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Friedrich Nietzsche held a profoundly admiring view of Al-Andalus (muslim Spain), which he expressed most famously in his 1888 book The Antichrist. Nietzsche's central philosophical framework often contrasted "life-affirming" forces (vitality, strength, worldly joy, intellectual curiosity, and aesthetic beauty) against "life-denying" forces (asceticism, guilt, and the psychology of ressentiment). according to nietzsche, Al-Andalus was the ultimate embodiment of a life-affirming culture. While Christian Europe was retreating into ascetic ideals and metaphysical guilt, Moorish Spain was celebrating philosophy, sensual beauty, science, and refined luxury. He viewed the Islamic culture of Spain as one founded upon "noble and manly instincts," praising it for having the courage to say "yes to life". In Section 60 of The Antichrist, Nietzsche explicitly laments the destruction of Moorish Spain by Christian forces. He viewed the Reconquista not as a victory for Europe, but as the tragic destruction of a vastly superior culture by an inferior one.

In his own words:

​"Christianity destroyed for us the whole harvest of ancient civilization, and later it also destroyed for us the whole harvest of Mohammedan civilization. The wonderful Moorish cultural world of Spain, more closely related to us at bottom, speaking more directly to our senses and taste, than Greece and Rome."

​He also explicitly attributed the greatness of Al-Andalus to its celebration of life, contrasting it against the ascetic, life-denying nature he saw in Christianity:

​"Why? Because it had to thank noble and manly instincts for its origin because it said yes to life, even to the rare and refined luxuries of Moorish life!"

Nietzsche also criticised crusades for waging war on culture (medieval arab) which is according to him was even superior to 19th century Europe in some ways. (but let's leave it for another post)

The First Fitna was a massive and bloody civil war that divided the early Muslim community. It primarily centered around the conflict between Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan following the assassination of the previous caliph, Uthman.

​Many prominent companions of the Prophet Muhammad felt compelled to take a side. Some fought passionately for Ali while others backed Muawiya. But the vast majority of them remained neutral and among them was Abu Huraira. But unlike many neutral companions who lived isolated from the political landscape of Iraq and Syria, and lived in Hejaz or Africa Abu Huraira lived in the midst of all the fighting while remaining neutral.

His stance is immortalized in a famous quote widely attributed to him in Islamic historical texts regarding how he navigated the extreme polarization of the time. He reportedly summarized his position by saying:

​"Prayer behind Ali is most perfect, the food of Muawiya is richer and staying on the hill is safer."

There is also a famous variation of this quote that specifically mentions Al-Mudeera. A rich fatty stew of meat cooked in sour milk or yogurt that Muawiya was famous for serving at his banquets.

"The Mudeera of Muawiya is richer, and prayer behind Ali is better."

Al-Mudeera was a luxurious and expensive dish in early Islamic history. It was made by cooking chunks of meat (usually lamb or mutton) in heavily fermented sour milk or yogurt until the meat was tender and the sauce became thick rich, and extremely fatty.

​Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan was famous for serving massive lavish banquets featuring this dish. Abu Huraira’s fondness for it was so well known that classical Arabic literature frequently associates his name with it. He was even given the humorous nickname "Shaykh al-Mudeera".

​In fact a 20th-century Egyptian author with Shiite leanings named Mahmoud Abu Rayyah, wrote a highly controversial, critical biography of Abu Huraira titled exactly that: Shaykh al-Mudeera, using his love for Muawiya's fatty meat to question his political and historical motivations.

To understand why Abu Huraira loved fatty meat so much, it requires looking at his life during the time of the Prophet Muhammad.

​Abu Huraira was not originally a wealthy man. When he embraced Islam and moved to Medina, he belonged to a group known as the Ahl as-Suffa (the People of the Bench). These were the poorest of the poor Muslims who lived on the shaded veranda of the Prophet's mosque. They had no homes, no families in Medina and relied entirely on charity. Islamic historical sources and authentic hadiths contain numerous stories of Abu Huraira experiencing agonizing hunger during this period. He once collapsed in the street from sheer hunger leading people to think he was having a seizure, or was possessed until the Prophet Muhammad found him and gave him a cup of milk.

​By the time the First Fitna occurred decades had passed. The Islamic empire had vastly expanded, bringing unprecedented wealth luxury, and rich Syrian and Persian cuisines into the Arab world.

​For a man who spent his youth starving on the floor of a mosque in Medina, the lavish fatty meat-heavy banquets of Muawiya in Syria were a stark contrast. While his detractors (both historically and in modern times) use his love for Mudeera to suggest he was politically compromised by his stomach. Traditional Sunni historians view it simply as the natural human appreciation of a man who had survived years of extreme poverty and was finally able to enjoy the lawful comforts of life in his old age.

