Slave Soldiers and Islam_ The Genesis of a Military System - Daniel Pipes

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.