1 00:00:00,430 --> 00:00:03,430 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:03,430 --> 00:00:08,429 The best of generations in their conduct and example, 3 00:00:08,429 --> 00:00:13,429 Following the Messenger when he strove or spoke. 4 00:00:13,429 --> 00:00:15,429 A collection of affection, 5 00:00:15,429 --> 00:00:17,429 Proceed. 6 00:00:17,429 --> 00:00:21,500 Scenes from the Life of the Tabi'un, 7 00:00:21,500 --> 00:00:26,530 By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 8 00:00:26,530 --> 00:00:30,859 May Allah have mercy upon him. 9 00:00:30,859 --> 00:00:33,859 Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi, 10 00:00:33,859 --> 00:00:35,859 May Allah have mercy upon him. 11 00:00:44,219 --> 00:00:47,219 The English poet Southey said, 12 00:00:47,219 --> 00:00:52,219 Describing the Muslim armies that invaded Europe after the conquest of al-Andalus: 13 00:00:52,219 --> 00:00:55,219 "Countless multitudes, 14 00:00:55,219 --> 00:00:58,219 Of Arabs, Berbers, and foreign Romans, 15 00:00:58,219 --> 00:01:00,219 Persians, Copts, and Tatars, 16 00:01:00,219 --> 00:01:04,219 Have all gathered under one banner, 17 00:01:04,219 --> 00:01:06,219 United by a fervent faith, 18 00:01:06,219 --> 00:01:08,219 Firm in its chivalry, 19 00:01:08,219 --> 00:01:11,219 And a zeal burning like sparks, 20 00:01:11,219 --> 00:01:15,219 And an astonishing brotherhood that makes no distinction between men." 21 00:01:15,219 --> 00:01:19,340 Their leaders were no less confident of victory than they were, 22 00:01:19,340 --> 00:01:22,340 Having been intoxicated by the zeal of triumph, 23 00:01:22,340 --> 00:01:25,340 And pride in that mighty power, 24 00:01:25,340 --> 00:01:28,340 Before which nothing could stand. 25 00:01:28,340 --> 00:01:33,340 They were certain that their armies could never be overcome by fatigue, 26 00:01:33,340 --> 00:01:39,340 For they were always youthful and vibrant, as if they had been unleashed for the first time. 27 00:01:39,340 --> 00:01:42,340 They believed that wherever they moved, 28 00:01:42,340 --> 00:01:45,340 Victory and conquest walked in their wake, 29 00:01:45,340 --> 00:01:49,340 And that they would always surge forward, 30 00:01:49,340 --> 00:01:52,340 Until the conquered West became like the East, 31 00:01:52,340 --> 00:01:56,340 Bowing its head in reverence to the name of Muhammad, peace be upon him. 32 00:01:56,340 --> 00:02:00,340 And until the pilgrim rises from the furthest reaches of the frozen lands, 33 00:02:00,340 --> 00:02:04,340 To tread with the feet of faith upon the burning sands, 34 00:02:04,340 --> 00:02:07,340 Scattered across the desert of the Arabs, 35 00:02:07,340 --> 00:02:11,340 And stand upon the solid rocks of Makkah. 36 00:02:11,340 --> 00:02:16,909 You were not far from the truth, O poet, 37 00:02:16,909 --> 00:02:19,909 Nor were you wandering in the valleys of imagination, 38 00:02:19,909 --> 00:02:21,909 In much of what you said. 39 00:02:21,909 --> 00:02:26,009 For the armies led by the mujahidin, 40 00:02:26,009 --> 00:02:30,009 To bring your forefathers out of their profound ignorance, 41 00:02:30,009 --> 00:02:32,009 Were just as you described. 42 00:02:32,009 --> 00:02:35,009 Among them were Arabs, strengthened by Allah, 43 00:02:35,009 --> 00:02:37,009 Who rushed to you from al-Sham, 44 00:02:37,009 --> 00:02:39,009 From the Hijaz, 45 00:02:39,009 --> 00:02:40,009 From Najd, 46 00:02:40,009 --> 00:02:41,009 From Yemen, 47 00:02:41,009 --> 00:02:44,009 From every place in the Arabian Peninsula, 48 00:02:44,009 --> 00:02:47,009 Like the sent wind. 49 00:02:47,009 --> 00:02:51,009 Among them were Berbers, ennobled by Islam, 50 00:02:51,009 --> 00:02:54,009 Who poured upon you from above the Atlas Mountains, 51 00:02:54,009 --> 00:02:57,009 Like a torrential flood. 