The Guardian of al-Andalus (Spain): Sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin [MABH] (Part 34)
The Age of Tribal Kings and the Forgetfulness of the Ummah
This period was one of the most painful chapters in the history of the Islamic Ummah; an era in which the spirit of jihad was forgotten, the unity of the Ummah was destroyed, and worldliness dominated hearts. Instead of being the guardians of Andalusia and Islam, the tribal leaders sold it for their own pleasures and left nothing but a name for their nation.
The End of the Caliphate in Andalusia; From Glory to Collapse
From the time the noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them) pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr Siddiq as the successor of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) the Caliphate became like a vast shadow for Muslims; a safe haven in times of peace and war, appointing a Caliph as the leader of the Ummah is considered one of the important Islamic interests and one of the greatest goals of religion.
After the weakness of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad and the declaration of the Fatimid Caliphate, Abd al-Rahman al-Nasser declared the Caliphate in Andalusia in 317 AH; While before that, the rulers of Andalusia were content with only the title of “emir”. This designation was respected by the Muslims of Andalusia for a long time, until Hisham Mu’ayyid Billah ascended to the caliphate, while he was only a teenager and had not yet reached the age of sixteen. This situation provided the opportunity for Mansur ibn Abi Amir to dominate him and, as a result, opened the way for the interference of the princes and those with selfish desires in the affairs of the caliphate; interference that brought many calamities and disasters to the Muslims of Andalusia. [1]
Those who broke the sanctity of the office of the caliphate, which had been of special importance to the Muslims since the time of the allegiance to Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), and attacked this position with personal motives and ambition, caused the Islamic Ummah to be divided, weakened, and plunged into devastating conflicts.
The final years of the Umayyad Caliphate in Andalusia were filled with sedition and chaos that affected all classes of society. To understand the severity of this crisis, it is enough to note that the number of Umayyad caliphs in this final period was greater than all the caliphs who had ruled Andalusia since the beginning of the Umayyad Caliphate. [2]
In 399 AH, Abd al-Rahman ibn Mansur ibn Abi Amir was able to obtain the oath of allegiance from the Caliph Hisham Mu’ayyid Billah. [3] This caused Muhammad ibn Hisham ibn Abdul-Jabbar ibn Abdul-Rahman al-Nasser to rebel, defeat Abd al-Rahman, hide Hisham Mu’ayyid, and declare the caliphate for himself with the title of “Al-Mahdi.” [4]
However, the Mahdi did not last long, because Hisham ibn Sulayman rebelled against him and called himself “Al-Rashid.” He was eventually defeated and killed.
The companions of the right-wing Sulayman ibn Hakam ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Nasser gathered and appointed him as the caliph with the title of “Al-Musta’in”. Al-Musta’in made an alliance with the Christian forces led by Shanja ibn Gharsiyyah to achieve this goal, and he was able to defeat the Mahdi and enter Cordoba with their help. During this entry, the Christians massacred more than thirty thousand people of Cordoba and this was the first bloody revenge of the polytheists against the Muslims of Andalusia. [5]
Undoubtedly, this ugly act of Sulayman, namely seeking help from the Crusaders in matters that determined the fate of the Islamic nation, is one of the greatest betrayals that can be committed against the nation. Because the result of such actions is nothing but strengthening the enemies and widespread losses for the Muslims themselves. Such betrayals leave deep pain and suffering in the fabric of the nation, break its solidarity and create weaknesses that the enemies can exploit in the future.
Subsequently, Muhammad ibn Hisham, who had previously hidden Hisham al-Muayyid, announced that the caliph was dead (and this was Hisham al-Muayyid’s “first death”), but Muhammad ibn Hisham himself was killed in 400 AH and the caliphate returned to Hisham al-Muayyid. This is considered his second caliphate. [6]
In 403 AH, Sulayman al-Musta’in entered Cordoba for the second time. On the first occasion, he had been able to conquer Cordoba with the help of Shanja ibn Gharsiyyah and take over the caliphate for a period of seven months in 400 AH.
This time, too, Musta’in’s troops were from Berber tribes, and with the help of these forces, he was able to force Hisham al-Muayyid to abdicate and regain the caliphate for the second time. [7] But he was unable to dominate the affairs of the country. Chaos and sedition continued during his second caliphate, as Musta’in was busy with pleasure and amusement.
He, who was also a capable poet, has verses that he composed in response to poems attributed to Harun al-Rashid:
Poem by Sulayman al-Musta’in:
“Wow! The ferocious lion fears the tip of my spear, but I have become the slave of three charms; beauties like the stars of the night, soft and beautiful, on branches bent over soft hills. I am afraid of their penetrating gaze, time is also captive in their hands and I have become their slave!”
And as for the poems attributed to Harun al-Rashid:
“Attachment to three beautiful charms has captured me, and they are present everywhere in my heart; although they are in disobedience, I still obey them, and this love is stronger than my kingdom! How is it that all people obey me, but these three charms dominate me?!” [8]
The end of the Caliphate in Andalusia and the beginning of internal turmoil and seditions
The end of the Caliphate of the Musta’in came at the hands of Ali ibn Hamud al-Idrisi. He was one of the commanders of the Musta’in army, and after being appointed to the government of Ceuta, he rebelled against his master and killed him. This incident occurred after about six years of the Musta’in government. [9]
In 407 AH, in eastern Andalusia, a man from the descendants of Abd al-Rahman al-Nasser named Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Abdullah rose up and called himself “Al-Murtaza”. [10]
However, in 408 AH, Ali ibn Hamud was killed, and a year later, in 409 AH, Al-Murtaza also died in a battle with the Berbers who ruled Cordoba. [11]
Unstable Caliphates and Continuous Wars
In 414 AH, the Berbers were driven out of Cordoba and Abd al-Rahman ibn Hisham ibn Abd al-Jabbar ibn Nasser al-Dinullah ascended to the caliphate with the title “Al-Mustazir billah”; but he was killed in the same year. Then Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman, with the title “Al-Mustakfi billah”, assumed the caliphate until 416 AH, when he was deposed and killed. [12]
In 418 AH, Hisham ibn Muhammad ascended to the caliphate with the title “Al-Mu’tad billah” and remained in this position until 422 AH/1031 AD. But the people became dissatisfied with him and deposed him from the caliphate. [13]
Then Abu al-Hazm ibn Juhur expelled Al-Mu’tad billah from Cordoba and officially announced the fall of the caliphate and exiled the Umayyad dynasty from Cordoba.