While Abd al-Rahman's escape from the Abbasid massacre and his founding of the Emirate of Córdoba in Al-Andalus are widely known, the real story begins after that. His rise from a hunted refugee to a ruthless, untouchable ruler is where his political brilliance truly stands out. He didn't just survive the Abbasids. He outplayed them, humiliated them and turned himself into a symbol they could never erase.

By 763 CE, Abd al-Rahman had captured Córdoba and declared himself Emir. But his grip on power was far from secure. His new state was surrounded by rivals local rebellions were constant, and many still doubted that an exiled Umayyad prince could hold onto power. Meanwhile, in Baghdad, the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur was furious that the last surviving Umayyad had escaped his purge and built a new kingdom beyond his reach.

According to Ibn Idhari's Al-Bayan al-Mughrib, al-Mansur appointed a powerful general, Al-Ala ibn Mughith, granting him the black banners of the Abbasid Caliphate and a formal royal decree authorizing him to rule Spain. Ibn Mughith landed in the Iberian Peninsula rallied local factions who hated Abd al-Rahman, and amassed a massive army.

Abd al-Rahman was vastly outnumbered. Forced to retreat, he pulled his heavily outgunned loyalists back to the highly defensable fortress city of Carmona.

For two agonizing months, Ibn Mughith laid siege to Carmona. Abd al-Rahman’s supplies dwindled, his men starved and morale was on the verge of collapse.

But Abd al-Rahman did not wait to be starved out. He gathered his most elite, battle-hardened fighters a core group of just 700 men. In a moment of pure theatrical grit recorded in the chronicles, Abd al-Rahman ordered his men to build a massive bonfire in the center of the courtyard. He then drew his sword and threw the scabbard into the flames, ordering his 700 shock troops to do the same. It was a terrifyingly clear message: swords would not be sheathed; it was victory or death.

The gates of Carmona swung open. Catching the Abbasids completely off-guard by the suicidal audacity of the charge, the Umayyad fighters tore through the enemy ranks. The Abbasid army shattered and panicked. In the chaos, Ibn Mughith al-Mansur’s handpicked general was killed, along with most of his high command. Winning the battle wasn't enough. Abd al-Rahman needed to make sure Al-Mansur never sent another army to Spain. This is where he shifted from a brilliant tactician into a psychological terror.

As recounted by historians like al-Maqqari and noted in Hitti's History of the Arabs, Abd al-Rahman had the bodies of Ibn Mughith and his top officers decapitated. He ordered their heads to be boiled and preserved using salt and camphor.

He then wrapped the heads in the captured black flags of the Abbasid Caliphate. Into the ear of Ibn Mughith, he attached the very parchment of the royal decree al-Mansur had originally written. Abd al-Rahman paid a network of trusted merchants to smuggle these grisly packages across the Mediterranean through Egypt, and into the heart of the Islamic world.

Months later, Caliph al-Mansur was in Mecca, performing the Hajj pilgrimage. When he returned to his royal tent one evening, he found the sacks waiting for him. Expecting tribute or mail he opened them and found the preserved, salt-cured heads of his top generals staring back at him.

Staring at the horrific delivery, al-Mansur reportedly shuddered and uttered the famous words:

"Praise be to God, who has placed the sea between me and such a demon!"

While Abd al-Rahman's escape from the Abbasid massacre and his founding of the Emirate of Córdoba in Al-Andalus are widely known, the real story begins after that. His rise from a hunted refugee to a ruthless, untouchable ruler is where his political brilliance truly stands out. He didn't just survive the Abbasids. He outplayed them, humiliated them and turned himself into a symbol they could never erase.

By 763 CE, Abd al-Rahman had captured Córdoba and declared himself Emir. But his grip on power was far from secure. His new state was surrounded by rivals local rebellions were constant, and many still doubted that an exiled Umayyad prince could hold onto power. Meanwhile, in Baghdad, the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur was furious that the last surviving Umayyad had escaped his purge and built a new kingdom beyond his reach.

According to Ibn Idhari's Al-Bayan al-Mughrib, al-Mansur appointed a powerful general, Al-Ala ibn Mughith, granting him the black banners of the Abbasid Caliphate and a formal royal decree authorizing him to rule Spain. Ibn Mughith landed in the Iberian Peninsula rallied local factions who hated Abd al-Rahman, and amassed a massive army.

Abd al-Rahman was vastly outnumbered. Forced to retreat, he pulled his heavily outgunned loyalists back to the highly defensable fortress city of Carmona.

For two agonizing months, Ibn Mughith laid siege to Carmona. Abd al-Rahman’s supplies dwindled, his men starved and morale was on the verge of collapse.

