When Al-Andalus is mentioned, Muslims feel a deep sadness. Muslims were expelled with great pain from these lands where Islam had been dominant for centuries.
They were subjected to the massacre that Gazans are facing today. That suffering has not been forgotten for centuries. Today, I don’t know how much credibility to give to the demonstrations in Spain, which supposedly share the pain of Palestine. I don’t know if they have ever faced their history. Have they ever regretted the tortures they inflicted on Andalusian Muslims?
I don’t know if these demonstrations, which shout that they share the suffering of Gazans but have no effect on the outcome, are a special trap. Are they supposed to make themselves look humanist?
Anyway, 81 years had passed since the death of our beloved Prophet. The banners of the Islamic armies had begun to wave at the south-westernmost tip of Europe. Either these banners would continue to fly permanently or they would be thrown back into the sea. Tariq bin Ziyad landed in Al-Andalus in 711 (92 AH) with four ships and seven thousand mujahideen under his command. Immediately embarking on the conquest movement, Tariq bin Ziyad confronted the powerful Visigoth army in the Lekke Valley… The enemy army, equipped with all kinds of weapons, was numerous. Their king Rodrigo, proud and arrogant on a high throne, was observing the movements of the Islamic army. He admired the discipline and organization of the troops. Each of the Muslim soldiers wore very thin, elegant armor. They had turbans on their heads and dazzling swords unsheathed in their hands. They were lined up around their commanders, carrying out their orders carefully and swiftly… Meanwhile, a delegation with a white flag separated from the Islamic army and started to approach them. King Rodrigo was curious. I wonder what this delegation was going to ask of him!
When the envoys came to the King, they said, “O King! We invite you and your people to Islam! If you become a Muslim, you will be our brother and we will embrace you. If you refuse, you can save your life by paying jizya. If you refuse this too, then the sword will fix it!…”
King Rodrigo was amazed at their courage! What were they counting on and proposing to him so openly!… They were outnumbered at least seven or eight times.
Looking proudly at the delegation, he said, “I don’t think you have seen the number of my soldiers, what are you relying on to make such an absurd request of me?”
The messengers said, “We follow the command of our religion. Allah has the power and might. After this, our swords will do the talking” and they returned with dignity.
In the Lekke Valley, it was the swords’ turn to speak. Here the Lekke River flowed. The battle was to take place near where the river flows into the sea.
When Tariq bin Ziyad received the King’s rejection from the envoys, he fell into thought for a while. On a night when he was on his way to Al-Andalus with his ships, he thought about the might and greatness of Allah Almighty and made a long supplication for being given such an opportunity to propagate His religion. Then at some point he fell asleep. At that moment, he saw our Prophet (sall-Allâhu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and his glorious Companions (radiy-Allâhu ‘anhum). Each of them had their swords drawn, their bows stretched, and their arrows ready to be shot at the enemy. Our Prophet said, “O Tariq! Keep on your way!” Then, they entered Al-Andalus with his Companions, in front of Tariq bin Ziyad… When the victorious commander woke up from his sleep in great joy, he believed that he would conquer it.
Now, an extremely numerous enemy army was standing in front of him with their thick armor, shields and swords. When he remembered that night, a smile spread across his face and he prayed, “O Allah, send our Prophet, the sultan of two worlds, and his Companions to help me”…
Islamic armies on the French border!
In July 711, the two armies went to war in fierce battles. Despite their superior numbers, the Visigoths were unable to come to a conclusion. The armies began to take breaks in the heat and darkness. After two, three, four, five days, the battle reached the eighth day… On that day, Tariq bin Ziyad marched towards the center where King Rodrigo was located with his most striking forces. No one could stand against these brave warriors. The famous commander was fighting in an unbelievable way. In this way, he reached King Rodrigo and knocked him off his horse with a swift sword blow.