52 00:02:57,009 --> 00:02:59,009 Among them were Persians, 53 00:02:59,009 --> 00:03:02,009 Whose minds had grown weary of the idolatry of the Chosroes, 54 00:03:02,009 --> 00:03:05,009 And who returned to the religion of monotheism, 55 00:03:05,009 --> 00:03:08,009 And the path of the All-Mighty, the Praiseworthy. 56 00:03:08,009 --> 00:03:11,009 Among them were the foreign Romans, as you said, 57 00:03:11,009 --> 00:03:15,009 But they had rebelled against injustice and darkness, 58 00:03:15,009 --> 00:03:18,009 And aligned themselves with the Light of the heavens and the earth, 59 00:03:18,009 --> 00:03:21,009 And were guided to the upright religion. 60 00:03:21,009 --> 00:03:23,009 Among them were Copts, 61 00:03:23,009 --> 00:03:27,009 Who lifted from their necks the yoke of slavery to the Caesars, 62 00:03:27,009 --> 00:03:31,009 To live as their mothers bore them, 63 00:03:31,009 --> 00:03:34,009 Free under the shade of Islam. 64 00:03:34,009 --> 00:03:35,009 Yes, 65 00:03:35,009 --> 00:03:40,009 The army led by Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi and his predecessors, 66 00:03:40,009 --> 00:03:44,009 To save your ancestors from ignorance, 67 00:03:44,009 --> 00:03:46,009 Included the white and the black, 68 00:03:46,009 --> 00:03:49,009 The Arab and the non-Arab, 69 00:03:49,009 --> 00:03:53,009 But they were all melted into the crucible of Islam, 70 00:03:53,009 --> 00:03:56,009 And by the grace of Allah, they became brothers. 71 00:03:56,009 --> 00:03:59,009 Their concern, as you mentioned, was 72 00:03:59,009 --> 00:04:02,009 To bring the West into the religion of Allah, 73 00:04:02,009 --> 00:04:05,009 Just as they had brought the East before it, 74 00:04:05,009 --> 00:04:10,009 To make all of humanity bow its head to the Lord of mankind, 75 00:04:10,009 --> 00:04:14,009 To let the light of Islam spread through your plains and valleys, 76 00:04:14,009 --> 00:04:18,009 To let its sun shine in every one of your homes, 77 00:04:18,009 --> 00:04:23,009 And to let its justice equalize your kings and your commoners. 78 00:04:23,009 --> 00:04:29,009 They had resolved to offer their souls as the price for your guidance to Allah, 79 00:04:29,009 --> 00:04:32,009 And for your salvation from the Fire. 80 00:04:32,009 --> 00:04:34,959 And now, 81 00:04:34,959 --> 00:04:38,959 Here is the final story of this army, 82 00:04:38,959 --> 00:04:44,959 And the account of its peerless hero, Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah al-Ghafiqi. 83 00:04:44,959 --> 00:04:52,250 The Duke of Aquitaine received alarming news of the death of his brother-in-law, Uthman ibn Abi Nisa, 84 00:04:52,250 --> 00:04:55,250 And the tidings reached him of the sad end, 85 00:04:55,250 --> 00:04:59,250 That had befallen his beautiful daughter, Minin. 86 00:04:59,250 --> 00:05:03,250 He realized that the drums of war had been beaten, 87 00:05:03,250 --> 00:05:07,250 And he became certain that the Lion of Islam, Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi, 88 00:05:07,250 --> 00:05:11,279 Was either upon him by evening or by morning. 89 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:17,279 So he prepared to defend every inch of his land with the defense of the desperate, 90 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:23,279 And readied himself to struggle for his own life and kingdom with the readiness of the defiant. 