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 --> 00:00:18.260 The arrival of the Ottomans at the outskirts of the island of Rhodes, 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:22.829 for the purpose of conquering it. 00:00:22.829 --> 00:00:25.829 The time was the month of Ramadan, 00:00:25.829 --> 00:00:29.829 in the year 928 AH. 00:00:29.829 --> 00:00:36.350 The location of the island of Rhodes: 00:00:36.350 --> 00:00:41.350 Rhodes is an island situated in the far east of the Mediterranean Sea, 00:00:41.350 --> 00:00:46.450 located 12 miles from the coast of Asia Minor. 00:00:46.450 --> 00:00:51.450 It is a Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea, 00:00:51.450 --> 00:00:54.450 lying near the southern coast of Turkey, 00:00:54.450 --> 00:01:00.450 halfway between the main Greek islands and Cyprus. 00:01:00.450 --> 00:01:05.450 It is approximately 18 kilometers from Turkey. 00:01:05.450 --> 00:01:10.480 It was annexed to the Ottoman Empire upon its conquest 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:14.480 in the year 929 AH, 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:18.480 and remained under the authority of the Ottoman Sultan 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:20.480 until it was joined to Italy 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:25.480 in the year 1918 AD, 00:01:25.480 --> 00:01:27.480 and then annexed to Greece 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:32.480 in the year 1946 AD, 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:35.480 after the Second World War. 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:41.019 The importance of the island of Rhodes and the reasons for its conquest: 00:01:41.019 --> 00:01:47.590 The island of Rhodes was the fortified stronghold of the Knights of Saint John, 00:01:47.590 --> 00:01:51.590 the same knights who had been expelled from the Levant 00:01:51.590 --> 00:01:55.590 following the Crusades against it. 00:01:55.590 --> 00:01:59.590 Furthermore, they were under the authority of the Pope in Rome, 00:01:59.590 --> 00:02:04.590 and were known for their intense fanaticism and hatred toward Muslims. 00:02:04.590 --> 00:02:07.590 For a long period of time, they had been 00:02:07.590 --> 00:02:12.590 raiding Muslim ships bound for the Hijaz, 00:02:12.590 --> 00:02:16.590 killing the men, taking the children captive, 00:02:16.590 --> 00:02:18.590 violating the honor of the women, 00:02:18.590 --> 00:02:21.590 and plundering the wealth of the Muslims. 00:02:21.590 --> 00:02:26.659 They also used to waylay Turkish Muslim pilgrims, 00:02:26.659 --> 00:02:29.659 burn Muslim ships, 00:02:29.659 --> 00:02:32.659 and exploit their impregnable fortresses on the island, 00:02:32.659 --> 00:02:37.659 feeling secure in the knowledge that the Muslims could not reach them, 00:02:37.659 --> 00:02:44.659 in addition to their aggressive actions directed at Ottoman maritime communication lines. 00:02:44.659 --> 00:02:48.870 The first and last conquest of the island: 00:02:48.870 --> 00:02:54.289 The conquest of this island during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent 00:02:54.289 --> 00:02:56.289 was not its first conquest, 00:02:56.289 --> 00:02:58.289 but rather its final one. 00:02:58.289 --> 00:03:01.289 As for the first conquest of this island, 00:03:01.289 --> 00:03:05.289 it took place in the year 53 AH 00:03:05.289 --> 00:03:08.289 at the hands of Junadah Ibn Abi Umayyah. 00:03:08.289 --> 00:03:11.289 A group of Muslims settled there, 00:03:11.289 --> 00:03:14.289 and they were the most formidable force against the disbelievers. 00:03:14.289 --> 00:03:18.289 They remained in a state of high alert against the Franks, 00:03:18.289 --> 00:03:21.289 spending their nights in a great fortress nearby, 00:03:21.289 --> 00:03:25.289 which contained their supplies, livestock, and provisions. 00:03:25.289 --> 00:03:28.289 They had lookouts stationed by the sea 00:03:28.289 --> 00:03:32.289 to warn them if an enemy approached or plotted against them. 00:03:32.289 --> 00:03:36.379 In the year 708 AH, 00:03:36.379 --> 00:03:40.379 the Byzantines managed to seize the island 00:03:40.379 --> 00:03:43.379 during the reign of Sultan Khalil Ibn Qalawun, 00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:45.379 the Sultan of Egypt. 00:03:45.379 --> 00:03:49.379 The Byzantine knights joined forces with the knights of Rhodes 00:03:49.379 --> 00:03:53.379 to raid the Muslim coasts in Asia and Egypt, 00:03:53.379 --> 00:03:57.509 and these raids became notorious for acts of piracy. 