Bismillaah

HST 102 Notes

Original Notes by Ustad Ismail Kamdar
Purple- Extra additions
Blue -Extra info from text
(Please do not rely only on these. These are only a supplement to the module videos and text, and not a
replacement for them. Also refer to Ustad Ismail’s Ppts for a clearer understanding of Islamic History.)

Islamic History 102:

Notes by Ismail Kamdar

Module 1 – The reign of Ameer Muawiyah:

 This course covers the history from the end of the period of the Rightly guided Caliphate – 30
years (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali and Hassan). HST 101: 11-41 AH
 Ameer Muawiyah’s reign began in 41 AH when Imam Hassan handed the Caliphate over to him
fulfilling the prophecy that Hassan will reconcile between two groups of believers
 Muwiyah’s khilafah: from 41 AH-60 AH (ie. for 20 yrs). Governor of Syria-20 yrs (total-40).
 V dangerous for the caliphate-re-birth of rivalry between Banu Hashim & Banu Umayyah. Grave
danger of tribal pride.
 Banu Umayyah’s caliphate-90 yrs.
 No rule of Prophet saw’s descendants thru Fatima after Hassan gave up the caliphate.
‘Prophethood & caliphate cannot co-exist’-words of Hassan ra. Other Sahaabaa believed the
same. The honor of Prophethood was sufficient for Banu Hashim & the Prophet saw’s family.

Virtues of Muawiyah

 Born 17 yrs before Hijrah

 His mother Hind was accused by her first husband Faakah Ibn Mugheirah of adultery but she
was innocent and, on taking her to Yemen, a soothsayer confirmed her innocence & told her she
will give birth to a king and his name will be Muawiyah. She divorced Faakah and married Abu
Sufyan after his proposal, Muawiyah was their son.
 Accompanied Prophet saw for battle of Hunain & Taif siege.
 Narrated 163 ahadith.

Hadith regarding Muawiyah:

 Prophet Muhammad called Muawiyah the Fitrah of Arabic I.e he will be a king of Arabia. “ Choro
(Kisra) of Arabia”-like the Chosroes of Persia.
 Prophet Muhammad said that when Muawiyah leaves the world, a lot of heads will be severed
i.e. fitnah
 Prophet Muhammad made dua for him “Oh Allah, teach him calculation and save him from
punishment,” When Muawiyah heard this, he knew he would become a king
  Prophet Muhammad told Muawiyah “When you become a ruler, treat the people with
kindness” – this was when Muawiyah knew he would become a king/caliph, and was waiting to
do so.
 “After 30 years, Allah will give the Caliphate to whom he wills” – one of the narrations about the
Rightly Guided Caliphs
So, we see that the Prophet saw had already given hints regarding his rule, just as the hints
regarding the previous caliphs. Also he had said that the caliphate would remain for 30 yrs, then
Allah would give it to whomever He liked.
 Hassan “If this Caliphate was Muawiyah’s right then he got it, if it was my right then I have given
it to him” – meaning either way, Muawiyah is the legit and rightful ruler.
 Imam Shafi’ee: ‘There are 4 wise men: Abu Muawiyah, Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah, Ziyad, Amr ibn
al Aas. There are 4 judges: Umar bin Khattab ra, Ali ra, Zayd bin Thabit ra & Abdullah ibn
Mas’ood ra”
 Those Sahaba who did not support Ali or Muawiyah during the fitna came out to serve under
Muawiyah during his Caliphate, ending the fitna and all accepting him as Ameer
 Prophet Muhammad listed him as one of the four wise men
 Every Sahabi had different skills and qualities, some were more pious -Abdullah bin Umar & Abu
Dharr Ghifari, some were stronger & braver-Ali ra, some were more generous & modest-
Uthman ra, and some were better at ruling. All were reflections of different aspects of Islam.
This is all acceptable as long as it is within the bounds of Shariah.

Important events during the Caliphate of Muawiyah

Four groups during his time:

a) Those who believed that the Caliphate belonged to the family of Ali – mostly Iraqis, Iranians and
Egyptians
b) Those who believed that the Caliphate belonged to Muawiyah – mostly Arabs and people of
Shaam
c) The Khawaarij who rejected both Muawiyah and Ali and formed their own settlements in Iraq
outside Basra and Kufa. Created trouble occasionally & crushed by the caliphs.
d) The Sahaba who were neutral and did not favor Ali or Muawiyah over the other and obeyed the
Amir. (Pious ppl like- Abdullah bin Umar, Zayd bin Thabit, Saad bin Abi Waqqas, Usaamah bin
Zayd, and others. Lived in rural areas, animal pastures, Makkah, and Madinah.)

How Muawiyah dealt with Khawarij (1st problem):

 (Farwa bin Naufal Ashjai-a Khawaarij who was ready to start an opposition)
 Muawiya dealt with them differently. He gave them an option to go back to their families in
Basra and Kufa and return to the correct Aqeedah or face punishment for their rebellion.
 He rallied the people of Kufah against the Khawarij – This crushed the Khawarij uprising, and at
the same time got the residents of Kufah on his side. (The Kufans tried to peacefully bring them
 back on track, but were unsuccessful. So, they fought a battle with them, and most of the
Khawaarij were killed in this, and the remaining few scattered away. So, Muawiyah had tactfully
avoided engaging himself directly with the khawaarij, and left the Kufans to deal with them.)
 Iraq & Iran were threatened with Khawaarij and the coastal lines (Syrian front) were threatened
by the Romans. He wanted to install a firm leader in Iraq & Iran so he could be left to focus on
the Roman front.

Governor of Basrah

 He appointed a strong man Ziyaad Ibn Abi Sufyan as the governor of Basrah in order to keep the
Khawarij and other rebellious groups in order, while he dealt with the Romans from Syria
 Ziyaad Ibn Abi Sufyan was the half-brother of Muawiyah from a slave-woman but Muawiyah did
not accept him as his brother. In the time of Umar, Abu Sufyan declared in Umar & Ali ra’s
prescence that Ziyaad was his son so he was accepted as Abu Sufyan’s son. Umar ra appointed
him the gov of Persia.
 Muawiyah accepted Ziyaad as his brother now, and made him governor of Basrah due to his
strong, harsh & almost cruel administrative abilities. Eg. Anyone found out in the streets at late
night would be killed without trial. His strict rules disciplined the ppl of Basrah and curbed any
unwanted activities by the Khawaarij.)

Governor of Kufa

 Likewise, he appointed Mugheirah Ibn Shubah as the governor of Kufah to quell the rebellion
there. Now Muwaiya was free of Khawaarij issues in Iran & Iraq.
 Ziyaad made very strict rules and warnings against uprising and this kept the Khawarij in place.
 But Mugheirah was more lenient and ended up facing a battle against the Khawarij which he
eventually won. (His commanders & army of 3000 were defeated against the 300 men of the
Khawaarij. He learnt his lesson and after getting them under control later became very strict
with them.)
 Together Ziyaad and Mugheirah kept the uprisings of the Khawaarij down
 Now Muawiyah had the peace of mind to focus on the Romans.
 The Romans were threatening multiple borders of the Muslim world including Egypt and Syria
but Muawiyah’s armies held them back and expanded the Muslim land
 He even sent an army headed by his son Yazeed to attack the Roman Capital Constantinople

Governor of Egypt

 Amr Ibn Al-Aas was appointed the governor of Egypt in Syria but he died in 43AH so his son
Abdullah ibn Amr became the governor. (Amr Ibn Al-Aas conquered Egypt three times earlier)
So Egypt was also in good hand.

Governor of Madinah
  Marwan Ibn Hakam was appointed as the governor of Madinah (he was the scribe of Uthman
Ibn Affan) but he did not have a good reputation in Madinah. Ayesha did not like his lack of piety
and his lifestyle – people of Madinah usually led a more righteous lifestyle than other parts of
the world. Marwan Ibn Hakam also was disliked for what occurred between him and Talha Ibn
Ubaidullah which caused the martyrdom of Talha, as well as the fact that he used to make bad
remarks about Caliph Hassan.
 Uprisings were held back in the reign of Muawiyah due to the governors he chose and the way
they ruled.
 (Gov of Makkah-Saeed bin Aas. Both Saeed & Marwan were Muawiyah’s relatives)

Attack on Rome-48 AH

 In 48AH, Muawiyah took action against the Romans with full force
 The Islamic naval force was based in Cyprus – Muawiyah strengthened it (had 2000 war
boats.)and this strong navy kept the Romans at bay and the Romans now felt threatened by the
Muslim navy
 In 48AH, a siege of Constantinople took place and many leading Sahaba (Hussain ra, Abu Ayyub
Ansari, Abdullah bin mar, Abdullah bin Abbas, Abdullah bin Zubayr, etc.) were part of this army
because the prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The first army to attack Constantinople will be
forgiven,” – Abu Ayub Ansaari was an old man but went to fight based on this Hadith, and he
died at Constantinople and is buried there until today. .
 (Commanded by Sufyan bin Auf & Yazeed).
 The Persians were never able to attack Constantinople despite being a Superpower for
centuries, it was only the Muslims who were able to do so
 Allah gave the early Muslims success and victory because of their firm belief in Islam
 Constantinople wasn’t conquered however until the time of the Ottomans, but just besieging it
was a milestone for the early Muslims.
 The kingdom belongs to Allah and He gives it to whom He wills and tests people with leadership
 Muawiyah sent two armies after Constantinople, a Summer force and a Winter force to handle
both seasons. Saifi force-operated in Summer. Sheethi force-operated in Winter.
 One army came via sea and another via land.
 The Siege of Constantinople lasted a few months but due to severe weather conditions and lack
of rations, the Muslims returned to their home countries, but this left a message to the Romans
of how powerful the Muslims had grown
 This siege caused the Roman Emperor to stop invading Muslim lands and to hand over the disputed
territories to the Muslims.

(2 significant consequences of this siege:

1. Roman emperor stopped invading Muslim lands.
2. The disputed territories were surrendered to the Muslims.)
Module 2:

 Ameer Muawiyah was able to successfully hold back the threats of Roman Empire on the African
and Syrian fronts (Western front), to the extent that he was able to lay siege to Constantinople.
 Built up a strong naval force in Cyprus. The Berbers (in North Africa) also rose up against the
Muslims but Muawiyah sent an army led by Abdullah ? Uqbah? Ibn Naafi to curb this uprising in
North Africa
 Within the Muslim empire, he had appointed Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah & Ziyad bin Abu Sufyan on
the Eastern front against the Khawaarij. In this way he managed to eliminate threats from all 4
directions.
 Muawiyah was able to curb all uprisings from all fronts during his reign as Caliph
 The Sindis (from Baluchsitan) also rose up in modern day Pakistan but they too were subdued by
sending Abdullah bin Sawad???, who conquered a large part of it.
All these prove Muawiyah’s capabilities in securing the fronts of the Islamic empire from others
& also for preservation of the previously conquered territories during Umar & Uthman ra’s
caliphates. Internal & external threats both.

Appointing Yazeed an Heir-2 reports:

 1st opinion: In 50AH, Mugheirah Ibn Shubah was disposed as Governor of Kufah. Mugheirah
delayed in going to Damascus to go to Muawiyah’s court. Mugheirah said that he was taking
allegiance from Muawiyah’s son Yazeed to be the next Caliph, from the ppl of Kufah. Muawiyah
was pleased with this and sent him back to govern Kufah (and continue taking allegiance), where
Mugheirah said that he had doomed Muawiyah.
 2nd opinion: Mugheirah Ibn Shubah went to Damascus without any letter or disposition, and he
shared his thoughts with him that Muslim bloodshed will be caused regarding succession (what
he had witnessed throughout the years), so he suggested that he appoints Yazeed as successor
while he is still alive. Muawiyah was worried how the ppl would accept Yazeed. Mugheerah said
he will convince the people to accept this and also tell the other governors to do the same.
 Agreed upon (in both reports): It was the idea of Mugheirah Ibn Shubah to appoint Yazeed.
 Muawiyah sent letters to the governors of different parts of the Muslim world to accept Yazeed
as the next Caliph.
 When Ziyad bin Abi Sufyan got the letter he told Obaid Ibn Kab Numairi. Ubayd Ibn Kab
expressed doubts to Mugheirah because Yazeed was young and not very righteous, and
Muawiyah had made a haste decision. Ubay Ibn Kab went to Yazeed, in Damascus, to train him
to be good enough to be accepted as Caliph (and he did change his lifestyle to a level acceptable
by the ppl).
 Marwan Ibn Hakam did not know how to take allegiance from people of Madinah to Yazeed. He
mentioned this idea to them and the major Sahabah opposed it saying it is the practice of the
Romans and Persians and not the practice of the prophet and Rightly guided caliphs
 Hassan wasn’t appointed by Ali, people chose him. Umar did not want to appoint his son
Abdullah as the next Caliph, even though he was worthy. A new practice-no prev caliph had
thought of doing this.
 The Caliph was chosen by merit, not lineage, before Muawiyah.
 (Note-Muawiyah was absolutely free from any blame abt Imam Hassan ra’s poisoning-see pg
39-40. The idea of appointing Yazeed was entirely Mughirah ibn Shu’ba’s.)
 Ameer Muawiyah tried his best to persuade the people but he could not oppose the views of
the major Sahaba which was the correct opinion.
 He went to meet the great leaders of Makkah and Madinah in Makkah to discuss this issue
 When Mugheirah passed away, Ziyaad Ibn Abi Sufyan became the governor of Kufah, and
remained the governor of Basrah. He’s territory increased and he became the governor of Iraq
and Iran (Called the gov of “Iraaqain”)-1st governor to have them both under him-he knew how
to deal with the nature of the Khawaarij, hypocrites & Iraqis in general, so was successful.
 Ziyaad wanted to be the governor of Madinah, but he was known for being excessive in
asserting his power and went outside the bounds of Shariah (cruel). The people of Madinah
made dua that this doesn’t happen (Abdullah bin Umar ra made the dua), and Ziyaad got sick
and passed away (due to a pimple on his finger which spread-53 AH).
 After Ziyaad passed away, his son Ubaidullah became the governor of Basrah. (Like his father,
he was also known for his harshness.) The Khawaarij rose again, and he was engaged in
subduing them.
 Muawiyah tried to encourage all the people to accept Yazeed as next Caliph, but the major
Sahabah of Madinah rejected this even though other territories had come around to accepting
it. (Muawiyah succeeded in convincing the ppl of Madinah & Makkah to accept Yazeed, by using
his wealth. He discussed the issue in Makkah during Hajj, with these 4, but with no success-
Abdullah ibn Zubair, Abdullah ibn Umar, Abdullah ibn Abbas & Hussain bin Ali ra. The rest of the
Muslim world had given bay’ah for Yazeed in future.)
 Abu Hurairah use to pray to be saved from the rule of young people, he passed away one year
before Yazeed became Caliph-59 AH.
 Ayesha Bint Abi Bakr also passed away that year-58 AH.
 Muawiyah’s will to son-Before his death, Muawiyah called Yazeed and asked him how he will
rule. Yazeed said he will follow the Quran and Sunnah, but he said he won’t follow the Sunnah
of Abu Bakr, Umar or Uthman (same answer on being asked 3 times). Muawiyah warned him
that the people of Iraq will rally behind Hussein and that he must treat Hussein with kindness,
and told him not to be proud of the responsibility he was being given. (He also told him to
beware of Abdullah bin Zubayr…)
 When Muawiyah died (he was 70 yrs-60 AH), his son Yazeed was not present for his death or
funeral, he was out hunting – shows his lack of attachment to his father and lack of importance
he gave to the position of Caliph – this also shows that Yazeed was not responsible and this is
why many people did not want him to be Caliph. Also had a luxurious, royal lifestyle.
 Muawiyah passed away in 61AH and Yazeed became Caliph and great calamities happened
during his Caliphate especially Karbala
Comments on Muawiyah ra’s Caliphate

It was successful because :

 he had no rivals and there was no rebellion.

 Islamic empire expanded on all 4 sides.
 Peace & order in all territories.
 Romans & Christians acknowledged Muslim superiority.
 Organized & established a postal system, including postmen, etc.
 First to put seals on orders, keeping them recorded & preserved, removing the old cover &
putting a new one on the Kabah, establishing a naval force, keeping watchmen &
doorkeepers, etc.
He wanted Banu Umayyah to have the caliphate, but definitely not at the cost of Islam.

Some points to Note:

 Differences between Ali ra & Muawiyah ra were a result of ijtihad, not intentional.
 They were also Allah’s plan to protect & preserve the Shariah (compilation of the Quran,
narration & collection of the ahadith, protecting Muslim territories thru Jihad, etc.). Tafseer,
Hadith & Fiqh were the results of those times.
 Their differences were not like those of rulers and nations today. They behaved in the best
manners, despite their differences.
 Their differences should not lead to disunity among us today. We must take lessons from them
instead.
 Muawiyah ra had many virtues which many Muslims overlook.
 Please see pgs 49-56 for a more detailed discussion.

Module 3:

Yazeed

 Name: Abu Khalid Yazeed bin Muawiya

 Born- 25/26 AH
 Mother-Maisoon bin Bahdal
 Very fat
 Born into kingship & wealth.
 Sent by father as Amir for Hajj once/twice, and made a commander of army-during Siege of
Syria.
 Loved hunting
 Fluent in poetry
 Was absent on Muawiya’s death, on a hunting expedition.
  Probably the biggest mistake of Muawiya’s caliphate-making ppl take bay’ah for Yazeed . But
Mugheera bin Shu’bah had instigated this.

The Reign of Yazeed

 Many of the companions who were neutral during the fitna, pledged allegiance to Muawiyah
after the truce
 Recap of modules 1 & 2 – first 8 minutes
 People did not like Yazeed being appointed as Caliph because Sahaba were still alive, especially
Sahaba like Abdullah Ibn Umar and Husain Ibn Ali who were more worthy of the Caliphate,
likewise Abdullah Ibn Abbas was still alive as well
 Yazeed was not pious or a scholar or responsible, nor did he accept his father’s advice to follow
the Sunnah of the first three Caliphs
 Yazeed did not accept the advice of his father which included being merciful to Hussain,
following the Sunnah, etc. Muawiyah had anticipated this before his death.
 Yazeed was not attached to his father and did not take his responsibility to his father or the
ummah seriously.
 It was not right that with such great Sahaba still alive, that a young man who had no known
good qualities would be given the Caliphate
 The idea of handing over the Caliphate to one’s son was the practice of the Romans and
Persians, not the Sahaaba who had always chosen the caliph based on their merits & virtues.
 The major Sahaba on Madinah did not want to accept Yazeed as the Caliph, so there was
opposition between these Sahaabaa & Yazeed.
 Yazeed sent letters to the governors of each province to take allegiance to him
 The governor of Madinah, Waleed Ibn Utbah, received the letter, he discussed it with the
Sahaba.
 (On news of Muawiyah’s death, Imam Hussain made dua for his forgiveness.)
 Abdullah Ibn Zubair, Hussain, Abdullah ibn Umar & Abdullah ibn Abbas did not take the
allegiance, the other Sahaba did though
 Abdullah Ibn Zubair left Madinah that night and went to Makkah to seek asylum at the Kabah
 Hussain also left the next night and went to join Ibn Zubair in Makkah.
 Abdullah bin Umar- no threat to Yazeed as he did not desire caliphate. Yazeed ordered that he
should not be forced to give bay’ah, so he wasn’t. He & Abdullah ibn Abbas left for Makkah a
few days later.
 Waleed sent a party to look for Ibn Zubair but they couldn’t find him, he did not send anybody
after Hussain as he did not want to attack the grandson of the prophet. The other leading
Sahabah also went to Makkah to escape later, - ibn Abbas & ibn Umar.
 When Abdullah Ibn Zubair reached Makkah, a chief of Makkah Abdullah Ibn Safwan Ibn
Umayyah took allegiance at his hands, then that inspired 2000 of the people of Makkah took
allegiance at his hands. Almost the whole of Makkah had given allegiance to him.
 Abdullah Ibn Zubair placed the Ummayad governor of Makkah (Haarith) under house arrest and
took over Makkah.
 The other companions who reached Makkah did not take allegiance at the hands of Ibn Zubair
who was not as high ranking Sahaba as Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar and Hussain. Ibn Zubayr did not
want them to either.
 Ibn Zubair would still seek advice and counsel from Hussain often. This was proof that he held
Hussain ra above himself, despite being the ruler of Makkah.
 It appears Ibn Zubayr accepted bay’ah so that Yazid wont become caliph, and not because he
desired caliphate
 Hussain ra did not like Ibn Zubair’s leadership of Makkah, so he did not like to offer salaah
behind him. He led his own congregation separately.
 Meanwhile, Marwan bin Hakam sent a letter to Yazeed, informing him of the great sahaabaa
who had left for Makkah & Waleed’s inability to stop them.
 Yazeed disposed Waleed Ibn Utbah as governor of Madinah and handed it over to Amr Ibn
Saeed.
 Waleed was disposed because he was soft to Hussain and the Sahaba.
 Amr Ibn Saeed was given the instructions to march to Makkah with force, capture Ibn Zubair and
send him to Damascus in chains
 Abdullah Ibn Zubair’s army defeated the governor of Madinah’s army (Amr ibn Saeed’s) and
established his rule over Makkah
 Hussain would spend his time in Makkah in worship and isolation, and would stay away from the
politics.
 Abdullah Ibn Zubair would also spend his time in Salah and worship (so deeply & such long
sujoods that birds would perch on him).

