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This is part 3 of quotes from the book, The Arab Invasion of Egypt. It shows the intent of the Muslims to invade and conquer a people that did not want war. But it also shows that God sent the Muslim army as wrath upon the false Christianity of that day. This section talks about the siege and defeat of Babylon in Egypt, that was founded by Nebuchadnezzar during the time of his rule over Egypt.

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At the time of the conquest the whole region eastward of the fortress was an open cultivated plain. Northward spread gardens and vineyards, while all the region between the vineyards and the mountains as far as the present mosque of Tulun and Al Kabsh was dotted over with churches and convents, some few of which remain to this day, both within and without the walls of Cairo, though the greater number were destroyed in the fourteenth century by Al Malik an Nasir ibn Kalaun. ...(page 243)

(footnote) We know also from the fragment of the Life of Benjamin that there was at the conquest a bishop of the castle of Babylon as well as a bishop of Hulwan-- a singular proof of the number of churches in this region. (page 247) ...

All the churches within the walls were now, it must be remembered, in possession of clergy professing Chalcedonian or Melkite opinions, and no other opinion was tolerated. Cyrus had not changed his character as arch-enemy of the Coptic faith--a character which he maintained to the end; and his (page 251)

presence in the fort is the strongest proof, if proof were needed, that he only Copts there remaining were those who had been driven by persecution to renounce their creed. Indeed even of those, some, whose sincerity was doubted, were thrown into prison, where, as we shall see, they were treated with great barbarity. ... (page 252)

No immediate answer was given, but the envoys were detained in the Arab camp for two days, during which time they were allowed to go about freely and make their own observations of the life and character of the Muslims. Amr then dismissed them with the usual offer of terms. "Only one of the three courses is open to you; (1) Islam with brotherhood and equality; (2) payment of tribute, and protection with an inferior status; (3) war till God decides between us." ... (page 256)

Ubadah, ... replied, "There are a thousand blacks, as black as myself, among our companions. I and they would be ready each to meet and fight a hundred enemies together. We live only to fight for God, and to follow His will. We care nought for wealth, so long as we have wherewithal to stay our hunger and to clothe our bodies. This world is nought to us, the next world is all." This profession of piety moved the Archbishop. "Do you here this?" he said to his companions; "I much fear that God has sent these men to devastate the world." ... (page 257)
To this Ubadah answered, "Do not deceive yourselves. We are not afraid of your numbers. Our greatest desire is to meet the Romans in battle. If we conquer them, it is well; if not, then we receive the good things of the world to come. Our prayer is for martyrdom in the cause of Islam, not for safe return to wife and children. Our small numbers cause us no fear; for it is written in the Book, "Many a time hath a small company overcome a great host, by the will of God." Understand, therefore, that we can accept no terms save one of the three conditions which we are ordered by the Caliph to offer you." ... (page 258)

The Romans, worn out by watching and fighting, found their defences harder to guard. Although the ramparts were little weakened, if at all, the numbers within were thinned by the plague which now was making havoc in the garrison: ... (page 266-267)

Yet hope was not quite abandoned, until at last one day early in the month of March, 641, a great shout went up in the Muslim camp, and the garrison heard that news had come of Heraclius' death. Then indeed courage failed. ... "God broke down (page 269)

the power of the Romans by his death," says the Arab historian, and his words well express the effect of the change upon the armies in Egypt. It gave corresponding elation to the Arabs, who redoubled their efforts to carry the fortress. ... (page 270)

The final assault of the Muslims took place on Good Friday, April 6, 641, and the evacuation on the following Easter Monday. In the interval the fleet of boats was collected from Raudah and provisioned, and all preparations were made for the retreat of the garrison down the Nile. It was a mournful coincidence for the Christian army that their last day within the fortress should be the day of the Resurrection; and one would fain picture them as thronging the churches in sorrow and self-abasement for their defeat by the followers of Mohammed. It must, however, be recorded that neither the solemnity of the crisis in the history of Christian rule in Egypt, nor the solemnity of the day, availed to abate the fury of religious passion in the hearts of the Roman leaders. We have already seen that early in the siege a number of Copts in Babylon had been thrown into prison, either from their refusal to abandon their creed or (page 273)

on suspicion of disloyalty. Easter Day was made a day of vengeance upon these unfortunate prisoners, who, after being dragged out of their cells and scourged, had their hands cut off by soldiers acting under the orders of Eudocianus. It is small wonder that the wrath of the Egyptian bishop is launched upon "those enemies of Christ, who have defiled the Church by an unclean faith, and who have wrought apostasies and deeds of violence such as neither pagan nor barbarian hath wrought: they have despised Christ and His servants, and we have not found such evil-doers even among the worshippers of false idols." He describes the groans and tears of the mutilated captives, as they were driven out of the fort in scorn; and, however illogical, it is not unnatural for him to think that the fall of Babylon was a divine chastisement upon the Romans for their savage maltreatment of the Copts. Truly the incident shows what implacable hatred divided the two religious parties among the Christians even at the moment when the fruits of disunion were fatally visible in the triumph of Islam. (page 274)
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Notice that the victory of the Muslims came on the 6th day of the week, 641, on the 6th day of the month (666).

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