00:03:57.509 --> 00:04:01.539 From the fifteenth century AD onwards, 00:04:01.539 --> 00:04:04.539 attempts to conquer Rhodes continued 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:07.539 by the Mamluk Sultans in Egypt, 00:04:07.539 --> 00:04:10.539 at a time when Rhodes had become 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:14.539 an important base for the gathering of Crusader fleets 00:04:14.539 --> 00:04:19.800 that attacked Muslims in Egypt, the Levant, and Turkey. 00:04:19.800 --> 00:04:24.930 Then came an attempt by Mehmed the Conqueror to take it, 00:04:24.930 --> 00:04:27.930 but that did not come to pass 00:04:27.930 --> 00:04:31.930 until it was finally conquered during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. 00:04:31.930 --> 00:04:38.110 Factors that assisted Suleiman the Magnificent in conquering the island: 00:04:38.110 --> 00:04:43.040 The island remained in the hands of those knights, 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:48.040 who posed a maritime threat to the Muslims, 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:53.040 until the opportunity arose during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent to conquer it. 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:57.069 Along with the strong resolve and extensive preparations 00:04:57.069 --> 00:05:00.069 that the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman possessed, 00:05:00.069 --> 00:05:03.069 there were external factors 00:05:03.069 --> 00:05:06.069 that helped in achieving the desired goal. 00:05:06.069 --> 00:05:09.100 Among those contributing factors were: 00:05:09.100 --> 00:05:13.100 First, Europe’s preoccupation with the Great War 00:05:13.100 --> 00:05:16.100 between Charles V, 00:05:16.100 --> 00:05:20.100 Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, 00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:22.100 (Spain and Germany), 00:05:22.100 --> 00:05:25.420 and Francis, King of France. 00:05:25.420 --> 00:05:29.420 Second, the preoccupation of Pope Leo X 00:05:29.420 --> 00:05:33.420 with debating and resisting the German monk Luther, 00:05:33.420 --> 00:05:36.709 the founder of the Protestant sect. 00:05:36.709 --> 00:05:40.709 Third, the internal instability of Hungary 00:05:40.709 --> 00:05:44.709 due to the lack of consensus among its princes and nobles, 00:05:44.709 --> 00:05:47.709 and the young age of its king, Louis II. 00:05:47.709 --> 00:05:53.870 Fourth, the conclusion of a peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Venice. 00:05:53.870 --> 00:05:58.060 Fifth, the growth of the Ottoman navy 00:05:58.060 --> 00:06:02.569 during the reign of Selim I. 00:06:02.569 --> 00:06:04.569 The road to Rhodes: 00:06:04.569 --> 00:06:07.860 The Ottoman Sultan prepared 00:06:07.860 --> 00:06:10.860 a massive military campaign 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:13.860 under the command of Mustafa Pasha, 00:06:14.860 --> 00:06:16.860 consisting of seven hundred ships, 00:06:16.860 --> 00:06:19.860 and equipped them with giant cannons. 00:06:19.860 --> 00:06:21.860 When they arrived, 00:06:21.860 --> 00:06:23.860 the island resisted them, 00:06:23.860 --> 00:06:28.860 so Suleiman the Magnificent set out himself in its wake. 00:06:28.860 --> 00:06:32.860 His journey there began on the twentieth of Rajab, 00:06:32.860 --> 00:06:35.860 in the year 928 AH. 00:06:35.860 --> 00:06:39.860 His arrival at Rhodes and his landing there 00:06:39.860 --> 00:06:42.860 took place in the month of Ramadan of the aforementioned year. 00:06:42.860 --> 00:06:45.889 The Sultan traveled by land 00:06:45.889 --> 00:06:47.889 to the Marmara region, 00:06:47.889 --> 00:06:51.889 opposite the island from the side of Asia. 00:06:51.889 --> 00:06:53.889 Siege cannons, provisions, and ammunition 00:06:53.889 --> 00:06:56.889 were sent by land. 00:06:56.889 --> 00:06:58.889 Upon his arrival, 00:06:58.889 --> 00:07:01.889 the siege began with extreme intensity. 00:07:01.889 --> 00:07:05.009 The tightening of the siege 00:07:05.009 --> 00:07:09.009 and the attempt to conquer the island by force: 00:07:09.009 --> 00:07:12.519 The total siege of the island began, 00:07:12.519 --> 00:07:15.519 as they surrounded it by land and sea. 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:18.519 Those on land were unable 00:07:18.519 --> 00:07:20.519 to approach the wall of its fortress 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:23.519 due to the great trench surrounding it, 00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:26.519 which was defended by massive cannons. 