ABSTRACT
Meanwhile 'Abdu 'I-RaIJman b. Mu'awiya, a grandson of the Caliph Hisham, had escaped from the general massacre
with which the 'Abbasids celebrated their triumph 'Abdu
of wandering adventure, accompanied only by his faithful freedman, Badr, had reached the neighbourhood of Ceuta, where he found a precarious shelter with the Berber tribes, Young, ambitious, and full of confidence in his destiny, 'Abdu 'l-Ral)man conceived the bold plan of
throwing himself into Spain and of winning a kingdom with the help of the Arabs, amongst whom, as he well knew, there were many clients of his own family. Accordingly in 755 A.D. he sent Badr across the sea on a secret mIssIon. The envoy accomplished even more than was expected of him. To gain over the clients was easy, for 'Abdu 'I-Rai)mall was their natural chief, and in the event of his success they would share with him the prize. Their number, however, was comparatively small. The pretender could not hope to achieve anything unless he were supported by one of the great parties, Syrians or Yemenites. At this time the former, led by the feeble governor, Yusuf b. 'Abd al-Ral,1man al-Fihrl, and his cruel but capable lieutenant, $umayl b. f:Iatim, held the reins of power and were pursuing their adversaries with ruthless ferocity. The Yemenites, therefore, hastened to range themselves on the side of 'Abdu 'I-RaIJman, not that they loved his cause, but inspired solely by the prospect of taking a bloody vengeance upon the Syrians. These Spanish Moslems belonged to the true Bedouin stock!