91 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:30,279 For he feared that he would be led, like the other, as a captive to the Caliphate in al-Sham, 92 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:32,279 Just as his daughter had been led, 93 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:35,279 Or that his head would be carried on a platter, 94 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:38,279 And paraded through the markets of Damascus, 95 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:40,279 Just as the head of Roderic, 96 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:43,310 The King of Spain, had been paraded before. 97 00:05:43,310 --> 00:05:47,310 Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi did not prove the Duke's fears wrong, 98 00:05:47,310 --> 00:05:51,310 For he set out with his massive army from northern al-Andalus, 99 00:05:51,310 --> 00:05:53,310 Like a cyclone. 100 00:05:53,310 --> 00:05:57,310 And he descended upon southern France from over the Pyrenees, 101 00:05:57,310 --> 00:06:00,310 Like a flood. 102 00:06:00,310 --> 00:06:04,310 The equipment of his army was one hundred thousand mujahidin, 103 00:06:04,310 --> 00:06:08,310 Within each of whom beat the heart of a lion, 104 00:06:08,310 --> 00:06:12,939 And in whose veins flowed the resolve of a giant. 105 00:06:12,939 --> 00:06:17,939 The Islamic army turned its face toward the city of Arles, 106 00:06:17,939 --> 00:06:20,939 Situated on the banks of the Rhone River, 107 00:06:20,939 --> 00:06:23,939 For he had a score to settle with it. 108 00:06:23,939 --> 00:06:28,939 The fact was that this Arles had made peace with the Muslims, 109 00:06:28,939 --> 00:06:31,939 On the condition that they pay the jizya. 110 00:06:31,939 --> 00:06:34,939 But when al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani was martyred, 111 00:06:34,939 --> 00:06:36,939 In the Battle of Toulouse, 112 00:06:36,939 --> 00:06:39,939 And the Muslims were weakened by his death, 113 00:06:39,939 --> 00:06:41,939 The people of Arles renounced their obedience, 114 00:06:41,939 --> 00:06:43,939 And broke their covenant, 115 00:06:43,939 --> 00:06:47,009 And refused to pay the jizya. 116 00:06:47,009 --> 00:06:51,009 When Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi reached the outskirts of the city, 117 00:06:51,009 --> 00:06:55,009 He found that the Duke of Aquitaine, 118 00:06:55,009 --> 00:06:58,009 Had mobilized his dense forces there, 119 00:06:58,009 --> 00:07:01,009 And gathered them around its borders, 120 00:07:01,009 --> 00:07:05,009 And stood to repel the Islamic advance upon it. 121 00:07:05,009 --> 00:07:09,009 Then, it was not long before the two armies met face to face, 122 00:07:09,009 --> 00:07:13,009 And a grinding battle took place between the two parties, 123 00:07:13,009 --> 00:07:18,009 During which Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi launched battalions from his army, 124 00:07:18,009 --> 00:07:22,009 Who loved death more than their enemies loved life, 125 00:07:22,009 --> 00:07:25,009 So he shook the foundations of the enemy, 126 00:07:25,009 --> 00:07:27,009 And tore through their ranks, 127 00:07:27,009 --> 00:07:31,009 And entered the city this time by war, 128 00:07:31,009 --> 00:07:34,009 And set the sword to the necks of its people, 129 00:07:34,009 --> 00:07:36,009 And inflicted heavy losses upon them, 130 00:07:36,009 --> 00:07:40,139 And took from them spoils that could not be counted. 