827: al-Nuwayrī on the Beginning of the Muslim Conquest of Sicily

Abstract

This article deals with the Muslim conquest of Sicily in the third/ninth century as described by al-Nuwayrī in his encyclopaedic work Nihāyat al-arab fī funūn al-adab. In this text, Euphemios, the commander of the Byzantine fleet, plays a decisive role. After his failed attempt to seize control of Sicily, he offers his support to the Aġlabid emir’s conquest of the island. Unlike in the Greek and Latin sources, al-Nuwayrī;s account is significant as it emphasises the process of inner-Islamic decision-making regarding whether to conquer the island. In doing so, he reproduces a discussion by prominent Islamic jurists on this issue.