Kufans invitation to Hussain ra

 The people from Kufah started sending over 150 letters to Hussain asking him to come to Kufah
so they could pledge allegiance of Caliphate on his hands
 Hussain sent his cousin Muslim Ibn Aqeel to go check Kufah out for him.
 Muslim Ibn Aqeel had doubts about going to Kufah but Hussain encouraged him to go
 When Muslim arrived in Kufah, over 10,000 (12000-text) people secretly pledged allegiance to
Hussain through him on the first day.
 Muslim took this as a sign of their sincerity to him and he wrote about this to Hussain.
 Hussain send another man to do the same in Basrah
 Over 18,000 people had taken allegiance to Hussain in Kufah, by now.
 The governor of Kufah, Numan Ibn Basheer, was informed about this but he decided not to fight
them until they come out openly and rebel. Showed Nu’man’s softness, like Waleed ibn Utbah’s.
 A letter was sent to Yazeed to slay Muslim bin Aqeel if he wanted to save his caliphate. This
letter was sent by Abdullah bin Muslim al Hadrami. He also advised him to stop Hussain ra’s
expected movement to Kufah.
 Yazeed consulted Sarjoon (Muawiyah’s advisor and freed slave) and Sarjoon advised him to
appoint Ubaidullah Ibn Ziyaad as the governor of Basrah and Kufah. Yazeed had never liked him
or his father. (He already was the governor of Basrah. Kufah was the addition.)
  He was Ziyad Ibn Abi Sufyan’s son and just as strong, harsh and cruel to rebels as his father, so
he could be used to suppress the Kufan uprising, just as his father had suppressed the Khawaarij.
 Ibn Ziyad was already governor of Basrah since his father’s death and now he was governor of
both Basrah and Kufah

(Part of Mod 4 also included in Mod 3, according to syllabus)

Module 4:

The Events leading to Karbala:

 Yazeed did not like Ibn Ziyad due to some family issues (similar to what Muawiyah felt earlier)
 Despite this, Yazeed made him the governor of Basrah and Kufah which surprised Ibn Ziyad. Ibn
Ziyad had felt Yazeed would depose him.
 Ibn Ziyad arrested the representative of Hussain in Basrah, gave them a lecture about how he
was like his father and won’t show mercy to them, then he executed this man in public to
frighten the public.
 Ibn Ziyad appointed his brother a governor of Basrah and he went to Kufah
 In Kufah, he asked about Muslim but nobody gave him information
 He gave them a lecture about how he was like his father and this frightened the people
 Ibn Ziyad sent some spies and they discovered that Muslim Ibn Aqeel was in the house of Hani
Ibn Urwah
 Ibn Ziyad formulated a plot to sent Maqal to Hani to pretend to give him some wealth from
Hussain ra and needed to give it quickly before Ibn Ziyad catches him. He also told him that
Hussain ra was on his way to join them in Kufah.
 Hani allowed Maqal in, and he gave Hussain the money then reported back to Ibn Ziyad
 Ibn Ziyad called Hani in public to ask about Hussain and brought Maqal as a witness
 Hani was imprisoned but the rumor spread that he had been killed. His family started lamenting.
 Muslim felt very bad about this so he came out in the open and called his supporters to come
and fight Ibn Ziyad
 Out of the 40 000 18,000 who had pledged to him, only 4000 responded to join him and fight
 The others (14,000)said they pledged allegiance not to fight until Hussain came.
 The 4000 surrounded the home of Ibn Ziyad and the household of Ibn Ziyad governor’s
headquarters while ibn Ziyad was inside, and started throwing arrows at them.
 This causes the 4000 to abandon Muslim Ibn Aqeel and he was left alone with just 30 or 40 men
(End of Mod 3-according to syllabus)

Murder of Muslim &Hani

 Muslim then left and sought shelter in a house.

 (Amr bin Jarir Makhzumi was sent by Ibn Ziyad to arrest him. Muslim was ready to fight
Makhzumi, but Makhzumi promised to get him pardoned by Ibn Ziyad if he surrendered.)
 Muslim was found and he was arrested and taken to prison. He was locked up in the same room
as Hani.
 10,000 people gathered around Ibn Ziyad’s home asking for Muslim and Hani to be freed
 Hani and Muslim were taken to the roof of the palace and executed in full view of the 10’000
who lost heart and dispersed. It was almost like those ppl were the cause of Muslim & Hani’s
execution. Shows the extent of their (dis)loyalty.

Imam Hussain ra leaves Makkah

 Meanwhile, Hussain had received the letter of Muslim that thousands had pledged allegiance so
he prepared to leave Makkah for Kufah
 Abdullah Ibn Umar advised him to stay in Makkah because the people of Kufah were
treacherous, but Hussain went anyway. This cause Ibn Umar to cry, along with Hussain ra
remembering the Prophet saw’s time & all the challenges the caliphate had gone through and
the present governors & caliph who were in no way suited for their post and were ready to kill
Hussain ra despite his high ranking, virtue & status in the ummah (Grandson of the Prophet saw,
leader of the youth of Jannah, etc…).
 All the governors at this time were supporters of Yazeed which make things difficult for the
righteous
 Ibn Abbas also advised Hussain not to leave as the people of Kufah had betrayed Ali before and
also his brother Hassan ra, he also advised him to wait until Hajj was over, but Hussain did not
listen and decided to leave
 Ibn Abbas then advised him to leave his wives and children in Makkah so that they are not
imprisoned or enslaved, in case the Kufans didn’t support him or he lost.
 Ibn Abbas explained to him that the people of Kufah had called Hussain by writing 150 letters
but they had not taken any practical steps to assist Hussain like removing the gov Ibn Ziyad from
Kufah, to show their sincerity. And since they haven’t, it either showed that they were not able
to support Hussain ra, or that their sincerity was in doubt.
 He also advised him to go to Yemen first as he has the ppl’s support there (and to take
leadership of it) and can hide in the mountains if things go wrong, or to at least travel through
Madinah first, where he already had the ppl’s support in Hijaz if he decided to become their
leader. (Hijaz=Makkah+Madinah+Taif)
 Hussain did not listen to them and was determined to leave
 Abdullah Ibn Zubair also called Hussain and advised him not to go to Kufah, and was willing to
pledge allegiance to Hussain (and give up his position) if he stayed in Makkah, but Hussain
declined and decided to go to Kufah. The love & sincere advice of these shaaabaa failed to
change Imam Hussain ra’s mind.
 Hussain left Makkah on 3 Dhul Hijjah (Mon), 60 AH, to go to Kufah. (The same day Muslim bin
Aqil was killed in Kufa)
 Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) loved Hussain and called him his son, not just his
grandson but Yazeed and his governors did not feel anything wrong with wanting to kill the
grandson of the prophet (peace be upon him)
 When the people (enemy in Kufa) wanted to kill Hussain (in Karbala), he fulfilled his duty and
averted any doubts by reminded them of who he was and who his family, his recognition &
virtues but they were determined to kill him
 The companions tried their best to stop Hussain from leaving Makkah, some noblemen even
wanted to try and stop him by force-like Amr bin Sa’d bin Aas.
 Abdullah ibn Abbas ra again came to dissuade him from leaving and said he would have laid in
front of Hussain ra’s camel to be trampled, rather than letting him leave, but he knew that even
that would not change his mind.
 On his way to Kufah, he recieved a letter from Abdullah bin Ja’far ra, through his sons, advising
him not to leave for Kufah due to the ppl’s betrayal of Ali ra & Hassan ra.
 Many people tried to stop him, including the governor of Madinah who sent a letter and said he
wanted to give him safety & full protection if he went there instead, but Hussain was
determined to go to Kufah.
 It was destiny that made him determined to go to Kufah, despite the advice & letters of so
many, and Allah’s will that he would make this great sacrifice for the ummah.
 Yazeed told Ibn Ziyad to send men to look for Hussain and to block all the roads to stop him
from entering Kufah. Yazeed feared Hussain ra’s influence on the ppl, in case he managed to
enter, and this would threaten his caliphate.
 Ibn Ziyad sent 2 forces to stop Imam Hussain’s progress to Kufah
 One under Hur , who was the 1st one to see him & block his entry.
 Another force of 4000 under Amr bin Sad bin Abi Waqqas
 Abdullah Ibn Muqeel ? Mutee’ met Hussain on the way to Kufah and advised him to go back,
but he refused to listen
 Another man (famous poet -Farzdaq) advised Hussain that the people’s hearts were with him
but not their swords.
 When he was nearing Kufah, Hussain sent Qais Ibn Mishar with a letter to the people of Kufah
to inform them about his arrival shortly, but he was caught by Ibn Ziyad and pushed off the roof
of his palace & died.
 Hussain wasn’t aware of all this and thought people were still in support of him and did not
know of the completely different situation in Kufah.
 Hussain sent another messenger, Abdullah bin Yaqtur, who was also captured and executed.
 When Imam Hussain reached Salba, he learned about the murder of Muslim Ibn Aqeel and the
change in the situation. It was shocking and was the opposite of their expectations.
 (After Hussain ra & his family’s caravan left from Makkah, hundreds of ppl & tribes had joined
him on the way)
 There were hundreds of people traveling with Hussain ra’s caravan, but when this news reached
them, the people started leaving and all that was left was the family of Hussain. Only abt 70-80
ppl.
 The caravan now thought of returning back, but Muslim Ibn Aqeel’s sons said that either they
will take the Qisas of their father or die in the process. They also said that people will support
Hussain, even though they did not support Muslim, because of Hussain’s status.
  On his last night (10th Muharram), Hussain told his people to go back and leave him to face the
enemies alone, but nobody left and they stayed with him until the end. (He told them that the
enemy wanted his blood, not theirs. He also extinguished the candle, so that anyone who
wanted could leave in the dark without feeling any shame. No one left. Shows their sincerity.
May Allah bless them all. Their heads are in Damascus and their bodies buried in Kufa-a
testament to their sacrifice.)

Module 5:

The Tragedy of Karbala

 Hussain went to Karbala as a protest against the idea of a monarchy which he regarded as an
innovation learned from Romans and Persians, despite being advised not to go by the other
Sahaba.
 Ibn Ziyad sent out Amr Ibn Sad Ibn Abi Waqqas (gov of Rayy) and Hur Ibn Yazeed to look for
Hussain. (4000 soldiers under Amr & 1000 under Hur)
 Hur’s army found Hussain and prevented him from entering Kufah, and wanted to take him into
custody to Ibn Ziyad
 Hussain refused to go into custody, and moved to another place but Amr’s army was there
 So Hussain moved to Karbala and he found him himself surrounded by both armies, Hur’s and
Amr’s. He had encamped in Karbala.
 Amr told Hussain that although you deserve the Caliphate more than Yazeed, Allah has not
destined it for you so it is better for you not to pursue this.
 Hussain proposed three alternatives: 1) He could be allowed to go back to Makkah and spent his
time in worship 2) He could go to the borders to join the Jihad against the disbelievers 3) He
would go directly to Yazeed and discuss the issue with him personally.
 Amr sent a letter to Ibn Ziyad with these three proposals and Ibn Ziyaad was happy with it, but
his counsel, Shimr, told him not to allow it because this would make him look weak and
insignificant as he was appointed to stop Hussain, so Ibn Ziyaad rejected the three options
 Ibn Ziyad demanded that Hussain surrenders himself & takes allegiance on the hands of Ibn
Ziyad to Yazeed then only he can go and see Yazeed.
 Hussain refused to do this, but Amr Ibn Sad tried his best to reconcile between the two parties
but Ibn Ziyad refused to budge, as did Hussain
 Amr Ibn Sad & his men started praying behind Hussain, Hussain was leading both armies in
prayer, as a sign of recognition of his status.
 When Ibn Ziyad heard about this, he became worried in case Amr became Hussain’s ally and
sent Jowira bin Tamimi with a letter to Amr to either bring Hussain in custody or kill Hussain
and bring his head to Ibn Ziyad immediately, or be arrested himself.
 Amr received this letter on the morning of 9th Muharram 61 AH, and gave Hussain one day to
organize himself and decide
 Meanwhile, Ibn Ziyad sent Shimar to assess the situation and find out what is happening
 Shimar arrived in the evening with another letter on the same day and Hussain again said they
will fight in the morning, as it was sunset anyway.
 Shimar went with one condition that his relatives who were the descendants of Ali be spared
(his sister was married to Ali. There were 4 sons fromAli ra with Hussain ra’s force. Ibn Ziyad
agreed).
 The enemy took control of the Euphrates and Hussain ra & his men had run out of water and
had to suffer from thirst.
 On knowing the inevitable martyrdom, the family of Hussain ra began crying. Hussain ra silenced
them after great effort. He really regretted having brought them along and not heeding
Abdullah ibn Abbas’s advice.
 That night, Hussain gave his companions the option to leave in the darkness and save their lives
but when he lit the candles, he found that nobody had left and they were all determined to
stand by his side – loyalty and willingness to sacrifice.
 Hussain had maximum 240 people against Amr’s & Hur’s army of 5000 who were fully
equipped. (Different narrations of no. of ppl in Hussains army-240 or 140 or 72-more authentic.
No equipment. No match in anyway.)
 At night, man named Tarmah bin Adi who was passing by came and told Hussain that he can
take him quietly at night and save him and help him form by providing him with an army of
5000 from the Tribe of Tai, but he refused to leave his companions. On learning of this, his
companions urged him to leave & save his life as the enemy was after him, and would not harm
them, but he refused & now proved his sincerity to them.
 On the morning of 10th Muharaam, Hussain arranged his army as did Shimr
 Hussain made a speech to the armies of Amr and Hur and this caused his family to cry, he then
consoled his people
 He reminded the people of who he was – the descendant of Prophet Muhammad, Fathima and
Ali, the brother of Hassan, the leader of the youth of Paradise, a person who never missed a
prayer, never betrayed anybody and never taken a life, so why do people want to take his life
 He said he remained in Madinah after retiring form worldly affairs but they didn’t let him stay
there in peace. Then he said that he was content to stay in Makkah and worship by the Kabah
but they sent him letters to come to Kufah and now they have betrayed him. He asked them to
let him return to Makkah and Madinah to worship in peace, and Allah will judge between them
 None of the 18’000 who had pledged allegiance to Muslim came to support Hussain at Karbala
 The army of Amr was silent, meaning they knew they were wrong.
 Hussain read out a letter that Hur wrote to him telling him to come to Kufah, first Hur denied
that he wrote the letter but then he admitted it and said that he changed his mind.
 However, Hur had a change of heart and his army joined Hussain to fight the other army – Hur
was also martyred that day.
 Hussain then arranged his army to fight
 The army of Amr Ibn Sad attacked first
 Shimar called his family members from Hussain’s army to come to safety but they refused to
leave Hussain and were also martyred. None of Hussain ra’s companions left him.
  (Shimar asked Amr ibn Sad why he was delatign the battle, and Amr ibn Sad told him, “Be
witness that I’m the first man to throw the arrow” and that’s what he did.)
 One by one the companions of Hussain were martyred before him while killing their enemies.
 The family of Muslim Ibn Aqeel were also martyred that day, as were the family of Hussain
including his son Ali Akbar who killed many enemies. The martyrdom of his son Ali Akbar
grieved Hussain ra & he wept. More than any other tragedy, seeing his brothers and sons dying
before his eyes and their families witnessing this was the most difficult of all for him.
 After all his supporters and family and sons were killed, Hussain was left alone with his youngest
son Zainul Aabideen who was still a child. (All the male members except Zainul Abideen were
killed, not females. )
 So he faced the army alone.
 Ibn Ziyad gave the order to cut off the head of Hussain, trample his body until all his limbs were
broken and bring his head to Ibn Ziyad
 “We never saw a man as brave as Hussain Ibn Ali” – Amr Ibn Sad and Shimar
 Reported that he had 45 arrow wounds, 33 spear wounds, 43 sword wounds, but still continued
to fight.
 He first fought on horse-back, then on foot until he was killed. No one wanted to kill him with
his own hand, so tried to avoid it.
 Shimar came with 6 men to kill him. Hussain ra’s left arm was chopped off. His right was too
injured to lift the sword.
 They couldn’t kill him from in front, so they had to spear him from behind to kill him. Sanan bin
Anas Nakhi was the one to do this.
 Eventually Hussain and his followers were all martyred on 10th Muharram, 61AH
 His body was trampled by 12 horses (horsemen chosen for this) and crushed. His head was then
cut off. Extreme cruelty & barbarism. Not witnessed before in history.
 Then they arrested his family in the tent. Shimar wanted to kill Zainul Abideen too, but Amr ibn
Sad stopped him. His head & family were first sent to Ibn Ziyad. Then Ibn Ziyad sent them to
Yazeed.
 Imam Hussain ra’s reasonable offers of peace were not entertained, and he was forced into
battle. The ppl of Kufa had betrayed him.
May Allah bless Hussain ra & all the 71 martyrs in Karbala.

Please refer to the text for the full details of events from Mod 6 onwards. The notes are only
summaries as they cannot cover all the details in the text.

Module 6:
Aftermath of Karbala

 When the prisoners of Karbala and the head of Hussain reached Yazeed, he burst into tears and
said he never asked Ibn Ziyad to do this. He ordered Shimar & others to leave his court.
 He said that the mother of Hussain was better than his own mother, his grandfather was the
prophet and the greatest of prophets and even though their fathers has differed, though Allah
favored his family (ie. Muawiyah & Yazeed) with the kingdom
 He decided to send the remaining family members of Hussain to Madinah and assist Zainul
Abideen in any way possible
 Ibn Ziyaad was frustrated that Yazeed did not reward him, rather he admonished him & Shimar
for what he did
 Ibn Ziyaad realized that he made a big blunder and fell into a major depression

Events in Makkah and Madinah

 The ppl of Makkah & Madinah were not happy under Yazeed’s rule. When Ibn Zubair heard
about the death of Hussain, he burst into tears and reminded people of the virtues of Hussain.
 The events of Karbala turned the people of Madinah and Makkah more against Yazeed as they
all grieved the brutal murder of Hussain
 Ibn Zubair was now the Caliph of Makkah and Yazeed wanted to send Ibn Ziyad after him
 Ibn Ziyad refused to go, as he had already killed Hussain and it brought him no good and he
wasn’t prepared to besiege Makkah or kill Ibn Zubair. He told Yazeed to appoint someone else
for the job.
 Waleed Ibn Utbah was reappointed as the governor of Madinah (after Yazid received Ibn
Zubayr’s letter) but he was replaced again by Uthman Ibn Muhammad, but he use to drink wine
and the people of Madinah hated this and he too was disposed. (Waleed ibn Utbah was the one
who sent a letter to Hussain ra inviting him to settle down in Madinah with protection, before
he left to Karbala)
 When the people of Madinah went to complain to Yazeed about Uthman, they were surprised
to find Yazeed engaged in many unlawful practices including musical entertainment and this
angered them more.
 These people returned to Madinah and told the rest of their people what Yazeed was doing, this
turned the entire Madinah against Yazeed and they decided to take action by arresting the
governor of Madinah and forcing him to leave. Madinah now opposed Yazeed’s rule.
 The ppl of Madinah 1st deposed the governor of Madinah by force. Madinah now became
independent from Yazeed, and did not recognize him as caliph anymore.
 Some of the Umayyads left Madinah, some took shelter in Marwan bin Hakam’s home. The rest
were imprisoned by the ppl of Madinah (All except the pious Abdul Malik bin Marwan)
 Marwan Ibn Hakam told Yazeed about this, so Yazeed sent Numan Ibn Basheer to speak to the
people of Madinah but he was unsuccessful.
 Yazeed decided to send an army of 5000 led by Muslim Ibn Uqbah to attack Madinah and kill
them if they don’t take allegiance to Yazeed. The 1st time the holy city was to be invaded. The
 Madeenites made the Umayyads pledge not to support the army against them & turned them
out of Madinah so they would not fight against them (except Abdul Malik). All kept their
pledge….more details pg 86.
 The people of Madinah were ready to fight Muslim Ibn Uqbah even though they were not
soldiers or equipped to fight, but they were determined to fight.
 A battle took place and 1000 people of Madinah were killed, and 3 days of looting, massacre and
genocide were allowed by Muslim ibn Uqbah. They paid no heed to the sanctity of the city and
where bloodshed was forbidden.
 On the fourth day, he asked them to pledge allegiance. Those who did were saved, and those
who didn’t were killed. Complete barbarism.– On this day, Mohmmad bin Abdullah bin Abbas
aka Abu Abbas Saffah(founder of Abbasid state) was born in Madinah. 27th Dhul Hijjah, 63 AH.
May Allah bless the martyrs of Madinah who stood firmly against the unIslamic practices of
Yazeed’s caliphate.

1st siege of Makkah & Death of Yazeed

 After attacking Madinah, Muslim bin Uqbah was determined to attack Makkah and fight Ibn
Zubair, but he fell sick and died along the way to Makkah, in Abwah.
 Muslim had appointed Haseen Ibn Numair as his successor who besieged Makkah on 27
Muharram 64 AH
 He started firing stones at Makkah, he besieged Makkah for one and half months in which
nobody was allowed to leave Makkah. No one left their homes due to the stones being fired.
The Ka’bah & the courtyard were damaged.
 From 3rd Rabiul Awwal, they changed their strategy. New strategy-Started firing projectiles made
of cotton & sulphur, so burnt the covers of the Kabah & blackened its walls.
 The siege ended on 13 Rabi Al-Awwal
 Ibn Zubair was determined not to give in
 Haseen started firing projectiles at Makkah and this burned the Kabah and broke it
 During this time, Yazeed passed away on 10 Rabi Al-Awwal.
 When the news was confirmed on 12 Rabi Al-Awwal, Haseen ended the siege and returned to
Damascus
 Yazeed died at age of 38, having only ruled for three years and eight months yet so much evil
occurred during this reign
 Haseen then met with Ibn Zubair and advised him to go to Damascus and take control of the
caliphate there as he was already the Caliph of Makkah.
 Ibn Zubair refused to go as he was not ready to go to Damascus, but he offered Haseen to take
allegiance there. (Haseen said it wouldn’t work. This was probably a mistake on Ibn Zubair’s part
which he regretted later.)
 Meanwhile, the ppl of Madinah had once again deposed the governor appointed by Yazeed.
 Haseen then went to Madinah and offered Imam Zainul Abideen the Caliphate but he had taken
an oath never to accept allegiance from anybody.
  Later Ibn Zubayr sent a letter to Haseen that he was ready to accept the caliphate, but on the
condition that Haseen would go to Makkah & pledge his allegiance. Ibn Zubayr did not want to
leave Makkah for Damascus. Haseen replied that this was not possible, until Ibn Zubayr could go
to Damascus. Ibn Zubayr declined & continued to govern Makkah as before.

Module 7:

Reign of Muawiyah Ibn Yazeed (Muawiyah II)

 After the death of Yazeed, the people of Syria asked his son Muawiyah to become the next
Caliph
 Muawiyah was a righteous man but he was very sick and not interested in becoming caliph
 Eventually he accepted the Caliphate under the pressure of the people of Syria
 Muawiyah II passed away within forty days or two months or three months ( diff. reports) as he
was very ill
 Before his death, people asked him to appoint someone to take his place, but he said that he
looked for a man like Umar Ibn Al-Khattab but could not find any, so he thought of setting a
committee of six pious people like Umar did but he could not find any so he left it to the people
to decide after his death
 (When there was confusion over the caliphate, Ibn Ziyad took bay’ah for himself from the ppl of
Basrah who were unwilling. The Kufans refused & the Basrans retracted their bay’ah too. Ibn
Ziyad helplessly left for Damascus.)

