Islamic conquests reached Caucasia in the seventh century A.D. Islamic history mentions that, while Suraka Bin Amr was pursuing his conquests, Abd ul-Rahman Bin Rabia marched and captured the city of Darbent on the Caspian Sea. Armenia, Georgia and the "Lan" mountains fell under the control of Muslim forces under Suraka Bin Amr, who created a Muslim state in Tiflis, the capital of Georgia, and invited people to enter Islam.

The first to adopt Islam were the Kurj people, followed by the Dagestanies and Kabardaians. These people abandoned Islam later because they had not absorbed the religion properly. The Islamic Government faded away taking with it the Islamic Faith. In the Islamic year 32, Abdul-Rahman Bin Rabia reached the Caspian country and captured many of its cities, but the Muslims later retreated in the face of Caspian hordes.

During the regime of Calif Othman bin Affan, the ruler of Damascus, Marvan Bin Abu Sufian, dispatched Habib Bin Maslama, who persuade his conquests until he reached Tiblis, the Kurj capital, for the second time. But he failed to conquer the Kurj country. During the era of Hisham Bin Abdul Malik another attempt was made to conquer Caspia and Armenia but the Muslims failed again and retreated. In the Islamic year 114 most of the southern parts of Caucasia fell to Hisham Bin Abdul-Malik, who appointed Marwan Bin Mohammad as governor there after those areas were finally subdued. A few very rugged naturally fortified areas that were inhabited by Circassians and Kabardai remained unsubjugated.

In the last days of the Ummayads, Muslim rule was established in Caucasia. Following several uprisings, due to faltering faith among the people, large numbers abandoned Islam and became Greek Orthodox Christians.
Muslim rule in Caucasia lasted for over four hundred years. During the Abbaside era, Islamic rule began to falter until the Seljukes took over in the year 1072, and occupied the southern parts of Caucasia after capturing Iran, Khawarizm with most parts of Central Asia, and Kurjistan. Following the Seljukes came the Moguls, bringing with them darkness and bloodshed.

During the Mogul rule of Caucasia many Circassians were killed and displaced. For the first time Circassians began to arrive in Egypt where they set up the Circassian Mameluke State. The Mameluke Reign lasted for over three hundred years in Egypt.

It was by the Egyptian ruler, Sultan Saifuddine Qutuz, and his daring army commander, Baibars, that the Moguls were defeated in the famous battle of Ain Jalut, after the latter had burned Baghdad, Aleppo and Damascus in their march towards Egypt, leaving behind them death and destruction along their route. Had the Moguls occupied Egypt, the history of the region would have been changed.

Islam among Circassians

Circassians lived in areas far from the other Caucasian peoples who adopted Islam before them, such as the Dagestanies and Kumyks tribes and others. Islam did not become widespread among Circassians until the end of the seventeenth century because they were separated from their Moslem brethren. Living in the south, by the high mountains, while the Christians lived either in the east, separated from Muslims by the Caspian Sea, or in the west, separated from Muslims by the Black Sea.

The fact that the Circassians lived in the isolated west and Northwest of Caucasia, had prevented Islam from reaching them during the Ummayad and Abbaside eras, and during campaigns by Ottomans, Dagestanies and Crimeans. This fact had persuaded the Ottomans, who dominated southern Caucasia and Dagestan, to adopt another method to help spread Islam. The Ottomans sent clergymen and preachers from among Dagestan, Turks and Crimeans. Despite the arrival of those religious emissaries(Dagestan enjoying autonomy with the help of Ottomans with Petrovisk as their capital) in areas inhabited by Circassians, Islam did not proliferate as was expected and most Circassians remained Christians. Ottomans and Dagestanies began making promises to give aid to Circassians once they converted to Islam. The promised aid would assist Circassians in their confrontation with the Russians. Circassians were at constant war with the Russians especially after they took over Kabardai state. So Circassians converted to Islam in masses, assisted by the arrival of Ottoman, Dagestan and Crimean preachers. When Islamic law was implemented, Circassians were persuaded to adopt Islam. They were very aware of their personal dignity and Islam teaches that there is no middleman between God and his creatures, there is no need for a priest-hood, that the individual Muslim can address his Creator without mediation from any party, and that equality and fraternity are two basic rules of the religion, and Islam grants man religious freedom.
The Holy Book says: "No coercion in religion, as wrong is sorted from right. He who abandoned the deities and believed in God had followed the powerful league".
The preachers did a good job in spreading Islam although with great difficulty because of the language barrier. Circassians did not know Arabic, which is the language of the Holy Quran and Islamic teachings. Circassians believed that there is no God but Allah and that Mohamad is his messenger. Despite the difficulty of pronouncing these sentences, Circassians adopted "Allah-u Akbar" as the symbol of the spread of Islamic teaching among them. This is the call reiterated by millions of Muslims and it is cried from tops of minarets throughout the Muslim world. Islam spread among Circassians like fire through hay. Many Circassians adopted Islam soon after they properly understood the new faith. Swords are not worn in the pulpits of mosques in Caucasia because it was not conquered by force and Circassians were not subjected to those measures adopted in countries that were.

Source: The Circassians. Muhammed Kheir Haghandoga