I watched the PBS documentary Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain, back in August 2007. I think that Thawrat ash Sha’ab has a good summary of the highs and lows of the documentary. I would definitely recommend the documentary to those who want a glimpse of the Islamic empire in Spain. However, what really touched me in the video was the reference to the poem called the “Lament for Seville” which was composed by Abu Baqa’ al-Rundi in 1267 to bewail the fall of the city of Seville. It is a heart-breaking poem, and a lasting reminder of what we as Muslims lost in the fall of that once amazing Islamic empire.
His words are just as relevant in today’s religio-political atmosphere as they were in 1285. They are a cry to waken the dormant spirits of Muslims everywhere. They are meant to bring tears to the eyes and light a fire in the heart. They act as a reminder that we have a legacy of greatness that deserves preservation. Indeed, given the condition of Muslims today, “Even the mihrabs weep though they are solid; even the pulpits mourn though they are wooden!” (Al-Rundi)
Poetry was the mass media of the middle ages. Through this once lofty pursuit of information and art, we have a glimpse of the pain that accompanied the fall of Islamic Spain. It is a very hard heart indeed that reads the words below without feeling that pain of loss and lamenting. just a little, the loss of Seville.
The poem was translated by James T. Monroe and historically, is believed to have been composed in “the hope of gaining aid from Muslims in North Africa to help battle Christian armies. Although the fall of Seville is its theme, the text was actually written in 1267, after the Nasrid ruler Muhammad ibn al-Ahmar surrendered several cities to Alfonso X.” It is a fairly lengthy poem and I will only reproduce the latter half. For the full translation in English, the original Arabic text, as well as more information about this work and the ancient Arabian and Persian references found within, please visit the following website.
The Lament for Seville .
For the accidents [of fortune] there is a consolation that makes them easy to bear, yet there is no consolation for what has befallen Islam.
An event which cannot be endured has overtaken the peninsula; one such that Uhud has collapsed because of it and Thahlan has crumbled!
The evil eye has struck [the peninsula]Â in its Islam so that [the land] decreased until whole regions and districts were despoiled of [the faith]
Therefore ask Valencia what is the state of Murcia; and where is Jativa, and where is JaÙ‰n?
Where is Cordoba, the home of the sciences, and many a scholar whose rank was once lofty in it?
Where is Seville and the pleasures it contains, as well as its sweet river overflowing and brimming full?
[They are] capitals which were the pillars of the land, yet when the pillars are gone, it may no longer endure!
The tap of the white ablution fount weeps in despair, like a passionate lover weeping at the departure of the beloved,
Over dwellings emptied of Islam that were first vacated and are now inhabited by unbelief;
In which the mosques have become churches wherein only bells and crosses may be found.
Even the mihrabs weep though they are solid; even the pulpits mourn though they are wooden!
0 you who remain heedless though you have a warning in Fate: if you are asleep, Fate is always awake!
And you who walk forth cheerfully while your homeland diverts you [from cares], can a homeland beguile any man after [the loss of] Seville?
This misfortune has caused those that preceded it to be forgotten, nor can it ever be forgotten for the length of all time!
0 you who ride lean, thoroughbred steeds which seem like eagles in the racecourse;
And you who carry slender, Indian blades which seem like fires in the darkness caused by the dust cloud [of war],
And you who are living in luxury beyond the sea enjoying life, you who have strength and power in your homelands,
Have you no news of the people of Andalus, for riders have carried forth what men have said [about them]?
How often have the weak, who were being killed and captured while no man stirred, asked our help?
What means this severing of the bonds of Islam on your behalf, when you, 0 worshipers of God, are [our] brethren?
Are there no heroic souls with lofty ambitions; are there no helpers and defenders of righteousness?
0, who will redress the humiliation of a people who were once powerful, a people whose condition injustice and tyrants have changed?
Yesterday they were kings in their own homes, but today they are slaves in the land of the infidel!
Thus, were you to see them perplexed, with no one to guide them, wearing the cloth of shame in its different shades,
And were you to behold their weeping when they are sold, the matter would strike fear into your heart, and sorrow would seize you.
Alas, many a mother and child have been parted as souls and bodies are separated!
And many a maiden fair as the sun when it rises, as though she were rubies and pearls,
Is led off to abomination by a barbarian against her will, while her eye is in tears and her heart is stunned.
The heart melts with sorrow at such [sights], if there is any Islam or belief in that heart!
Hafsa