Reign of Marwan Ibn Hakam & Abdullah Ibn Zubair

 The Syrian people appointed Dahhaak Ibn Qais as temporary governor of Syria until they decide
on a Caliph
 Dahhaak was in favor of recognizing Ibn Zubair as Caliph but he did not state this openly
 Marwan Ibn Hakam was trying to gain support to become Caliph (he was the head clerk of
Caliph Uthman ra & from Banu Umayyah)
 After the death of Muawiyah II, Ibn Zubair was recognized as caliph by the entire Muslim world
except Syria
 The people of Iraq (Kufa) were ashamed of themselves for causing Hussain’s death, and they
began to revolt against their Ummayad governor, and recognized Ibn Zubair’s rule.
(Those who repented were called the Tawwabeen-Battle of Tawwabeen/Ain al Wardah where
they tried to kill Ibn Ziyadh. Included Sulaiman bin Sard & his men. )
 Ibn Zubair sent his own governor to Basrah and Kufah and it fell under his Caliphate
 Ibn Ziyad was driven out of Kufah and Basrah, and recognized Ibn Zubair’s rule..
 Abdur Rahman Ibn Jardan, ruler of Egypt, recognized Ibn Zubair as Caliph.

Marwan Ibn Hakam
 Ibn Ziyad moved to Damascus and he supported Marwan Ibn Hakam in his claim for Caliphate
 Marwan Ibn Hakam started claiming the Caliphate in Syria
 Syria was now split between Dahhaak and Marwan
 A battle took place between the two, Marwan had only 4000 13,000 ?men and Dahhaak had
four times this amount
 At this time, Dahhaak declared that he supported Ibn Zubair as Caliph, and Marwan declared his
open enmity for Ibn Zubair
 After this, Marwan’s support increased and the two armies fought without any clear winner, but
Marwan was losing
 Ibn Ziyaad advised Marwan to speak to Dahhaak and make a truce
 Marwan made a truce deceitfully, then attacked the troops of Dahhaak while they were
unprepared -at night
 Dahhaak was killed, along with many of his soldiers and Marwan claimed Caliphate of Syria
 Khalid Ibn Yazeed (Muawiyah II’s brother) was ready to opposed Marwan in favor of Ibn Zubair
but Marwan married Khalid’s mother in order to stop him from fighting him.
 So Marwan became the Caliph of Syria
 Marwan then conquered Egypt and became the ruler of both Syria and Egypt
 All of the supporters of Ibn Zubair in Egypt and Syria (and Hims-Nu’man ibn Basheer) were
defeated by Marwan through deception and military might through the army of Ibn Ziyad.
 Ibn Zubair could have made efforts to preserve his territories by sending his armies for support,
but he didn’t.
 One by one, Marwan took over the territories of the Muslim land.
 (2 threats for Marwan- Dahhaak (eliminated) & Khalid bin Yazeed.)
 Marwan still saw Khalid Ibn Yazeed as a threat to his empire, and Khalid realized this and spoke
to his mother so his mother plotted against Marwan, and her slave girls killed Marwan Ibn
Hakam during the night on his bed
 After his death, his son Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan was declared the Caliph the next year same
day (over Syria & Egypt), in 65 AH.
 Marwan was the ruler for 9 months and 15 days
 Khalid’s mother was executed in Qisas for murdering Marwan
 So, v short span of rule for Yazeed, Muawiyah bin Yazeed & Marwan.
 Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan remained Caliph for the next twenty years-65-86 AH.
 During his time, Ibn Zubair was martyred by his army and the entire ummah fell under the
Ummayyad Rule without challenge.

Mukhtar & Ibn Ziyad killed

 When Abdul Malik became the caliph, Ibn Zubair only had Iraq & Hijaz.
 A man named Mukhtar revolted against the governor of Kufah, under the pretext of retaliating
for Hussain ra’s killing, and got control of it. (So, Ibn Zubair now lost Kufah.) He was taking
retribution from those who had killed Hussain ra, ie. bin Ziyad & Haseen bin Umair who invaded
Makkah.
  Mukhtar dispatched a force under Ibrahim, to confront bin Ziyad & Haseen, who were also
ready with an army, leading to a fierce battle. Ibrahim won, and Ibn Ziyad & Haseen were killed.
Ibn Ziyad had been a major support to Banu Umayyah’s rule. Their death was a big relief to Ibn
Zubayr.
 Basrah-Governor appointed by Ibn Zubair still in control of it.
 Mukhtar announced that anyone differing from his views would be executed and began
massacring ppl. He also deviated extremely by claiming Prophethood & to receive Wahy.
 Ppl either went to Ibn Zubair in Makkah to complain abt Mukhtar, or seek refuge from his
oppression to Basrah.
 Ibn Zubayr asked his brother Mus’ab bin Zubair in Basrah, against Mukhtar in Kufa. Governor of
Persia, Muhallab was also sent to Mus’ab for support. Both of them attacked & killed Mukhtar
successfully.
 So, Kufa & Basrah once again returned to Ibn Zubair’s rule.
 Continuous challenges faced by Ibn Zubair
1. Haseen beseiging Makkah
2. Losing his control over Syria & Egypt
3. Mukhtar.
 Now, Abdul Malik bin Marwan was challenging all of Ibn Zubair’s territories.
 He began with Iraq. Tricks used by him:
1. The Khawaarij were rising again in Iraq & Persia. He used the Khawaarij to further incite
them against Ibn Zubair’s rule.
2. He began secretly buying the military officers of Kufa & Basrah under Mus’ab, with
lucrative offers. (Shows the disloyalty of the Kufans once again.) Mus’ab remained
unaware of this plot.
 These officers invited Abdul Malik to come & invade Kufa. The Syrians advised him to beware of
the Kufans as they betrayed Hussain ra. He replied that unlike Hussain ra, he had a strong force
with him to easily defend himself, in case he was betrayed.

Module 8:

The reign of Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan and Martyrdom of Mus’ab Ibn Zubair

 Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan expanded his empire and tried to reduce Ibn Zubair’s territory
 Abdul Malik incited the Khawaarij uprisings to weaken Ibn Zubair’s rule
 Abdul Malik also made his military men the rulers of Iraq
 Ibn Zubair did not know these men were working for Abdul Malik and they betrayed his
commander, the governor of Kufah, Mus’ab Ibn Zubair, during a battle. They merely watched,
instead of fighting.
 Abdul Malik gave Mus’ab an option to safety if he surrenders, but Mus’ab refused
 He also had the option to escape from the battlefield, or to go ahead, fight and attain
martyrdom.
 Finally, he and his son went forward, fought and were martyred – the people of Iraq had
betrayed him like how they betrayed Hussain
 Abdul Malik now became the ruler of Iraq and Iran (Persian territories).-71 AH.
 Ibn Zubair was shocked and prepared an army in Makkah.
 Abdul Malik prepared a force to fight Ibn Zubair in Makkah
 He tried to rally the Syrians to do this but they did not support fighting Makkah
 So he got the governor of Kufah, Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf, to take up the task of attacking Makkah
 Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf marched to Makkah with 5000 soldiers, camped at Taif and started attacked Ibn
Zubair in Makkah.

2nd siege of Makkah

 After a few weeks, Hajjaj wasn’t making progress so he asked Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan for
permission to besiege Makkah
 Abdul Malik gave permission and sent another 5000 to assist him
 Hajjaj besieged Makkah with 10’000 soldiers and this led to people abandoning the city
 This happening during Ramadan 72AH, it lasted until Dhul Hijjah (for 4 months)
 He continued attacking the Kabah with catapults even during the Hajj Tawafs. Did not care abt
the sanctity of the place, time or ppl.
 Ibn Zubair was pressured by the people of Makkah and Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf to give up. (The ppl were
running out of food & other necessities)
 Abdullah Ibn Umar gave for Hajj, and sent a message to Hajjaj to allow the people to complete
their Hajj
 Hajjaj allowed this, and asked Ibn Zubair to let him perform Hajj. Hajjaj was allowed, but he
didn’t perform Tawaf or Sa’I, and he stopped Ibn Zubair from going to Arafah. There was no
leader to lead the salah on the day of Arafah. The ppl were unable to do all the rites of Hajj as
the siege and the stones continued even throughout the Hajj period until Abdullah bin Umar
told Hajjaj to pause it. It resumed again after Hajj.
 Ibn Zubair refused to give in but the people of Makkah wanted it to end
 A lot of people had to leave out some of the rituals of Hajj to protect their lives
 After Hajj, Hajjaj gave warning to the pilgrims to leave Makkah so he could continue his attack
 The pilgrims left and the citizens of Makkah started leaving with them
 Very few people remained in Makkah supported Ibn Zubair
 Ibn Zubair use to pray in the courtyard of the Kabah even when the stones were being fired
 Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf’s army fired a huge stone that landed on the roof of the Kabah causing it to
collapse. When this happened, they heard a loud thunder, darkness filled the sky and earth and
they saw lightning. This remained for a few days.
 This frightened the soldiers of Hajjaj and they refused to continue firing the stones, despite
being ordered by him.
 Some of the soldiers of Hajjaj were killed by lightning during this time
 One or two soldiers of Ibn Zubair were also killed by the lightning.
Abdullah ibn Zubayr ra’s martyrdom

 Ibn Zubayr continued to pray at the Kabah with the huge stones falling around. They had no
effect on his concentration.
 The people of Makkah were starving so Ibn Zubair slaughtered his own horse and offered its
meat to the people. He even gave grains & dates he had for their survival.
 Hajjaj realized his plan wouldn’t work so he offered security to any soldiers who joined him, so
many of Ibn Zubair’s men abandoned him. (His 2 sons Hamza & Habib also left. His 3rd son stuck
to his farther till he was martyred)
 Hajjaj then offered Ibn Zubair protection if he surrenders
 Ibn Zubair went to his mother Asma Bink Abi Bakr for advice
 Asma advised him not to surrender, and that we can’t delay our death regardless of whether he
surrenders or not
 Ibn Zubair said that his followers have abandoned him, as did his sons. Asma advised him that
pious men do not complain about his state of affairs. She told him not to complain but to remain
steadfast.
 Ibn Zubair was afraid that they would mutilate his body after his death. She said that a bull goat
doesn’t care what happens to its body after it is slaughtered. Great advice from a great mother
to her great son. May Allah bless them. (See pg 140-142 for full details of these touching
scenes.)
 Ibn Zubair said that he did not desire the caliphate but had taken it only because Allah’s laws
were being violated. He was sure of his death that day and had embraced it readily.
 Ibn Zubair then hugged his mother, and she felt his armor and told him to remove his armor and
face the enemy without it
 Ibn Zubair then went forward to face Hajjaj with his few remaining soldiers.
 Hajjaj’s soldiers didn’t dare to attack Ibn Zubayr.
 Ibn Zubair fought the army for seven to eight hours, and even prayed at the Maqaam Ibrahim,
despite fighting an army of thousands with just a few supporters. He killed many of Hajjaj’s
soldiers.
 When he was offering two Rakahs at Maqaam Ibrahim, the army surrounded him. But they
couldn’t attack him from in front as he killed any enemy that attacked him from in front of him
 Finally, a man on Mount Safa shot an arrow at him from behind, piercing through his forehead
and this proved fatal and Ibn Zubair was martyred- the grandson of the 1st great caliph in Islam,
Abu Bakr ra.
 He achieved his martyrdom in the sanctuary of the holy Kabah in 73AH.
 The first child of the Muhaajireen to be born in Madinah was Abdullah Ibn Zubair. (Kunya-Abu
Khubaib)
 His body was hanged for a few days until his mother asked for it, then he was buried. (When
Asma ra asked Hajjaj for it, he refused. Abdul Malik ordered him to give it to her. She also died
after a few days.)
  He was the last sahabi caliph and his pious life an example for the Muslims. He was also the
only caliph to make Makkah his capital-none before or after have done so.
 With Ibn Zubair defeated, the empire ummah fell under the rule of the Umayyads until the
Abbasid era.
 Hajjaj was appointed governor of Hijaz and was cruel in his treatment of the Sahabah like Anas
Ibn Malik (whipped) and Abdullah Ibn Umar who he tortured. (He considered the whole of
Madinah as the killers of Uthman ra.)
 Ibn Umar was not afraid of Hajjaj and would speak openly against him, enjoining good &
forbidding evil. Hajjaj had a man kill Ibn Umar by stabbing him in his foot with his spear, while he
was doing tawaaf.
 Pious men vs. cruel tyrant rulers.
 Lesson: Men of piety never surrender to the worldly men, and never surrender for the sake of
Dunya.
May Allah help us follow in the footsteps of these great pious individuals.

Module 9:

Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan (aka Abul Mulook):

 Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf became the governor of Hijaaz, Iraq and the entire Eastern part of the Muslim
empire. (Abdul Malik promoted Hajjaj for his achievements.)
 Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan – Abul Mulook (The father of kings) – many of his sons became kings
 He was a great scholar in Madinah studying under the scholars and Sahabah before becoming
king, even Abdullah Ibn Umar called him a jurist
 Abdul Malik condemned the siege of Makkah during the time of Yazeed, and said that those
who fight Ibn Zubair will go to Hell
 He would praise Ibn Zubair’s Salah and Fasting, etc (all this was before he became king & was
still studying in the Prophet saw’s mosque)
 Sahaabaa & Tabieen praised him:
 Abu Hurayra ra said he would be king of Arabia one day.
 Imam Shafi’ee praised & admired the knowledge of Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan
 After he became the king, Abdul Malik changed a lot, he even started drinking alcohol &
bloodsucker-he admitted these himself
 He was a scholar and became a tyrant
 He use to praise Ibn Zubair and ended up murdering him
 We learn from here how power can corrupt a person
 After eliminating Ibn Zubair, Abdul Malik faced opposition from the Khawaarij
 He appointed Hajjaj as governor of the Eastern empire (Iraq, Iran, Khurasan, etc), basing him in
Kufah, in order to fight and subdue the Khawaarij
 He also appointed Muhallab was put in charge of Khorasaan to also subdue the Khawaarij
  Both Hajjaj & Muhallab crushed the Khawaarij successfully-an imp step by Abdul Malik to
strengthen his power.
 So, he had taken care of 2 major problems- Ibn Zubair & Khawaarij.

Invention of Islamic coins

 Abdul Malik would begin his letters with the Shahadah and the Salawaat
 Once he sent a letter to the Emperor of Rome who got upset and said that if he starts his letters
with the Shahadah and Salawaat then the Romans will print coins with blasphemous words
against the prophet
 Until this point in time, Muslims were using Roman coins as wealth
 To counter this, Abdul Malik issued a ruling for the production of Muslim coins and that the
taxes should only be collected in such coins and business should be conducted with such coins
too
 So the invention of Islamic coins took place through Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan
 Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf inscribed on one side of the coin the first verse of Surah Ikhlaas.

Other achievements:

 Abdul Malik’s rule was strengthened by three figures/pillars: Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf, Muhallab and Ibn
Ziyaad
 Hajjaj was the cause of torture to sahabaa- Abdullah ibn Umar & Ibn Zubair -killed, Anas ra
whipped, etc. Did anything to get Abdul Malik’s support.
 They were responsible for defeating Ibn Zubair and the Khawaarij removing all opposition to his
rule
 Abdul Malik was succeeded by many of his sons including Waleed and Sulaiman
 Abdul Malik ruled for 31 21 years and passed away in 86AH (ruled from 65-86 AH, and had
established the Umayyad rule by defeating Mus’ab bin Zubayr, Abdullah bin Zubayr, etc). He
ruled for 13 yrs after Ibn Zubayr died.
 (On the death of his brother Abdul Aziz, Abdul Malik commanded all the governors to take
bay’ah for his sons Waleed & Sulaiman. In Madinah, all took bay’ah except Sa’eed ibn Musayyib.
The governor lashed & imprisoned him. Abdul Malik reprimanded him for doing this to Sa’eed
ibn Musayyib.)
 Among the most successful caliphs of the Umayyads who established the Muslim empire even
more strongly than what it was. His biggest mistake-giving Hajjaj more power than he deserved.

Waleed Ibn Abdul Malik 86-95AH

 He was succeeded by his 1st son Waleed Ibn Abdul Malik who faced no opposition to his rule
during his reign
 During his time, the Muslim Empire expanded greatly as it faced no internal struggles (first
expansion in thirty years)-like the time of Umar bin Khattab ra-victories over victories.
 He had three main generals all of whom were pious: Muhammad Ibn Qasim, Musa Ibn Nusayr
and Qutaybah Ibn Muslim.
 Muhammad Ibn Qasim-conquered Sindh (India, Pakistan)
 Musa Ibn Nusayr –his freed slave, Tariq bin Ziyad, conquered Spain
 Qutaybah Ibn Muslim Bahli- conquered Bukhara, Samarkhand, etc
 The Sahabah who opposed the monarchy style of rule had passed away
 Waleed faced no opposition to his Persian/Roman type rule as all the pious sahaabaa were killed
and the Muslim world had internal peace & prosperity.
 Due to lack of opposition, Waleed was a much better ruler than his forefathers

Umar ibn Abdul Aziz

 Waleed appointed Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez as governor of Madinah

 Waleed was first person to fix a salary for poor scholars who were teaching Islam & jurists
 Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez ruled Madinah with Shurah from a committee of ten pious
people/scholars-a practice of the rightly guided caliphs. Ppl of Madinah happy at being involved
in ruling Madinah.
 The people of Madinah wrote letters to Waleed thanking him for making Umar the governor
 The people of Kufah were not happy with Hajjaj & his atrocities and harshness as ruler so many
of them moved to Madinah or Makkah.
 Umar wrote a letter to Waleed complaining about the harshness of Hajjaj
 Hajjaj replied and wrote a letter to Waleed complaining that Umar was sheltering fugitives and
that he should remove Umar as governor of Hijaz
 Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz was disposed from his post as governor (governor from 86AH-93AH)- Hajjaj
had more influence than Umar due to him being governor from Abdul Malik’s time and was
responsible from eliminating the opposition of the Ummayads
 Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez was replaced by Khalid Ibn Abdullah who forced the people of Kufah to
go back and they were slaughtered by Hajjaj, this included the pious man Saeed Ibn Jubair

Muhammad ibn Qaasim

A ship from coming from Sri Lanka to Kufah with the widows & children of those Arab traders
who died in Sri Lanka, with gifts from the ruler of Sri Lanka to governors of diff. territories,
including Hajjaj in Kufah. The ship was attacked by Sindhi pirates and the women were enslaved
and goods stolen.
 Hajjaj sent a letter to the ruler of Sindh, Dahir, not to harbor pirates, but his reply was not good
& in reality he had supported the pirates, otherwise no one dared attack the Arab ships.
 (These pirates were assisted by a Muslim governor, but) Hajjaj ibn Yusuf sent an army to fight
them but they couldn’t win, as the Sindis joined the pirates against the Muslims/Arabs.
 Finally Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf sent Muhammad ibn Qaasim, his own son-in-law, (only 17 years old) to
lead the army and fight them
 He defeated the army, killed the ruler and saved the widows and goods.
  Ibn Qasim stayed in that area and removed the local evil practices (which were forced by the
cruel local rulers) and was loved by the people for his just and caring nature & showed their
loyalty to him.
 He established his rule and went forward to expand his empire and conquered a lot of India and
Kashmir.
 When he was ordered to return to Arabia by the caliph, the local ppl & his army were very
reluctant to let him return.
 He was ordered to return by the new caliph Sulaiman, after the death of the prev one-Waleed.
Both were not on good terms bcoz Waleed wanted his own son to become the next caliph,
instead of his brother Sulaiman. Waleed could not appoint his son as caliph, so Sulaiman took
the caliphate and dismissed all the generals dispatched to various territories by Waleed.
 Muhammad bin Qasim was kept in captivity on return, and tortured to death.

Musa Ibn Nusayr & Tariq bin Ziyad

 Musa Ibn Nusayr-gov of Egypt & North Africa-his freed slave Tariq bin Ziyad governed
Morocco. Julian-the commander appointed by the Roman emperor to protect Fort Sita, in
Morocco. Spain’s ruler Roderick had raped Julian’s daughter, but he had no way to take revenge
but to send a complaint against Roderick to Musa ibn Nusayr. Musa was reluctant initially, but
decided to send his freed Berber slave, Tariq, the gov of Morocco. (Note the dignity &
upliftment Islam gave to ppl-even slaves were appointed as governors & accepted by the ppl.).
 Tariq bin Ziyad & his army went to Spain and confronted the rapist ruler Roderick, and killed him
& his forces. The Muslims had taken revenge for non-muslims.

Waleed’s caliphate witnessed the peak of internal peace & security for the Muslims, along with the
largest expansion of external territories. Some say it surpassed even Umar bin Khattab’s reign.

Module 10:

 Muhammad Ibn Qasim conquered many parts of Sind and Punjab

 He was killed by the next Caliph Sulaiman Ibn Abdul Malik for his close association with Hajjaj
Ibn Yusuf

Conquest of Spain

 The people of Spain were under oppression from their king Roderic and Musa Ibn Nusayr
wanted to assist them
 Roderic had raped the daughter of King Julien of Morroco and King Julien asked the Muslims for
help
 Musa sent his freed slave Tariq Ibn Ziyad to assist him
 Upon arriving in Spain, Tariq had the ships burnt so his people can’t retreat and have to fight
 They were attacked by surprise immediately upon arrival but defeated their enemies with 7000
  Roderic led an army of 100,000 against Tariq’s army of 7000 footmen + reinforcement of 5000
from Musa bin Nusayr-so still only 12,000 footmen & no cavalry.
 Tariq Ibn Ziyad was a Berber, (not Arab) and a freed slave but was a governor and commander –
no racism in Islam
 In 92 AH, Tariq Ibn Ziyad’s army defeated Roderic’s army
 First time since time of Sahabah that such a small ill-equipped army defeated such a large well-
equipped army
 Roderic was killed and Spain was conquered

Qutaybah Ibn Muslim Bahli

 He conquered Central Asia- Bukhara, Samarkand and Khurasan and all the lands until the
borders of China
 So, we see that Non-Muslims use to complain to the Muslims about their local rulers and the
Muslims will assist them by conquering their lands and spreading justice.
 Qutaybah was murdered due to his support to Waleed.

