WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.469 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:05.469 --> 00:00:07.469 A summary of the book: 00:00:07.469 --> 00:00:11.470 Ramadan: Events and Lessons. 00:00:11.470 --> 00:00:16.300 The Conquest of Antioch. 00:00:16.300 --> 00:00:19.969 The era in Ramadan. 00:00:19.969 --> 00:00:28.899 The year 660 AH. 00:00:28.899 --> 00:00:32.899 After the Muslims found relief from the evil of the Tatars in the Levant, 00:00:32.899 --> 00:00:35.899 and Allah prevented them from entering Egypt, 00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:38.899 and [after] their resolve at 'Ayn Jalut, 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:41.899 the Muslims breathed a sigh of relief 00:00:41.899 --> 00:00:45.939 by liberating their cities from the grip of those corruptors. 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:50.939 The army that Allah granted victory over the Tatars in that battle 00:00:50.939 --> 00:00:54.939 held prestige and awe among the Muslims, 00:00:54.939 --> 00:00:58.969 and the Muslims yielded to them in obedience and submission. 00:00:58.969 --> 00:01:01.969 After Sultan al-Zahir Baybars took power— 00:01:01.969 --> 00:01:03.969 may Allah forgive him, 00:01:04.969 --> 00:01:07.030 may Allah have mercy upon him— 00:01:07.030 --> 00:01:10.030 he took the reins of government in Egypt, 00:01:10.030 --> 00:01:12.030 and the country stabilized under his rule. 00:01:12.030 --> 00:01:15.030 He performed many great deeds therein, 00:01:15.030 --> 00:01:17.030 and he was passionate about jihad, 00:01:17.030 --> 00:01:22.030 conquering lands and liberating them from the grip of the enemies of Islam. 00:01:22.030 --> 00:01:25.030 There are many accounts of this, 00:01:25.030 --> 00:01:29.219 some of which will be mentioned in his biography. 00:01:29.219 --> 00:01:32.219 Among the cities he conquered 00:01:32.219 --> 00:01:34.219 was the city of Antioch. 00:01:34.219 --> 00:01:37.280 On the eve of the conquest: 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:39.980 Some Levantine cities 00:01:39.980 --> 00:01:43.980 were living under the grip of the Crusader Franks. 00:01:43.980 --> 00:01:47.980 Sultan al-Zahir Baybars rose to address this with full resolve, 00:01:47.980 --> 00:01:50.980 leading his massive army toward them, 00:01:50.980 --> 00:01:53.980 conquering them city after city. 00:01:53.980 --> 00:01:56.269 Ibn Kathir said: 00:01:56.269 --> 00:02:00.269 Then the year 660 AH began. 00:02:00.269 --> 00:02:03.400 This year commenced 00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:06.400 with the Abbasid ruler as Caliph, 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:09.400 and the Sultan of the land being al-Zahir. 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:12.400 At the beginning of Jumada al-Akhirah, 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:17.400 the Sultan departed from the Egyptian lands with the victorious troops. 00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:20.400 He descended upon the city of Jaffa suddenly, 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:22.400 taking it by force. 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:25.400 Its people surrendered the citadel to him in peace, 00:02:25.400 --> 00:02:28.400 so he evacuated them to Acre, 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:31.400 and he destroyed the citadel and the city. 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:33.400 He departed from there in Rajab, 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:35.400 heading toward the fortress of al-Shaqif. 00:02:35.400 --> 00:02:37.430 On the way, 00:02:37.430 --> 00:02:40.430 he intercepted some Frankish couriers, 00:02:40.430 --> 00:02:43.430 carrying a letter from the people of Acre to the people of al-Shaqif, 00:02:43.430 --> 00:02:46.430 informing them of the Sultan’s approach, 00:02:46.430 --> 00:02:49.430 and ordering them to fortify the town 00:02:49.430 --> 00:02:52.430 and hasten to repair the places 00:02:52.430 --> 00:02:54.430 that were vulnerable. 00:02:54.430 --> 00:02:57.430 The Sultan understood how to take the town, 00:02:57.430 --> 00:03:00.430 and he knew how to handle the situation. 