The RISE OF MUSLIM SPAIN: AN EPITOME OF RELIGIOUS MODERATION
Keywords:
Muslim Spain, Moderation, Medieval period, Renaissance, Iberian PeninsulaAbstract
Navigating through the annals of Islam and its unparalleled contributions to Europe’s intellectual and scientific renaissance in the medieval period would arouse the curiosity to inquire about what actually brought about such a great and unique feat in the history of world’s religions. The breakthrough that the religion recorded in Sicily in modern day Italy remains unmatched up to the contemporary times. Mazara del valley to the far Western part of Sicily – being the settlement of the Muslim Arabs in the 7th CE - understood the parlance of moderation. That Islam is not averse to development and transformation could better be appreciated by Andalusia –Spain. The Iberian Peninsula, beginning from the 6th CE to the later part of the medieval epoch, witnessed an Islam alongside moderate Muslim explorers that was truly supportive of societal re-engineering and growth. The paper, given this background, undertakes to retell the story of how the Islamic principle of moderation and inclusivity rebuilt a dilapidated Spain and made her the scientific enigma for the entire Europe. With a comparative historical analysis, the paper focuses on bringing this epochal breakthrough back to the radar of reference for contemporary Muslims and non-Muslims alike with a view to re-presenting Islam whose image has been dented by people who fail to imbibe its moderation hypothesis.
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