Tariq ibn Ziyad – The Commander Who Conquered Al-Andalus

The fruit was strong, nurtured under the care and protection of Allah, nourished by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger—untainted by distortion, misguided concepts, personal desires, absent awareness, or the reduction of understanding to one individual to the exclusion of the collective wisdom of the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and the righteous predecessors who followed.

The banner of Tawheed (monotheism) was planted by the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and it was watered by the Companions with their blood and souls before their wealth, lives, and time. The result was a blessed tree—its roots firmly fixed and its branches reaching to the sky.

It did not merely bear fruit, but also caused other trees to grow around it—trees with deeply rooted principles that resist uprooting no matter how fierce the winds of change blow or how powerful the enemy becomes. This tree inherently possessed the ability to renew itself and regenerate whenever a trunk withered, or a branch fell.

Islam did not cease with the passing of the Companions or the death of the last among them in the far corners of the earth as they opened new lands. The conquests expanded, the state's borders extended, and the people multiplied—among them arose new great individuals, just as their predecessors had been great.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) left behind a legacy of religion, conduct, values, strength, courage, honor, and dignity. His Companions inherited this complete set of values unchanged, unwavering, and fulfilled their responsibilities. Allah Almighty had already expressed His pleasure with them in verses recited in His Book, through which Muslims worship until the Day of Judgment, where He, the Most Exalted, says: (Allah has certainly turned in mercy to the Prophet¹ as well as the Emigrants and the Helpers who stood by him in the time of hardship, after the hearts of a group of them had almost faltered. He then accepted their repentance. Surely, He is Ever Gracious and Most Merciful to them.) (At-Tawbah:117)

And he said about them, may God's pleasure be upon them. (Indeed, Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you ˹O Prophet˺ under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down serenity upon them and rewarded them with a victory at hand) (Al-Fath:18)

May God grant them repentance and be pleased with them, and so their tree is blessed, to bear fruit like that of Tariq bin Ziyad, the conqueror of Andalucía.

The lineage of Tariq ibn Ziyad and his origins.

In historical references concerning great conquerors, there are no definitive sources that clearly identify the origins and lineage of Tariq ibn Ziyad before he assumed governance of the Moroccan city of Tangier. His ancestry has been the subject of various claims: some assert he was of Persian descent, others suggest he was an Arab and a freedman (mawla) of the Muslim commander Musa ibn Nusayr, while many agree that he was of Berber origin.

Al-Marrakushi states that the majority believe he was a Berber from the Nafza tribe and a freedman of Musa ibn Nusayr, having been taken from among the Berber captives. Others claim he was Persian, and his full lineage is given as: Tariq ibn Ziyad ibn Abdullah ibn Rafiho ibn Warfajum ibn Yanzaghasan ibn Walahas ibn Yatufat ibn Nafzaw.

As for Ibn Khaldun, he introduces Tariq ibn Ziyad in the context of the conquest of Al-Andalus, attributing his lineage to the Banu Layth, a well-known Arab tribe.

Tarik ibn Ziyad and the Dream of the Conquest of Andalusia

The extraordinary leader Musa ibn Nusayr took over the governance of Morocco after being assigned by the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik for that task. He, in turn, appointed his commander Tariq ibn Ziyad in Tangier. Since then, he has been gazing into the horizon, far away, towards Europe, the land of Andalusia, and foreign territories yearning for Islam, glory, and light. Ceuta was the closest, ruled by Julian, whose daughter had been wronged by the emperor Roderic, the ruler of Toledo. He decided to take revenge and cooperate with the Muslims to undermine his oppressive rule. The dream of conquest continued to haunt Commander Tariq ibn Ziyad until he sought permission from his leader Musa ibn Nusayr to expand his conquests to include the lands of Andalusia. However, the Umayyad caliph warned him against recklessness and sacrificing the Muslim army in an unknown land and a tumultuous sea, telling him: "Engage it with small forces until you see and test its condition, and do not expose the Muslims to danger in a sea of great perils.

Musa wrote to him, explaining that it was not a vast sea, but rather a gulf from which one could see what lay beyond. However, it was not a sea of threats; it was narrow, and he could see the dream he pursued closely behind him.

The Glorious Conquest

Musa ibn Nusayr dispatched scouts to observe what lay beyond the shores of Ceuta, studying the conditions and establishing lines of communication with anyone who might serve as a guide for the conquerors in that unfamiliar land. One man stood out as the ideal candidate: Julian, who would become a key ally.

In the month of Ramadan, in the year 91 AH (710 CE), a Berber Muslim named Tarif crossed the strait into Al-Andalus, conducting a series of raids. He returned safely with abundant spoils, bringing glad tidings to Musa ibn Nusayr and encouraging him to proceed with the conquest of Al-Andalus.

Musa then resolved to launch the campaign and appointed Tariq ibn Ziyad to lead this monumental mission at the head of seven thousand Muslim soldiers—most of them Berbers. Tariq landed with his army at the mountain that still bears his name to this day, Jabal Tariq (Gibraltar), in the month of Rajab, 92 AH (711 CE). He swiftly captured Algeciras.

When King Roderic (Ludhriq) learned of the Muslim presence, he assembled a massive army to confront them. In response, Tariq ibn Ziyad requested reinforcements from his commander. Musa sent an additional five thousand Arab Muslim soldiers, bringing the total strength of Tariq's army to twelve thousand.

One hundred thousand or more

The miraculous role of the month of Ramadan returned once again. In the final two nights of Ramadan in the year 92 AH (711 CE), the Muslim army moved toward the Guadalete River, where the two forces met. The battle raged for eight consecutive days. Chaos spread through the enemy ranks, many of their soldiers fled, and Tariq ibn Ziyad personally struck King Roderic a devastating blow. Wounded, Roderic threw himself into the river and drowned.

Allah, the Almighty, granted victory to His believing servants, led by the exceptional commander Tariq ibn Ziyad. From that great battle, Tariq continued his conquests until he reached the capital, Toledo. There, he halted to preserve the remaining strength of his forces.

Then came another Ramadan, bringing with it more divine triumphs. In Ramadan of 93 AH (712 CE), Musa ibn Nusayr entered al-Andalus with eighteen thousand warriors to conquer the remaining cities that Tariq had not yet reached, such as Seville.

Thus, al-Andalus was opened, and Muslim rule endured there for eight centuries, marked by strength and dignity. In that land, Muslims built a civilization the likes of which history had never seen—a civilization that laid the foundations of science upon which Europe would later build its own. The Muslims led the way in constructing what would become the modern renaissance.

May Allah have mercy on the conquerors—may He have mercy on Musa ibn Nusayr, Tariq ibn Ziyad, and reward them greatly on behalf of Islam and the Muslims.

Read also: Why Must Our Nation Uncover Al-Andalus' Hidden History?