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:29.519 Those at sea were unable to approach 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:31.519 and enter the harbor 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:33.519 because of the chain stretched 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:35.519 across the sea, 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:37.519 and the fire directed at anyone approaching it 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:39.519 from large cannons. 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:42.519 They were striking the Muslims with their cannons, 00:07:42.519 --> 00:07:45.519 while the Muslims' cannons could not reach them. 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:47.519 Even if something did reach them, 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:49.519 it would not penetrate the wall 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:51.519 due to its thickness and height. 00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:54.550 So the land troops delayed slightly, 00:07:54.550 --> 00:07:57.550 and ordered earth to be brought. 00:07:57.550 --> 00:08:00.550 They brought it until it became like mountains, 00:08:00.550 --> 00:08:02.550 and they took cover behind these earthworks. 00:08:02.550 --> 00:08:05.550 They began moving those barricades forward 00:08:05.550 --> 00:08:07.550 little by little, 00:08:07.550 --> 00:08:10.550 until the earth reached the trench. 00:08:10.550 --> 00:08:12.550 They threw it in, 00:08:12.550 --> 00:08:15.550 and it filled up, coming close to the fortress wall 00:08:15.550 --> 00:08:17.579 and rising above it. 00:08:17.579 --> 00:08:20.579 The wicked disbelievers were now beneath the Muslims, 00:08:20.579 --> 00:08:22.579 being struck while unable to strike back, 00:08:22.579 --> 00:08:26.579 the opposite of their previous situation. 00:08:26.579 --> 00:08:29.579 The Muslims fired upon them with cannon fire 00:08:29.579 --> 00:08:32.580 until they were exhausted and weakened, 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:35.580 and realized they were captured. 00:08:35.580 --> 00:08:38.580 They requested safe passage from Sultan Suleiman, 00:08:38.580 --> 00:08:41.580 and surrendered the land to him 00:08:41.580 --> 00:08:45.580 on the condition that they take their women, children, and wealth, 00:08:45.580 --> 00:08:48.580 and head wherever they wished, 00:08:48.580 --> 00:08:51.580 and that none of the soldiers would molest them. 00:08:51.580 --> 00:08:54.679 The Sultan granted their request. 00:08:54.679 --> 00:08:57.679 It is worth noting 00:08:57.679 --> 00:09:00.679 that those who were on the island 00:09:00.679 --> 00:09:03.679 had defended it with great desperation, 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:06.679 and fought for it like heroes, 00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:09.679 especially the monks. 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:12.679 It is said that the women helped 00:09:12.679 --> 00:09:15.679 the men in the defense by throwing stones 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:18.679 at the besiegers, 00:09:18.679 --> 00:09:21.679 and pouring hot oil on their heads. 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:24.679 But all of that was of no avail 00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:27.679 against the Ottoman cannons, 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:30.679 some pieces of which still exist today, 00:09:30.679 --> 00:09:33.679 and the viewer is overwhelmed by their sheer size. 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:36.679 But when all strategies failed 00:09:36.679 --> 00:09:39.679 the head of this order, 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:42.679 whose name was Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, 00:09:42.679 --> 00:09:45.679 of French origin, 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:48.679 and his provisions and ammunition ran out, 00:09:48.679 --> 00:09:51.679 he sent two of his monks to the Sultan 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:54.679 on the second of Safar, 00:09:54.679 --> 00:09:57.679 in the year 929 AH, 00:09:57.679 --> 00:10:00.679 asking him for permission 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:03.679 to evacuate the island 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:06.679 within a period of 12 days, 00:10:06.679 --> 00:10:09.679 on the condition that the Ottoman armies move away 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:12.679 from the besieged city 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:15.679 a distance of one mile from all sides, 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:18.679 so that no harm would come to the besieged 00:10:18.679 --> 00:10:21.679 upon their departure. 