Part of It happened in Ramadan (the series is completed)
· Lesson 6 of 10
Event in Ramadan | D. Abdul Rahman Raafat Al-Basha | H (6) | Amorite incident
0:000:00
Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
0:00
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
0:04
Mawaddah Association presents:
0:09
"Events in Ramadan."
0:12
By Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha.
0:15
The Battle of Amorium.
0:19
In the year 223 AH.
0:24
During the blessed month of Ramadan.
0:26
Al-Mu'tasim ibn al-Rashid stormed the fortresses of Amorium.
0:30
With 150,000 of his soldiers.
0:33
He conquered the city that had defied all conquerors.
0:36
From the era of Alexander the Great until his own day.
0:40
The Battle of Amorium was a shining star on the forehead of time.
0:44
A pearl in the history of Islam.
0:47
And a crown that adorned the brow of al-Mu'tasim.
0:50
Regarding the impregnable, fortified Amorium.
0:53
And its glorious, celebrated day.
0:56
And the Caliph who shook its foundations.
0:59
And dismantled its structures.
1:01
It is an exciting story, whose warp is faith.
1:04
And whose woof is chivalry.
1:06
So come, let us contemplate this great day.
1:09
For it is one of the magnificent days of Allah.
1:12
This story begins.
1:15
The day Babak al-Khurrami sent a letter.
1:17
One of the tyrants of the Persians.
1:19
Who rebelled against Islam and the Muslims.
1:22
A letter to Theophilus, the King of the Romans.
1:25
In which he said:
1:28
"I have resisted the Muslims for twenty years.
1:31
And I have finished off 250,000.
1:34
Of their finest soldiers.
1:36
And I have defeated seven of their greatest commanders.
1:39
And I have exhausted thousands upon thousands.
1:42
Of their precious wealth.
1:44
And I have stood between them and their ability to tread upon the mountain passes.
1:47
Of the region located in the highlands of Persia.
1:50
And al-Mu'tasim al-'Abbasi.
1:53
Wanted to take revenge for himself.
1:55
And al-Ma'mun had carried out [campaigns] before him.
1:57
So he sent all his armies to fight me.
2:00
And he dispatched his elite men to combat me.
2:03
To the point that among their soldiers.
2:06
Was his tailor who sews his clothes.
2:09
And his cook who prepares his food.
2:12
So if you wish to take revenge for your religion and your people.
2:15
Against the Muslims and their Caliph.
2:17
Then seize this opportunity that will not be repeated.
2:20
And beware of letting it slip away, for you will regret it.
2:23
Where regret will be of no avail."
2:26
Theophilus became certain of the truth of what was reported to him.
2:29
By Babak al-Khurrami.
2:31
And he knew that the Caliph of the Muslims.
2:33
Had resolved to put an end to Babak's movement.
2:36
No matter how high the price.
2:39
So Theophilus did not want to miss this opportunity.
2:42
For himself and his people.
2:44
And he resolved to take revenge on the Caliphs of the Muslims.
2:48
Who had forced them more than once.
2:51
To pay the jizya while they were in a state of humiliation.
2:54
So Theophilus prepared his equipment for the matter.
2:57
And made his preparations.
2:59
And headed toward the city of Zibatra.
3:02
The birthplace of al-Mu'tasim.
3:04
With 170,000 of his soldiers.
3:07
And he descended upon the stricken city like death itself.
3:11
He demolished its fortresses.
3:13
And violated its land.
3:15
And took its defenders captive.
3:17
And enslaved its women and children.
3:20
And all of that did not quench the rage in his chest.
3:24
Until he mutilated his captives in the worst possible way.
3:27
He gouged out their eyes.
3:29
And cut off their noses and ears.
3:32
And paraded them throughout his lands.
3:35
Meanwhile, the Khurrami movement.
3:38
Had breathed its last.
3:40
Under the weight of al-Mu'tasim's massive armies.
3:43
And its idol, Babak.
3:46
Had fallen captive into the hands of the brave Muslim soldiers.
3:50
And the Caliph al-Mu'tasim would go out to review his victorious army.
3:54
And would bestow upon his triumphant commander two jeweled scarves.
3:59
And would reward him and his soldiers with 20,000,000 dirhams.
4:04
And while the celebrations were reaching their peak throughout the lands of the Muslims.
4:09
And the soldiers were parading the head of Babak al-Khurrami.
4:14
News of the Zibatra catastrophe reached al-Mu'tasim.
4:18
And it was reported to him that a Muslim woman, one of the chaste and virtuous.
4:23
Had fallen into the hands of a brute from among the Romans.
4:26
And when he intended to enslave her, she cried out:
4:29
"Wa Mu'tasima!" (Oh, Mu'tasim!)
4:32
The call shook his chivalry and stirred his manhood.
4:36
And he rose from his throne saying:
4:39
"At your service, at your service!"
4:41
Al-Mu'tasim rose immediately.
4:44
And donned his armor and girded his weapon.
