Omar was succeeded by Ali, the husband of Mohammed's daughter, Fatima, but a quarrel broke out upon a point of Moslem doctrine and Ali was murdered. 奥玛尔之后，穆罕默德的女儿法蒂玛的丈夫阿里继任哈里发。在一场关于伊斯兰教义的争吵中，阿里被谋杀。

After his death, the caliphate was made hereditary and the leaders of the faithful who had begun their career as the spiritual head of a religious sect became the rulers of a vast empire. 自他死后，哈里发成为世袭制度，而原先的宗教领袖们摇身成为一个庞大帝国的统治者。

They built a new city on the shores of the Euphrates, near the ruins of Babylon and called it Bagdad, 他们在幼发拉底河岸靠近巴比伦遗址的地方修建新都，将其命名为巴格达。

and organising the Arab horsemen into regiments of cavalry, they set forth to bring the happiness of their Moslem faith to all unbelievers. 他们将阿拉伯牧民组织成威力无比的骑兵兵团 ，开始出发去远征，向异教世界传播穆罕默德的福音。

In the year 700 A.D. a Mohammedan general by the name of Tarik crossed the old gates of Hercules and reached the high rock on the European side which he called the Gibel-al-tarik, the Hill of Tarik or Gibraltar. 公元700年，穆斯林将军泰里克跨越赫尔克里斯门，到达欧洲海岸的陡峭岩壁。泰里克将此地命名为直布尔，也称泰里克山或直布罗陀。

Eleven years later in the battle of Xeres de la Frontera, he defeated the king of the Visigoths 在11年后的泽克勒斯战役中，泰里克击败了西哥特国王率领的军队。

and then the Moslem army moved northward and following the route of Hannibal, they crossed the passes of the Pyrenees. 之后，穆斯林骑兵继续北上，沿汉尼拔进军罗马的路线，穿越比利牛斯山的山隘。

They defeated the Duke of Aquitania, who tried to halt them near Bordeaux, and marched upon Paris. 阿奎塔尼亚大公试图在波尔多附近阻击穆斯林军队，但功败垂成。下一个目标就是巴黎，穆斯林骑兵继续向北挺进。