131 00:07:40,139 --> 00:07:42,139 As for Duke Eudes, 132 00:07:42,139 --> 00:07:45,139 He fled with those who remained alive of his soldiers, 133 00:07:45,139 --> 00:07:50,139 And began to prepare for another encounter with the Muslim armies, 134 00:07:50,139 --> 00:07:54,139 For he knew that the Battle of Arles, 135 00:07:54,139 --> 00:08:00,019 Was the beginning of the road, not its end. 136 00:08:00,019 --> 00:08:05,019 Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi crossed the Garonne River with his massive army, 137 00:08:05,019 --> 00:08:10,019 And his victorious battalions began to roam the province of Aquitaine, 138 00:08:10,019 --> 00:08:13,019 “And thou wouldst have deemed them waking though they were asleep, and We caused them to turn over to the right and the left, and their dog stretching out his paws on the threshold. If thou hadst observed them closely thou hadst assuredly turned away from them in flight, and hadst been filled with awe of them.” (18:18) 139 00:08:13,019 --> 00:08:15,019 And the cities and villages began, 140 00:08:15,019 --> 00:08:18,019 To fall under the hooves of his horses, 141 00:08:18,019 --> 00:08:22,019 Like leaves falling from trees in the autumn, 142 00:08:22,019 --> 00:08:25,019 When the fierce winds blow upon them. 143 00:08:25,019 --> 00:08:29,019 The Muslims added to their previous spoils, 144 00:08:29,019 --> 00:08:33,019 Subsequent spoils that no eye had seen before, 145 00:08:33,019 --> 00:08:35,019 And no ear had heard of. 146 00:08:35,019 --> 00:08:38,019 The Duke of Aquitaine tried, 147 00:08:38,019 --> 00:08:42,019 To confront this great advance once again, 148 00:08:42,019 --> 00:08:46,019 So he clashed with the Muslims in a fierce battle, 149 00:08:46,019 --> 00:08:51,019 But the Muslims soon defeated him with a crushing defeat, 150 00:08:51,019 --> 00:08:55,019 And inflicted upon him a devastating catastrophe, 151 00:08:55,019 --> 00:08:58,019 And tore his army to pieces, 152 00:08:58,019 --> 00:09:03,090 And left his soldiers between killed, captured, and routed. 153 00:09:03,090 --> 00:09:07,090 Then the Muslims headed to the city of Bordeaux, 154 00:09:07,090 --> 00:09:10,090 The largest French city at that time, 155 00:09:10,090 --> 00:09:13,090 And the capital of the province of Aquitaine, 156 00:09:13,090 --> 00:09:17,090 And they fought its prince in a battle no less horrific, 157 00:09:17,090 --> 00:09:19,090 Than the previous battles, 158 00:09:19,090 --> 00:09:22,090 In which the attackers and the defenders showed bravery, 159 00:09:22,090 --> 00:09:26,120 A bravery that evokes wonder and admiration. 160 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,120 But the great and dangerous city, 161 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:32,120 Soon fell into the hands of the Muslims, 162 00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:35,120 Just as its sisters had fallen before it, 163 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:39,120 And its prince was soon killed among the dead. 164 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:43,120 The Muslims acquired from the spoils of Bordeaux, 165 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:47,120 What made all the spoils they had acquired before seem insignificant. 166 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:51,120 The fall of Bordeaux into the hands of the Muslims, 167 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:55,120 Was the opening for the fall of many other dangerous cities, 168 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:59,120 The most important of which were Lyon, Besançon, and Sens, 169 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:03,120 And the latter was not far from Paris, 170 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:07,590 By more than a hundred miles. 171 00:10:07,590 --> 00:10:11,590 Europe shook from its furthest reaches to its furthest reaches, 172 00:10:11,590 --> 00:10:17,590 At the fall of half of southern France into the hands of Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi, 173 00:10:17,590 --> 00:10:19,590 Within a few months. 