12-19-2009, 04:06 PM
assalampalaikum wr wb
everyone
after along time an article on Al-Andalus is present
"Tariq Bin Ziyad (November 15 689-april 11 720)was a berber muslim and Umayyad general who led the conquest of Visigothic Hispania in 711 under the orders of the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid l.
Tariq bin Ziyad is considered to be one of the most important military commanders in lberian history.He was inintially the deputy of Musa ibn Nusair in North Africa ,and was sent by his superior to launch at the first thrust of a conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom (comprising modern Spain and Portugal).
On April 29 711,the armies of Tariq landed at Gibralter(the name Gibralter is derived from the arbic name Jabal Al Tariq which means Mountain of Tariq)
Upon landing Tariq burned his ships and the made a speech to his soldiers:
"Oh my warriors! whither would you flee..behind you is the sea, and before you ,the enemy.You have left now only the hope of your courage and your constancy.Remember that in this country you are more unfortunate than the orphan seated at the table of the avaricious master.Ypur enemy is before you, protected by,an innumerable army;he has men in abundance,but you as your only aid,have your own swords,and, as your only chance for life,such chance as you can snatch from the hands of ypur enemy.If the absolute want to which you are reduced is prolonged ever so little ,if you delay to seize immediate success,your good fortune will vanish,and your enemies whom your very presence has filled with fear,will take courage.Put far from you the disgrace from which you flee in dreams,and attack this monarch who has left his strongly fortified city to meet you.Here is a splendid opportunity to defeat him,if you will constent to expose yourselves freely to death.Do not believe that i desire to incite you to face dangers which i shall refuse to share with you.In attack i myself will be in the fore,where the chance of life is always least.
Remember that if suffer a few moments in patience ,you will afterward enjoy supreme delight.Do not imagine that your fate can be separated from mine,and rest assure that if you fall,i shall perish with you,or avenge you.You have heard that in this country,there are large number of revishingly beautiful greek maidens,their graceful forms are draped in sumptuous gowns on which gleam pearls,coral,purest gold,and they lived in the palaces of royal kings.The commander of True believers,Al-Walid,son of Abul malek, have chosen you for this attack from among all his arab warriors;and he promises that you shall become his comrades and shall hold the rank of kings in this country.Such is his confidence in your intrepidity.The one fruit which he desires to obtain from your bravery is that the word of Allah shall be exalted in this country,and that the true religion shall be established here.The spoils will belong to yourseleves.
Remember that i place myself in the front of this glorious charge which i exhort you to make.At the moment when two armies meet hand to hand,you will see me,never doubt it,seeking out this roderick,tyrant of his people,challenging him to combat,if God is willing.If i perish after this,I will have had atleast,the satisfaction of delievering you,and you will easily find among you an experienced hero,to whom you can confidently give the task to direct you.But should i fall before i reach to Roderick,redouble your ardor,force yourselves to the attack and achieve the conquest of this country,in depriving him of life.With him dead,his soldiers will no longer defy you."
The muslim army swept through Hispania and in the summer of 711,won a decisive victory when the Visigothic king ,Roderick,was defeated and killed on July 29 at the Battle of Guadalete.Afterwards Tariq was made the governer of Hispania but eventually was called back to Damascus by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid l where he spent the rest of his life.
ws wr wb
Jowayriah