4:47
And carried a bag and placed his provisions in it.
4:50
And mounted his horse.
4:52
And called for mobilization while at the gates of his palace.
4:55
And swore not to return to it except as a martyr carried on shoulders.
5:00
Or victorious, avenging the precious, stricken city.
5:05
And the wronged Muslim woman.
5:08
Then he left the Caliphate palace immediately.
5:11
And stayed ten nights in the public house in Baghdad.
5:15
To prepare the equipment, draw up the plan, and mobilize the army.
5:19
And when he had prepared an equipment the likes of which no Caliph of the Muslims had ever prepared.
5:26
He brought the judge of Baghdad, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Ishaq.
5:30
And brought with him three hundred men of integrity.
5:34
And he had them witness his will and the distribution of his estate.
5:38
He gave a third of his wealth to Allah.
5:40
And the rest to his wives, children, and freedmen.
5:44
And he took from all his wealth only his shroud.
5:48
Al-Mu'tasim set out to meet the enemy of Allah and his own enemy with a massive army.
5:54
In it, as the historians say.
5:57
Were 80,000 piebald horses.
5:59
And 80,000 black horses.
6:02
And whatever Allah willed of catapults, equipment, and war machinery.
6:06
And that is in addition to what the soldiers needed.
6:10
Of leather water basins, water skins, and flasks.
6:13
And he set his destination for Amorium.
6:16
That is because it was the heart of Christianity.
6:19
And the road leading to Constantinople.
6:22
And the city that conquerors had desired.
6:25
From the era of Alexander until the day of al-Mu'tasim.
6:28
But it defied them and turned them back defeated.
6:32
And that was only because it had fortified walls.
6:37
And towering battlements.
6:39
And furthermore, it was the city of the ruling family.
6:42
And the birthplace of Theophilus, the Emperor of the Romans.
6:46
Al-Mu'tasim sent a large division of his massive army to Ankara.
6:51
To confront Theophilus and distract him from himself.
6:54
And he headed with the rest of his army toward Amorium.
6:58
And when he approached the great city.
7:01
He divided his army into three armies.
7:04
And assigned to each of them a commander to lead it.
7:08
And designated for each army a day to fight in rotation.
7:13
And when the first army arrived.
7:15
It circled Amorium twice.
7:18
Then took its position at its walls.
7:21
Then the second army followed it.
7:23
And circled it once.
7:25
And occupied its designated position.
7:28
Then the third army followed them.
7:30
And settled in the place allotted to it.
7:33
And in the first week of the blessed month of Ramadan.
7:38
In the year 223 AH.
7:41
The catapults had been set up around the walls of Amorium on every side.
7:47
And the three Muslim armies.
7:50
Were surrounding the fortified city.
7:52
Like waves surrounding an island in the sea.
7:56
And encircling it like shackles on wrists.
8:00
The first army fought in its turn.
8:03
And performed the greatest of deeds in its fighting.
8:06
Then the second army followed them in its turn.
8:09
And exceeded the first army and surpassed it.
8:12
Then the third army followed them.
8:15
And it was under the command of al-Mu'tasim himself.
8:18
And he displayed such forms of courage and types of skill.
8:21
That it almost made people forget the merit of the two previous armies.
8:25
And the fighting continued in this manner for several days.
8:30
However, the city's towering walls.
8:33
Stood firm against the blows of the Muslims' catapults.
8:37
And were not significantly affected by them.
8:40
But that did not weaken the resolve of al-Mu'tasim and his army.
8:44
And it did not trouble them, due to their confidence in victory.
8:47
Rather, they were troubled by another matter.
8:50
Which Abu Bakr al-Suli narrated, saying:
8:53
Ya'qub ibn Ja'far ibn Sulayman narrated, saying:
8:57
"I campaigned with al-Mu'tasim on the day of Amorium.
9:00
And there was a man from the Romans who would stand every day.
9:03
On one of the walls of the city.
9:06
And would insult the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
9:09
In Arabic, with the most vile insults.
9:12
And would mention his name and lineage.
9:14
This weighed heavily on the Muslims.
9:17
And stirred their emotions.
9:19
And they began to shoot arrows at him, but they would not hit him.
9:23
And I was a good archer.
9:26
So while the man was performing that heinous act.
9:29
I aimed at him with an arrow.
9:31
And I hit his throat.
9:33
He fell from atop the wall.
9:35
The Muslims shouted 'Allahu Akbar' and praised Allah.
9:37
And al-Mu'tasim was pleased and said:
9:40
'Bring me the man who shot him.'
9:42
So I stood before him.
9:44
And he welcomed me most warmly.
9:47
And praised me most generously.
9:49
Then he said:
9:51
'Who are you?'
9:52
So I told him my lineage.
9:54
And I was from Banu Hashim.
9:56
So he said:
9:57
'Praise be to Allah who made the reward for this arrow.
10:00
For a man from my own family.'
10:03
Then he turned to me and said:
10:05
'Sell me your reward for this arrow.'
