Philip K. Hitti
Q. Give an account of the early career of Abd-al-Rahman I, his dramatic escape and his adventures in Africa.
A. Abd-al-Rahman I belonged to the Umayyad family. When the Abbasids came to power, he and his younger brother escaped to the Euphrates River. The two dashed into the river. The younger brother heeded to the reassurances from the Abbasid soldiers, swam back and was killed. Abd-al-Rahman continued and gained the opposite bank. By way of Palestine, he reached North Africa where his maternal uncles offered him refuge. Syrian troops in Spain accepted him as their leader. It was a promising start to his career.
Q. How did Abd-al-Rahman deal with the governor appointed by the Abbasid caliph to contest his rule?
A. Abd-al-Rahman cut off the head of the governor, preserved it in salt and camphor, wrapped it in a black flag and the letter of appointment, and sent it to the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad as a gift.
Q. What did the Abbasid caliph say on receiving the head of the governor?
A. He said, “Thanks be to Allah for having placed the sea between us and such a foe!”
Q. What did Abd-al-Rahman do to make himself strong and to beautify his capital?
A. He developed a well-disciplined army of 40,000 Berbers and gained their favour with generous pay. He did so much public work to beautify his capital. He built the grand mosque of Cordova, erected a royal palace named al-Zahra, and introduced exotic plants.
Q. Give an account of the all-round progress made by the Arabs under Abd-al-Rahman III.
A. Spanish Arabs made great achievements during the reign of Ab-al-Rahman III. Industries of leather, silkworm, glassware, pottery and brass work flourished in Spain. West Asian agricultural techniques were introduced. They promoted trade and their products were marketed in India and Central Asia. They maintained a regular postal service and modelled their own coinage. They gave history gardens like Generalif.
Q. What did Al-Hakam do to promote learning and scholarship in his kingdom?
A. Al-Hakam established twenty-seven free schools. He housed a university in the capital mosque. The capital also boasted of a library with 40,000 books. Al-Hakam invited professors from the East and set aside endowments for their salaries.
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