Religion: The Umayyad In Medieval Spain

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The period known as the Middle Ages, which is infamously described in history texts as dark and full of ferocious events that present humanity and civilization to be going backwards and detrimental to progress. However, within this dark period, there simultaneously existed the complete dual opposite – a spark of luminous, unifying light shined in medieval Spain. Scholars also recognize medieval Spain to be called al-Alandus; this was a land that did not allow the history of persecutions and forced religious conversions overtake and corrupt them too much, rather illustrated the true essence of religion – unity and peaceful cooperation, as well as cultural interactions that enhanced the livings of all the Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the …show more content…
Abd al-Rahman III was a very merciless type of ruler, which consequential made him very successful in defeating anyone who had opposed him. In 929, he claimed the title of caliph, declaring his religious independence from the Abbasid caliphs for political motivations, and appointed a Jew as his foreign minister. The Umayyad’s version of Islam differed greatly from the Abasids, as Menocal stated it is defined as “one that loved its dialogues with other traditions.” (21, Menocal) This definition of their faith is absolutely key for its interreligious legacy. As a result of the Arab conquest of Spain, al-Andalus became an important point of contact between Islam, Christians, and Jews. Moreover, due to their definition of their Islam – appreciation of others cultures and traditions, which is derived from the verse in the Quran in Chapter 22, Verse 67:
“We have established rites for every community to observe, so don’t let them draw you into dispute about the …show more content…
Mozarabs learned Arabic and continued to write Arabic into the thirteenth century. While there is significant evidence of Christians learning Arabic, there are very few examples of Muslims who were fluent in, or even familiar with, Romance. Only two Muslims are mentioned as having regularly served as interpreters, and only one of these is said to have been fluent in Spanish (Roth 53). Indeed, there seems to have been widespread Christian neglect of Latin in favor of Arabic, which was seen as a more eloquent way of expressing oneself. The language of beauty and poetry, Arabic was considered a real artform. Indeed, Arabic was adopted as the ultimate in classiness and distinction by the communities of the other two faiths. Even today, Spanish words beginning with al-, of which there are many, can be attributed to the Arabic
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