Part of Ramadan events and lessons (series completed)
· Lesson 26 of 31
Ramadan events and lessons | Episode (26) | Conquest of Antioch
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Transcript
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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A summary of the book:
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Ramadan: Events and Lessons.
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The Conquest of Antioch.
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The era in Ramadan.
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The year 660 AH.
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After the Muslims found relief from the evil of the Tatars in the Levant,
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and Allah prevented them from entering Egypt,
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and [after] their resolve at 'Ayn Jalut,
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the Muslims breathed a sigh of relief
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by liberating their cities from the grip of those corruptors.
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The army that Allah granted victory over the Tatars in that battle
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held prestige and awe among the Muslims,
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and the Muslims yielded to them in obedience and submission.
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After Sultan al-Zahir Baybars took power—
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may Allah forgive him,
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may Allah have mercy upon him—
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he took the reins of government in Egypt,
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and the country stabilized under his rule.
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He performed many great deeds therein,
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and he was passionate about jihad,
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conquering lands and liberating them from the grip of the enemies of Islam.
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There are many accounts of this,
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some of which will be mentioned in his biography.
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Among the cities he conquered
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was the city of Antioch.
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On the eve of the conquest:
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Some Levantine cities
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were living under the grip of the Crusader Franks.
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Sultan al-Zahir Baybars rose to address this with full resolve,
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leading his massive army toward them,
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conquering them city after city.
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Ibn Kathir said:
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Then the year 660 AH began.
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This year commenced
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with the Abbasid ruler as Caliph,
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and the Sultan of the land being al-Zahir.
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At the beginning of Jumada al-Akhirah,
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the Sultan departed from the Egyptian lands with the victorious troops.
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He descended upon the city of Jaffa suddenly,
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taking it by force.
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Its people surrendered the citadel to him in peace,
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so he evacuated them to Acre,
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and he destroyed the citadel and the city.
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He departed from there in Rajab,
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heading toward the fortress of al-Shaqif.
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On the way,
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he intercepted some Frankish couriers,
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carrying a letter from the people of Acre to the people of al-Shaqif,
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informing them of the Sultan’s approach,
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and ordering them to fortify the town
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and hasten to repair the places
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that were vulnerable.
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The Sultan understood how to take the town,
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and he knew how to handle the situation.
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He immediately summoned a man from the Franks,
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and ordered him to write a letter in their stead,
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as if from them to the people of al-Shaqif,
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warning the King about the Vizier,
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and the Vizier about the King,
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sowing discord within the state.
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It reached them,
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and Allah caused discord between them,
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by His might and power.
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The Sultan arrived,
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besieged them, and bombarded them with catapults,
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so they surrendered the fortress to him
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on the 29th of Rajab.
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He evacuated them to Tyre,
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and sent the spoils to Damascus.
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Then he rode out with a light cavalry unit of the most energetic soldiers—
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the "jaridah" being the cavalry
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that has no infantry with it—
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and launched a raid on Tripoli and its dependencies,
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plundering, killing, and terrorizing.
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He returned supported and victorious,
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and descended upon the Fortress of the Kurds (Hisn al-Akrad).
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Because of his love for the meadow,
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the Frankish inhabitants brought him provisions,
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but he refused to accept them,
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saying, "You killed a soldier from my army,
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and I demand blood money of one hundred thousand dinars."
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Then he marched and descended upon Homs,
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then from there to Hama,
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then to Apamea (Famiya),
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then he marched another stage,
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then he traveled by night,
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and the army advanced, fully equipped,
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and marched until they surrounded the city of Antioch.
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Internal wars had taken place among the Crusaders,
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which weakened their strength, praise be to Allah.
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Wars broke out between Venice and Genoa,
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lasting until the year 660 AH.
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All the opposing factions joined
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one of the two sides, exhausting them,
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which had an effect on al-Zahir Baybars’ seizure
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of Antioch.
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The conquest of the city and the results of the conquest:
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Sultan al-Zahir continued on his way to Antioch,
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the resolve to conquer it driving his march without hesitation.
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Allah the Almighty helped him achieve this noble goal,
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and through him, He honored Islam and the Muslims,
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and through him, He humiliated disbelief and the disbelievers.
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Ibn Kathir said:
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His arrival there was at the beginning of the month of Ramadan.
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Its people came out to him, seeking safety,
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and they set conditions for him,
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but he refused to answer them and turned them away disappointed.
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He was determined to besiege it,
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and he conquered it on Saturday, the 14th of Ramadan,
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by the might, power, support, and victory of Allah.
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He took much booty from it,
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and granted the emirs generous wealth.
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He found a great number of Muslim captives from the Hanbalis there,
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all this in the span of four days.
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Bohemond, its ruler and the ruler of Tripoli,
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had been one of the people who caused the most harm to the Muslims.
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When the Tatars took Aleppo and people fled from it,
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Allah the Almighty took revenge on him through the one He raised as a supporter of Islam,
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and a crusher and destroyer of the Cross.
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To Allah belongs all praise and favor.
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The good news of this arrived with the couriers,
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and the glad tidings responded from the victorious citadel.
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The people of Baghras, when they heard of the Sultan’s intent toward them,
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sent asking him to send someone to take delivery of it,
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so he sent his chamberlain,
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the Emir Aq Sunqur al-Farqani,
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on the 13th of Ramadan,
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and he took delivery of it.
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They also took delivery of large fortresses and many citadels.
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The Sultan returned supported and victorious,
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and entered Damascus on the 27th of Ramadan of that year,
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in great splendor and immense awe.
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The city was decorated for him, and the drums of victory were beaten,
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rejoicing in the victory of Islam over the wretched disbelievers.
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Al-Dhahabi said:
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They counted those killed among the Christians there,
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and they were over forty thousand.
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He also said:
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It had been in the hands of the Christians—
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meaning Antioch—
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for more than one hundred and seventy years, or thereabouts.
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In this event, there are lessons:
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First:
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The continuation of the conquests of Islam
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is proof of its strength and the honor of its people,
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and the weakness of that is evidence of the frailty of Islam in the hearts.
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Second:
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The aggressors among the disbelievers against the Muslims
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do not escape the day of retribution and the vindication of the oppressed.
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For days alternate among people.
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Third:
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A great man
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may commit grave, blameworthy acts.
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Despite this fragrant biography of Baybars,
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he did to Sayf al-Din Qutuz
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what was mentioned earlier.
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Fourth:
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A righteous ruler
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may create for the Ummah goodness
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that others could not create in generations.
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Fifth:
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Severity toward those who deserve severity
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is praiseworthy.
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Allah the Almighty said:
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“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)
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Ramadan: Events and Lessons.