The Legend of the Arab Conquest - Alaxon (original) (raw)

The Legend of the Arab Conquest - Alaxon In recent years, critical studies of the Quran and early Islam have experienced significant growth. For historians, non-Islamic sources, as well as archaeological, epigraphic, papyrological, and numismatic evidence, provide far more reliable testimony for understanding this period than oral traditions transmitted across generations. Christian chronicles written by Byzantine authors contemporary with the conquests, who were often direct witnesses to the events, serve as invaluable sources. These accounts, free from apologetics and anachronisms, are far more reliable than Islamic traditions written down at least two centuries after the events. As for the concept of conquest, it generally implies the entry of soldiers into a territory or city, accompanied by sieges, massacres, pillaging, and the seizure of spoils for the conquerors' benefit. Yet, according to archaeological evidence, such events did not occur in the eastern part of the Byzantine Empire, despite traditional accounts of grand, heroic battles. Furthermore, the conquerors typically did not settle in the territories they overtook. These "conquests" were instead preceded by the gradual weakening of the two empires of the time: the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires, both exhausted by incessant wars that had destroyed their administrative systems, particularly tax collection. In the end, there was no violent conquest but rather a shift in power, with no evidence of significant resistance. Moreover, it seems that the conquerors did not originate from the Arabian Peninsula but from the Syro-Christian world. Egypt, North Africa, and Spain, for instance, were conquered by soldiers recruited from regions already under their control. These conquerors were not Muslims; they were Christians belonging to various theological traditions prevalent in this Syro-Christian world. Historical sources describe them by various names, reflecting their affiliation with diverse cultural and religious groups within Greater Syria.