00:03:00.430 --> 00:03:03.430 He immediately summoned a man from the Franks, 00:03:03.430 --> 00:03:06.430 and ordered him to write a letter in their stead, 00:03:06.430 --> 00:03:09.430 as if from them to the people of al-Shaqif, 00:03:09.430 --> 00:03:12.430 warning the King about the Vizier, 00:03:12.430 --> 00:03:14.430 and the Vizier about the King, 00:03:14.430 --> 00:03:17.530 sowing discord within the state. 00:03:17.530 --> 00:03:19.530 It reached them, 00:03:19.530 --> 00:03:21.530 and Allah caused discord between them, 00:03:21.530 --> 00:03:23.530 by His might and power. 00:03:23.530 --> 00:03:25.530 The Sultan arrived, 00:03:25.530 --> 00:03:28.530 besieged them, and bombarded them with catapults, 00:03:28.530 --> 00:03:30.530 so they surrendered the fortress to him 00:03:30.530 --> 00:03:33.530 on the 29th of Rajab. 00:03:33.530 --> 00:03:35.530 He evacuated them to Tyre, 00:03:35.530 --> 00:03:38.530 and sent the spoils to Damascus. 00:03:38.530 --> 00:03:42.530 Then he rode out with a light cavalry unit of the most energetic soldiers— 00:03:42.530 --> 00:03:44.530 the "jaridah" being the cavalry 00:03:44.530 --> 00:03:46.530 that has no infantry with it— 00:03:46.530 --> 00:03:50.530 and launched a raid on Tripoli and its dependencies, 00:03:50.530 --> 00:03:53.530 plundering, killing, and terrorizing. 00:03:53.530 --> 00:03:56.530 He returned supported and victorious, 00:03:56.530 --> 00:03:59.530 and descended upon the Fortress of the Kurds (Hisn al-Akrad). 00:03:59.530 --> 00:04:01.530 Because of his love for the meadow, 00:04:01.530 --> 00:04:05.530 the Frankish inhabitants brought him provisions, 00:04:05.530 --> 00:04:07.530 but he refused to accept them, 00:04:07.530 --> 00:04:11.530 saying, "You killed a soldier from my army, 00:04:11.530 --> 00:04:15.530 and I demand blood money of one hundred thousand dinars." 00:04:15.530 --> 00:04:18.529 Then he marched and descended upon Homs, 00:04:18.529 --> 00:04:20.529 then from there to Hama, 00:04:20.529 --> 00:04:22.529 then to Apamea (Famiya), 00:04:22.529 --> 00:04:24.529 then he marched another stage, 00:04:24.529 --> 00:04:26.529 then he traveled by night, 00:04:26.529 --> 00:04:29.529 and the army advanced, fully equipped, 00:04:29.529 --> 00:04:33.529 and marched until they surrounded the city of Antioch. 00:04:33.529 --> 00:04:38.009 Internal wars had taken place among the Crusaders, 00:04:38.009 --> 00:04:41.009 which weakened their strength, praise be to Allah. 00:04:41.009 --> 00:04:45.009 Wars broke out between Venice and Genoa, 00:04:45.009 --> 00:04:49.009 lasting until the year 660 AH. 00:04:49.009 --> 00:04:52.009 All the opposing factions joined 00:04:52.009 --> 00:04:55.009 one of the two sides, exhausting them, 00:04:55.009 --> 00:04:59.009 which had an effect on al-Zahir Baybars’ seizure 00:04:59.009 --> 00:05:01.009 of Antioch. 00:05:01.009 --> 00:05:04.939 The conquest of the city and the results of the conquest: 00:05:04.939 --> 00:05:09.480 Sultan al-Zahir continued on his way to Antioch, 00:05:09.480 --> 00:05:14.480 the resolve to conquer it driving his march without hesitation. 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:19.480 Allah the Almighty helped him achieve this noble goal, 00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:22.480 and through him, He honored Islam and the Muslims, 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:25.480 and through him, He humiliated disbelief and the disbelievers. 00:05:25.480 --> 00:05:27.480 Ibn Kathir said: 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:32.480 His arrival there was at the beginning of the month of Ramadan. 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:36.480 Its people came out to him, seeking safety, 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:39.480 and they set conditions for him, 00:05:39.480 --> 00:05:43.480 but he refused to answer them and turned them away disappointed. 00:05:43.480 --> 00:05:45.480 He was determined to besiege it, 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:50.480 and he conquered it on Saturday, the 14th of Ramadan, 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:54.480 by the might, power, support, and victory of Allah. 00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:57.480 He took much booty from it, 00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:00.480 and granted the emirs generous wealth. 