174 00:10:19,590 --> 00:10:23,590 The Franks opened their eyes to the imminent danger, 175 00:10:23,590 --> 00:10:25,590 And a cry went out everywhere, 176 00:10:25,590 --> 00:10:31,590 Calling the weak and the able to stand in the face of this horror coming from the East, 177 00:10:31,590 --> 00:10:34,590 And urging them to confront it with their chests, 178 00:10:34,590 --> 00:10:36,590 If swords were scarce, 179 00:10:36,590 --> 00:10:40,590 And calling them to block the road before it with their bodies, 180 00:10:40,590 --> 00:10:42,590 If equipment was lacking. 181 00:10:42,590 --> 00:10:46,590 So Europe responded to the caller's call, 182 00:10:46,590 --> 00:10:50,590 And people came to join under the banner of Charles Martel, 183 00:10:51,590 --> 00:10:55,590 Bringing with them trees, stones, thorns, and weapons. 184 00:10:55,590 --> 00:11:00,129 The Islamic army at that time, 185 00:11:00,129 --> 00:11:02,129 Had reached the city of Tours, 186 00:11:02,129 --> 00:11:06,129 The foremost of the cities of France in population, 187 00:11:06,129 --> 00:11:10,129 And strength in structure and antiquity in history. 188 00:11:10,129 --> 00:11:13,129 And the city was, moreover, 189 00:11:13,129 --> 00:11:18,129 Boasting over most of the cities of Europe with its luxurious and massive church, 190 00:11:18,129 --> 00:11:22,129 Filled with magnificent relics and precious treasures. 191 00:11:22,129 --> 00:11:26,129 So the Muslims surrounded it like a collar around a neck, 192 00:11:26,129 --> 00:11:31,129 And descended upon it like death when the appointed time comes, 193 00:11:31,129 --> 00:11:35,129 And they considered their souls and lives cheap for the sake of conquering it. 194 00:11:35,129 --> 00:11:38,129 So it soon fell into their hands, 195 00:11:38,129 --> 00:11:42,129 Within the sight and hearing of Charles Martel. 196 00:11:42,129 --> 00:11:46,860 And in the last ten days of the month of Sha'ban, 197 00:11:46,860 --> 00:11:49,860 In the year one hundred and four after the Hijrah, 198 00:11:49,860 --> 00:11:55,860 Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi marched with his massive army upon the city of Poitiers, 199 00:11:55,860 --> 00:11:59,860 And there he met with the massive armies of Europe, 200 00:11:59,860 --> 00:12:01,860 under the leadership of Charles Martel. 201 00:12:01,860 --> 00:12:05,860 One of the decisive battles between the two sides took place, 202 00:12:05,860 --> 00:12:09,860 not only in the history of the Muslims and the Franks, 203 00:12:09,860 --> 00:12:13,860 but in the history of all humanity. 204 00:12:13,860 --> 00:12:16,860 This battle became known 205 00:12:16,860 --> 00:12:19,860 as the Battle of Tours (Balat al-Shuhada'). 206 00:12:19,860 --> 00:12:24,419 The Islamic army was, at that time, 207 00:12:24,419 --> 00:12:27,419 at the peak of its dazzling victories. 208 00:12:27,419 --> 00:12:31,419 Yet, its burden was heavy with the spoils of war 209 00:12:31,419 --> 00:12:34,419 that had poured upon them like a torrential rain, 210 00:12:34,419 --> 00:12:38,419 and piled up in the hands of its soldiers like gathering clouds. 211 00:12:38,419 --> 00:12:41,490 Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi looked 212 00:12:41,490 --> 00:12:44,490 upon this vast and immense wealth 213 00:12:44,490 --> 00:12:47,490 with a gaze of anxiety and apprehension, 214 00:12:47,490 --> 00:12:50,490 fearing for the Muslims because of it. 215 00:12:50,490 --> 00:12:53,490 He was concerned that these treasures 216 00:12:53,490 --> 00:12:56,490 might preoccupy their hearts during the encounter, 217 00:12:56,490 --> 00:13:00,490 and distract their souls in moments of intensity, 218 00:13:00,490 --> 00:13:03,490 causing one eye of the soldier 219 00:13:03,490 --> 00:13:05,490 to be fixed on the approaching enemy, 220 00:13:05,490 --> 00:13:09,490 while his other eye remained on the spoils in his hands. 