Reign of Sulaiman Ibn Abdul Malik 95-99AH

 In 95 AH, Waleed Ibn Abdul Hakeem passed away

 Waleed wanted his son to succeed him but it was his brother Sulaiman’s turn
 Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez agreed that Sulaiman should be the next Caliph
 Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez was imprisoned for three years for siding with Sulaiman
 Sulaiman Ibn Abdul Malik became Caliph, freed Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez and made him Prime
Minister
 Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf died a year before Waleed, so nothing could be done against him, but Umar Ibn
Abdul Azeez had all his ministers and followers who were cruel & harsh removed from positions
of power & installed those who were just & pious like himself- 96 AH.-1st imp development in
Sulaiman’s caliphate.
 All the governors and generals who supported Waleed against Sulaiman were killed, including
Muhammad Ibn Qasim and Qutaybah; and Musa Ibn Nusayr was humiliated for showing support
to Waleed- 2nd imp development.
 Sulaiman ruled for three years.
 His errors-killing those like Muhammad bin Qasim. His most praiseworthy act-appointing Umar II
as the caliph. This minimizes any vices he had.
 Other virtues-liked justice, jihad, corrected the evil habit of praying salah at its last time by the
Umayyads, hated music & singing, dismissed Hajjaj’s governors, Islamic empire expanded...

Reign of Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz 99-101AH

 In 99AH, Sulaiman’s sons were away in Jihad so Sulaiman appointed Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz as his
successor.
 Born- 62 AH
 Umar bin Abdul Aziz bin Marwan bin Hakam (aka Abu Hafs).
 Popularly known as the (5th ) rightly guided caliph. Also as Khalifa as Salih.
 Was the governor of Madinah for 5 yrs.
 Was the Prime Minister of Sulaiman.
 Was imprisoned by Waleed for 3 yrs for opposing his plans to depose his brother Sulaiman.
 Sulaiman wrote his succession in a secret letter than only was opened after his death, Umar Ibn
Abdul Azeez cried upon hearing this news and stated that a big burden was placed on his
soldiers of taking care of the weak, sick and oppressed.
 The Umayyads were unhappy, but the ppl were joyful.
 Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez was the great grandson of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab from his mother’s side
and the grandson of Marwan Ibn Hakam from his father’s side
 Story of the grandparents of Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez (never write it as it is very well known (the
girl who refused to mix milk with water, and for this Umar ra married her to his son Aasim ra. His
daughter was Umar bin Abdul Aziz’s mother.)
 Umar Ibn Al-Khattab said that a descendant with a scar on his face will rule the people and
remove oppression – referring to Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez
 Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez had a scar from an accident (horse kick) which his father took as a sign
that he was to be that king.
 He spent his youth in Madinah under scholars. Had great knowledge & virtue.
 Umar lived a comfortable & luxurious life but on becoming the caliph rejected all the luxuries of
being king (royal palace, horse, etc), and made his wife give all her jewelry to the Baytul Maal,
willingly.
 His wife was Fathima Bint Abdul Malik his cousin, and the daughter (of Abdul Malik bin
Marwan), granddaughter and sister of kings (Sulaiman’s sister)
 Fathima gave up her jewelry and lived a simple pious life as the Caliph’s wife
 Umar ruled like the four rightly guided Caliphs
 He use to say, “I am not an innovator, I am a follower”
 He was the first Umayyad Caliph to tell the Umayyad governors to stop abusing Caliph Ali in the
Jumah Khutbah-recognized the virtues of Ali ra.
 He stopped the governors from imposing Jizya on new converts (Jizyah is only for non-muslims
to live under the protection of Muslims)
 The governors use to charge this jizya because they believed that the people were false in their
Islam to avoid the Jizya, but Umar stopped this saying that if they offered salah it was enough &
no jizyah for them.
 The governor tried to check if the converts were circumcised to check if they were genuine
converts. Umar stopped this and said circumcision isn’t a fundamental of faith and “Muhammad
was sent as a Da’ee, not a tax-collector or circumcisor” – Umar said if they maintain the five
daily prayers, then they must be trusted as true Muslims. Their intention/piety was between
them & Allah – proof of his piety, knowledge, etc
 Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez revived the way of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and ruled accordingly and
was a role model Muslim for his people.
  The Khawaarij put a stop to their activities during his reign. Even the wolves did not attack the
sheep. Some said he was the Mahdi. His death was mourned by Christians & Jews. No sect, even
the Shia, has any ill feelings for him. The greatest scholars & men of his time testified to his
greatness-pls see pgs 194-213 for more of his virtues & his glorious caliphate.

Death of Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez

 The Umayyads were accustomed to luxury and usurping the wealth of people
 Umar was the first Caliph to hold them accountable for all this
 This led by example, he gave up his wealth including an orchard (Fadak) he inherited, and hoped
they’d follow his example
 The orchard belonged to the Prophet and was set for the poor relatives of Banu Hashim, and
nobody took it until Marwan Ibn Hakam. Then Umar inherited it from him and gave it back to
the Baytul Maal saying that if the daughter of the Prophet saw did not get it on asking for it,
then he was also not entitled to it, because it was for the widow & orphans of Banu Hashim.
 He asked all the governors to return to the people (Baitul Maal) what was not rightfully theirs
 The governors were shocked to hear this and accustomed to this wealth so they turned against
him
 Eventually, they got one of his slaves to poison Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez in exchange of 1000
dinars and freedom
 The slave gave Umar some food with poison in it and when Umar realized what had happened,
he questions the slave
 The slave told him the story, Umar took the 1000 dinars and deposited it in the Baytul Maal and
told the slave to run away

Module 11:

 The slave ran away and Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez passed away
 He told his people that “I want to show you the right path but you don’t seem ready for it”
 Umar ibn Abdul Azeez passed away in 101AH
 Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez’s final words, as heard by his wife Fathima, “We grant the Home in the
Hereafter to those who do not seek superiority on earth or spread corruption: the happy
ending is awarded to those who are mindful of God. (al-Qasas, 83)
 He is considered one of the rightly guided Caliphs and one of the best of the Umayyads
 The 1st century AH was now over.
 Waleed bin Yazid bin Abdul Malik-ill conduct & begin of the downfall of the Umayyads.
 Last Umayyad Caliph-Marwan bin Mohammad bin Marwan bin Hakam (Marwan II). End of
caliphate- 132 AH.
 Highlights of the Umayyad caliphate:
 Pros:
 Largest expansion. Reached India, China & Africa. No other dynasty ever was so
successful. There was nothing more to conquer.
  Recognition of the status of Arabic language, culture, morals, leaders, etc. Later
the conquered non-Arabs ruled over the Arabs and did not recognize their
virtues.
 Importance of the Quran & Sunnah. Later Muslims ignored these and began
respecting their saints, Walis, etc
 Cons:
 An imp factor leading to the fall of the caliphate-Hereditary succession started
by Muawiya appointing son Yazid as heir.
 Love for power, wealth & luxury.
 Tribal prejudice revived after Islam abolished it.
 Murders, harsh discipline, oppression & other atrocities.
 Muawiya, Abdul Malik bin Marwan, Waleed bin Abdul Malik & Hisham bin Abdul Malik-
expansion of territories.
 Caliphate of Umar ibn Abdul Aziz-the pride of the Umayyads. The only exception to the
Umayyad style by strictly following the righteous caliphs.
 Besides the 5 caliphs mentioned above, the rest did not deserve this position and had
unislamic morals.

Rise of the Abbasid Movement-2nd century AH

 The Arabs were now against the Umayyads after the events of Karbala, Makkah, Madinah and
the poisoning of Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz
 Groups were arising to oppose and overthrow the Umayyad Dynasty, they included three
Hashimite groups:
1) Alawis – supporters of Muhammad Al-Hanafiyyah, the descendant of Ali through Hassan
2) Fathimis – supporters of the descendants of Hussain Ibn Ali
3) Abbasids – supporters of the descendants of Abbas
 All three groups starts rallying support to oppose the Umayyads. Most of the ppl who had
witnessed the Umayyad’s atrocities joined these groups.
 (Zaid bin Ali, the grandson of Hussain ra took the oath of 15,000 ppl in Kufa secretly. Imam Abu
Hanifa also supported him. Many advised him not to revolt after what happened to his
predecessors in history. And history repeated itself-he was betrayed by the Kufans & was killed.
This made the ppl even more anti-Umayyad & pro-Hashim. The Abbasids also became more
careful.)
 All three groups were working secretly and gaining support and followers. Center-Hameemah-an
unknown village in Balqa.
 The Abbasids and Alawis consolidated and started working together against the Umayyads
 The Abbasids were more secretive and well planned, while the Alawis were more open, hasty
and the Umayyads were monitoring them
  They hadn’t decided which of the three groups would take over, but they were united in
overthrowing the Umayyads
 Fathimis divided into the Ismailis -supporters of Ismail Ibn Jafar Sadiq, and the Zaidis- supporters
of Zaid Ibn Ali
 When Muhammad ibn Hanafiyyah passed away, he made the Alawis join and support the
Abbasid leader Muhammad Ibn Ali Abbasi. So Abbasids took the lead.
 Muhammad Ibn Ali was ready to try to overthrow the government
 His son Ibrahim met Abu Muslim Kharasaanee and he was convinced with Abu Muslim’s
abilities and he got him married to the daughter of one of their chiefs
 Abu Muslim Kharasaanee was appointed to take control of Khurasaan and the Eastern part of
Muslim world
 Many of the Abbasid governors were upset that someone so young was chosen to lead them so
they chased him out, but then they realized Ibrahim chose Abu Muslim for a reason and they
took him back as their leader
 In a short period of time, he had taken over many Eastern territories for the Abbasids.
Khurasaan, Iraq & Persia.
 Abu Muslim became the force that led the Abbasids to victory
 A meeting took place in 130AH, in Makkah during Hajj, between the leaders of the three groups
to decide who will take over
 After a long meeting, it was decided that Nafs Zaaki the descendant of Imam Hussain will be
elected as the ruler and they all agreed. (Abu Ja’far Mansoor was also present)
 A letter from Ibrahim to Abu Muslim was intercepted by the Umayyads and it contained
instructions to kill the supporters of the Umayyads in Khurasaan. As a result, Ibrahim ibn
Muhammad was arrested in Hameemah.
 Before his death, Ibrahim appointed his brother Abu Abbass Safaa as his successor. He was also
told to move fom Hameemah to Kufa.

Reign of Abu Abbas Safaa – 131AH

 Abu Abbass shifted his office from Hamima to Kufah

 Kufah became the center of the Abbasid work
 All of Iraq and Iran were in favor of the Abbasids and they were ready to declare their power
 Abu Salmah, the governor of Kufah, did not want the Abbasids as Caliph (he wanted the
descendants of the Prophet’s family) so he wrote to Imam Jafar Saadiq to take over but Jafar
Saadiq declined as he was not interested in politics. (The Prophet saw’s descendants often
refused the offer of leadership and kept away from political issues.)
 When Abu Abbas entered, the people welcomed him and turned against Abu Salmah
 12 Rabi Al-Awwal 132AH, Friday, Abu Abbas was declared the Caliph in Kufah at the grand
Masjid
 When Abu Abbas became the ruler, he started killing any members of Banu Umayyah family-
whether they were involved in the govt or not. Genocide of the Umayyads-never seen on such a
scale before.
  The Banu Umayyad family were massacred and on 5 Ramadan 132AH, Damascus fell into the
hands of Abu Abbas and the Umayyad era had ended
 The last king of Umayyad dynasty, Muhammad Ibn Marwan Marwan Ibn Muhammad was in
Egypt on the run and he was also hunted down and killed.
 The Abbasids were now in power and had no opposition
 The Abbasids started digging up the graves of the Umayyads and burning and lashing their dead
bodies.
 The Umayyads had to escape; Abdur Rahman Ibn Muawiyah escaped to Spain and was
welcomed there. Others went to Sind or Kashmir and changed their names & professions.
 Any Umayyads left in the main Muslim world were hunted down and murdered
 The Umayyads had massacred many people and cities including Sahabah, their descendants
were in turn massacred by the Abbasids
 The family of the prophet stayed away from the politics and wars, even though groups were
fighting in their names for the sake of gaining the support of the ppl. eg: the Alawis,

Module 12:

Reign of Abu Abbas As-Safaa

 12 Rabi Al-Awwal 132 AH Abu Abbas became Caliph

 Prophet Muhammad told Abbas, “Kings will come from your descendants,” – fulfillment of this
prophecy
 Many prophecies were fulfilled regarding conquests (Persia, Syria, Constantinople) and who
would become king (Muawiyah, Umayyads, Abbasids) or Caliph (rightly guided caliphate would
last 30 years), prophecy of Umar ibn Abdul Aziz narrated by Umar ibn Khattab ra, etc
 The Abbasids founded the center of learning in Baghdad and it became the center of learning for
the Muslim world
 Abu Muslim Kharasaani ruled Khurasan independently, without any advice or counsel from Abu
Abbas, he also killed a major supporter of the Abbasid movements (Sulaiman ibn Kathir) without
genuine cause. Abu Abbas could not question Abu Muslim due to his power. He behaved not like
a governor but like almost like a caliph.
 Abu Abass asked his brother Abu Jafar Mansoor to go for Hajj and be the leader (all this was to
be done formally by Abu Jafar, by writing an application ) and take the pledge from Abu Muslim
so he could be held accountable for his deeds
 Abu Muslim left Makkah early, and this displeased Abu Jafar.

Reign of Abu Jafar Mansoor

 Abu Muslim received a message that Abu Abass had died and Abu Jafar Mansoor was the new
Caliph
 Abu Muslim held the messenger for two days before allowing him to go to Abu Jafar, this further
displeased Abu Jafar. (Once Abu Mansoor had gone to Khurasan to give Abu Muslim the
 certificate of governorship of Khurasan, but Abu Muslim did not give him the respect/welcome
of a guest.)
 Abu Jafar welcomed Abu Muslim to the capital despite disliking him, as he still needed him.
 They needed him to defeat Abdullah Ibn Ali (a governor of one of the territories) who was
claiming caliphate because he killed the final Umayyad king Marwan bin Hakam.
 Abdullah was promised Caliphate by Abu Abass but Abu Abass gave it to Abu Jafar instead. Abu
Jafar wanted Abu Muslim to defeat him and end the revolt
 Abu Muslim defeated Muhammad Ibn Ali and ended the revolt and came into the good side of
Abu Jafar again
 Abu Muslim did not fear or worry about the kings due to his independence and necessary role in
the conquest
 Abu Jafar sent his accountant to Abu Muslim to take an account of the booty (He was not as
generous as his brother Abu Abbas). Abu Muslim disliked this as he felt Abu Jafar didn’t trust
him
 Abu Jafar then sent Abu Muslim a certificate to become governor of Egypt and Syria instead of
Khurasan. Abu Muslim disliked his as all his support was in Khurasan
 Abu Muslim decided to go back to Khurasan, but Abu Jafar sent his deputies to stop Abu Muslim
from going to Khurasan. Abu Jafar asked Abu Muslim to come and see him, but he refused to go
 Finally, Abu Muslim took his army and went to meet Abu Jafar, he left his force outside and
went in to meet him
 Abu Jafar assigned two men to hide to wait for the signal to kill Abu Muslim
 Abu Muslim was questioned about why he killed Sulaiman ibn Kathir, a the chief of the Abbasid
movmnt, Abu Muslim couldn’t justify it and told Abu Jafar to do whatever he wanted. Abu
Muslim was then killed and his army were told to go back and he was going to stay there for a
while
 Another challenge facing the Abbasids was the Alawis who had joined them.
 The Abbasids had accepted that Nafs Zaki should be the Caliph but they took the caliphate for
themselves. (Abu Jafar was witness to this promise in Makkah personally.)
 Abu Abass gave Nafs Zaki’s father one million dirhams to silence him on this issue, he bribed
anybody who spoke on this issue. (This money was not his own, but borrowed from others.)
 Abu Jafar was not as generous as Abu Abass and did not spend money on them. He sent people
to find and kill Nafs Zaki to stop any rebellion.
 Nafs Zaki was in hiding with his brother Ibrahim and nobody could find him.
 So Abu Jafar arrested 11 members of his family and imprisoned them, including his father, to
draw them out. They were killed later.
 Nafs Zaki came out of hiding and revolted in Madinah, Abu Jafar sent Eesa Ibn Musa with a full
force to attack them
 Nafs Zaki was prepared to be martyred but refused to surrender in return for protection, and he
fought Eesa’s army bravely. After killing many enemies, nobody could attack him from in front,
so two men attacked him from behind and in front and he was martyred. He was buried in
Jannatul Baqi in Madinah.
  In this way, Abu Jafar has gotten rid of all three threats to their claim to Caliphate (Abdullah bin
Ali, Abu Muslim Khurasaani & Nafs Zaki).
 After this, many Alawis were killed or imprisoned to keep them down
 During this time, Abu Jafar built Baghdad to be the Capital of their dynasty. (Prev capital was
Anbar)
 It took ten years to build this city which became the center of learning, Islamic scholarship,
science and technology. Declared as capital in 149 AH.
 People came from all parts of the Muslim and Non-Muslim world to study in Baghdad and take
the knowledge back to their lands
 Abu Jafar offered the position of Chief Justice to Imam Abu Hanifa (disciple of Imam Jafar Sadiq)
who refused. So Abu Hanifa was imprisoned and eventually died in prison. Why did he refuse it?
Something to ponder & research.
 Imam Malik was lashed for supporting Mohammed Mahdi & similarly other scholars were also
persecuted.
 Abu Jafar also wanted to arrest 2 pious men in Makkah- Sufyan Ath-Thawree and Abbad,
people prayed for their protection however and Abu Jafar died before he could do it.
 Abu Jafar left for Makkah to do Hajj and died along the way. (Just 3 miles before Makkah)
 It was during this time that the major compilations of Hadith began into full volumes (before
this, they were recorded in booklets by sahaabah in different places) by Sufyan Ath-Thawree,
Ibn Jareer At-Tabari and Imam Malik among others
 It was during this time that Imam Malik compiled the Muwatta which was the first major
compilation of Hadith-most authentic hadith.
 The students of Abu Hanifa wrote some of the first major books of Fiqh during this period as
well
 Similarities between Abu Jafar (Abbasid) & Abdul Malik Marwan (Umayyad):
 Were 2nd of their dynasties (Abbasid dynasty & Marwan dynasty respectively).
 Saved their caliphates from destruction
 Knowledgeable scholars. Abu Jafar- Alim & Faqih. Abdul Malik-Alim, Faqih & Muhaddith
 Miserly
 Ruled for about the same duration
Difference: Abu Jafar killed ppl even after promising them protection, while Abdul Malik did not.
 Abu Jafar’s son was Mohammad al-Mahdi. He was kind and just- not like his father and the ppl
liked him. His son was Haroon ar Rasheed.

The reign of Harun Ar-Rasheed (170 AH-193AH)

 He was one of the most influential and best kings of the Abbasid dynasty
 Two of his sons became future kings-Ma’moon & Amin
 Harun Ar-Rasheed was himself a scholar and appointed Abu Yusuf (Abu Hanifa’s student) as
Chief Justice, and appointed Yahya Ibn Khalid Barmaki as Prime Minister as well
  He began strengthening the whole internal Caliphate by choosing just governors who had good
character
 During this period, the Caliphate
 Morroco, Tunisia and Spain were all lost to the Alawis and Umayyads, the rest of the world was
under the Abbasid rule. (Idris bin Abdullah took Morocco)

Module 13:

 14 Rabu Al-Awwal 170 AH – Abu Mansoor died, Harun Rasheed became king and Mamun
Rasheed was born – a king died, a king ascended his throne and a king was born.
 Mamun’s mother was a Zoroastrian slave girl called Marjal who died within 40 days.
 Yahya bin Khalid was made the prime minister-the 2nd most imp post after the caliph.
 Fazl bin Yahya (Yahya Ibn Khalid’s son) was Harun Rasheed’s foster brother through suckling, so
Harun use to call him respected father.
 Harun Rasheed led the Hajj in 170AH.
 Nafs Zaki’s brother Idrees Ibn Abdullah led a revolt in North Africa after receiving the support of
the Berbers and captured Morocco in 172 AH. The 1st independent rule of the Alawis from the
Abbasids.
 Harun Ar-Rasheed sent a deputy to live with Idrees and gain his confidence, when he had done
so, he poisoned Idrees and killed him.
 The Berbers took the son of Idrees as their new king in Morocco and it remained independent of
the Abbasid rule. So the dynasty of Idrees continued.

Amin as the Crown prince

 Amin Rasheed was also born in 170AH after Mamun Rasheed (from different mothers)
 Mamun was born from a slave girl (Marjal) and Amin from a wife (Zubeida-his favorite wife)
 Harun had to choose an heir –dilemma as both were same age.
 Tutor of Mamun-Fazl bin Yahya. Tutor of Amin-Jaafar bin Yahya.
 Amin was eventually declared crown prince in 175 AH (when he was five years old)-significant as
it had other consequences later.
 Nafs Zaki’s other brother Yahya Ibn Abdullah also revolted against Haroon Rasheed, but his force
was defeated and he was imprisoned.
 So, the threat of the Alawis was now eliminated (Idris poisoned & Yahya imprisoned).
 Recap of story of why Alawis disliked Abbasids (Joined Abbasids against Umayyads, so joint
claim for caliphate….Nafs Zaki was promised to be made caliph during Hajj in 130 AH, implying
that Alawis were recognized to be the leaders, in Abu Jafar Mansoor’s presence…after mission
accomplished, the Kufans declared Abul Abbas Saffa as the king in the Grand Mosque, while
Kufa was under Ibrahim…so the Alawis & Nafs Zaki were sidelined & Abbasids captured the
rule…Nafs Zaki’s father Abdullah was also silenced with money….later in Abu Jafar Mansoor’s
time, who was not generous, the Alawis again revolted, and so Nafs Zaki & his relatives were all
killed…..Idris went to Morocco….Yahya revolted & was imprisoned. Threat of Alawis eliminated.)
  Khawarij also tried uprising but were subdued.