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:06.480 He found a great number of Muslim captives from the Hanbalis there, 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:10.480 all this in the span of four days. 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:14.670 Bohemond, its ruler and the ruler of Tripoli, 00:06:14.670 --> 00:06:17.670 had been one of the people who caused the most harm to the Muslims. 00:06:17.670 --> 00:06:22.670 When the Tatars took Aleppo and people fled from it, 00:06:22.670 --> 00:06:27.670 Allah the Almighty took revenge on him through the one He raised as a supporter of Islam, 00:06:27.670 --> 00:06:30.670 and a crusher and destroyer of the Cross. 00:06:30.670 --> 00:06:33.670 To Allah belongs all praise and favor. 00:06:33.670 --> 00:06:37.699 The good news of this arrived with the couriers, 00:06:37.699 --> 00:06:41.699 and the glad tidings responded from the victorious citadel. 00:06:41.699 --> 00:06:46.699 The people of Baghras, when they heard of the Sultan’s intent toward them, 00:06:46.699 --> 00:06:50.699 sent asking him to send someone to take delivery of it, 00:06:50.699 --> 00:06:53.699 so he sent his chamberlain, 00:06:53.699 --> 00:06:56.699 the Emir Aq Sunqur al-Farqani, 00:06:56.699 --> 00:06:59.699 on the 13th of Ramadan, 00:06:59.699 --> 00:07:01.699 and he took delivery of it. 00:07:01.699 --> 00:07:05.699 They also took delivery of large fortresses and many citadels. 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:08.699 The Sultan returned supported and victorious, 00:07:08.699 --> 00:07:14.699 and entered Damascus on the 27th of Ramadan of that year, 00:07:14.699 --> 00:07:18.699 in great splendor and immense awe. 00:07:18.699 --> 00:07:22.699 The city was decorated for him, and the drums of victory were beaten, 00:07:22.699 --> 00:07:27.699 rejoicing in the victory of Islam over the wretched disbelievers. 00:07:27.699 --> 00:07:29.699 Al-Dhahabi said: 00:07:29.699 --> 00:07:32.699 They counted those killed among the Christians there, 00:07:32.699 --> 00:07:35.699 and they were over forty thousand. 00:07:35.699 --> 00:07:37.699 He also said: 00:07:37.699 --> 00:07:40.699 It had been in the hands of the Christians— 00:07:40.699 --> 00:07:42.699 meaning Antioch— 00:07:42.699 --> 00:07:48.019 for more than one hundred and seventy years, or thereabouts. 00:07:48.019 --> 00:07:51.019 In this event, there are lessons: 00:07:51.019 --> 00:07:52.019 First: 00:07:52.019 --> 00:07:55.019 The continuation of the conquests of Islam 00:07:55.019 --> 00:07:58.019 is proof of its strength and the honor of its people, 00:07:58.019 --> 00:08:03.209 and the weakness of that is evidence of the frailty of Islam in the hearts. 00:08:03.209 --> 00:08:04.209 Second: 00:08:04.209 --> 00:08:08.209 The aggressors among the disbelievers against the Muslims 00:08:08.209 --> 00:08:13.209 do not escape the day of retribution and the vindication of the oppressed. 00:08:13.209 --> 00:08:16.399 For days alternate among people. 00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:17.399 Third: 00:08:17.399 --> 00:08:19.399 A great man 00:08:19.399 --> 00:08:22.399 may commit grave, blameworthy acts. 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:26.399 Despite this fragrant biography of Baybars, 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:29.399 he did to Sayf al-Din Qutuz 00:08:29.399 --> 00:08:31.689 what was mentioned earlier. 00:08:31.689 --> 00:08:32.690 Fourth: 00:08:32.690 --> 00:08:34.690 A righteous ruler 00:08:34.690 --> 00:08:37.690 may create for the Ummah goodness 00:08:37.690 --> 00:08:40.940 that others could not create in generations. 00:08:40.940 --> 00:08:41.940 Fifth: 00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:44.940 Severity toward those who deserve severity 00:08:44.940 --> 00:08:46.980 is praiseworthy. 00:08:46.980 --> 00:08:48.980 Allah the Almighty said: 00:08:48.980 --> 00:08:56.250 “O ye who believe! Whoso of you becometh a renegade from his religion, (know that in his stead) Allah will bring a people whom He loveth and who love Him, humble toward believers, stern toward disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah, and fearing not the blame of any blamer. Such is the grace of Allah which He giveth unto whom He will. Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.” (5:54) 00:08:56.250 --> 00:09:00.250 Ramadan: Events and Lessons.