221 00:13:09,490 --> 00:13:12,490 He intended to order his soldiers 222 00:13:12,490 --> 00:13:16,490 to dispose of these vast and immense riches, 223 00:13:16,490 --> 00:13:19,490 but he feared their hearts would not be content 224 00:13:19,490 --> 00:13:22,490 with such a grave decision, 225 00:13:22,490 --> 00:13:25,490 and that their souls would not permit them to abandon 226 00:13:25,490 --> 00:13:28,490 that precious treasure. 227 00:13:28,490 --> 00:13:31,490 Thus, he found no better way than to gather 228 00:13:31,490 --> 00:13:34,490 these spoils in special camps, 229 00:13:34,490 --> 00:13:37,490 and place them behind the army 230 00:13:37,490 --> 00:13:39,490 before the fighting began. 231 00:13:39,490 --> 00:13:42,649 The two great armies stood for several days, 232 00:13:42,649 --> 00:13:45,649 each facing the other, 233 00:13:45,649 --> 00:13:48,649 in stillness, anticipation, and silence, 234 00:13:48,649 --> 00:13:51,649 like two mountain ranges 235 00:13:51,649 --> 00:13:54,649 standing one against the other. 236 00:13:54,649 --> 00:13:58,649 Each army feared the might of its adversary 237 00:13:58,649 --> 00:14:01,649 and prepared for the encounter with the utmost caution. 238 00:14:01,649 --> 00:14:04,710 When time dragged on in this state, 239 00:14:04,710 --> 00:14:07,710 and Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi sensed 240 00:14:07,710 --> 00:14:10,710 the fires of zeal and courage 241 00:14:10,710 --> 00:14:13,710 boiling in the chests of his men, 242 00:14:13,710 --> 00:14:16,710 he chose to be the one to initiate the attack, 243 00:14:16,710 --> 00:14:19,710 relying on the virtues of his soldiers, 244 00:14:19,710 --> 00:14:22,710 and optimistic about his good fortune in victory. 245 00:14:22,710 --> 00:14:27,600 Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi charged 246 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:30,600 with his cavalry against the ranks of the Franks, 247 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,600 with the ferocity of predatory lions. 248 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:36,600 The Franks stood firm against them, 249 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:40,600 and the first day of the battle ended 250 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:43,600 without the scales tipping in favor of either side. 251 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:46,600 Nothing separated the combatants 252 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,600 but the descent of darkness 253 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:52,600 upon the battlefield. 254 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,600 Then the combat resumed the following day, 255 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:58,600 and the Muslims launched against the Franks 256 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:01,600 heroic assaults, 257 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:04,659 yet they did not achieve their objective. 258 00:15:04,659 --> 00:15:07,659 The battle continued in this state 259 00:15:07,659 --> 00:15:10,659 for seven long, arduous days. 260 00:15:10,659 --> 00:15:13,659 When the eighth day arrived, 261 00:15:13,659 --> 00:15:16,659 the Muslims launched a unified charge against their enemy, 262 00:15:16,659 --> 00:15:19,659 opening a large gap in their ranks, 263 00:15:19,659 --> 00:15:22,659 through which victory appeared to them 264 00:15:22,659 --> 00:15:25,659 just as the light of dawn appears 265 00:15:25,659 --> 00:15:28,700 through the darkness. 