places for their camels: it will also contain the narrative of the conquest, borrowed from the most authentic sources, and such information about the early times of Islám in Andalus as we have been able to collect. Chap. III. will be a chronological history of such illustrious Moslems as were, by their sanctity and virtues, the firm supporters of religion, or who, engaged in perpetual battle with the enemy of God, defeated him morning and evening, never resting from the fatigues of the holy war, but prosecuting it with incredible ardour through pain and toil, over hill and dale: it will likewise contain an account of the disposition and forwardness of the Andalusians to face the enemy on every occasion, relate some of their heroic deeds and praiseworthy actions, and inform the readers of their constancy and ardour in observing the holy precepts of their Sunnah, and defending them with drawn swords against the attacks of the infidels. Chap. IV. will give the history of Cordova, that illustrious capital and seat of the Khalifs, from which the conquerors sallied out who trod on the necks of the impious Christians, and brought down their pride;—of its great mosque, built by the Sultáns of the family of Merwán, and decorated with glittering magnificence, and works of art dazzling to the eye;-of the manifold beauties contained in the two royal seats in its neighbourhood, namely, Medínatu-z-zahrá, built by An-nássir, and Medínatu-z-záhirah, which Al-mansúr erected ;—of the numerous pleasure-gardens and other spots of recreation in which its environs abound; the extensive and fertile territory, with its productions of every kind;-and lastly, several anecdotes and historical accounts which are intimately connected with this subject, and will fill with delight the hearts of the acute and the studious. Chap. V. will be entirely consecrated to the history of those Andalusians who quitted their native country to travel into the distant regions of the East, and to enter the territories pure from contamination, and free from heresy; as also to commemorate the praises which the said eminent doctors, the endowed with superior minds and virtuous propensities, lavished on Damascus, that mole on earth's cheek, that terrestrial Paradise; together with such information respecting its principal orators and best writers among its present inhabitants as we deemed necessary to illustrate our narrative. It will also contain the conversations which these illustrious individuals, whose well-directed arrows always hit the mark of their intention, notwithstanding that their modesty and self-denial are excessive, held with the despicable and unworthy writer of the present work, when, dismounting from the camel of peregrination, he alighted amongst them, in the year one thousand and thirty-seven of the Hijra, and had therefore an opportunity of witnessing their rare excellences, and being almost offuscated by the brightness of their virtues. Chap. VI. A biography of several Eastern worthies, who, guided by the torch of direction, which was rapidly being extinguished in their own country, bent their steps towards Andalus, where they implanted, by their stay, the seeds of virtue and learning; and who, on their return to their native land, delighted the ears of their audience with tales respecting the countries they had visited. Chap. VII. A sketch of the manifold gifts that God Almighty has lavished upon the people of Andalus, such as quickness of intellect, power of reason, strength of imagination, and retentiveness of memory ;-their prodigal expenditure in the acquisition of knowledge, and their wonderful efforts to arrive at fame ;-their superiority in all the branches of literature, as likewise some of their witty sayings and clever answers, their jokes, epigrams, satirical traits, and some selections from their writings; all tending to show their aptitude for science and literature, and their undeniable pre-eminence and superiority in all the branches of learning. Chap. VIII. How the impious enemy of God subdued the island of Andalus, after putting in practice all his treasons and deceits against it, surrounding it with his circumventing nets, and exciting dissensions and civil wars among the kings and chiefs of the Moslems;-how the shrewd Christian acted, and how he conducted himself, until (may God confound him, and extirpate his progeny to the last!) he conquered all the territories which acknowledged the sway of Islám, and obliterated from them the worship of the only God, substituting that of the Trinity and its abominable rites, inscribing its name with the hands of sacrilege and impiety on the threshold of the temples and other places of worship consecrated to the only and indivisible God.