Muhammad Abu Walid (World of Sultans)

Walī Muhammad Abu Walid ibn Bilal al-Gharnāṭah (Arabic: والي محمد أبو وليد بن بلال غرناطة،) more commonly known by Muhamad Abu Walid and other names such as Muhammad of Granada (Arabic: محمد غرناطة) or Muhammad the Spaniard Slayer (Arabic: محمد الاسباني القاتل) was a Moorish soldier, conquistador and explorer from Granada that is accredited for famously conquering parts of Southeast Asia for Andalusian Empire, this giving them their first settlements in the Asia-Pacific Region. He would become the first Walī of the Andalusian East Indies.

He was part of two voyages, the first voyage he took part in was Abu Yusuf's Voyage from North Africa to Central America. While in Central America, Muhammad Abu Walid was chosen by conquistador Nasr ibn Amir to supply and aid the native resistance against the Spanish rulers. His second voyage was Hashim's Voyage, the Andalusian expedition into the Asia-Pacific Region comandeered by Sultan Waleed's son Prince Hashim of Granada. Prince Hashim chose him to lead the conquest by ground once they reached their desired location. With a force of 30 Moorish conquistadors, Abu Walid conquered Ambon City from the Spaniards in 1623, and signed a treaty with the Portuguese and Dutch. He later conquered Ternate and Tidore from the Spaniards. Afterwards, he was able to make the Moluccan natives submit to Andalusian rule, and commence the Andalusian East Indies.

After consolidating Andalusian hegemony over the Maluku Archipelago, Abu Walid sought to expand the Andalusian conquest north into the Philippines. With a force of 25 conquistadors, he and Prince Hashim both reached the Sulu Archipelago in Bangsamoro, and established an alliance with the Sultan of Sulu. Abu Walid further sent scouts to into Palawan and Mindanao. After recieving his reports back, Abu Walid was dismayed at two things. First was the non-unity and civil war among the Moro Muslim sultanates, the other was to find the Philippine Archipelago under Spanish rule, a sworn enemy of Andalusia.

Muhammad Abu Walid's first goal was to conquer the region "via unification". He scolded the various peoples of warring against their "own brethren", and often led conquests against warring tribes. After getting the peoples of the various sultanates to submit and unite, Abu Walid targetted the Muslim tribes that collaborated with the Spaniards, seeing them as traitors to their own brethren.

After successfully uniting the peoples of the southern Philippine and Maluku archipelagos, Abu Walid would proceed to built a coalition consisting of Moorish conquistadors, Moro and Moluccan warriors, as as well Indio (Filipino Christian) and Pagan native defectors. This coalition carried out and completed what is known as Abu Walid's Conquest (Arabic: أبو وليد الفتح). After successfully conquering Mindanao, Abu Walid moved his conquest up north into the deeply Spanish and Catholic-held Visayas islands. His coalition force successfully took Cebu City and Bohol, forcing the Spaniards to relocate their Governer-General to Manila.

Sultan Waleed eventually granted him the title of Walī of the Andalusian East Indies, and allowed him to govern the new Asia-Pacific colony for the Andalusian Empire. The Wilayah of New Al-Andalus established its capital city first in Ambon City, and later in Kota Batu.

Abu Walid is considered a national hero in both Andalusia and Bangsamoro, and hailed among the Muslim community in the southern Philippines. In Bangsamoro and the southern Philippines, he is often treated as the liberator, who saved the Moros from the hands of Spaniard rule.