But Abd al-Rahman did not wait to be starved out. He gathered his most elite, battle-hardened fighters a core group of just 700 men. In a moment of pure theatrical grit recorded in the chronicles, Abd al-Rahman ordered his men to build a massive bonfire in the center of the courtyard. He then drew his sword and threw the scabbard into the flames, ordering his 700 shock troops to do the same. It was a terrifyingly clear message: swords would not be sheathed; it was victory or death.

The gates of Carmona swung open. Catching the Abbasids completely off-guard by the suicidal audacity of the charge, the Umayyad fighters tore through the enemy ranks. The Abbasid army shattered and panicked. In the chaos, Ibn Mughith al-Mansur’s handpicked general was killed, along with most of his high command. Winning the battle wasn't enough. Abd al-Rahman needed to make sure Al-Mansur never sent another army to Spain. This is where he shifted from a brilliant tactician into a psychological terror.

As recounted by historians like al-Maqqari and noted in Hitti's History of the Arabs, Abd al-Rahman had the bodies of Ibn Mughith and his top officers decapitated. He ordered their heads to be boiled and preserved using salt and camphor.

He then wrapped the heads in the captured black flags of the Abbasid Caliphate. Into the ear of Ibn Mughith, he attached the very parchment of the royal decree al-Mansur had originally written. Abd al-Rahman paid a network of trusted merchants to smuggle these grisly packages across the Mediterranean through Egypt, and into the heart of the Islamic world.

Months later, Caliph al-Mansur was in Mecca, performing the Hajj pilgrimage. When he returned to his royal tent one evening, he found the sacks waiting for him. Expecting tribute or mail he opened them and found the preserved, salt-cured heads of his top generals staring back at him.

Staring at the horrific delivery, al-Mansur reportedly shuddered and uttered the famous words:

"Praise be to God, who has placed the sea between me and such a demon!"

Mehmed received a comprehensive education in Islamic theology, Persian literature, and Greek philosophy. He was fluent in several languages, including Greek. After taking Constantinople, he preserved many of the Byzantine libraries.

His personal library at the Topkapi Palace was famously diverse. Among his prized possessions was a rare, handwritten manuscript of Homer’s Iliad. He is said to have read the epic poem with great interest, paying special attention to the martial strategies, heroism, and the dynamic between the East (Trojans) and the West (Achaeans/Greeks).

According to the Byzantine-Greek historian Kritovoulos of Imbros (Critobulus), who served as a historian in Mehmed's court, the Sultan made a deliberate detour to visit the ruins of Troy in 1462 during his campaign against Lesbos.

While walking through the ancient site, Mehmed reportedly sought out the purported tombs of the great heroes of the Trojan War, specifically Achilles and Ajax. He inquired about the geography of the ancient city and praised Homer for immortalizing the figures who fought there.

The most famous anecdote from this visit is a quote attributed to Mehmed by Kritovoulos. Looking over the ruins, the Sultan allegedly stated that he had finally avenged the ancient Trojans.

By capturing Constantinople and defeating the Byzantine Empire (whom he grouped with the "Greeks"), Mehmed framed himself as an Asiatic ruler who had struck back against the descendants of the Achaeans who had burned Troy thousands of years prior.

Kritovoulos recorded the Sultan saying:

"God willed that I take revenge for this city and its people, for I have subdued their enemies... It is the Greeks and Macedonians and Thessalians and Peloponnesians who destroyed this place, and I have now avenged their arrogance."

By casting himself as the avenger of Troy, Mehmed brilliantly flipped the traditional Western narrative. Instead of the Fall of Constantinople being an apocalyptic tragedy, he framed it as historical justice a cosmic balancing of the scales for the destruction of Anatolia's greatest ancient city.

There were several figures in early Arab history who became famous for their political skill and sharp judgment. It is often said that the four greatest master strategists (Duhāt al-'Arab) were Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, Amr ibn al-As, Ziyad ibn Abihi, and al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba.

It is narrated that al-Asma'i said that Mu'awiya (may Allah have mercy on him) used to say:

"I am known for patience and deliberation; Amr for quick wit; Ziyad for handling both great and small affairs; and al-Mughira for dealing with the most serious matters."

It is also narrated that Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

"I have never encountered a problem except that I found a way out of it."

And it is narrated that Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

"I never put myself into a problem in the first place; rather, I stayed away from it."

These represent two schools of thought in the art of dealing with difficult situations, embodied by two of the greatest master strategists of the Arabs:

1. The school of approaching and solving problems (treatment).

2. The school of avoiding problems altogether (prevention).

Orthodox Islamic (Ash'ari) Theology regarding God and his attributes in 1 minute of Arabic Poetry