What You Know About Islam in Spain (Al-Andalus)?

I was reading about the history of Islam in Spain and came across some pretty amazing facts. Surprised me at first, but yea real talk, read below on how much Muslims accomplished in Southern Spain alone:

Did you know that…..

• Al-Andalus, which means, “to become green at the end of the summer” is referred to the territory occupied by the Muslim empire in Southern Spain
• The city of Cordoba had 700 mosques
• Some 60,000 palaces, and 70 libraries – one reportedly housing 500,000 manuscripts and employing a staff of researchers, illuminators, and book binders.
• Cordoba also had Europe’s first street lights
• It also had Fifty hospitals
• In the seven centuries Muslim ruled also known as “The Golden Age”, Muslims treated Christians and Jews with tolerance, this resulted in many of them accepting Islam! In fact, many Jews and Christians held government positions.
• All Jews and Christians were allowed to maintain their beliefs and live their lives as they desired as long as they respected their Muslim rulers
• In Muslim Spain, knowledge from Greece and Rome was preserved. Arab scholars produced encyclopedias on medicine and astronomy in 11th century, also including astrology, psychology, zoology, biology, botany, chemistry, physics, mathematics, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, etc., which Christian scholars acquired and translated.
• Muslims in Spain produced cotton, paper, salt, silk, satin, pepper, stamps, clocks, soaps, rulers, maps, globes, furs, velvets, described over 200 surgical instruments, and named over 200 stars with Arabic names.

Most importantly, their were certain factors that played a key role in the collapse of Muslim Spain

• The greed and self-indulgence that gripped its elites, the loss of a unifying religious vision
• The rivalries that weakened and divided the Muslims
• The loss of religious tolerance

Lesson learned –

I end with an Ayah from the Holy Qur’an

“and hold fast to the rope of Allah and do not be divided.” (Qur’an 3:103)

May Allah swt guide us to the straight path, keep us united, and give us the knowledge to excel in all spheres of life so we can help the World, Ameen!