The Christian known as Alvarus, of the 9th century, bitterly admitted regarding the Arabic language:

"Who is there among the faithful laity sufficiently learned to understand the Holy Scriptures, or what our doctors have written in Latin? Who is there fired with love of the Gospels, the Prophets, the Apostles? All our young Christians... are learned in infidel erudition and perfected in Arabic eloquence. They assiduously study, intently read and ardently discuss Arabic books... The Christians are ignorant of their own tongue; the Latin race does not understand its own language. Not one in a thousand of the Christian communion can write an intelligent letter to a brother. On the other hand there are great numbers of them who expound the Arabic splendour of language, and metrically adorn, by mono-rhyme, the final clauses of songs, better more sublimely than other peoples."¹

"We can only express our wonder and 'say Mashallah' (Allah Willed it), how it so happened that the only language he (the Prophet Muhammad, Peace and Blessings be upon him) knew was one of the most beautiful languages in existence."²

1 Alvari Cordubensis Indiculus Luminosus in Migne, Patrologia Latina 121, cols. 555-6. Quotation in English from R. Dozy: Spanish in Islam: a History of the Muslims in Spain; tr: F.G. Stokes (London, 1913), p. 268.

2 G. Sarton: The Incubation