TheUnfreein
MuslimWarfare,
2-205/624-820
125
notesthat
"captives
suchasMfisfib.
Nus.ayr’s
were
previously
unheardofinIslam.
’’15
Ina
conversation
in98/717
withYazid
b.al-Muhallab,Mfisfiboastedofhis
mawlas.Yazidaskedhim:
"How
many
are
your
mawlasandthe
peopleofyourhouse?"
"Many."
"Athousand?"
"Yes,thousandsandthousands,so
many
that
onecouldcount
untilit
firedthesoul.Ihaveleftbehind
[mawlas]
suchasno
one
elsehasleftbehind.
’’16
Although
mostofMfisfi’s"thousands"of
mawlasmusthavebeen
Berberswho converted toIslam and
joined
his
armies, the
leading
mawlas
identified
by
namealsohadRumiandPersian
origins.
17
This
perhaps
indicates
thatMfisfib.
Nus.ayr
madeef-
fortstocollectmawlasfrom
various
regions.
Thescaleandin-
tensity
of
hisuseofmawlasrecalls
militaryslavery
tomind.
Besides
their
large
numbers, Mfisfi’smawlasalso
occupied
positions
of
high
authority.
This
emerges
not
only
fromtheir
predominant
roleinthe
conquest
of
Spain(details
to
follow),but
alsotheir
importance
afterMfist’sdeathin98/717.In101/720
the
governor
of
Ifriqiya,
Yazidb.AbiMuslim
(himself
amawla
convert),
ls
tookBerbermawlas
previously
affiliatedtoMfisfib.
Nus.ayr,
tatooed theword
.haras(bodyguard)
ontheir hands,
andmadethemhis
bodyguard
andretinue.This
actionso
upset
themawlasthat
theyconspiredagainst
Yazidb.AbiMuslim
and
killedhim
whilehewas
praying.
9
Some
years
lateraRumi
mawlaofMfisfib.
Nus.ayrwasplacedin
charge
of
Tangiers,
and
anotherled
Ibfid.i
rebel
troops
in116/734.
la
Mfisfi’smawlas
played
an
extraordinary
roleinthe
conquest
of
Spain.
AllfouroftheMuslim
leadersintheattackon
Spain
be-
tween
90/709
and94/713were
probablemawlas:Tarif,
Tfiriq,
105.NT,1:148;also1:159.
106.lrnma,2:91 BM,2:21.
107.Rfimi:
FM,pp.207,210;NT,1:174Persian:AM,
p.
6;BM,2:5;NT,
1:159.
108.BM,1:48;FB,
p.
231;
Jah,p.
57;
ar-Raqiq,p.
98;
al-Jfi.hiz.,MuCwiya,
p.
20.
109.ThisaccountiscombinedfromFM,
p. 214
andFB,
p.231.
110.
Tangiers:
FM,
p.218;ITB,1:287;TMaw,
p.
36.
Ibd.i:
Khalifa,
p.
511.