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).