266 00:15:28,700 --> 00:15:31,700 At that moment, a detachment of Frankish battalions raided 267 00:15:31,700 --> 00:15:34,700 the camps of the spoils. 268 00:15:34,700 --> 00:15:37,700 When the Muslims saw that their spoils 269 00:15:37,700 --> 00:15:40,700 were about to fall into the hands of their enemies, 270 00:15:40,700 --> 00:15:43,700 many of them turned back 271 00:15:43,700 --> 00:15:46,700 to recover them. 272 00:15:46,700 --> 00:15:49,700 Consequently, their ranks fractured, 273 00:15:49,700 --> 00:15:52,700 their masses faltered, 274 00:15:52,700 --> 00:15:55,700 and their momentum was lost. 275 00:15:55,700 --> 00:15:58,700 The great commander rushed to act, 276 00:15:59,700 --> 00:16:02,700 and while the hero of Islam, 277 00:16:02,700 --> 00:16:05,700 Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi, 278 00:16:05,700 --> 00:16:08,700 was traversing the battlefield on the back of his horse, 279 00:16:08,700 --> 00:16:11,700 his grey steed, moving back and forth, 280 00:16:11,700 --> 00:16:14,700 charging and retreating, 281 00:16:14,700 --> 00:16:17,700 he was struck by a fatal arrow. 282 00:16:17,700 --> 00:16:20,700 He fell from his horse 283 00:16:20,700 --> 00:16:23,700 like an eagle descending from mountain peaks, 284 00:16:23,700 --> 00:16:27,179 and died a martyr on the battlefield. 285 00:16:27,179 --> 00:16:30,179 When the Muslims saw this, 286 00:16:30,179 --> 00:16:33,179 panic spread among them and distress prevailed. 287 00:16:33,179 --> 00:16:36,179 The enemy's pressure intensified upon them, 288 00:16:36,179 --> 00:16:39,179 and nothing halted their ferocity but the arrival of darkness. 289 00:16:39,179 --> 00:16:44,000 When morning came, 290 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,000 Charles Martel found 291 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,000 that the Muslims had withdrawn from Poitiers. 292 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,000 He did not dare to pursue them, 293 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,000 for had he pursued them, he would have annihilated them, 294 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:59,000 as if he feared their withdrawal was a ruse 295 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,000 of war, devised in the night. 296 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,000 So he chose to remain in his positions, 297 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,000 content with that great victory. 298 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,259 The day of Balat al-Shuhada' was 299 00:17:11,259 --> 00:17:14,259 a decisive day in history, 300 00:17:14,259 --> 00:17:17,259 in which the Muslims lost one of their most cherished hopes, 301 00:17:17,259 --> 00:17:20,259 and during which they lost a hero 302 00:17:20,259 --> 00:17:23,259 among the greatest of heroes. 303 00:17:23,259 --> 00:17:26,259 It reenacted the tragedy of the day of Uhud, 304 00:17:26,259 --> 00:17:29,259 for such is the Sunnah of Allah in His creation, 305 00:17:29,259 --> 00:17:32,259 and you will never find any change in the Sunnah of Allah. 306 00:17:32,259 --> 00:17:36,890 The news of the tragic day of Balat 307 00:17:36,890 --> 00:17:39,890 al-Shuhada' shook the souls of the Muslims 308 00:17:39,890 --> 00:17:42,890 everywhere with a violent tremor, 309 00:17:42,890 --> 00:17:45,890 and their hearts were shaken by its horror 310 00:17:45,890 --> 00:17:48,890 with a severe quaking. 311 00:17:48,890 --> 00:17:51,890 Grief spread because of it to every city, 312 00:17:52,890 --> 00:17:55,890 and its painful wound 313 00:17:55,890 --> 00:17:58,890 still bleeds blood from their hearts to this day, 314 00:17:58,890 --> 00:18:01,890 and it will continue to bleed as long as there remains 315 00:18:01,890 --> 00:18:04,980 a Muslim on the face of the earth. 