Mamun as the heir apparent

 In 182AH, Mamun Rasheed was declared heir (at age 12) to Amin
 Imam Abu Yusuf, Abu Hanifa’s student and the Chief Justice of Harun Rasheed, passed away in
182AH
 Abu Hanifa once told Abu Yusuf that he would sit with kings one day. (Abu Yusuf came from a
poor family. Many books on finance. Landmark book on taxation-Kitabul Khiraaj)

Mutamin as next heir

 In 186AH, Harun Rasheed’s third son Mutamin was declared heir to Mamun
 He was first emperor to declare three heirs one after the other in their young ages
 He divided his empire into three parts and gave each part lifetime governorship to one of his
sons
 Eastern Empire was given to Mamun-Persia, Asian….
 Arabia was given to Amin-Iraq, Syria….
 Western territories were given to Mutamin
 They were to remain in their territories until they got the caliphate
 All of this was written in a document that was hung on the Kabah – only king to do this
 Harun Rasheed was famous for three kings: Hajj, Jihad and charity. (No caliph did as many Hajj
as he did.)
 One year he would go for Hajj and one year he would go for Jihad-for 22 yrs
 He use to give Dinars (gold) in thousands as charity
 No king was as generous to the people of Hijaz as he was. In 186 AH during Hajj, he spent
105,000 dinars on the Hijaz ppl. No one had ever been so generous.

Revolt

 Yahya Ibn Abdullah Barmakid (/Barmuk) and his two sons Jafar and Fadl played a high role in the
court. Yahya was prime minister, Fadl and Jafar were tutors to his sons. Yahya’s family was a
major pillar & trustee to Haroon Rashid’s. They almost ran the entire caliphate.
 The Barmuk family were also the advisors to Abu Jafar Mansoor’s caliphate. Khalid, Yahya’s
father was Abu Jafar’s advisor, but was deposed from his post later. Another was appointed &
he was also deposed. The 3rd one was Rabi bin Yunus. His son Fazl bin Rabi did not have the type
of influence his father did while the Barmuk family’s position rose again. So both of these
families were opposed to each oth er. But Fazl bin Rabi’s family did not have proper evidence to
reveal the the true intentions of the Barmuk family.
 However the Barmakid family wanted to get revenge for the murder of Abu Muslim Kharasaani
by Abu Jafar Mansoor because the Barmuk family & Khurasaani belonged to the same race.
 In 186AH, on his return from the Hajj, Harun Rasheed ordered for Jafar Barmuki (Amin’s tutor)
to be killed and it was carried out-it was shocking to the men who were ordered to do the act.
 (The reasons were kept hidden from the general public due to which various rumors and tales
were narrated to unravel the reason behind this and we find these inauthentic stories in many
history books.)
 Jafar was killed because he and his family was trying to cause the people of Khurasaan to revolt,
and during the Hajj, he was informed of this. (Revenge for Khurasaani’s murder was a common
interest to the Barmuk family & the ppl of Khurasaan. The chiefs & ppl of Khurasaan were
unable to take revenge against the mighty Abbasids, so were raised with hatred for the Abbasid
dynasty. So they planned to get close to the royal family to get their revenge finally.)
 2 mistakes made by the Barmuk family:
1. They had accused a man named Ali bin Eesa of revolting against Haroon Rashid. Ali
went to Haroon Rashid personally & disclosed the secret intentions of the Barmuk
family that they got the ppl of Khurasaan ready to revolt against the Abbasids soon.
Haroon was shocked as he never imagined their sincerity to be false.
2. Jafar had released Yahya bin Abdullah (the brother of Nafs Zaki who had revolted
against Haroon Rashid & was imprisoned) to lead the revolt.
3. (Also, in response to a man’s remark that Abu Muslim Khurasaani had intelligently
transferred the rule from one family to another, Jafar replied that it was not by
intelligence but by the blood of 600,000 ppl…he had somehow implied that he was
planning to do the same-ie. change the ruling families. Haroon Rashid was notified of
this comment.)
 Besides having Jafar executed, he had Yahya & Fadl imprisoned and their plan was unable to
materialize. Yahya and Fadl died in prison later. Their influence was no more, after the
tremendous influence they exerted on the caliphate before.
 Al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi (who was the one who exposed the Barmakid’s plans) succeeded Yahya the
Barmakid as Harun's chief minister.

Module 14:

 Within seven years all three key members of the Barmak family had passed away
 There was a revolt in Khorasan so Harun Rasheed left for Khorasan with an army, but he got sick
along the way and passed away in 193AH.
 He left the army under the control of Mamun Rasheed
 Fadl Ibn Rabi took the army back to Ameen, against Harun’s will. This was the first violation
against Mamun Rasheed
 Mamun went to Khurasan, and the people there welcomed him and supported him. He then
made Khurasan his stronghold
 Ameen became the king
 900,000,000 dinars were left in the Baytul Maal by Harun Rasheed-indicates the prosperity of
the Islamic empire.
 Harun Rasheed had also established institutes of translation and compilation (called Madinatul
Hikmah) in Baghdad to translate works from different languages into Arabic
  Harun Rasheed would go with his children to study under Imam Malik in Madinah. He was a
great scholar himself.
 Harun Rasheed was very religious and would cry when he was admonished by scholars and
pious people. (Story abt Haroon Rasheed and the glass of water…)
 By appointing his sons one after the other, Harun Rasheed had made a mistake which proved
disastrous after his death

Reign of Amen Rasheed

 Dissention began between Ameen and Mamun

 Mutamin’s territory Jazira were taken away by Ameen
 Amen then declared his son Musa to be his successor
 He sent a letter to Mamun to pledge allegiance to Musa, Mamun rejected
 Amen tore out his father’s document from the Kabah, and this caused Mamun to oppose him
openly
 The people of Khurasan supported Mamun as he was already their governor before, and his
mother was Persian
 Mamun sent his forces to fight Amen’s forces but Mamun’s forces got into the capital, captured
Amen, imprisoned him and killed him

Reign of Mamun Rasheed

 Mamun did not find Mutamin suitable for kingship which was a condition, and his father had
willed for him to judge this as stated in the document
 Mamun called a meeting with the leaders and they discussed for a few months who should
succeed him
 It was recommended to appoint Imam Ali Raza as heir apparent, Imam Ali was a pious and
intelligent man. It was a major change-Mamun did not appoint any relative.
 Mamun got his daughter married to Imam Ali to establish blood relations with him.
 The Alawis supported Imam Ali. So, Mamun indirectly recognized the Alawis.
 This allowed the Alawis to gain high positions in the Caliphate – He was the first Abbassid Caliph
to do this.
 (Policy of treatment of Alawis: Abul Abbas Saffa –offering gifts to appease them. Abu Jafar
Mansoor & Haroon Rashid-force & murder. Mamun Rashid-recognised them.)
 Mamun had changed the standard dressing from black (Abbasid) to green (Alawi). His own &
other governors also.
 He recognized that Muawiyah was incorrect to have gone against Ali ra’s caliphate.
 Imam Ali Raza passed away while encamped with Mamun and eating grapes. This was a sudden
death and affected his plans
 Imam Ali Raza was buried with Harun Rasheed, and Mamun spent three days at the grave-shows
the extent of love he had for him.
 Mamun then declared his brother Mutasim as his heir apparent
 Mamun’s last words when dying “Oh You Who’s kingdom is eternal, have mercy on the one
whose kingdom is ending.”
 Spain was still under Ummayyad rule, Morroco was under the rule of Idrees Ibn Abdullah,
Tunisia also became independent
 Tahir Ibn Husain was appointed as governor of Khurasan but rebelled and established his own
dynasty there.
 Yemen also developed its own independent rule (Muhammad bin Ibrahim).
 So 5 territories-Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Khurasan & Yemen -were independent by 213 AH.
 The Abbasids rule was waning
 During Umayyad Era, they ruled all kingdoms but the Abbasids lost many territories to
independent rulers
 On the other hand, Abbasids contributed greatly to the spread of knowledge by establishing
centers, schools, translation houses, etc (esp under Mamun’s rule who was a major supporter in
this)
 Mamun wanted the books of Aristotle so he wrote to the Roman Emperor asking for it
 The Emperor consulted his priests who said that they locked away these books because they
caused problems for their followers, so they suggested sending it to the Muslims so that it
causes problems in their beliefs too
 So 5 camels loads worth of books were sent to Mamun
 Mamun called scholars from all countries and religions to study and teach and research and
translate in Baghdad.
 Books on different sciences were also gotten from Egypt, Palestine, India, Rome & Sicily. They
were translated into Arabic.
 List of scholars in different fields who lived in Baghdad at that time (Translation-Ibn Ishaq Kindi,
Costa -the son of Luca, Yaqubn Kindi, Hunain bin Ishaq, Abu Jafar Yahya, Muhmammad bin
Musa Khawarizmi (Algebra),…. Mamun encouraged them by paying not only a salary, but also
gold & silver equal to the weight of the books they translated/compiled.
 Mamun was influential in the rise of science, technology and philosophy. (Astronomy-
Established an observatoy in Shamsiyyah. Measurement of circumference….)
 Farrah Nahwi was a famous scholar of Arabic grammar who had his own room in Mamun’s
palace. Asmayi in Arabic literature-lived in Kufa. Calligraphy…
 These philosophies and their influence led to the fitna of the Mutazilites
 Caliphs

Muawiyah

41-60 AH

Yazeed

60-64 AH

Muawiyah Ibn
Yazeed
(Muawiyah II)
40 days-2 months

Umayyads (Hakami branch)

Marwan ibn
Hakam

9 & 1/2 months

Abdul Malik Abdul Aziz

65-86 AH

1. Waleed 2. Sulaiman 4. Yazeed 5. Hisham 3. Umar II

86-95 AH 95-99 AHH 99-101 AH

Marwan ibn
Muhammad (last)
 Abbasids

Abu Abbas
Safaa
132- 136 AH

Abu Jafar
Mansoor
136-158 AH

Mohammad
al Mahdi

1. Musa al 2. Haroon ar
Hadi Rashid
1 yr 170-193 AH

Ameen Ma'moon Mu'tamin Mu'tasim

193-198 AH 198-218 AH
 (Postmidterm: Mods 15-28)

Bismillah
Original Notes by Ustad Ismail.
Purple- Extra additions .
Blue -Extra info from text.
(Please do not rely only on these. These are only a supplement to the module videos & text and not a
replacement for them. Also refer to Ustad Ismail’s Ppts for a better understanding.)

Islamic History 102 (Postmidterm):

Module 15:

 Mamun was responsible for the development of the sciences in Baghdad (initiated by his father)
and the Muslim world
 He brought in scientists, translators, scholars, etc from around world, from all religious
backgrounds, to work together
 A revolution in the field of science took place during his lifetime
 Astronomy developed during this time as well including the movement of the moon, sun, stars,
etc – because our calendar revolves around the moon’s size, and our Qiblah is based on the
direction of the Kabah, and the Quran encourages looking at Allah’s creation of the heavens as
signs of His Power
 The Quran inspired the development of science
 Medical sciences also developed during this time, based on the Quranic references to
embryology, medicine, etc. Allah wants us to observe and ponder over our creation and status
in relation to Him.
 The Islamic Laws of inheritance (and Zakah) in the Quran caused the development of
Mathematics
 Verses on geography and geology-oceans, mountains, clouds, rainfall, etc. Encouragement to
study the natural laws set by Allah.
 The Quran encourages seeking and developing knowledge in all fields
 The development of these sciences is to see the greatness of the Creator and bring us closer to
Allah.
 All the books of other languages were translated to Arabic. New research was also in Arabic. So,
Arabic was THE language of that era.
 Mamun died in 218 AH

Reign of Mutasim Billah 218-227AH

  The Romans would occasionally create trouble for the Muslims so they could regain their lost
glory.
 Mamun’s brother Mutasim (gov of Syria & Egypt) proved to be brave and wise in the battlefield
against the Romans so Mamun appointed him as his heir apparent
 Mutasim was not as educated as his brothers because he was not interested in studying
 His father appointed him a slave to teach him – slaves held high status in the Muslim world
 In the Muslim world, slaves were not treated badly, they were captives of war but they were
treated well and given high positions
 Harun and Mamun Rasheed were well educated but Mutasim was not.
 After the death of his teacher slave, Mutasim’s father (Haroon) asked him what he was going to
do. He replied that as the slave was no more, he was rid of his books too---shows lack of interest
in education, unlike his brothers. Due to his different interests, he did not continue the
development of knowledge in the various fields like his father or brother.
 Mutasim was strong, well built, brave, a wrestler and a soldier. So this was his contribution to
the Abbasid empire.
 The fitna of the creation of the Quran began during the reign of Mamun Rasheed who punished
some scholars for not believing in it
 Mutasim continued this trend and he was responsible for the imprisonment and lashing of Imam
Ahmed Ibn Hambal for opposing the belief in the creation of the Quran
Revolt of Muhammad ibn Qaasim
 Muhammad Ibn Qasim (An Alawi) revolted during this time and started to claim Caliphate-he
was instigated to claim the caliphate being an Alawi, by a Khurasaani.
 Maybe Many people of Khurasan had given him the pledge of allegiance in Madinah.
 The people of Khurasan supported the Alawis so they supported him
 The governor of Khurasan, Abdullah Ibn Tahir (independent from Abbasid empire) captured
Muhammad Ibn Qasim and sent him to Mutasim
 Mutasim had him imprisoned but he escaped and ran away
 Another imp development-Babak Kurmi also revolted against Mutasim and Mutasim besieged
him.
The Capture of Amurya and the battle of Rome
 Before being captured, Babak told the Roman Emperor to seize this opportunity to attack the
Muslim lands, as the Muslim army were focused on Babak Kurmi. Babak felt the Muslim army’s
pressure on them would be reduced if it divided itself to battling Babak and the Romans at the
same time. (But by that time Babak was defeated and killed later at the end of the siege, so the
Muslims were ready to face the Romans.)
 The Roman Emperor, Nofil bin Michael, started attacking and destroying some Muslim cities –
He brought 100,000 soldiers to ravage 2 cities (Maltiyah & Zabtarah-Mutasim’s birthplace),
killed all the men & took the women and children as captives. Mu’tasim was furious.
 This angered Mutasim and it was brought to his notice that a Hashimi woman was dragged away
by a Roman soldier and she was calling out “O Mutasim, O Mutasim,”
  This caused him to (stand up on the throne and say “Labbaik, Labbaik”) jump on his horse and
give the call for Jihad to save the Muslim captives
 When Mutasim’s army reached the city, the Roman army had fled
 Mutasim took an army of 100’000 to avenge these cities
 The rulers of the past believed they were responsible for the lives of their citizens. They took
immediate action, no matter how powerful the attackers were. (Similar to how Muhammad ibn
Qasim & Tariq ibn Ziyad had taken revenge for those who sought their help)

Module 16:

 The strongest city of the Roman empire was Amurya, the birthplace of the emperor Nofil.
 Mutasim (alongwith the governors of Armenia & Azerbaijan) attacked and besieged the city of
Amurya in vengeance against the Roman king. Supplies to the city were cut off.
 After 55 days, he conquered the city. They had surrendered.
 This was a message to the Romans not to attack the Muslims again.
 The Roman emperor fled to Constantinople.
(End of Mod 15 according to text)
Mu’tasim’s kingdom
 Mutasim’s kingdom was different from his predecessors, as he was not into education.
 He was wrestler and a strongly built man. He showed his prowess in the military field. He also
liked constructing buildings.
 (Not in video-He had Abbas bin Mamoon and others who were conspiring to overthrow his
caliphate, killed.
 Afsheen was the governor of Armenia & Azerbaijan and had also participated as a general in the
capture of the Amurya and overthrowal of Babak Khurmi. But later tried to instigate revolts in
many places against Mu’tasim, and sent stolen goods to his hometown. A committee off judges
also found him guilty of being anti-Islam. He was a clear hypocrite, and trying to revive the
Zoroastrian religion by preserving its books and desecrating the Quran, Prophet saw, etc. He
wanted a Zoroastrianism govt to come to power and the Islamic govt to fall. He was finally
executed.
 Mu’tasim wanted to capture Andalus which was still under the Umayyads, but died before he
could try to.)
 He conquered significant parts of East- Kabul, Uzbekistan, Marawunnahar, territories of Rome,
etc. His successeses against the Roman emperor were greater than any previous caliph.
Conquest of Amurya-30,000 Romans killed & 30,000 captured. So the Romans really feared
him.)
 More Kings from different countries would appear in his court than any other Abbasid king (Imp
role in international politics)
 Mutasim was the first king to promote Turks to high positions-Why?
  Due to the high positions Turks and Khurasanis occupied, they started thinking they should claim
kingship and establish their own empires. So, Mutasim wanted to reduce their power &
influence.
 3 nations at peak political power- Arabs in the Umayyad dynasty, Khurasaanis in the Abbasids,
Turks in Mu’tasims rule.
 Later proved dangerous for the Abbasid dynasty as the Turks wanted the rule too. His mistake.
He should have strengthened the Arabs to match up to the Khorasanis instead.
 Interesting fact: Mu’tasim-also linked to No. “8”
 8th child of Caliph Haroon Rasheed,
 Born- 180/178 AH.
 Became caliph in 218 AH.
 8th Abbasid caliph.
 Lived 48 yrs.
 Had 8 sons & 8 daughters.
 Caliph for 8 years, 8 months & 8 days.
 Birth constellation-Scorpio-8th Zodiac sign .
 Had 8 palaces built.
 Won 8 major battles.
 8 kings came to his court.
 Killed 8 imp enemies.
 Left 800,000 dinars, 800,000 dirhams, 8000 horses, 8000 slaves & 8000 slave girls.
 Died on 8th of Rabiul Awwal.
 Mutasim Billah died in 227AH.
 His rule was the peak of the Abbasid dynasty. Began its decline after this.
 A lot of scholars suffered due to the creation of the Quran issue in his reign-the biggest blemish
to his otherwise fine reign.
 At this point in time, the great Imams of Fiqh had lived and produced their great works in Fiqh
like Al-Umm by Ash-Shafi’ee and Al-Musnad by Imam Ahmad
 Imam Bukhari also lived during this time and the science of examining the narrators was
developed, and Hadith compilations were taking place.
Wathiq Billah
 Mutasim’s son Wathiq Billah ruled as Caliph from 227-232AH (pg 458-459).
 Arabs lost their honor during Wathiq’s caliphate. First time any caliph sent a foreign army (Turk-
led by Bagha Kabeer) to discipline & humiliate the Arabs tribes disobedience in Makkah to
Madinah.
 Wathiq also killed many scholars (like Ahmed bin Nasr) with his own hands, in the creation of
the Quran issue. He regretted it towards the end of his life.
 The most influential person in Wathiq’s regime after the caliph-Qadi Ahmad bin Abi Dawood.

Reign of Mutawakil Alallah 232-247AH

 He was Wathiq’s brother. Real name-Jafar bin Mu’tasim. His title was Mutwakkil AlAllah.
  He and his brother Wathiq didn’t get along well. Also his brother’s prime minister, Qadi Ahmad
bin Abi Dawood, was arrogant and had humiliated Mutwakkil during Wathiq’s rule. After
becoming the caliph, Mutawakkil had him imprisoned & had all his property seized.
 Time and again the Romans would invade the Muslim territories, and when the Muslims
confronted them, they would make treaties in exchange of POWs but would break them again.
Happened 4 times.
 In 238AH, the Romans invaded Egypt with a fleet of 100 ships, they took over Dimyat and
burned down the Masjid & looted the city, they then did the same to Tunis, and they took many
Muslims as POWs.-1st time.
 In return, Ali Ibn Yayha invaded Roman territories and captured many Romans to maintain the
balance.
 Queen Nadurah forced the Muslim prisoners to either convert to Christianity or die, many
converted and many died
 She then asked for peace and the prisoners were exchanged between the Muslims and
Christians
 The Romans then breached their treaty, Mutawakil then declared Jihad against the Romans and
moved to Damascus to supervise this Jihad. -2nd time.
 Within two months, an epidemic broke out in Syria and Mutawakil had to return to Baghdad
 Two Muslim armies invaded Rome and conquered many forts until the Romans asked for peace
 In 245AH, the Romans again broke their treaty and these events repeated themselves-3rd time.
 This happened again in 246AH, a fourth breach was done by the Romans so Mutawakil launched
a full scale attack against them to stop them from thinking of invading the Muslim territories
again. -4th time. Muslims sent 2 forces-land & naval.
 In 246AH, 2,300 Muslim prisoners were freed
 Mutawakil followed the Sunnah belief, his son Muntasir believed the Quran was created, this
led to clash between them, so Mutawakil did not want his son Muntasir as his heir and wanted
to appoint his other son Motaz instead. This led to enmity developing on the part of Muntasir
which eventually led to his father’s murder
 Some Turkish commanders were angry with Mutawakil as well, and they teamed up with
Muntasir to eliminate him, and they were successful.
 So, the issue of the Quran led to his martyrdom. Consequences of translating roman & greek
philosophical books in Mamun Rasheed’s time.
 He also took great interest in reviving the sunnah and delivering hadith in public on the
attributes of Allah which was not permitted during both the previous caliphs rules. He stopped
grave worship, so became the enemy of Shiites who worshipped Imam Hussain ra’s grave.
 Muntasir became the next Caliph
 It was these debates over the creation of the Quran that led to disunity of the Abbasids and the
eventual downfall of their Caliphate

