 778, the beasts from the North meet the heart of European Islam.
It is as I always state, fitna is the worst enemy of Islam and Muslims. It is the reason for most of our conflicts and it is the reason in 778 the King of the Franks and grandson of Charles Martel who defeated the Muslims at Poitiers, Charlemagne, was the first to ever invade the Dar al Islam.
When the grand warlords of Frankland, Germania and Italia all met up at Charlemagne's Diet (council) in 777. Three well-built men, tanned and arab, with their beautiful arabian stallions arrived and made an offer. Sulayman ibn al Arabi (amir of Barcelona and Girona) was an Abbasid official, Al Husayn ibn Sa'ad ibn Ubada (wali (governor) of Zaragoza and Huesca) was placed by the Ummayads and and another unidentified other man. The men asked for help in bringing down Abd al Rahman the Falcon, they guaranteed military support and that they could enter Zaragoza, Huesca, Barcelona and Girona as bases against Abd al Rahman. Charlemagne and the others knew they had found an offer they could not decline.
In 778, the primitive 'infidel' Franks were the first to ever invade the great Dar al Islam, and this was the Muslims' fault. They made minor advances into the north of al Andalushowever against the Frankish favor the wali (governor) of Zaragoza and Huesca realized his mistakes and closed off Zaragoza to the Franks after pledging his loyalty to Abd al Rahman.The Franks were slammed by an army Abd al Rahman raised and forced the retreat of the Franks and Sulayman of Barcelona. Sulayman gave up and was left to his fate, Charlemagne went on to disgrace his Christian faith. He did this by taking his anger out on a a Christian city in the north of Andalusia (on his return home), Pamplona which he wiped off the map.
It comes to show, fitna is a horrible affair and has always cost the Muslims not benefitted. The Carolingian Charlemagne stayed to rule and found the Holy Roman Empire, but his rise was from acculturation of the Muslims.
Islam and the making of Europe (792-912)
In 792, four years after the death of Abd al Rahman, the Falcon of the Quraysh, the Muslims made one last push into Frankland moving as far north as Toulouse. However Jihad was no longer what it used to be, now the people of al Andalus wanted to live lives of education, commerce and peace not fighting, war and struggle. Therefore, the military conquest of Europe was nearing its end, now the influence of Europe through technology and advancement was the main priority for Andalusians.
The preferred son of Abd al Rahman I, Hisham, reigned during a period of al Andalusprospering and leading Europe under the excellent reforms his father made. Hisham was mainly known for the major Jihad of 792 which again almost brought Western Europe to the beauty of Islam again.
Hisham was succeeded by Hakam I, who crushed all rebellions and secured al Andalus, by his rule the largest monuments in Europe such as the Mezquita or the Great Friday Mosque flourished with education, science and philosophical advancement. He ruled from 796-822.
Abd al Rahman II succeeded in 822 as amir of Cordoba, the power of the Muslims by then was supreme on Earth, the Abbasids ruled over the largest empire on earth and the Ummayads one of the most advanced. Abd al Rahman II ruled until 852, he was known for building a large navy in Sevilla to fend off the Vikings, for fighting against the northern spaniards and for providing many public services.
In 852, al Andalus was passed over to Muhammad, who ruled for 34 years, nothing much changed. There was the usual prosperity and affluence and boom in the arts and academics. Al Andalus remained the European superpower and everyday contributions to the World were being invented.
From 886 to 912, the Ummayad Amirate undergone political crisis powered by the usual greed and search for power. The leaders of this time lived lavish and scandalous lives as most of the others and they forgot the importance of ruling a nation. However all that was about to change with the rise of the 'greatest' of all the Ummayad amirs, he was Abd al Rahman III and he was going to change the direction of the Caliphate's authority from Baghdad to Cordoba.
The Victorious of Islam, Abd al Rahman III and
the Caliphate of Cordoba (912-961)
In 912, Abd al Rahman III became amir of al Andalus. He was twenty two when he ascended to power and was to rule for just under five decades. He was a very intelligent man and this was shown in his military successes which helped him defeat his enemies at home and abroad. Under him Islamic Spain would reach its peak of prosperity and wealth.
Abd al Rahman III was blond with blue eyes and the first notable aspect of his reign was the sheer extent of tolerance. It is agreed by many that there was no time in all of history that the Christians, Jews and Muslims co-existed so efficiently than under Abd al Rahman III's Iberia.
For years Abd al Rahman III's rule was overshadowed by war with rebels from the south of Iberia led by Umar ibn Hafsun who were based in Bobastro and controlled hundreds of castles. These rebels attempted to take power of Cordoba, however Abd al Rahman's military genius crushed the rebels within 5 years of his reign (by 917).
While domestic issues eased, Abd al Rahman III focused on the Christian north which he bulldozed from 920-939. One of the main Christian kingdoms left remaining in the north of Iberia was the kingdom of Leon, a kingdom that had invaded Muslim Spain before, Abd al Rahman III conquered it and made it his vassal state in 937.