The force of only 7,000 men which crossed the straits was commanded by Tariq ibn Zeyad. In 711, Tariq disembarked at the foot of the mighty rock whose familiar modern name of Gibraltar distorts and abbreviates its Arabic designation of Jabal-e-Tariq. He ordered the burning of the vessels of the fleet which had brought them to Spain. Striking Westwards towards the lake or lagoon of Janda, Tariq took up a strong defensive position on the river Barbate, and awaited the march of the Gothic army from the North.

Gothic King Roderick who had hastened thither with an army of 100,000 which on a single day of July was beaten by Tariq. The King disappeared, probably drowned in the river and then swept to the sea. Tariq reached the capital Toledo and occupied without resistance. Later Musa ibn Nusayr also crossed the straits and after successful attacks against a number of fortified cities across the central uplands, he finally joined Tariq at Toledo. Musa ordered coinage to be struck with formula of the Muslim faith. Musa and Tariq set out once more on the conquests, but when the former had occupied Saragossa and was about to achieve fresh success, the Caliph ordered both him and Tariq to return to Damascus. After the occupation of the Cantabrian Massif and neighbouring districts, Musa and Tariq complied with the order. At Damascus, the Caliph al-Wahid received the victors with all due ceremony in the courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque, an occasion which was long remembered.