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victory and booty for his own reign, but it did not materialize because Al Walid
recovered temporarily. Having heard the tales of extravagant plunder, crowned with
fabulous luster of female and male beauties, the Caliph relented and received Musa
favorably. The magnificent Ummayad Mosque was decorated where he was rewarded
with Imperial praises and courtesies.

Among the numerous gifts that Musa presented to his master, was a superb table
(maidah) whose craftsmanship went back to the reign of Solomon, the Wise. This superb
Jewish ruler, who enjoyed the pleasures of 300 wives and 700 concubines, was
extravagant enough to adorn every inch of the table with the most precious diamonds and
rubies that he could lay his hands on. Solomon was a great poet whose imagination was
enriched, not only by sagacity but also erotic lavishness, which called for a huge harem
of intoxicating beauties gathered from his own subjects, Egypt and many other lands.
Thus he was also a lover of arts and its underlying mysteries. The said table was more
conspicuous for its craftsmanship than the glitter, gloss and glow of its gorgeous stones.

According to the legend, this unusual table had been removed from Jerusalem to
Rome by Romans, who were eventually deprived of it by the Goths. Inspired by the
splendors of Solomon, every Gothic King vied with others during his reign to embellish it
further with grace, gaiety and grandeur to carve his name in the annals of aesthetics.
When Musa plundered this table, it was kept in the cathedral at Toledo; the Bishop had
'borrowed' it from the Lord for his personal use. Obviously, itwas a sin for the Bishop
because the Lord does not hold accountable his own representative for their misdeeds.

From the stories of the marvel, mystery and majesty, surrounding the Jewish
table, it appears that its different parts could be detached and reassembled easily without
any harm to its appearance and dignity. It is said that Tariq, having been bewitched by it,
removed one of its legs and then dramatically produced it when the table was being
presented to the Caliph. He obviously wanted to draw royal attention to his own person.

Though Musa's magic worked on A1 Walid, it had exactly the opposite effect on
Suleman, who succeeded him. He brought him before a partial judge, who found him
guilty of vanity and falsehood. Musa was whipped publicly; stood a whole day in the
blazing sun before the palace gate until he begged for exile to Mecca as a pilgrim. He was
granted this request but his entire property was confiscated. History has noted that this
conqueror of Africa and Spain lived as a beggar in Wadi-al-Qura, a remote village of al-
Hijaz.

Musa, destined to be a mendicant, was a zealous Muslim and planned to carry out
the hadith, which demanded subjugation of Constantinople. His designs are known to
history; he thought of Spain as the first step to bring Europe in the fold of Arab
Imperialism. In fact, he had planned to cross the Pyrenees with the intention of entering
France and Italy to establish the Islamic rule there. What goaded him more fervently was
his desire to preach the Koranic tenets from the pulpit of the Vatican. Once the Arabian
grip had been tightened on these Christian lands, he would love to conquer Germany and