316 00:18:04,980 --> 00:18:07,980 Do not think that this deep, 317 00:18:07,980 --> 00:18:10,980 gaping wound has pained the hearts 318 00:18:10,980 --> 00:18:13,980 of the Muslims alone; 319 00:18:13,980 --> 00:18:16,980 rather, a group of the wise among the Franks 320 00:18:16,980 --> 00:18:19,980 shared in that sentiment. 321 00:18:19,980 --> 00:18:22,980 For what befell the Muslims in Poitiers 322 00:18:22,980 --> 00:18:25,980 was a great calamity that afflicted humanity, 323 00:18:25,980 --> 00:18:28,980 and a tremendous loss 324 00:18:28,980 --> 00:18:31,980 that struck Europe at its core, 325 00:18:31,980 --> 00:18:35,079 and a disaster that befell civilization. 326 00:18:35,079 --> 00:18:38,079 If you wish to know the opinion of some of them 327 00:18:38,079 --> 00:18:41,079 regarding the tragedy of Balat al-Shuhada', 328 00:18:41,079 --> 00:18:44,079 then listen to Henri de Chambon, 329 00:18:44,079 --> 00:18:47,079 the director of the French magazine *Revue Parlementaire*, 330 00:18:47,079 --> 00:18:50,079 as he said: 331 00:18:50,079 --> 00:18:53,079 "Had it not been for the victory of the barbaric army of Charles Martel 332 00:18:53,079 --> 00:18:56,079 over the Arab Muslims in France, 333 00:18:56,079 --> 00:18:59,079 our country would not have fallen into the darkness 334 00:18:59,079 --> 00:19:02,079 of the Middle Ages, 335 00:19:02,079 --> 00:19:05,079 nor would it have been afflicted by its horrors, 336 00:19:05,079 --> 00:19:08,079 nor would it have suffered the civil massacres 337 00:19:08,079 --> 00:19:11,079 to which religious and sectarian fanaticism drove it." 338 00:19:11,079 --> 00:19:14,079 Yes, 339 00:19:14,079 --> 00:19:17,079 and had it not been for the savagery against the Muslims in Poitiers, 340 00:19:17,079 --> 00:19:20,079 Spain would have continued to enjoy the tolerance of Islam, 341 00:19:20,079 --> 00:19:23,079 and would have been spared the stigma of the Inquisition, 342 00:19:23,079 --> 00:19:26,079 and the progress of civilization would not have been delayed 343 00:19:26,079 --> 00:19:29,079 by eight centuries. 344 00:19:29,079 --> 00:19:32,079 Regardless of the differing feelings and opinions 345 00:19:32,079 --> 00:19:35,079 regarding that victory of ours, 346 00:19:35,079 --> 00:19:38,079 we owe the Muslims all the merits 347 00:19:38,079 --> 00:19:41,079 of our civilization in science, art, and industry. 348 00:19:41,079 --> 00:19:44,079 We are compelled to admit that they were 349 00:19:44,079 --> 00:19:47,079 the ideal of human perfection 350 00:19:47,079 --> 00:19:50,079 at a time when we were the ideal of barbarism. 351 00:19:50,079 --> 00:19:53,180 It is a fabrication what we claim today, 352 00:19:53,180 --> 00:19:56,180 that time has turned, 353 00:19:56,180 --> 00:19:59,180 and that the Muslims have reached in this era 354 00:19:59,180 --> 00:20:02,180 what we were upon 355 00:20:02,180 --> 00:20:09,079 in the Middle Ages. 356 00:20:15,079 --> 00:20:18,079 They were here, 357 00:20:18,079 --> 00:20:21,079 watering the clouds of our lives, 358 00:20:21,079 --> 00:20:24,079 so they died within us, 359 00:20:24,079 --> 00:20:27,079 their memory rising high. 360 00:20:27,079 --> 00:20:30,079 They departed and cast into the conscience 361 00:20:30,079 --> 00:20:33,079 a question: is there anyone like them, 362 00:20:33,079 --> 00:20:36,079 a star that rose and shone? 363 00:20:36,079 --> 00:20:39,079 They filled life 364 00:20:39,079 --> 00:20:42,079 with pride through their deeds, 365 00:20:42,079 --> 00:20:46,079 and the world of humanity flourished because of them.