Seeing that their king was dead, the enemy soldiers, surprised, began to flee left and right. The Mujahideen soon slaughtered most of the enemy soldiers and captured some of them…
Thus, the small army of Tariq bin Ziyad defeated the powerful army of Rodrigo. Some sources say that the King threw himself into the river at the last moment and drowned…
This great victory was greeted with great joy and enthusiasm in North Africa and other regions. The name and achievement of Tariq bin Ziyad was remembered with praise and prayers.
Stanley Lane Poole wrote: “The victory of the Muslims in the Valley of Lakke brought the whole of Spain into Muslim hands. By now, Tariq ibn Ziyad needed only a little effort to break the weak resistance in some towns, and no more. On the contrary, the people of Spain surrendered to him, village by village, city by city.”
The commanders appointed by Tariq soon captured Malaga (Mâleka), Elvira (Ilbîre) and Cordoba (Kurtuba). After conquering the city of Ecija (Istijja), the victorious commander marched on Toledo (Tuleytula), the capital of the Visigoths. He captured the city without encountering any serious resistance.
Upon these developments, Musa bin Nusayr crossed into Andalusia in 712 (93 AH) with an army of 18,000 men. He advanced along a new line and conquered the cities of Seville, Carmona, Niebla (Leble) and Merida (Mâride). Then he came to Toledo and met with Tariq bin Ziyad…
Musa bin Nusayr had warned Tariq bin Ziyad to stop and wait for him after the battle of Lakkah so as not to endanger his armies. It is stated in the sources that he reprimanded Tariq for not listening to his order. In response, the great mujahid Tariq treated Musa, whom he obeyed, with the utmost respect and apologized to him. He stated that he had come to this decision after consultation in order not to give the enemy a chance to organize. He presented Musa bin Nusayr with all the booty he had taken.
Musa ibn Nusayr’s anger at Tariq ibn Ziyad did not last long. The two commanders now set out once more to conquer the remaining regions of Spain. In 713, they conquered the regions of Leon (Liyûn), Galicia (Jillîkıye) and the cities of Lerida (Lâride), Barcelona (Berşelûne) and Saragossa (Sarakusta). Thus, the Muslims had reached the territory of France…
Why do they make us forget!
As a result of the conquests of two renowned commanders, Musa bin Nusayr and Tariq bin Ziyad, almost all of Spain was conquered within a short period of three years. Only Asturias, a small region in the north, remained. The arrival of the Islamic armies at the French border caused great fear and anxiety in this country. Putting an end to an entire state with such a small force was a striking development in terms of Islamic conquest policy.
But at this time, Mugis al-Rûmî, the envoy of Caliph Walid ibn Abdul Malik, arrived and presented a letter to Musa ibn Nusayr. In his letter, the Caliph demanded that these two commanders return to Damascus immediately.
When Musa bin Nusayr took his time and continued his conquests, a second envoy came with the same order. Musa and Tariq then left al-Andalus and returned to Damascus in 95 (714) with a lot of booty. In the last days of Caliph al-Walid, they met him and handed over the booty. Caliph al-Walid congratulated them. He sent Abdul Aziz, the son of Musa bin Nusayr, to al- Andalus (Spain) as governor…
There is not much information in the sources about the life of Tariq bin Ziyad after that. Probably he was not given a new and active task.
So he lived a quiet and ascetic life until the end of his life in accordance with the verse “Olmaya baht ü saadet dünyada vahdet gibi” (There is no happiness like unity in the world). He passed away in 720…
Tariq bin Ziyad had strong commander qualities such as a strong character, resistance to violence, heroism, strong determination and will, strength of heart, sharp and accurate decision- making, eloquent speech and a strong oratory ability that would have a deep impact on the listeners. The phrase “burning the ships” in reaching his goal became a part of history with him.
In recent years, those who always put negative thoughts in the minds of Muslims when the Umayyads are mentioned have made them forget these great heroes. It is essential that our youth learn about their legendary lives and maxims.
REFLECTION
Geh namâz ü geh tasadduk geh duâ
“Leyse li’l-insâni illâ mâ sa’â”
(Pray and give alms
There is nothing but the reward of his effort for a man.)
Lâ Edrî
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Şimşirgil
17th May 2024
Türkiye Gazetesi