Module 17:
 In the Abbasid era, the Muslim world reached its peak in knowledge, and scholars contributed
greatly to the fields of astronomy, medical science and geography
 The Romans had sent the books of Aristotle to the Muslim world as a gift with the hope that it
would cause division and disunity among Muslims, these books caused the arising of Mutazilite
ideas which split even the Abbasids themselves
 Many verses which encourage seeking knowledge & learning
 1st Surah revealed-Iqra’-about reading.
 Adam as given precedence over angels due to his knowledge taught to him by Allah.
 Many hadith to seek knowledge.
 Seeking knowledge of medicine-Hadith: For every disease there is a cure.
 Contributions of the scientists during this era –remainder of module
Lecturer ppt in video:
From 750 AD-science flourishing under Abbasids in Baghdad
 House of Wisdom (in Baghdad)-Golden age-algebra, optics, windmills, and lots more.
Scientific contributions before European Renaissance (700-1500 CE)
 History of Arab-Islamic science & Muslim scientists:
8th CE-Jaabir bin Hayyan-Chemistry.
9th CE
 (part 1)-Al Khawarizmi – Maths.
 (Part 2)- Ar Razi -Maths
th
10 CE
 (part 1)-Al Mas’udi
 (Part 2)- Abu al Wafa
th
11 CE
 (part 1)-Al Biruni
 (part 2)-Omar
 Scholars & fields
Abdul Malik ibn Quraib al-Asmayi (740-828)
 Zoology
 Botany
 Animal husbandry
Muhmmad bin Musa al-Khawarizmi (770-840)
 Maths:
 Algebra
 Concept of zero
 Algorithm
 Calculus
 Astronomy
 Geography
 And more
 Took part in Caliph Mamun’s competiitons.
 Abu Uthman Amr ibn Bakr al Basri al Jahiz (776-868)
 Zoology, Arabic grammar, rhetoric, lexicography
 Wrote a 7 vol book on plants & animals.
 Wrote 200 books on different scientific fields.
Yaqub ibn Ishaq al Kindi (Alkindus) (800-873)
 Philosophy, Physics, Optics, Medicine, Maths, Metallurgy, etc
 270 books-called an Encyclopedic scientist
 Wrote 4 books on how to use the hindu numerals.
Most of the scientists were either from Baghdad or Basrah or Spain. Mostly from 9th-10th CE-during
Mamun’s period.
Jabir bin Hayyan (Geber)-8th CE
 Chemistry
Thabit ibn Qurrah (Thebit) (836-901)
 Astronomy, mechanics, geometry, anatomy
Ali ibn Rabban al-Tabari (838-870)
Abu Abdullah al Battani (Albategnius) (858-929)
 Astronomy, maths, trigonometry
Abul Abbas Ahmad al Farghan-Astronomy, civil engineering
Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (Rhazes-864-930)
 Medicine-very famous. Opthlamology, smallpox, chemistry, astronomy
Abu al Nasr al Farabi-Sociology, logic, philosophy, political science, music
Abbas ibn Firnas-Mechanics of flight, artificial crystals. Reputed to be the first man to
fly.
Abd ar Rahman al Sufi-Astronomy
Abul Qasim al Zahrawi (Albucasis)-Father of modern surgery.
Abu Wafa Muhammad al Buzjani-Maths, geometry, astronomy, etc
Abul Hasan Ali al Masudi-all fields in Social sciences-history, geography, sociology,
anthropology, causes of earthquakes.
Abu ali Hasan ibn al Haitham (Alhazen)-math, scince, Pioneer in optics-laws of
reflection & refraction, in depth study of light. Wrote 7 vols on Optics only.
Abu al Hasan al Mawardi-Political science, sociology, jurisprudence, ethics.
Abu Raihan al Biruni-Astronomy, maths. Determined the earth’s circumference. Wrote a
landmark book on the history of Indian subcontinent & its philosophies, customs &
culture-1st time.
Abu Ali al Hussain ibn Abdallah ibn Sina (Avicenna)-medicine, astronomy, philosophy &
maths. Very famous. Landmark book in medicine-Al Qanoon (Canons of law). Major
reference work in medicine for many centuries in European universities.
Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Yahya al Zarqali-Astronomy- invented the astrolabe. From Spain.
Omar al Khayyam-Maths, poetry.
th
11 CE
Abu Hamid al Ghazzali-Philosophy, Sociology, Theology. Famous book in philosophy-
Ihyaa Uloom al deen. Many more, but most were lost.
 Abu Marwan ibn Zuhr-surgery, medicine
Abu Abdallah Muhammas al Isrisi-Geography. Invented first world map/globe.
12th CE
Abu Waleed Muhammad Ibn Rushd (Averroes)-Philosophy, law, medicine, astronomy,
theology. Disciple of Aristotle-revived his ideas, but also introduced lslamic ideas.
Famous book in Islamic law/fiqh- Bidaayatul Mujtahid
Nasir al Din al Tusi-Astronomy, non-Euclidean geometry-refuted the ideas.
Al Bitruji-Astronomy.
Jalal al din ar Rumi-sociology, philosophy. Famous book-Masnawi
Damishqi-Astronomy.
13th CE
Al Baitar-Botany, pharmacy. Famous book
Ulugh Beg-Astronomy
Abdur Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Khaldun-History, sociology, politics. Famous work
on history-Tareekh ibn Khaldoon.

This is brief summary of the Muslims contribution.

Present world, since period of enlightenment-Only 50,000 works of Muslims has been brought
to research. 5 million left untouched.

(Table by Sr. Nahid Egan)

Name Field Century Location Book Comment

Jabir bin Hayyan chemistry 8

Muhammad astronomy, math geometry Al Jabr wal discivered principles of algebra,

alKhawarizmi Muqabala
introduced zero
alRazi math

Abdul Malik al Asmai zoology, botany, animal husbandry 9

Utman al Jahiz zoology, grammar, rehtoric Kitab al 7 vol book on animals

Haywan

Yaqub Ishaq alKindi philosophy, physics, optics 9 240 books, 4 on hindi numerals

Tabit ibnQurrah astronomy, geometry 9

Tabri ? 9
Abu Abdullah Battani astronomy 9-10

Abbas alFarghani astronomy, civil engineering determined earths circumference

Nilometer or flow Nile

Muhammad Zakariya medicine, chemistry identified small pox

alRazi

Abu Nasr Farabi sociology, political science, music

Abbas Firnaz fight mechanics, artificial crystals, constructed and tested

planetarium flying machine

Abdurrahman Sufi astronomy

Abu Qasim Zahrawi surgery Kitab al Tasrif considered father of surgery

Al Bajari math, geomtry, trignometry,

astronomy

Abul Hasan alMasudi sociology, history, cause of Basra

earthquakes

Ali ibn Haytham optics, math, Basra/Egypt laws of reflection/refraction;

Abul Hasan Mawardi political science 10-11 al Ihkam

alSultaniyyah

Abu Rihan al Biruni astronomy, math, physics 10-11 Multan Kitab alHind book on Indian culture and
history

Abu Ali Ibn Sina medicine, philosophy, math Al Qanun

(Cannons of
Law)

Yahya Zarqali astronomy Spain

Khayyam math, poetry

Hamid alGhazali philosophy, sociology Baghdad Ihya uloom

/Nishapur uddin,
Kimya sadat

Marwan ibn Zuhri medicine, surgery

Abu Abdullah Idrisi geography 11-12 Spain/Sicily Book of Roger2 first to draw world map
(Tabula
Rogeriana)

Abu Waleed ibn Rushd astronomy, law, philosophy 12-13 Spain Bidayatul revived Aristotelean philosophy
Mujtahid
 wanihayatul
Muqtasid

Nasiruddin Tusi astronomy Spain refuted Eucedian geometry

Nuruddin Bidruji astronomy

Jalauddin Rumi sociology, philosohy, metaphysics Masnavi Rumi

Ibn Nafees Damishqi astronomy

Abu Abdullah ibn Baitar botany, pharmacy Spain

Mohammad Ulubegh astronomy

Ibn Khaldoon history, political science, sociology Tarikh Ibn

Khaldoon,
Muqaddama
ibn Khaldoon
philosophy of history

Module 18:

History of Islamic Spain:

Spain before the Muslims
 Geography of Spain – a peninsula (surrounded by water on 3 sides, connected to France on 4th.)
 200,000 sq miles.
 Spain aka Iberia aka Andalusia is the Southern European tip near North West Africa
 North-West Africa was ruled by Musa Ibn Nusair during the time of the Ummayyads
Factors leading to the Muslims invasion of Spain
 The people of Spain were under oppression from their king Roderic and Musa Ibn Nusayr
wanted to assist them
 Roderic had raped the daughter of Julian, Count of Ceuta and King Julien asked the Muslims for
help.
 The Christians had more faith in a Muslim commander, than their own Roman emperor in
meting out justice. (Another example-Princess of Sicily had went to complain to Umayyad king
Hisham bin Abdul Malik about her inheritance being taken wrongfully by her uncle)
Musa bin Nusayr’s decision
 Musa sent his freed slave Tariq Ibn Ziyad to assist him. He had only 7000 Berber soldiers in 4
boats. He had a dream on the way and was sure of victory.
 Upon arriving in Spain, Tariq had the ships burnt so his people can’t retreat and have to fight
 He did this after dreaming that the Prophet Muhammad told him they will be victorious
 They were attacked by surprise but defeated their enemies with 7000
 Then Roderic himself led an army of 100,000 against Tariq’s army of 12000 footmen only (earlier
7000 + 5000 sent by Musa ibn Nusayr as reinforcement. Did not have even 1 horse.)
 Tariq Ibn Ziyad’s army fought very bravely as his dream gave them optimism of victory. Win or
be martyred.
Tariq Ibn Ziyad’s conquests
 In 92AH, Tariq Ibn Ziyad’s army defeated Roderic’s army. Roderic had to escape. 711 CE.
 First time since time of Sahabah that such a small ill-equipped army defeated such a large well-
equipped army
 Roderic was killed and the battle was won by the Muslims
 The Muslims advanced after killing Roderic and conquered multiple territories of Spain-the
capital Coledo, then Cordoba, etc
 After this Musa Ibn Nusair arrived in Spain with 18000 soldiers
 Waleed Ibn Abdul Malik was informed of these victories
 Musa Ibn Nusair appointed his son Abdul Aziz Ibn Musa as governor of Spain and returned to
North Africa to govern that area.
Governorship and death of Abdul Aziz Ibn Musa
 (The Christians of Spain owned many slaves. The slaves were oppressed and made to work hard.
They were unhappy with their masters. So, Abdul Aziz issued a new order: Any slave who
accepted Islam would be set free. Led to mass conversions.)
 Abdul Aziz assisted the oppressed slaves of Spain and many of them converted to Islam
 This is because Muslims treated slaves with respect, compared to the Christians who oppressed
them
  The Unitarian Christians (believing in the oneness of God) also started converting to Islam.
(So, slaves & Unitarian christians)
 A large population of Spain had converted to Islam.
 A freed slave (Tariq ibn Ziyad) became the source of freedom of slaves from slavery in Spain. The
position of slaves in Islam vs other religions.
 Then the widow of Roderic also married Abdul Aziz bin Musa bin Nusayr and it is important to
note that she was not forced to accept Islam and continued with her religion (Christianity).
 Abdul Aziz also appointed Christian officers to high administrative posts in different territories of
Spain.
 The Muslims and Non-Muslims of Spain supported Abdul Aziz as he was a just ruler, and the
Christian rulers were oppressive.
 (Con-Abdul Aziz’s Christian wife influenced him in the administration, and this was not liked by
the Muslim commanders)
 When Waleed Ibn Abdul Malik died and Sulaiman became king, he had Musa Ibn Nusair tortured
 Abdul Aziz in retaliation tried to make Spain independent from the Umayyads, so Sulaiman
discovered this in 98 AH and sent someone to assassinate him and he was successful
 Ayub Ibn Khabib, nephew of Musa bin Nusayr, became the next governor of Spain.
 Ayub shifted the capital to Cordova. Due to his popularity & influence, he was deposed and
replaced by Harb bin Abdur Rahman Ghafqi as the governor. He was ruthless & meted out
violence to the officials of Musa and Abdul Aziz’s time and also the Christians and Jews. The
people were unhappy and sent a deputation to discuss the matter with the caliph in Damascus.
 Lucky for them, Caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz had just come to power and he immediately
deposed Harb with Samh bin Malik Khulani (who was in position for 2 yrs & 8 months).
 Samh was a military man & friend of Tariq bin Ziyad. Worked to promote justice & prosperity
among the people. His governorship reflected the caliphate of Umar ibn Abdul Aziz.

Module 19:

Reforms during reign of Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz.

 In the time of Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz, he had the governor of Spain, Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani,
do a census of Spain and draw up a map marking its populations, and they organized rules of
finance (poll tax, ujr, jizyah, etc) and produce for Spain. Many mosques and bridges built.
 Just as Umar ibn Abdil Aziz was the most remarkable Umayyad caliph, Samh was the most
remarkable governor of Spain from all.
 Al-Samh was martyred during an expedition to try and conquer France. Abdur Rahman bin
Abdullah Ghafqi was elected the commander, and he courageously managed to bring them
back safely to Spain, without being defeated by the French.
 Muslims tried to conquer Southern France multiple times but were unsuccessful.
 Anbasa bin Suhaim Kalbi was now the governor of Spain, as Samh had deputed him before
leaving for battle.
(End of Mod 18 video)
Reign of Utbah Ibn Hajjaj 117AH-123AH

 Another great ruler of Spain was Utbah Ibn Hajjaj Saluli

 He set up police forces in every city in Spain and as a result was able to maintain peace and
safety. Also set up horse patrols to patrol the city.
 He established courts in most cities and villages of Spain so people did not have to travel to go
to court, he set up Qadhis for all these courts and paid them well. Justice was brought to
peoples doorstep.
 He established a Madrassa (school) in every village of Spain so everybody could be educated
 He build Masjids wherever necessary with Madrassas attached
 In order to keep the Berbers peaceful, he gave them constructive jobs and kept them busy
 He brought down taxes to a reasonable amount.
 This shows the care and concern of the governors for their ppl. They did not focus on the cities
and ignore the villages. All were well taken care of.
 When there is justice and injustice, only justice survives. When a ruler is unjust, he brings about
his own failure

Reign of Yusuf Ibn Abdur Rahman Fihri - Establishment of independent Umayyad State

 Spain became independent from the rest of the Muslim world

 He divided Spain into five territories, each with their own governor: Andalusia, Toledo, Merida
(Galicia), Saragossa and Arbonia (Catalonia)
 Andalusia was the most fertile part of Spain and included the famous cities of Cordova and
Granada, Seville, Cedonia, Karmona.
Cordova-center of learning. Cedonia-1st battle of Tariq bin Ziyad vs. Roderick. Karamona-1st
Umayyad king sought refuge in a fort.
 Spain was conquered during the Umayyad era and was ruled by their governors primarily

Reign of Abdur Rahman Ibn Muawiyah

 When the Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads, Abdur Rahman Ibn Muawiyah Ibn Hisham Ibn
Abdul Malik (the heir of the Umayyads) escaped to Northern Africa and from there to Spain.
(Details of his escape and suffering for 5 yrs-pg 61-63)
 Spain was still under the rule of the Umayyad governors so he went to Spain and it remained an
Umayyad State. He was warmly welcomed and made the ruler.
 (Abdur Rahman also did away with Yusuf Ibn Abdur Rahman Fihri later.)
 This was the 1st independent state in Islamic history. He removed the names of the Abbasid king
from the Friday sermon. This angered the Abbasid king.
 The Abbasids sent their commander from North Africa, Ala’a bin Mughith, to attack Spain and
bring it under Abbasid rule
 The governor of Toledo turned against Abdur Rahman so Abdur Rahman had besieged him but
he refused to give in
 While besieging Toledo, the governor of North Africa Ala Ibn Mugith arrived to fight him
  He lifted the siege and went to fight Ala Ibn Mugith ‘s army
 Abbasid’s flag was black and Umayyad’s flag was green
 Many Spanish people and soldiers started supporting Ala Ibn Mugith and Abdur Rahman was left
with 700 men and he sought shelter in the fort of Carmona. He remained in the fort for 2
months. Spain was in turmoil and disorder during that period.
 In the fort, they did not have supplies and so instead of dying of hunger he decided to face Ala’s
army.
 They unsheathed their swords and set fire to the sheaths-like Tariq bin Ziyad did to the boats-
sign that they would fight till death.
 They attacked the army while they were not ready/not alert and so were victorious. Ala was
killed, his head was sent to Caliph Mansur and the Umayyads had established their rule over
Spain. 700 of Abdur Rahman’s men killed 7000 of opposition-Battle of Carmona.
 This battle took place in 146 AH
 He then ended the rebellions and brought all of Spain under Umayyad rule.
 Loved art & learning. Built educational institutions & mosques all over. Grand mosque of
Cordoba’s foundation laid by him, but died soon.
 He possessed the qualities of a king and deserved his position. More details abt his character &
habits-Pg 76-80.
 He died in 172AH-ruled for 33 yrs. Appointed son Hisham as successor.
 The Umayyads ruled Spain for 290 years
 Spain became the first State which was independent of the Abbasids in 138 AH. Happened
during Abu Jafar Mansoor’s caliphate.
 Till next 400 yrs.

Reign of Hisham Ibn Abdur Rahman

 He led an expedition into Southern France and gained a huge booty which he used to construct
the famous Cordova Masjid which cost 45,000 gold coins to build.
 The total booty was 5 times more than that amount.
 The force had 40,000 men.
 It took ten years to build and remains a monument in Spain today.
 Made Arabic compulsory in all madrasasChristians leant it & read Quran directlyaccepted
Islam in large numbersbecame closer to MuslimsMuslim started marrying Christian women
& Christians also dressed like Muslims.
 He was also loved by the ppl and called, “Sultan, The Just”. Both he and his father were pious.
 The 4 different madhabs evolved during his timeImam Malik in Madinah heard about his
virtuesexpressed his respect for him and said he only deserved to be the Caliph of all
Muslimsangered the Abbasid rulersImam Malik was in trouble.
 Hisham also adopted the madhab of Imam Malikall expenses of those who wanted to study
fiqh & Hadith under him would be borne by the Baitul Maal & all judgments were based on the
Maliki madhab.
  Rule was like Umar ibn Abdul Aziz’s.
 He ruled for 7 yrs.
 Umayyads had lit the spark of arts & learning in Spain, which was the foundation for progress in
Europe later.

Module 20:

Islam in Spain

Reading Assignments:

The History of Islam’ Akbar Shah Najeebabadi V- 3 P 158-182

Anarchy in Spain 420 AH

 The Banu Umayyah lost control of Spain in 420 AH. Hisham bin Muhammad?- last Umayyad
ruler. Banu Abbad dynasty gained control after them.
 Hakam Ibn Abdur Rahman was the last Umayyad king of Spain.
 Spain fell into a state on anarchy for remainder of its history with many different families
coming into power
 Different areas were ruled by different families, and they began to fight to take over the country
as the new rulers
 Abul Qasim Muhammad became the judge & then has taken over Seville and his family ruled it,
his son Abu Umar Abbad took over after him and called himself Mu’tazid and conquered nearby
territories. Internal conflict between him and other Muslim rulers began, as they were not from
the Umayyads now. Each wanted to conquer the territories of others. Disunity among Muslims
gave opportunity to non-muslims.
 Ferdinand, ruler of Castile, attacked Seville. Mu’tazid lost.  He agreed to pay a tribute to
Ferdinand, until Ferdinand’s death.
 Mu’tamid Ibn Mutazid, ruler of Seville at that time started continued paying a tribute to the
Christian king to stop attacking Seville.
 Ferdinand’s son, Alfonso VI, then became the king. With the tributes gathered from various
Muslim territories, a mighty army had been built, which could not be matched by an
independent Muslim ruler. Meanwhile, Mu’tamid tried to strengthen his rule so they could stop
paying tribute. 10 yrs after Ferdinand’s death, he stopped paying tribute. Alfonso decided to
attack them.
 Disbelievers, led by King Alfonso saw this as an opportunity and conquered many cities before
he attacked Seville.
 Mutamid’s army was no match for Alfonso’s. So, Mutamid was ready to pay tribute. Alfonso
accepted with 2 conditions
 1. His wife be allowed to deliver her baby in the grand mosque of Cordova
 2. The palace of Zara be vacated for him.
Mutamid was furious and said he will teach him a lesson. Alfonso was frightened and was
reluctant to attack, so he spread a rumour that Mutamid had asked the king of Morocco for
 help. Mutamid was pressurized to withhold this rumored action, but said “I prefer watching the
camels to favoring the pigs” ie. he preferred grazing the camels of the Moroccan ruler than
serve Alfonso’s pigs.
 Then he decided to ask for Yusuf bin Tashfain, ruler of Morocco, for help.
Christian Brutality in Spain
 Alfonso had attacked and conquered many other cities in Spain and was brutal in his treatment
of Muslims.
 When Christians conquered Muslim territories in Spain, they would massacre, force conversions
and destroy Masjids or convert them into churches, but when Muslims conquered Christian
lands, they would let them practice their religions in peace.
Rise of Yusuf Ibn Tashfeen
 Yusuf Ibn Tashfain, ruler of Morroco (famous and strong), as called upon for help and he went to
Spain with army to team up with Mutamid to face Alfonso.
 Arrogance of Alfonso on the size of his army-said even the angels from heaven wouldn’t be able
to defeat his army. He also wrote a letter to Yusuf bin Tashfain, badly abusing him. Yusuf replied
in 1 sentence: “One who remains alive will see”. Frightened Alfonso again.
Battle of Zalacca
 A historical battle (Battle of Zalacca) took place between Yusuf’s army and Alfonso’s army in 479
AH, in which Yusuf was victorious and the Muslims remained in control of Spain for another
century.
 Alfonso had an army of 60,000 and Yusuf+Mutamid only had 20,000 but the Muslims defeated
their enemies and only three men (and Alfonso) from Alfonso’s army survived.
 V imp battle in Spain because it fortified the Muslim rule in Spain for many centuries.
Disunity of Spanish Rulers
 Yusuf left back to Morocoo, but internal conquests & fighting among Muslim rulers re-started.
Mutazid did not reform his rule or strengthen it after getting a second chance, so Yusuf bin
Tashfain visited Spain and tried to unite the Muslim rulers as one strong force. But the rulers
started fighting with each other in his own presence. He was shocked & returned to Morocco.
 Again he visited Spain, but with men from his administration to strengthen the Muslim rule in
Spain. He also besieged Toledo which had been taken by Alfonso and asked for the help of other
Muslim rulers, but they did not help him. He lifted the siege of Toledo and arrested the Muslim
ruler of Grenada-Abdullah bin Balkin (who had refused to help) and sent them to Morocco to
teach them a lesson. He appointed his nephew, Sair bin Abi Bakr bin Tashfain, as a viceroy on
his behalf in Spain. (End of Bani Abbad rule & beginning of the Murabit dynasty’s rule in Spain,
extending from Morocco.)
 Sair wanted to complete the unfinished conquest of Toledo begun by his uncle, but found the
Muslim rulers supporting the Christian rulers in his battles against them. He informed Yusuf
about this. Yusuf was saddened, but advised him to ask them once again for help and if they still
refused then he could conquer the Muslim territories along with the Christian’s. And that’s what
he did. But he faced strong opposition from king of Seville, Mutamid who was the strongest
ruler there.
  Mutamid sought the help of Alfonso, his ex-enemy, against Sair! Reason: The rulers were proud
that they were Arabs, while Sahir & Yusuf were Berbers and did not want to be ruled by them.
But Sair successfully stopped Alfonso’s force on its way to support Mutamid & also besieged the
city of Seville.
 Mu’tamid was arrested and sent to Morocco, where he died later. So, the Murabit rule was
established in 485 AH in Spain & was saved from Christian occupation.
 In 500 AH, Yusuf died and his son Ali took over the rule till 537 AH.
 Yusuf’s victories brought him recognition & gifts from the Abbasids and he was well known.
 Muslim jurists were strong & valued during the Almoravid rule. Yusuf & Ali followed Maliki
madhab and were of correct Aqeedah.
 Sometimes Muslims would even take the Christian ruler’s sides to overthrow the opposing
Muslim ruler. Shows the extent of disloyalty of Muslims to each other.
 Ali’s rule weakened and the Murabit rule ended with the death of Ali in 537 AH.
 Next was al Muwahhideen (AlMohads) dynasty.

