of the world. The depth of the mihrab inward is eight and a half cubits, its width from east to west seven and a half cubits, and the height of its vault thirteen and a half cubits. The maqsura measures seventy-five cubits from east to west, and its breadth from the wooden screen to the qibla wall is twenty-two cubits. The whole congregational mosque is three hundred and thirty-three cubits long and two hundred and fifty cubits from east to west (1).

As for Islam, it remained strong and unassailable in al-Andalus during the reign of the Exile. Consider this guarantee he issued to the Christians:

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate:

A charter of safety and mercy, of the sparing of blood and the granting of protection, concluded by the noble emir and exalted king ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muʿāwiya, of pure lineage and abundant beneficence, for the patricians and monks—and all who follow them from the surrounding lands, the people of Castile and its dependencies—so long as they remain obedient in fulfilling the obligations they have assumed. He testifies against himself that his covenant shall not be revoked so long as they continue to deliver ten thousand uqiyyas (ounces) of gold, ten thousand pounds of silver, ten thousand head of choice horses, the same number of mules, together with one thousand coats of mail, one thousand helmets, and an equal number of ash-wood lances every year. Should they be proven in breach by detaining a captive or betraying a Muslim, the pact is nullified. This guarantee is written for them in their own hand for a term of five years, beginning in Safar of the year 142 AH.

Ibn ʿAsākir reports, through his chain of transmission, that when ʿAbd al-Raḥmān crossed to the Peninsula and settled there, its inhabitants rallied to him. He then went on to Seville, whose people likewise followed him; thereafter he proceeded to