10:08
I said:
10:09
'The reward is not something that can be sold, O Commander of the Faithful.'
10:13
He said:
10:14
I desire to reward you.
10:16
He offered me one hundred thousand dirhams.
10:18
I said, "I will not sell my reward."
10:21
He kept increasing the amount,
10:23
until it reached five hundred thousand dirhams.
10:26
I said,
10:27
"I will not sell my reward for the world and all that is in it."
10:30
"However, I have gifted you half the reward of this specific military campaign."
10:34
"And Allah is my witness to that."
10:37
Al-Mu'tasim was overjoyed and said,
10:40
"May Allah reward you with goodness."
10:42
He then turned away from me to fight the enemy of Allah and his own enemy.
10:46
The Muslim siege engines continued,
10:49
striking the city for ten consecutive days.
10:53
Hoping to create a breach in it, but they did not succeed.
10:57
Then, destiny aided Al-Mu'tasim through a man from among the Muslims.
11:02
The Byzantines had captured him some years prior.
11:05
He had converted to Christianity and resided in Amorium.
11:08
But as soon as he saw the Islamic army raising the call to prayer across the horizon,
11:13
and heard the declaration of Allah's oneness and greatness,
11:16
his soul yearned for the religion of Allah.
11:19
Faith in Allah awakened in his heart.
11:22
He snuck out of the fortified city,
11:25
and sought refuge with the Muslim armies.
11:27
He declared the two testimonies of faith.
11:29
He revealed a great secret to Al-Mu'tasim.
11:32
He informed Al-Mu'tasim,
11:34
that a section of the city wall had collapsed,
11:38
due to a violent flood that had swept through it.
11:41
The Byzantine Emperor Theophilus had written to his governor in Amorium to rebuild it.
11:46
The governor had been negligent in doing so.
11:49
As soon as he learned of your approach,
11:51
he rushed to build the outer face of the wall with stones,
11:55
while leaving the interior deceptively hollow.
11:58
He then guided Al-Mu'tasim to that exact spot.
12:01
The Caliph directed the siege engines toward that location.
12:05
He began to bombard it with a continuous, relentless barrage.
12:09
Until the wall cracked,
12:11
and a breach opened up in it.
12:13
At that moment,
12:15
the Muslim soldiers rushed toward the open breach,
12:18
like the thirsty rushing to a cool spring on a scorching day.
12:23
They crowded shoulder to shoulder to meet the enemy of Allah and their own enemy inside the city.
12:29
A fierce battle ensued between the small group that managed to penetrate Amorium,
12:34
and the vast multitude of the Byzantines.
12:37
It was a brutal conflict.
12:39
In which nothing could be heard but the clashing of swords,
12:42
the murmurs of the combatants,
12:44
the rattling of spears, and the groans of the wounded.
12:48
The sun of the seventeenth day of Ramadan did not set,
12:52
in the year two hundred and twenty-three after the Hijrah,
12:55
until the ancient and formidable city,
12:59
had been opened before the victorious Muslim armies.
13:03
Al-Mu'tasim ibn al-Rashid was seen,
13:06
entering the city of Amorium on the back of his reddish-brown horse.
13:11
His head was bowed in submission to Allah,
13:14
and in gratitude for His blessings.
13:16
On this day of Amorium, the Muslims gained,
13:20
spoils that could not be counted and were beyond price.
13:24
They took seventy thousand of its inhabitants captive.
13:27
They brought the spoils and the captives out to the outskirts of the city.
13:31
Then Al-Mu'tasim ordered that Amorium be dealt with;
13:34
its walls were leveled,
13:36
its structures demolished,
13:38
and its landmarks erased.
13:40
Fires were set to burn in it for many days,
13:43
until he left it as a barren, leveled plain,
13:46
as if it had not flourished just yesterday.
13:50
The victorious Caliph returned to Baghdad, the seat of his kingdom.
13:54
The glad tidings of the great conquest had preceded him.
13:58
The people came out in their entirety,
14:00
welcoming him with the declaration of Allah's oneness,
14:03
greeting him with the declaration of His greatness,
14:05
and scattering basil and flowers upon his procession.
14:09
Poets met him with panegyrics.
14:12
Abu Tammam recited before him his famous ode that will endure for all time.
14:17
Addressing him in it, he said:
14:20
"O Caliph of Allah, may Allah reward your efforts on behalf of,
14:24
the root of religion, Islam, and noble lineage."
14:27
"You sought the greatest comfort, yet you saw it could not be,
14:31
attained except upon a bridge of hardship."
14:34
"If there is any kinship among the vicissitudes of time,
14:37
that is connected or a bond that is not severed,"
14:41
"then between your days in which you were granted victory,
14:44
and the days of Badr, there is the closest of kinships."
14:48
And it is no wonder,
14:50
for Badr was on the seventeenth of Ramadan,
14:53
and Amorium was on the seventeenth of it as well.
14:57
How excellent is Ramadan,
14:59
and how excellent are its glorious, blessed days.