-How the Andalusian Moslems (of Granada), surrounded on every side by the enemies of their faith, solicited in eloquent epistles, either in prose or verse, the assistance and help of their Moslem brethren of the East and West; and how, their entreaties being disregarded, under the plea that the enemy guarded all the avenues to that city, and that their forces were not sufficiently numerous to contend with the various nations of Christians who besieged it, they fell helpless and unarmed into the hands of their cruel enemy. May God restore to it the words of Islám, and re-establish in it the laws of his blessed messenger, the Lord of the Creation, (upon whom be blessing and salutation !) and expel from it and the surrounding countries all the infidel nations! Such will be the division1 and arrangement of the first part of this work, in which we have not introduced any chapter respecting the Wizír Lisánu-d-dín; for, as the reader will see, the second, which forms the bulk of this work, is exclusively consecrated to him, the first part being only, as it were, an episode in the life of that eminent and illustrious individual. As to the title which we have chosen for our work, we must state that our first thought was to name it "Sweet Odour emanating from the History of the Wizír Lisánu-d-dín Ibnu-l-khattíb ;"15 but, when we determined upon adding to our plan the history of Andalus, we changed our mind, and entitled it, "Fragrant Smell from tender shoots of Andalus, and the History of the Wizir Lisánu-d-dín Ibnu-lkhattib." 16 We must add that we were not a little stimulated to the composition of the work, and to divide it in the manner we have just described, by several reasons: the first and principal, because the individual who was the cause of the composition of this work was himself a native of Syria, and born in the illustrious city of Damascus; the second, that the conquerors of Andalus were for the most part Syrians, all men of courage and determination; the third, that the greatest part of the Arab families who settled in Andalus in the first centuries after the conquest, fixing therein their permanent residence, and carrying with them wherever they went prosperity and power, were originally from Syria; and lastly, that the city of Granada was chiefly inhabited by people from Damascus, who, struck by the resemblance which that former city bore to the capital of Syria, in its palaces, rivers, abundance of trees, and profusion of flowers, named it after their native city. We shall now beseech the readers to look at this our book with the eyes of indulgence; not to inquire further into the motives of its being written, nor to think about him who was the principal cause of its composition; but, putting aside all these and other considerations, to place all their reliance and trust in its contents, to forgive such errors as they may detect, and to pardon the mistakes and want of judgment of the author. We further request them not to examine our narrative with the eyes of close criticism, whenever they see us struggling either with the obscurities of the language, or with the insurmountable difficulties of history; but to treat us with indulgence, and to consider, that although our work may not satisfy their wishes, yet it is not altogether devoid of utility and interest; and it may lead them to the discovery of more precious information. For our part, we are satisfied with our most intimate conviction of not having spared either time, expense, or labour, to render this book as useful and agreeable as possible, and feel confident that very few works will be found to surpass the present, or even to compete with it, in point of abundance and diversity of matter. We therefore consider it as a valuable gift, and as such we hope that it will be received with open arms by all lovers of learning and information. In the course of our narrative we have occasionally introduced quotations, in prose and verse, from various writers, especially whenever we deemed it expedient or necessary for the illustration of our subject; and we have likewise brought in such anecdotes of Kings, Wizírs, Kádis, Poets, and other learned men, as we thought would be an example for future generations, and a salutary admonition for all our readers. HISTORY OF THE MOHAMMEDAN DYNASTIES IN SPAIN. BOOK I. CHAP. I. Etymology of the name of Andalus-Climate-Geographical Divisions-Dimensions of the Country- ilikát-Goths-Iskhander. In the name of God, whose assistance we humbly beseech and implore, we shall begin by describing the Island of Andalus,—a country whose excellences are so numerous, and of such a kind, that they cannot easily be contained within the limits of a book, and that no words can be found sufficiently strong to give an idea of them. For our part, we consider Andalus as the prize of the race won by the horsemen who, at the utmost speed of their chargers, subdued the regions of the East and West. the word "Andalus." Respecting the etymology of its name different opinions prevail; some authors, Etymology of like Ibnu Sa'íd,' derive it from Andalus, son of Túbál, son of Yáfeth, son of Núh, who settled in it, and gave it his name, in like manner as his brother Sebt, son of Yáfeth, peopled the opposite land, and gave his name to the city of Sebtah (Ceuta). Ibnu Ghalib2 follows the same opinion, but makes Andalus to be the son of Yáfeth. Ibnu Hayyán,3 Ibnu Khaldún,* and others, derive it from Andalosh,5 a nation of barbarians who settled there. This latter opinion seems the most probable; but God is all-knowing. The country of Andalus (may God restore it entire to the Moslems!) has been Climate. described both by native and foreign writers in the most pompous terms. The Wizír Lisánu-d-din Ibnu-l-khattíb, (may God show him mercy!) in one of his historical works, says as follows: "God Almighty has distinguished this our country by endowing it with gentle hills and fertile plains, sweet and wholesome VOL. I. D |