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:24.940 The Sultan accepted that. 00:10:24.940 --> 00:10:27.940 A siege of six continuous months, 00:10:27.940 --> 00:10:30.940 despite the poor weather conditions, 00:10:30.940 --> 00:10:33.940 as rain was falling heavily. 00:10:33.940 --> 00:10:36.940 Nevertheless, those 00:10:36.940 --> 00:10:39.940 Ottoman soldiers remained steadfast with great resolve. 00:10:39.940 --> 00:10:44.500 The results of the conquest: 00:10:44.500 --> 00:10:47.500 First, the conquest of this island 00:10:47.500 --> 00:10:50.500 and the entry of the Muslims into it after great hardship 00:10:50.500 --> 00:10:53.500 and long years 00:10:53.500 --> 00:10:56.500 of the harm its people had caused the Muslims, 00:10:56.500 --> 00:10:59.500 and the attempts at conquest that had ended 00:10:59.500 --> 00:11:02.500 in failure every time, 00:11:02.500 --> 00:11:05.659 unlike this time. 00:11:05.659 --> 00:11:08.659 Second, the Sultan ordered the construction of a great fortress 00:11:08.659 --> 00:11:11.659 on this island, 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:14.659 and left behind those among the Muslims who would defend 00:11:14.659 --> 00:11:17.950 Regarding the island and the maritime routes connected to it. 00:11:17.950 --> 00:11:20.950 Third: 00:11:20.950 --> 00:11:23.950 The Islamization of this island after its conquest. 00:11:23.950 --> 00:11:26.950 It served as a base from which they launched 00:11:26.950 --> 00:11:29.950 expeditions to conquer many other islands, 00:11:29.950 --> 00:11:32.950 and subsequently, to seize the capital 00:11:32.950 --> 00:11:36.179 of the Byzantines. 00:11:36.179 --> 00:11:39.179 Imprinting the island with an Islamic character, 00:11:39.179 --> 00:11:42.179 and teaching the people there the matters of their religion. 00:11:42.179 --> 00:11:45.460 Fifth: 00:11:45.460 --> 00:11:48.460 The event of the island's conquest was a bitter one. 00:11:49.460 --> 00:11:52.460 Third: 00:11:52.460 --> 00:11:55.590 Permitting those who were on the island, 00:11:55.590 --> 00:11:58.590 from the Knights of Saint John, 00:11:58.590 --> 00:12:01.590 to depart from it to Malta, 00:12:01.590 --> 00:12:04.590 along with their men, women, and children, 00:12:04.590 --> 00:12:07.590 as well as their provisions and equipment. 00:12:07.590 --> 00:12:10.590 This was a grave historical error 00:12:10.590 --> 00:12:13.590 committed by Suleiman the Magnificent, 00:12:13.590 --> 00:12:16.590 due to the consequences that followed, 00:12:16.590 --> 00:12:19.850 the dire consequences. 00:12:19.850 --> 00:12:22.909 Mahmud Maqdish said: 00:12:22.909 --> 00:12:25.909 They requested safety from Sultan Suleiman, 00:12:25.909 --> 00:12:28.909 and surrendered the territory to him, 00:12:28.909 --> 00:12:31.909 on the condition that they take their women, children, 00:12:31.909 --> 00:12:34.909 and wealth, and head wherever they wished, 00:12:34.909 --> 00:12:37.909 and that none of the soldiers would interfere with them. 00:12:37.909 --> 00:12:40.909 The Sultan granted their request, 00:12:40.909 --> 00:12:43.909 even though his ministers had warned him against granting them safety, 00:12:43.909 --> 00:12:46.909 because they were a formidable force of disbelief, 00:12:46.909 --> 00:12:49.909 and because if they escaped with these treasures, 00:12:49.909 --> 00:12:52.909 they would be able to strengthen themselves with them, 00:12:52.909 --> 00:12:55.909 and gather armies of Christians, the enemies of the faith, 00:12:55.909 --> 00:12:58.909 and return to harm the Muslims. 00:12:58.909 --> 00:13:01.909 Yet the Sultan did not heed their warnings, 00:13:01.909 --> 00:13:04.909 and granted them safety. 00:13:04.909 --> 00:13:07.909 They departed with all their wealth and families, 00:13:07.909 --> 00:13:10.909 and everything they held dear, and set off. 00:13:11.909 --> 00:13:14.909 Then they returned to harm the Muslims, 00:13:14.909 --> 00:13:17.909 and began raiding the roads just as they used to do in Rhodes. 