Reign of Muraabitoon (Almoravid) in Spain

 After this, the Muslims fell back into internal politics and started fighting each other
 So Yusuf came back took over Spain
 Yusuf ruled Spain peacefully until 500AH when he passed away
 The Arabs were unhappy with Yusuf as a ruler because he was a Berber (racism)
 Ali Ibn Yusuf ruled Spain until 537AH
 Granada and Spain fell into the Christian hands in 592AH due to internal fighting, racism, power-
struggle and siding with Christians against Muslims
 In 537AH, the Almohads took over Spain and Morroco from the Muraabitoon

Summary of dynasties in Spain:

 Umayyads: 138-428 (Duration-290 yrs.)
 Banu Abbad: 428-480
 Murabit (Yusuf & Ali Tashfain): 485-537

Module 21:

Topic:

Islam in Spain - End of the Murabit rule of Spain and Morroco - Reign of the Al-Muwahhids (Almohads) -
Crusaders defeat the Almohads - Christian Brutality in Spain

Reading Assignments:

The History of Islam’ Akbar Shah Najeebabadi V- 3 P 183-191

  The Murabits ruled Spain and Morroco together for around fifty years
 During his rule Ali bin Tashfain appointed his brother Tamim as the viceroy of Spain.
 Ali tried to conquer Toledo in 506, which was still under Alfonso. He besieged it but was
unsuccessful as it was well fortified.
 He came to Spain again in 513-515 AH to regain the Muslim lands conquered by Christians like
Sargossa. He & his brother were successful in the attempt.
 These show the concern of the Moroccan kings over Muslim Spain and their efforts to protect it
from Christian rule.
 This was the last trip of Ali to Spain, as after this he was preoccupied with a rising movement in
Morocco.

Reign of the Almohads

 In 517 AH, Muhammad ibn Ali Turmart in Spain claimed to be Imam Mahdi and started a revolt
against the Murabit rule (517-524-Almohad movmnt).
 He was born in Morocco and was Berber in race, but claimed to be of Fatimid origins (thru Imam
Hassan ra).
 Muhammad Al-Mahdi traveled to study under great scholars like Imam Ghazali and Shashi (he
spent 14 years studying under the specialists of each field, like law under Shashi). When he
returned to Morroco, he gained a large following due to his knowledge and piety and started the
revolt against the Murabits. (Ibn Khaldoon mentions he was pious)
 His group called themselves the AL-Muwahhids (Worshippers of One God) because he called
people back to Tawheed, but in Western books they are called the Almohads.
 His focus was perfection of Tawheed and attributes of Allah, but
 The Tawheed he preached was a mixture of Ashari, Shi’ite and philosopher’s Aqeedah. Declared
himself to be the Mahdi later and started a movement, and gained a large following against the
Murabit dynasty. Then began military activities against them.
 He kept Ali Ibn Yusuf Tashfain in Morroco and didn’t allow him to visit to Spain
 Ali’s son (Tashfain bin Ali) took over after him but was defeated by the “Mahdi”.
 In 537AH, the Murabit family lost rulership of Morroco and Spain. Tashfain bin Ali had only
ruled for a few months and died within 2 yrs-in 539 AH.
 Before passing away, Muhammad Al-Mahdi handed over the rulership to Abdul Mumin (who
was also the military commander & also a Berber)
 Al-Mahdi passed away in 539AH
 In 545?AH 542 AH, Abdul Mumin, established his rule over both Spain and Morroco (within 2
decades). He appointed his son as viceroy of Spain.
 Abdul Mumin founded the city of Rabat (then called Al-Fath), which is still the capital of
Morocco.
 In 595AH Abu Abdullah Muhammad also known as Nasir-Li-Deenillah became the Almohad
ruler at the age of 17
  At this time, Salahudeen Al-Ayoubi had defeated the Christians (Crusaders) in Syria and this
made the Christians very angry with Muslims and wanted revenge and so they went after Spain
with a large force of crusaders.
 At the same time, King John of England faced revolt led by the Arch-bishop and the nobles
 He wrote to Nasir asking for help, and his willingness to embrace Islam
 Nasir doubted that he would truly accept Islam sincerely, and just wanted help to regain his
power
 Nasir prepared a force of six hundred thousand in Seville to face the crusaders. First time such a
huge force was prepared in Muslim history -600,000.
 But Nasir was a miser (and was not interested in battles or bloodshed so) and didn’t pay his
soldiers well and this cause dissent in his army.
 Many soldiers refused to fight in the battle and this caused chaos and led to the Muslim army
being defeated, only one thousand survived, and Seville being lost. Great disaster for Muslims.
 The Christians started pillaging Muslim villages and slaughtering Muslim men, women and
children and the captives.
 Many territories were lost to the Christians during this period
 In 625AH, the Almohads were defeated by the Christians and the Muslims of Spain were divided
into a few small territories.
 Last almohad ruler was Abdul Wajid Adil.
 Lesson: A ruler should not ignore the maintenance of his army.
 The strong Muslim rule in Spain had ended.
 Period of Muslim rule in Spain: 138-610 AH.
 Major muslim Dynasties to rule Spain
1. Banu Umayyah
2. Banu Abbad
3. Al Muraabit
4. AlMohads.

Module 22:

Topic:

Ubaidullah/Fatimid Dynasty - Rise of Muhammad Habeeb and Abu Abdullah - Establishment of

Ubaidullah dynasty in Egypt and Tripoli - Civil War in Egypt - Salahuddin Ayubi as Prime Minister of Egypt
- Rise of Ayubi Dynasty

Reading Assignments:

The History of Islam’ Akbar Shah Najeebabadi V- 3 P 237-244, P 264-270 Supplementary Reading: V3 P
244-264

The Ubaidullah Dynasty-late 3 AH:

  A man in Syria named Muhammad Habeeb claimed lineage to Jafar Saadiq (through his son
Ismail) and began calling people to support him and he preached Ismaili Shi’ism.
 He had Rustum to help him in this. Sent him to Yemen (where recognition for Imam Jafar was
prevalent) to propagate the impending arrival of Imam Mahdi.
 He sent his follower Abu Abdullah to Yemen to learn from Rustum how to preach and to call
people (in the Berber territory) towards supporting him and to promote his son Ubaidullah as
Imam Mahdi. (Preparing the groundwork for his son’s future reign-using the hadith prophesizing
the arrival of the Mahdi)
 After Yemen, Abu Abdullah then went to Makkah for Hajj and had the opportunity to meet
pilgrims from various places, including the Kutama ppl of North Africa.
 Abu Abdullah gained support from the wealthy Muslims of Kutama in North Africa and
established his base there.
 The governors of Kutama and nearby areas like Egypt & Tripoli were informed of this movement
rising against their rule.
 The governor of Egypt, Ziyadatullah, realized there was an uprising and tried to get rid of Abu
Abdullah, by imprisoning Ubaidullah and (Abu Abdullah’s brother-) Abul Abbas
 Abu Abdullah had gained a large following (and territories) and was able to muster a huge army
of 200,000 and defeat the governor’s armies and eventually took over the lands-in 296 AH. He
had Abu Abbas & Ubaidullah al Mahdi released.

Reign of Ubaidullah Al-Mahdi

 When Ubaidullah Al-Mahdi was freed, he was set up as the new Caliph of Egypt and Tripoli and
the Ubaidullah/Fatimind Dynasty was founded. (Aghlabid dynasty was uprooted)
 After coming to power, Ubaidullah wanted to get rid of Abu Abdullah and Abul Abbas for they
had more influence than him. (Abu Abdullah was the reason for the rise of their empire)
 Abu Abdullah learnt of Ubaidullah’s intentions and began promoting to the people that he was
wrong and Ubaidullah was not the Mahdi.
 The people began accepting it and held meetings on this and for verification sent their most
pious scholar Shaykhul Mashaaikh to visit Ubaidullah and look/ask for the signs of the Mahdi on
him
 Ubaidullah realized he won’t be able to fool the Shaykh so he had him beheaded
 This angered the ppl and led to uprisings and revolt against Ubaidullah and finally he plotted and
had both Abu Abdullah and Abu Abbas assassinated and consolidated his rule over Egypt and
Tripoli in 298AH.
 He built the Mahdiya City.
 He ruled for 24 yrs. Succeded by his son Abul Qasim aka “Qaim Bi Amrillah”
 The Fatimids continued to rule Egypt for almost three centuries-ie. until the 7 AH. (296 AH-567
AH)

The fall of the Ubaidis and Rise of the Ayubis

 The final Ubaydi/Fatimid Caliph was Azid Ibn Yusuf Ubaidi who came into power in 558AH
 During his reign, Christian crusaders (Romans) were taking over many Muslim lands and had set
their sights on Egypt.
 Azid had appointed Shadar Sa’di as prime minister of Egypt but he was betrayed by Dergham
who had him exiled and killed his son
 Shadar fled to Syria and sought the help of Nurudin Zinghi (gov of Syria during Abbasid
caliphate) who was a staunch opponent of the Crusaders
 Nurudin sent his brother & famous commander Asaduddin Sherkoh with an army to assist
Shadar and they were victorious
 However, after Shadar was reinstated as prime minister, he betrayed Sherkoh and Nurudin and
sided with the Christians
 Shadar with the assistance of the Christians was able to drive Sherkoh back to Syria but now the
Christians refused to leave Egypt and had set conditions to let the Muslims rule in under them
 At this point in time, Azid Ubaidi sort assistance from Nurudin to defeat the Christians and
Nurudin sent Sherkoh and and his nephew Salahudeen Ayyubi back to Egypt. (The letter didn’t
reach Nuruddin as it was intercepted by Shadar. Nevertheless, Nuruddin was aware of the
situation and decided to send help to Azid.)
 Sherkoh had defeated the Roman Christians and killed Shadar for his betrayal and in return, Azid
appointed him as Prime Minister of Egypt.
 Sherkoh passed away soon thereafter in the year 565AH
 Salahudeen Ayoubi was appointed the next Prime Minister of Egypt.
 Strategic alliance between Syria & Egypt.
 Salahudeen began to reduce Shi’ite influence in Egypt and opened up many Shafi’ee and Maliki
institutes instead
 The Crusaders become worried about losing Jerusalem back to the Muslims and rose up to fight
the Muslims in Syria once again.
 With Salahuddin Ayyubi’s strategic military planning, he kept the Romans on the Egyptian side
engaged and advised Nuruddin Zenki to do the same to the Romans on the Syrian side so that
the Roman army would be split.
 The Muslims continued to be victorious against the Crusaders
 The Shi’ites of Egypt and Sudanese were growing angry with Salahudeen and his Sunni reforms
and being a follower of Imam Shafi’ee and promoting it.
 The shi’ites tried to turn Azid against Salahudeen and gain support of the Christians but were
unsuccessful
 Salahudeen then started referring to the Abbasid Caliphs in his khutbahs, instead of Azid,
thereby recognizing the Abbasid Caliphate and not the Fatimids. Orders were given to do the
same in all the mosques in Egypt, but there was no opposition.
 Azid passed away on 10 Muharram 567AH and the Ubaidi dynasty died with him
 Egypt then came under the rule of Salahudeen Al-Ayoubi and his descendants, the Ayoubis who
supported and served under the Abbasid Caliphs.
  Salahuddeen Ayyubi regained the Muslim glory -rescued Palestine & Baitul Maqdis, Syria &
Egypt from the Christian crusaders.

Summary:
 Aghlabid dynasty uprooted
 Ubaidi dynasty begins. Duration-3/4-7AH (270 yrs)
 Ayyubi dynasty

Misc
 Ubaidi-incorrectly called the Fatimids. Ismailis or Batinis.
 Ubaidi lineage to Fatimah ra-false claim
 Ubaidis-Shiite. (Idrisis in Morocco-Ahlu Sunnah.)
 Hassan bin Sabah was an Ubaydi.
 Ubaydis did not serve Islam in any significant way, and thousands of pious Muslims were
killed under them because they respected the Sahabah.

Please note I am unable to prepare notes for module 23 onward due to time constraints. I apologize
for that.

Please email me any corrections to these notes, as they probably contain a few mistakes.

Mod 23
Topic:
Ottoman Dynasty - The Last Saljuk King - Reign of Osman Khan - Expeditions of Orkhan
Reading Assignments:
The History of Islam’ Akbar Shah Najeebabadi V- 3 P 361-367
Ottoman Dynasty

 Asia minor (now Turkey)

 Marvelous Islamic empire-spanned 3 continents (Asia, Africa & Europe)
 Genghis Khan from Mongolia was conquering Muslim lands
 In Asia minor, a kingdom called Kunya (exists till today) had been founded by the Seljuk dynasty
in 470 AH, by Israel bin Seljuk. (ar Rumi is buried there)
 In the 7th century, during Alauddin Seljuki’s rule, it had weakened and faced threats from 2
fronts-Mongols on the East, and Roman Christians on the West. But was successful against
Romans before, plus new addition of the Mongolian threat now.
 Sulaiman Khan, leader of the Turkish Oguz tribe in Armenia feared for the devastation of Kunya
like other Muslim lands, from the impending Mongolian attack. He decided to help his Muslim
brother Alauddin, even though they had no contact before.
 Sulaiman sent his son, Artughril Khan with a 444 man army. On reaching Kunya, the battle
between Kunya and Mongols had already begun, but he was unable to distinguish who was who.
He witnessed one side showing signs of defeat, so he joined that side and launched a fierce
 attack on the opponent side and successfully gave it a crushing defeat. It was an unexpected
miracle for Alauddin.
 Sulaiman Khan also arrived soon with a full force.
 An important event which changed the course of Muslim history as this was the beginning of the
mighty Ottoman empire, in 621 AH.
 In gratitude, Alauddin gave them the highest positions: Sulaiman Khan was made commander-
in-chief of the Eastern front of Kunya to face Mongol invasions, while Son Artughril was given
the Western side to rule (Angura-now known as Ankara) facing the Roman side. So, both
successfully eliminated any threats that arose.
 In 634 AH Alauddin died and his son Ghayasudeen took the rule. He also like his father was
grateful to Sulaiman and his son.
 Sulaiman died-drowned while crossing the Euphrates.
 Artughril (died 687 AH) had a son named Osman Ghazi (Osman I). Ghayasudden was impressed
with Osman, invited him to his capital, appointed him commander in chief of the kingdom and
married him to his daughter. Then he was elevated to the post of PM. He was even permitted to
give the Friday sermon instead of Ghayasuddeen. He was the highest official after the king &
also his son-in-law.
 Ghayasuddeen was the last Seljuki ruler. Seljuki dynasty: 470 AH-699 AH.
 Ghayasuddeen didn’t have a son, so appointed his son-in-law Osman Ghazi as his successor.
 Osman Ghazi is considered the founder of the Uthmani (Ottoman) dynasty in 699 AH- takes its
name from him.
 Osman was a devout Muslim, polite, generous and very brave. His character endeared him to
the masses.
 So, the Seljuki dynasty was slowly replaced by the Ottomans, all due to Sulayman’s sincere
intentions to help his brother in Islam, on time.
 This little Kingdom of Kunya conquered lands from both sides-Easter & Western-and became the
marvelous Ottoman empire, proving the caliber of Osman Ghazi, grandson of Sulaiman.

Roman attack

 The Roman emperor decided to launch a fierce attack thinking that Osman being new, so would
be inexperienced and incapable.
 The result was the opposite-Osman not only successfully repulsed them, but also conquered the
strategic Roman city of Eskisehir. Osman now shifted his capital from Kunya to Eskisehir.
 Osman began capturing more Roman areas, and the Roman emperor Caesar was helpless. So,
he wrote to the Mongolians to attack the Eastern side of Kunya, so Osman’s army could become
divided and the Romans could face them better. The Mongols agreed to do so.
 Osman sent his son, Orkhan to face the Mongolian invasion on the Eastern front. He was
successful and the Mongols were defeated and retreated. Orkhan rushed back to join his
father’s conquests of Roman lands. They reached until Lexi, the borders of Asia minor in the
North. The Christians had to vacate city after city to give up to the Muslim conquests. All the
lands from south to north were under Osman Ghazi.
 Orkhan also conquered Bursa in West, a magnificent Roman city. Osman Ghazi though sick,
wanted to go there. He died soon after reaching it and was buried there, as he wished.

Osman’s will
 Osman Ghazi made a very significant will to his son Orkhan.
  Some of its points:
Do not forget your devotion to Allah
Do not fail in observing piety, mercy & justice
Never disobey the Shariah
Make Bursa the new capital.
 Osman Ghazi died 727 AH. After 27 yrs of magnificient rule.
 He had remarked that he was satisfied to be succeeded by his son. Shows the caliber of his son
Orkhan-the 2nd Ottoman ruler.

Mod 24

Topic: Ottoman Dynasty - Reign of Orkhan I - Alauddin as Prime Minister - Modernization of armies
and institutes

Reading Assignments:The History of Islam’ Akbar Shah Najeebabadi V- 3 P 369-375

 Osman Ghazi died 727 AH. On his death, only 3 things were left by the King of Kunya Osman
Ghazi-sword, armor & girdleproof of his simplicity & piety.
 Crescent-the national symbol of the Seljuks- upheld as the national symbol of the Ottomans. Still
present in the Turkish flag of today. Also present in the Pakistani flag & generally has been taken
as a Muslim symbol worldwide.
(End of mod 23-according to text)
History of the Roman empire
 Roman (& Persian) empires-founded 600 yrs before Jesus (ie. before BC).
 Roman empire- founded by Julius Caesar. Succeeded by Augustus.
 Early 4th century-emperor embraced Christianityempire split into 2- Eastern & Western.
 Eastern –capital Constantinople
 Western-capital Rome
 Western suffered more foreign attacks than Eastern.
 Roman empire constantly in conflict with the Persians (Magians-fire worshippers). Capital-
Mada’in.
 Persian also founded before BC, but ravaged by Alexander the Great. In 2nd century-Sassanid
dynasty captured power & ruled till 6th-7th century.
 Meanwhile, Islam emerged from Arabia as one strong, disciplined & organized power. (Before
the Arabs were just small tribes fighting among themselves.)
 (Persian empire was conquered by Muslims soon after Islam, while Romans survived against
Islam for a long time. Asia Minor was a disputed territory between Christian Romans & Muslims
for 700 yrs.)
 Diplomats were sent from developing Muslim Arabia to Rome & Persia, but they did not
appreciate/recognize them and considered them as mere disunited tribes like before. They
killed some diplomats during the Prophet saw’s time (Battle of Mu’tah) & sent their army to the
Arabian borders too (Ghazwat at Tabuk).
 The Muslims marched ahead & continued conquering Roman (& Persian) territories and they
kept retreating, but they still refused to acknowledge the new Muslim nation, thinking they
could regain the lost territories after a while.
  In 48 AH-Muawiyah besieged Constantinople for a few monthssent message to the Roman
emperor that Muslims were not weak & should be recognized as a nation. They did, but never
whole-heartedly, so kept up attacks to eliminate them.
 Persian empire had been wiped out much earlier & the Persian empire had to seek refuge in the
Chinese emperor’s place. He was finally killed by a greedy man for his clothes & jewellery.
 When Seljuk dynasty was founded in 470 AH in Kunya, it had to face Roman occupation and
invasion right from the beginning for 200+ yrs. ( Even invited the Mongols to attack them.) They
would not give up any opportunities to defeat Islam-until Constantinople was conquered by
Sultan Muhammad II. Even after the Roman empire had disappeared, other European nations
like Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia, etc kept up attacks against Muslims (Abbasids & Ottomans)-like the
massacres they committed before Salahuddin Ayyubi liberated Palestine. Made agreements
with Muslims, but later violated them repeatedly, until World War I, when Ottoman empire was
finally destroyed by the Europeans.

Rule of Orkhan
 Youngest son of Osman Ghazi. Another son, Alauddin, was more education & scholarly oriented,
while Orkhan was militarily inclined. The latter was chosen to succeed Osman ghazi, so as to
face the Romans & Mongols.
 Alauddin was more of an ascetic & preferred to live in a village studying & teaching. Orkhan
wanted his brother to participate in the state-of-affairs and persuaded him to do so. He was
made the PM.
 Orkhan conquered even more territories of the Romans upto Danube pass and also Asia Minor,
in his 1st year.
 The Romans had given up ideas of anymore attacks, so Orkhan spent 20 years focusing on
strengthening the internal administration throughout the Ottoman empire. Their reforms are
greatly praised until today.

Reforms
 Janissary force:
 There were a huge number of Christian POWs after conquest of Asia Minor (and many
Christians settled as dhimmis on Muslim territory). Alauddin advised his brother to
recruit the young POWs and specially train them to protect the royal family and the
empire, to prevent them from being misused against the empire, by the feudal lords. So,
many training centers were opened for this and were given advanced training,
promotions, ranks, uniforms, stipends, Islamic morals & ethics, etc. Islamic teachings &
exclusive military training made them into pious Muslims & top soldiers. Became
almost like citizens of the empire.
 Christian families were so pleased that they started competing to send their children to
these centers for training. This became renowned and was called the Janissary force.
 Alauddin also introduced a code of military conduct which was to be strictly observed by
the men  a disciplined forcebecame so prestigious that the Roman emperor sent
his own son Theodore to be asked to be recruited into it.
 Schools/madrasas were opened in different parts & Christians enjoyed the same rights as
Muslims in all areas like trade, education, religion, etc
 Lands were given to the Christians to build churchesled to many Christians willingly
converting to Islam on witnessing this. Similarly many Christians who were in the Janissary force
also embraced Islam.
  Construction – hundreds of roads, mosques, schools, universities, hospitals, libraries, offices,
departments (esp police), parks, etc. Construction peaked at this time.
 Alauddin was the mastermind behind these reforms.
 Roman emperor Caesar Cuntacuzenus changed his policy & recognized Orkhan as the legitimate
rule of Asia minor. In fact, he had his beautiful daughter Theodora married to Orkhan Ghazi &
established good relations with him.
 The citizens and the other kingdoms all recognized Orkhan & Alauddin’s wisdom and caliber.

