The Golden Age of Spain Al-Andalus
From 711-1492 AD, the majority of modern day Spain and Portugal was under Muslim rule. The arabic name given to this region was al-Andalus. Today, the southern part of Spain, where Muslim control lasted the longest, still bears the name Andalusia. The Muslims entered this region through Tariq Bin Ziayd, who easily took over the country due to its weakness after a recent civil war. Muslims entered Spain not as tyrants or oppressors, rather as liberators. This is because in their society, many Jews and Christians held government positions. In fact the Golden Age of Jewish history is known as the period of Muslim rule in Spain. Islam allowed the Jews to flourish, with the example of the renowned philosopher Maimonides, Musa ibn Maymun. Spain was home to by far the largest and most brilliant Jewish community in Europe; elsewhere, they were hounded and persecuted. Although non-Muslims paid more in taxes than the Muslims, it was by far less than any previous government had imposed upon them. In addition, it obviously wasn't much of a burden, however, since non-Muslims freely opted and longed to live under Muslim rule.
No where else has there been so long and so close of a relationship between the 3 Great faiths. All Jews and Christians were allowed to maintain their beliefs and live their lives as they desired as long as they respected their Muslim rulers. The tolerance that was displayed towards the Jews and Christians enabled them all to live together in relative peace and harmony, an indication of the Greatness of Islam. As a result of the compassion Islam displayed towards the non-Muslims inhabitants, many of them embraced it as their religion.
Allah says Himself, "Say to the disbelievers I do not worship that which you worship. Nor do you worship that which I worship. And Nor will I worship that which you have worshiped. Neither will you worship that which I worship. To you belongs your religion, and to me mine."
As a result of the tolerance displayed by Islam, the incredibly rich language of the Muslims became the official language of literature and scholarship in Spain for all. Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike devoted their time in studying Arabic. Christians essentially spoke Arabic, which was often considered better than their Latin. They absorbed the Arabic culture so much so that they began to be called, "mozarabs" a corruption of "must'arib" meaning the "Arabized ones." Furthermore, the Christian Priest Alvaro complained in the 9th century that Christians preferred to read Arabic writings and studied Muslim theologians and philosophers rather than their own. He exclaimed, "Oh, the pain and the sorrow! The Christians have even forgotten their own language, and in every thousand you will not find one who can write a letter in respectable Latin to a friend, while as soon as they have to write Arabic, there is no difficulty in finding a whole multitude who can express themselves with the greatest elegance in this language..."
Under their rule, Muslims made Spain a center for learning and knowledge. The Muslims were taught reading, writing, math, Arabic, Qur'an, and Hadith, and became leaders in math, science, medicine, astronomy, navigation, etc. Al-Andalus became renowned for its prosperity as people who quested for knowledge journeyed from afar to learn in its universities under the feet of the Muslims. As a result, Andalus gave rise to a great many scholars. Muslim Spain produced philosophers, physicians, scientists, judges, artists, and the like. Ibn Rushd, Ibn Sina, Ibn Zuhr, and Al-Razi,to name a few, were all Muslims educated in Andalus. Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, was also educated in Andalusia. Great renowned Christian men like St. Thomas Aquinas and Dante borrowed their philosophies from the Andalusian philosophers. Ironically, Thomas Aquinas described Arabs as "brutal men dwelling in the desert."
The Islamic civilization had reached its peak in the 10th century, and by 1100, the number of Muslims rose to 5.6 million. There existed in Cordoba alone, 200,000 houses, 600 mosques, 900 public baths, 10,000 lamps, 50 hospitals, and lighted and paved streets. Libraries and research institutions grew rapidly in Muslim Spain, while the rest of Europe remained illiterate. Muslim Spain had truly become an area unique to the entire world.
The Muslim artisans applied their skills in architecture in to making masajid and palaces. The Alhambra Palace, and The Great Mosque of Cordoba, are two of the famous magnificent masterpieces of the Muslims which can still be seen today. Of the Alhambra, one Muslim poet wrote:
"A sun dwells in this place and even its shadow is blessed.
In this palace a multitude of pleasures capture the eye and suspend the intellect.
Here a crystal world teaches marvels.
Everywhere Beauty is carved, opulence is manifest."
On the greatness of the Mosque of Cordoba, one poet praises it by saying, “'The gold shines in your domes like the lightning which flashes among the clouds.”
Muslim Cordoba was described as the "jewel of the tenth century," often compared with Constantinople and Baghdad.
But like all great empires, Muslim Spain had eventually fallen.
Abu Bakr (RA) said, “...Where are the great kings who built cities and castles and fortified them with towering walls? What happened to the lionhearted valorous ones who made their enemy suffer humiliation in the battlefields? Time waned under their feet and they ended inside dark graves. Think of it and take heed.”
Islam had remained strong in Spain for eight centuries. However, as the military power in the Christian North began to strengthen, Al-Andalus gradually began to shrink. The last Amir, Abu Abdullah, more often known as Boabdil, surrendered Granada in 1492. He was called by his people as, "Al-Ghalib,” The Conqueror. Yet, when recognizing his imminent defeat, he exclaimed otherwise proclaiming that none other than Allah was the Greatest. “Wa La Ghalib illa Allah” "There is no Conqueror except Allah," became the motto of his descendents.
Queen Isabella of Aragon, in her quest to eradicate Islam from Spain, issued forth decrees of mass conversions in her 'Holy War' against the Muslims. Muslim prayers were forbidden and masaajid in their original splendor were destroyed and converted into churches. Muslims were converted to Christianity, but were usually insincere Christians fearing for their lives, and remained Muslim by heart. They too, called "Moriscos" were soon to be expelled, because they weren't accepted as real Christians. Eventually, the Muslims and Islam disappeared from Spain entirely.
As one historian says, "The Arabs suddenly appeared in Spain like a star which crosses through the air with its light, spreads its flames on the Horizon and then vanishes rapidly into naught."
By analyzing the tragedy of Islam in Andalus, we find that the Muslims of Spain disregarded the fact that Allah indeed blessed them with Islam, and therefore went astray. They were so successful that as a result, Muslims believed that they treasured the wealth they accumulated so much so that they became arrogant and deviated from the practice of Islam; disregarding the commandments of Allah, and the Sunnah. They failed to remember their prosperity and wealth came from Allah and Him alone. Therefore, Allah took away the abundance of wealth, power, supremacy, and favors that He bestowed upon them so that they would remember. Allah says in the Qur'an.
"Remember Me, and I will remember you. Give thanks to Me and never deny Me"
When the Muslims in Spain neglected Allah, He therefore neglected them. Allah asks mankind repeatedly in Surah Rahman, “Which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?"
The legacy of al-Andalus serves as a lesson for Muslims. The persecution of Muslims in the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries was a great trial of their faith, as is the entire life of a Muslim; this was a great challenge from Allah. In the end, many died fighting for Islam.
Spain and the West will forever stand in the debt of the Muslims of Al Andalus. Their contribution to knowledge eventually lead to the European Renaissance. The 1.2 billion plus Muslims of the world today have the same potential as of the Muslims of the past. By its outstanding example, Muslim Spain proves to the world that as a melting pot of religious faiths and races, we can, in reality, live and prosper with one another.