00:13:17.909 --> 00:13:20.909 Sultan Suleiman regretted 00:13:20.909 --> 00:13:23.909 having granted them safety, 00:13:23.909 --> 00:13:26.909 and sent a great fleet against them, 00:13:26.909 --> 00:13:29.909 and many soldiers to capture them 00:13:29.909 --> 00:13:32.909 and eradicate them late in his life, 00:13:32.909 --> 00:13:35.940 under the command of the vizier Mustafa Pasha. 00:13:35.940 --> 00:13:38.940 However, a disagreement occurred between him and the admiral, 00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:41.940 which led to a dispute, and they failed, 00:13:41.940 --> 00:13:44.940 just as Allah had warned would happen. 00:13:44.940 --> 00:13:47.940 “And obey Allah and His messenger, and dispute not one with another lest ye falter and your strength depart from you; but be steadfast! Lo! Allah is with the steadfast.” (8:46) 00:13:47.940 --> 00:13:51.009 They returned without achieving their goal, 00:13:51.009 --> 00:13:54.100 due to a matter Allah had willed. 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:57.100 People to this day—meaning in the author's era— 00:13:57.100 --> 00:14:00.100 are still defending against their harm 00:14:00.100 --> 00:14:03.100 and enduring their terrors, 00:14:03.100 --> 00:14:06.100 especially the people of Sfax, 00:14:06.100 --> 00:14:09.100 because they are engaged in intense warfare with them, 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:12.100 with fighting and killing occurring on both sides, 00:14:12.100 --> 00:14:15.100 for war is a seesaw. 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:18.100 Perhaps there is goodness in that, and more goodness, 00:14:18.100 --> 00:14:21.100 because practicing the war against the enemy 00:14:21.100 --> 00:14:24.100 breeds courage and vigor, 00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:27.100 unlike growing up in peace and comfort, 00:14:27.100 --> 00:14:30.100 which causes weakness in character 00:14:30.100 --> 00:14:33.100 and cowardice in the soul. 00:14:34.100 --> 00:14:37.100 Allah chooses for His servant 00:14:37.100 --> 00:14:40.100 what he would not choose for himself, 00:14:40.100 --> 00:14:43.100 and in it are the greatest benefits, 00:14:43.100 --> 00:14:46.100 which is the persistence in raiding, jihad, and guarding the frontiers, 00:14:46.100 --> 00:14:49.100 and returning with one of the two best outcomes: 00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:52.100 wealth or martyrdom, 00:14:52.100 --> 00:14:56.509 and the reward is attained in any case. 00:14:56.509 --> 00:14:59.509 In this event, there are lessons: 00:14:59.509 --> 00:15:02.509 First: The importance of securing the Muslims' routes 00:15:02.509 --> 00:15:05.509 and protecting them from every threat, 00:15:05.509 --> 00:15:08.509 in order to preserve lives and wealth, 00:15:08.509 --> 00:15:11.509 and to facilitate the means of travel 00:15:11.509 --> 00:15:14.960 for religious and worldly interests without fear. 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:17.960 Second: 00:15:17.960 --> 00:15:20.960 The enemy of Islam who fights its people 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:23.960 cannot be deterred from his evil except by force, 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:27.019 and without it, he will commit whatever corruption he desires. 00:15:27.019 --> 00:15:30.019 Suleiman the Magnificent had begun 00:15:30.019 --> 00:15:33.019 at the start of the conquest of this island [well], 00:15:33.019 --> 00:15:36.019 but he was lenient at the end of it, 00:15:36.019 --> 00:15:39.019 and that leniency led to widespread corruption, 00:15:39.019 --> 00:15:42.019 as became clear. 00:15:42.019 --> 00:15:45.019 Had he remained as he was at first, 00:15:45.019 --> 00:15:48.019 and dealt with the enemies of Islam 00:15:48.019 --> 00:15:51.019 as Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi used to deal with them, 00:15:51.019 --> 00:15:54.470 that evil would not have occurred. 00:15:54.470 --> 00:15:57.470 Third: Ideological disbelievers 00:15:57.470 --> 00:16:00.470 display a level of stubbornness and hatred 00:16:00.470 --> 00:16:03.470 that other disbelievers do not display. 00:16:03.470 --> 00:16:06.700 Fourth: 00:16:06.700 --> 00:16:09.700 Developing military power, both in equipment and strategy, 00:16:09.700 --> 00:16:12.700 is among the essential tasks that honor the Muslims 00:16:12.700 --> 00:16:16.080 and repel evil from them. 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:19.080 Fifth: Patience and steadfastness 00:16:19.080 --> 00:16:22.080 are the path to achieving goals. 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:27.259 Ramadan: Events and Lessons.