Conquest of Italy

Muslims invaded the city of Caesar twice, and unfortunately, there is little information in Islamic sources about these invasions and others like them. This is because most of these invasions were conducted by volunteer mujahideen, independent of the Caliphate's authority. This has left Muslim historians unaware of most of these heroic deeds and conquests. Most of the information about these invasions is derived from European sources.

The gist of this great epic is that the volunteer mujahideen decided, after consulting among themselves, to invade the city of Rome. They presented the idea to the government of Sicily and its governor, Al-Fadl ibn Ja`far Al-Hamadhani. He, in turn, referred the matter to the Aghlabid prince at the time, Abu al-Abbas Muhammad ibn al-Aghlab. He liked the idea and provided the mujahideen with quantities of equipment, provisions and men. The naval campaign set out in 231 AH / 846 AD towards the coasts of Italy until it reached the mouth of the Tevere River, where Rome is located at the end of this river. At that time, the walls of the city of Rome did not include the entire old city. Rather, the religious district, which contained the famous churches of Peter and Paul, and a large group of temples, shrines and ancient tombs, was outside the walls. It had been left unguarded, as the Christians thought it was a holy area protected by heaven. The mujahideen attacked that district and seized all its treasures, which were beyond description. Then they laid siege to the city of the Caesars, and the city was on the verge of falling. Pope Sergius was terrified. The Pope of Rome at the time was warned of a comprehensive attack, and he sent distress calls to the kings and princes of Europe. The Frankish Emperor at the time, Louis II, took the initiative and sent a large campaign of his soldiers to rescue Rome and its churches. Due to the disagreements that arose among the leaders of the Muslim campaign themselves, the Muslims lifted the siege and returned to Sicily laden with spoils and prisoners.

This bold attempt by the Muslim Mujahideen revealed the weakness and fragility of the defenses of the city of Rome, which was once the capital of the ancient world and the center of global Christianity. The Muslims decided to try again until the opportunity arose. This was in the year 256 AH / 870 AD, with strong support from the Aghlabid prince at the time, Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Aghlab. This prince had succeeded a year earlier in conquering the island of Malta, in the year 255 AH / 869 AD. His ambitions rose to achieve the honor of conquering Rome. Indeed, the fleets of the Mujahideen met with the fleets of the Aghlabids, and they proceeded along the same route as the previous campaign until they reached the mouth of the Tevere River. The Pope of Rome at the time, Leo IV, having learned his lesson from the previous invasion, hurried and requested the fleets of Genoa and Naples to repel the Muslim naval campaign against Rome. A huge naval battle broke out between the two sides near the waters of the port of Ostia, in which the Muslims almost crushed the Christian fleets. Had it not been for a violent sea storm hitting Ostia, the fighting would have stopped.

This powerful storm did not deter the Muslims, and despite their heavy losses as a result of the storm, they insisted on continuing the invasion and besieged the city with utmost force until it was on the verge of falling. This prompted Pope John VIII, who succeeded Leo IV, who died of grief over the disasters to Christianity, to submit to the Muslims’ conditions and pay them an annual tribute of twenty-five thousand mithqals of silver. This had a severe impact on Christian nations in general and Europe in particular, as how could the Pope pay tribute to Muslims? But this is the established historical truth, which is beyond doubt. It is something that the enemies have witnessed and written down in their books, even though it shames and saddens them. It is also one of the scenes of pride, dignity and heroism in the past, which Muslims now need to learn about and benefit from.

Why We Were Great
The book (Unforgettable Countries) by Tamer Badr