Mod 25
Topic:
Ottoman Dynasty - Attack on Venice - Death of Orkhan I - Reign of Murad I - Death of Murad I - Reign
of Sultan Bayazid
Reading Assignments:
The History of Islam’ Akbar Shah Najeebabadi V- 3 P 375-382

 Sulaiman Orkhan Ghazi, Orkhan’s son, was also a governor of a territory during his father’s rule
 2 strong naval forces, Venice & Genoa, were at conflict with each other over the coast.
 Venice had a bad relationship with Ottoman empire, while Roman empire was not on good
terms with Genoa. As Ottomans were on Genoa’s side, Romans wanted Venice to win.
 The Ottoman empire needed to safeguard its Western coast as well.
 Sulaiman arrived at Venice with only 40 men & conquered the famous fort of Gallipoli there.
Venice’s ally, the Roman emperor wrote a letter to emperor Orkhan to vacate the fort in
compensation for a huge sum of money. (They both were also on good terms now.)
 Orkhan instructed Sulaiman to vacate the fort and he was ready to comply, but the wall of the
fort had collapsed in an earthquake, making an entrance into the city of Gallipoli. So the
Muslims entered the city.
 The Roman emperor wrote to Orkhan requesting for the city to be vacated, and he replied that
the Muslims did not occupy it by force and explained how they had entered it, and said he
would ask his son to vacate it anyway. The Roman emperor did not pursue the matter further,
to maintain good relations with the Ottomans.
 Sulaiman did not vacate the city because this city was necessary to safeguard the Western coast
of the Ottoman empire, from Venice.
 Later Sulaiman fell from his horse and died. His father was grieved as he had considered making
him the heir apparent. He then chose another son as the heir-Murad I.

Murad I
 Became the emperor after Orkhan’s death in 761 AH.
 Was preoccupied with internal problems, but went on expeditions to conquer parts of Europe in
763 AH, conquered Adrianople, a magnificent city of the Roman empire. It was now declared
the capital of the Ottomans (prev was Bursa) and renamed as Edirne.

1st Attempt against the Ottomans-765 AH

 The Roman emperor was angry and asked the Pope to incite the Europeans & masses in
Crusades against Murad I.
  A great force was prepared for the Crusades. On learning this, Murad I dispatched a force of
only 20,000 under famous commander Lala Shahin. This small army of the Ottomans defeated
the huge number of Crusaders in 765 AH.

2nd Attempt against the Ottomans-778 AH

 For 12 yrs after that, the Roman emperor & European countries (Serbia, Bulgaria, Hungary, etc)
made massive preparations-army of hundreds of thousands. The pope of Rome himself would
participate in the battle. Also a number of European kings, princes, governors, etc. They were
ready to re-capture Adrianople form Murad I, in 778 AH. The Ottomans were victorious again
and the huge non-muslim army was defeated & humiliated.
 The non-muslim nations apologized for this & were ready to pay compensation and signing
peace treaty.
 Serbia gave silver & agreed to provide 1000 horsemen whenever Murad I required.
 King of Bulgaria gave his daughter in marriage to Murad I and pledged allegiance to him.
 Roman emperor offered 3 daughters in marriage-one to Murad I, and two for his sons.
 The Roman emperor requested for his son Theoders to be accepted into the Janissary force-
mentioned in prev module. He was accepted and arrived in Adrianople.
 Around that time, Murad I had to go to Asia minor to curb some uprisings. He left his son Sawji
in Adrianople to rule in his absence. Andronecus, a son of Caesar, who had come there
instigated Sauji to revolt against his father that he could have power over Adrianople. Sawji fell
for it & he and Theodore assembled a force and revolted.
 Murad wrote an angry letter to the Roman emperor and asked him the intentions behind
sending his son. The emperor was terrified and said he would punish his son & do what was
necessary.
 Murad I returned to Adrianople, at the place of revolt. He said he would forgive those who
wished to return to his side.
 Sawji & Theodore tried to escape but were captured. Sawji was blinded and killed. Murad asked
the Roman emperor to do the same to his son, but he was reluctant and only temporarily
blinded him and he recovered later.

3rd Attempt against the Ottomans-791 AH

 Even larger scale
 Almost entire Europe. And many other countries too.
 Reasons:
1. Wanted revenge for the previous 2 defeats.
2. Romiliya was also conquered by the Muslims now.
 Muslims had a setback-the 20,000 Muslim force in Romiliya was exterminated by Christians.
Murad was in Asia minor and shocked to hear this news and immediately left to Adrianople.
 Muslim army was only 1/4th of the Europeans.
 In 792 AH, Ali Pasha, Ottoman army commander, subdued the Bulgarian king. The Serbian king
defended him & challenged the Muslims. So the Serbians were leading the whole of Europe
against the Ottoman Muslims.
 The battlefield was in Kosovo. The Muslims travelling from Adrianople were exhausted after
their long journey. The Europeans were fresh & fit and took up the strategic locations.
 The Muslims arrived at night and the battle was to begin the next day. They saw the huge
enemy and were planning how to deal with them. Different commanders gave different ideas.
Wind & dust were also blowing towards the Muslims, giving them poor visibility.
  Murad left the place and went into prostration in solitude and praying for Allah’s support the
whole night and asking Him to protect His religion & the honor of His prophet and to overlook
the Muslims sins.
 His duas were answered & it rained the next day and the dust settled and gave the Muslims
hope.
 Murad led the center body.

The battle of Kosovo

 Battle began. Continued for a day & was fierce.
 The King of Serbia & many dukes were captured & the men were defeated. The Muslims had
won Alhamdulillah. A lesson for their arrogance.
 150,000 were killed. Bitter defeat.
 Murad asked for the Serbian king to be put in prison, but with respect. Was killed later.

Murad’s martyrdom
 When the Christian army was retreating, one of their Serbian commanders left and wanted to
join the Muslim army & embrace Islam. He also wanted to share a secret with the king.
 He was brought before Murad and showed his willingness and while touching the king’s feet, he
pulled out his dagger and pierced the king’s chest.
 He had ruled for 32 yrs. Was buried in Bursa.
 His son Bayazid Yaldaram succeeded him & had also faced battles by the allied forces. He
fought one of the major battles of the Ottoman dynasty. He was successful like his predecessors.
(But later a Muslim ruler invaded & challenged Bayazid and this caused setbacks for him.)
 This Ottoman victory gave strength to the Muslim rulers elsewhere and established the Muslim
presence in Europe for future.

Summary of Murad’s reign:

3 battles with the allied Christian forces-Muslims won in all:
 1st -765 AH
 Led by Lala Shahin
 20,000 men.
 2nd -778 AH
 3rd -792 AH-Battle of Kosovo
 largest battle of all.
 1/4th of the enemy size.
 Serbian king caught & killed
 Murad I was martyred

Mod 26
Topic:
Ottoman Dynasty - Reign of Sultan Bayazid Orkhan - The battle of Ankara - Death of Sultan Bayazid
Reading Assignments:
The History of Islam’ Akbar Shah Najeebabadi V- 3 P 382-397

Son Bayazid Yaldaram- In 793 AH.

 Same year Serbia & Bosnia revolted. He curbed it & they became Muslim tributaries.
 Ottoman empire now stretched from Euphrates in Iraq to the Danube in Europe.
  Egyptian Abbasid caliph, Mu’tasim Billah, then gave the title “Sultan” to Bayazid-1st time.
Previously they were called “Ameer”.
 He lived in Asia minor in 799 AH, away from the capital of Adrianople.
 In 799 AH he learnt of a new allied force against the Ottomans led by the king of Hungary.
Included Germany, Pomerania, Austria, Italy, Jerusalem, England, France, etc. England & France
were not on good terms, but the Pope brought them to reconciliation so they could unite
against the Ottomans. The Roman Pope declared that whoever participated in the battle would
be absolved of sins-Religious encouragement to the masses.
 The Roman & Serbian kings did not openly involve themselves in this war as they had treaties
with the Ottomans, but continued to secretly support the battle.
 They began marching into the European cities under the Ottomans and began ravaging, setting
fire, killing women & children and causing widespread destruction. Continued until they reached
the Ottoman vanguard.
 Ottoman army had only 40,000 soldiers. Allied forces had a minimum of 150,000+ men.
 The non-muslim army were so well equipped & huge that it was said that even if the sky fell,
they soldiers could lift it with their sword tips. Height of arrogance.
 The Ottoman vanguard had been sent in advance. They overtook the Ottoman vanguard, so had
an initial victory. They were overjoyed, but the real battle had not even commenced.
 The Muslim force (that was behind the defeated Muslim vanguard) began retreating and the
allied vanguard started advancing. Then the allied vanguard was encircled by the Muslim army
and was totally cut off from their full army & defeated. First big setback to the enemy. The very
few who managed to escape narrated this to the allied army which was terrified of the Ottoman
army’s power now.
 King of Hungary, Sajmund, was the commander-in-chief of the allied army and lead the army to
clash with the Ottomans. The non-muslims were defeated and the king fled to save his life.
150,000 men from the enemy force were killed.
 After seeing a large number of his soldiers lying dead on the battlefield giving up their lives to
protect the State, Bayazid vowed to take revenge of the allied forces that though defeated
caused unnecessary loss of lives to the Muslims by attacking them.
 Besides many kings who fled, at least 25 dukes, nobles & commanders were arrested and
brought to Bayazid. After questioning them, he set them all free saying that they were allowed
to go to their countries and make even greater preparations to meet the Ottoman army that
would come to battle them in their own lands.
Conquests
 They first conquered Athens in Greece, then Austria, then Hungary and so on.
 Taught them that they dare not think of invading the mighty Ottoman empire.
 Then turned to the Roman emperor in Constantinople. He tried to make many offers including
building a masjid in Constantinople, appoint a judge, give concessions to Muslim traders, to pay
high tributes to the Ottomans, etc. These conditions were accepted by Bayazid & Constantinople
was spared.
 The Roman emperor sent a letter to Amir Timur, a Muslim ruler in India & tried to incite him
against the Ottomans saying:
 They were allowed to rule over Constantinople since the time of the Prophet saw, the
rightly guided caliphs, Umayyads & Abbasids, but now Bayazid now wants to take over,
so they needed their help.
 The Indian rebels, Sultan Ahmed Jalair & Qara Yusuf Turkman, expelled by Amir Timur
were given shelter by Bayazid
  Timur left for Samarqand with a full-fledged force to fight Bayazid. The first time the Ottomans
were going to fight a Muslim ruler, going against the policy of the Ottoman dynasty, despite
their unwillingnessinfluence of the roman emperor’s letterdisaster for Muslims.
 Timur conquered Syria, Egypt, Baghdad. Then wrote a letter to Bayazid to release the 2 rebels.
Bayazid refused  preparations for battle between both.
 Timur also ravaged Azerbaijan & Armenia. Bayazid sent his son Artughril & a force of 4000 men
to face Timur in Sivas, but Timur managed to defeat him as well. Artughril & his force fortified
themselves into a fort, but Timur’s men dug a trench around the fort which made its walls
collapse. Then Artughril & his men were humiliated by being tied up, then thrown into the
trenches, then wooden planks laid to cover them and finally covered by sandburied alive.
 On hearing this, Bayazid was furious and though he was far, swiftly left to the site.
 2 more plots of Timur:
 Some of Timur’s soldiers disguised themselves as different professionals (doctors,
traders, beggars, etc) and entered as spies among the Ottomans.
 He also sent another group to the Ottoman army with the message that those who were
Mongols by race should join Timur who was also of Mongol origins. So, a large number
of the soldiers who were Mongols defected from the Ottoman army to join Timur’s. All
this took place in 803 AH.
 Timur then left to Ankara which was at the other end, so that Bayazid’s army could be
exhausted with travel. Meanwhile Bayazid saw the site of his son & soldiers army buried and
vowed revenge.
 Swiftly he left to Ankara with such speed that only 120,000 men could keep up with him (the
rest were left behind from the total of the 400,000 in the army, besides those Mongols who had
defected).
 There was water shortage during the journey and 5000 perished on the way. The army was
exhausted on arrival and lost its zeal.
The battle of Ankara (804 AH)
 Timur has 500,000-800,000 soldiersit was a disaster for the Ottoman army of 120,000 which
suffered various setbacks, alongwith Bayazid who was not in the right mind/emotion to plan
strategically.
 He was surrounded by Timur’s army, and he and his son were captured and imprisoned and
taken to Mongolia. He was not shown any respect for the position of being the Ottoman
emperor. He died after a few months there and his son Musa was allowed to return with his
body to Bursa where he was buried.
 Lesson: Important to control our temper & emotions no matter how bad the situation, to get
success.
 After Bayazid’s death, his sons fought among each other, and after killing one another for the
throne, Muhammad I was able to capture it.

Mod 27
Topic:
Ottoman Dynasty - Reign of Sultan Muhammad II - Events leading to the conquest of Constantinople
Reading Assignments:
The History of Islam’ Akbar Shah Najeebabadi V- 3 P 408-412

 Overconfidence & pride on the part of Bayazid after his victory over the Europeans was also
among the reasons for his defeat and humiliation at Timur’s hands.
Reign of Sultan Muhammad II
 The conqueror of Constantinople, the capital of Eastern Roman empire in 857AH/1453 CE.
 Ascended the throne at only 21 yrs.
 Was in constant company of the pious and scholars from 15 yrs until becoming the ruler,
besides military acumen and other leadership qualities.
st
1 event
 During the ceremony of his accession to the throne, his 8 month old step-brother was murdered
in the bathroom by a soldier, (to eliminate his future threat as a potential heir, due to his
mother being a Christian princess so as to eliminate any danger to the Ottomans.) But the Sultan
on knowing this applied the Qisas on the soldier and he was executed, according to the Quran
and the Old Testament too.
 The sultan was also on good terms with his step-mother, the Christian princess of Serbia & wife
of his father Murad II.
 Christians falsely accuse the sultan of having his step-brother murdered.

Events leading to the conquest of Constantinople

 An Ottoman prince, Orkhan, was a trainee with the Roman emperor, Constantine XII. Under the
guise of demanding more money for his expenses, Constantine tried to extract more money
from the sultan. He also considered the sultan to be weak. The sultan did not agree to this
unjust and greedy demand. (Text-says the prince was a threat to Sultan Muhammad’s throne, so
this was the excuse used by Constantine to blackmail the sultan)
 After a while, the Roman emperor again sent an emissary with the same demand.
 The Roman emperors always found reasons to create trouble for the Muslims and to incite
them, so the Sultan decided to put an end to this once and for all.
 Steps to accomplish this:
1. Signed a peace treaty with the king of Hungary, Hani Das (to strengthen the inside and
external border too)
2. Disciplined the Janissary force, so they would not step beyond their limits.
 When the Roman emperor came to know of the Sultan’s large scale preparation against him, he
informed the other European territories to get ready for battling the Ottomans.
 Christian Europe was divided into 2 main religious sects:
 Roman Church-led by the Archbishop of Rome
 Constantinople/Greek Church-led by the Archbishop in Constantinople
 The Roman emperor Constantine XII went to the extent of offering the Roman archbishop the
acceptance of his belief and also to make him the leader of the Greek church, if he helped him
against the Ottoman Sultan. The archbishop accepted the offer, so the Greek church also
supported the Roman church now and the Christians were united under king Constantine XII.
Christian preparations
 They declared a Crusade (Holy war) against the Ottoman Muslims and asked the other European
states for help. The whole Europe was now united against the Ottomans.
 City
 Constantine fortified the capital Constantinople-with a strong wall of 40 miles in
circumference.
 Trenches were dug around the city too.
 Erected a huge towers outside the city, to target any Muslims trying to cross the trench,
with arrows.
  Food grains, gunpowder, weapons, etc were supplied by various European countries to
Constantinople in abundance.
 Sea port
 The famous “Golden Horn” port was also fortified with strong iron chains on all sides
preventing entry of any Ottoman ships.
 They had 14 warships.
 Constantinople XII was a great military commander himself and was now ready to face the
Muslims.
 Sultan Muhammad had only his own humble resources and did not depend on aid form any
other Muslim nation. Had only 300 warboats-no match to the non-muslim army.
Muslims preparations
 Sultan Muhammad asked his blacksmith, Arban, (who was an ex-Christian who had served the
Roman emperor in making warships) to make long range firing cannons that could fire from afar,
into the city and the top of the towers. They could fire 8-10 balls daily.

Mod 28
Topic:
Ottoman Dynasty - Conquest of Constantinople
Reading Assignments:
The History of Islam’ Akbar Shah Najeebabadi V- 3 P 413-429

Conquest of Constantinople
 The biggest battle against Constantinople in Muslim history.
 Earned the Sultan the name “Sultan Mohammad Fatih”-the conqueror.
 He did not change his mind, despite the many loss of lives and other obstacles he faced.
Muslim preparations (cntd)
 Sultan prepared a cavalry of 50,000 horsemen + 20,000 infantry=70,000 total.
 Fleet of 300 warboats.
 26th Rabiul Awwal, 867 AH (1453 CE)-he was all prepared and standing outside Constantinople.
Even upon seeing all of the enemy’s preparations, he did not feel discouraged.
 Steps:
 1st - the Muslim navy besieged the port of golden Horn to prevent any European warship
from entering.
 2nd-he asked his men to dig mines to reach the wall ?. But the archers from the top of
the towers showered the diggers with arrows and the Muslims could not retaliate. A
significant number of soldiers were killed, so the Sultan ordered the Muslims not to
come out in the open and expose themselves to the arrows. This was an obstacle in
their advancement towards the city, but they kept up despite the losses.
 The Sultan pitched his camp at the main gate of Constantinople called “St. Romans”
 3rd-The Sultan had them make wooden planks to bridge the trenches so they could
reach the wall around the city. But the Muslims got no respite from the arrows and also
blazing cannons of oil, so the plan of crossing the trenches failed. They had to figure out
another way to get to the walls.
 4th-they made a wooden tower to reach the height of the walls. Then placed a wooden
ladder from the tower to the wall-like a bridge to cross. This also did not succeed as they
could not stand in the open due to the showering arrows, and were forced to retreat to
their camps.
 Meanwhile, the Sultan was informed of 5 European warships arriving to the port to
provide aid to the Christians. So, he instructed his warboats to face the warships (which
were no match) on the Marmara sea. The Muslim boats surrounded the 5 warships but
could not cause any damage to them, so they successfully entered the Golden Horn
port. The Sultan was disappointed at the failure.
Almost 2 months passed and there was no progress in nearing the wall, crossing the
trenches or entering the port. But they were constantly given spiritual support by the
encouragement and dua of the scholars and pious who had accompanied them for the
battle. But despite all the failed strategies, they were still completely determined to
conquer it. (End of video)

Text:
 Instead of focusing attacks on the city-wall, they decided to attack from the sea side-the Golden
Horn port. Only problem were the chains. There was on the east a 10 mile wide strip of land-the
Bosphorus Straits. They laid wooden planks from the Bosphorus to the Golden Horn at night and
pushed 80 ships across the land. All reached the city walls before dawn. They set up cannons to
break the weak spots in the wall areas now and the Christians were terrified. The Christian ships
tried to move in to attack them, but the Ottoman cannons prevented them from succeeding.
 Constantine sent an emissary asking for peace and to let him continue ruling Constantinople in
return for however much tribute the Sultan wanted. Sultan realized the danger of a Christian
Constantinople in the middle of the Ottoman empire to always be a threat, so offered him
southern Greece, for all the trouble they had caused the Ottomans. He also felt Constantinople
would be the most suitable capital for the Ottoman empire.
 Caesar Constantine refused and opposed him more. Sultan announced an all out war the next
day, but ordered no harm to govt buildings, old, women, children and those wanting peace. The
battle was strong, and neither side seemed to be losing, with the Christians putting up stiff
resistance. But miraculously, the city wall in front of the Sultan caved in and the resulting debris
filled the trench, thus making a path into the city. Meanwhile, the Ottoman navy had captured a
tower and hoisted their flag. The Muslims launched a fierce attack, while the sultan went
straight to Church St. Aya Sofia and called the Adhaan and prayed in gratitude. Constantine’s
body was found among other soldiers near the place where the wall had collapsed.
Constantinople was now conquered by the Muslims and Sultan Muhammad II was called
“Sultan, the Conqueror”. 20th Jumad al Awwal, 857 AH (1453 CE)
 40,000 Christians were killed, 60,000 were taken as prisoners.
 The sultan gave full protection to the Christians, their wealth, properties, shrines, etc and had
full religious freedom.
 He shifted his capital from Adrianople to Constantinople.
History of Constantinople
 Conquest of Constantinople is considered a marvelous historical event.
 End of Middle ages & beginning of enlightenment.
 Founded in 8 BCE, by a nomadic tribe. Name-Byzantium.
 Conquered by Alexander, after his father’s previous failed attempt.
 When Caesar Constantine conquered it, it gradually got the name “Constantinople”- 327 CE.
Constantine accepted Christianity. Previously they practiced idolatry.
 When Roman empire split up, Constantinople became the capital of East Rome.
 Prev Muslim attempts to conquer it- Umayyads, Abbasids. But failed.
Remaining deeds of the sultan
 Developmental and welfare work for the people of Constantinople
 Conquered southern Greece.
 Later-Serbia and Bosnia.
 Failed attempt to capture Hungary.
 Conquered Albania. Prev ruler-Sikander Beg.
 Had many campaigns to protect the Ottoman empire.
 Conquered 12 states and 200+ cities and forts.
 800,000 Muslim soldiers martyred in his reign.
 His army at any time never exceeded 125,000.
 Janissaries/Body guards-12,000.
 First rate law-maker, set up schools and madrasas in every city, town & village. Himself prepared
the syllabus for them. They had exams and gave degrees. Subjects included both religious &
secular.
 The sultan was a great scholar himself, well versed in Quran, Hadith, history, biography, math
and physics.
 Spoke many languages.
 Applied the Shariah strictly, and the rulings of the 4 madaahibs.
 Died at 52 or 53 yrs of age. Ruled for 31 yrs.