Part of Ramadan events and lessons (series completed)
· Lesson 30 of 31
Ramadan events and lessons | Episode (30) | The Ottomans arrive at the borders of the island of Rhodes in order to conquer it
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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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 arrival of the Ottomans at the outskirts of the island of Rhodes,
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for the purpose of conquering it.
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The time was the month of Ramadan,
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in the year 928 AH.
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The location of the island of Rhodes:
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Rhodes is an island situated in the far east of the Mediterranean Sea,
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located 12 miles from the coast of Asia Minor.
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It is a Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea,
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lying near the southern coast of Turkey,
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halfway between the main Greek islands and Cyprus.
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It is approximately 18 kilometers from Turkey.
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It was annexed to the Ottoman Empire upon its conquest
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in the year 929 AH,
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and remained under the authority of the Ottoman Sultan
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until it was joined to Italy
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in the year 1918 AD,
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and then annexed to Greece
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in the year 1946 AD,
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after the Second World War.
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The importance of the island of Rhodes and the reasons for its conquest:
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The island of Rhodes was the fortified stronghold of the Knights of Saint John,
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the same knights who had been expelled from the Levant
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following the Crusades against it.
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Furthermore, they were under the authority of the Pope in Rome,
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and were known for their intense fanaticism and hatred toward Muslims.
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For a long period of time, they had been
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raiding Muslim ships bound for the Hijaz,
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killing the men, taking the children captive,
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violating the honor of the women,
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and plundering the wealth of the Muslims.
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They also used to waylay Turkish Muslim pilgrims,
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burn Muslim ships,
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and exploit their impregnable fortresses on the island,
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feeling secure in the knowledge that the Muslims could not reach them,
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in addition to their aggressive actions directed at Ottoman maritime communication lines.
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The first and last conquest of the island:
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The conquest of this island during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent
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was not its first conquest,
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but rather its final one.
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As for the first conquest of this island,
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it took place in the year 53 AH
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at the hands of Junadah Ibn Abi Umayyah.
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A group of Muslims settled there,
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and they were the most formidable force against the disbelievers.
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They remained in a state of high alert against the Franks,
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spending their nights in a great fortress nearby,
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which contained their supplies, livestock, and provisions.
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They had lookouts stationed by the sea
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to warn them if an enemy approached or plotted against them.
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In the year 708 AH,
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the Byzantines managed to seize the island
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during the reign of Sultan Khalil Ibn Qalawun,
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the Sultan of Egypt.
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The Byzantine knights joined forces with the knights of Rhodes
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to raid the Muslim coasts in Asia and Egypt,
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and these raids became notorious for acts of piracy.
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From the fifteenth century AD onwards,
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attempts to conquer Rhodes continued
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by the Mamluk Sultans in Egypt,
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at a time when Rhodes had become
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an important base for the gathering of Crusader fleets
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that attacked Muslims in Egypt, the Levant, and Turkey.
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Then came an attempt by Mehmed the Conqueror to take it,
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but that did not come to pass
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until it was finally conquered during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent.
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Factors that assisted Suleiman the Magnificent in conquering the island:
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The island remained in the hands of those knights,
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who posed a maritime threat to the Muslims,
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until the opportunity arose during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent to conquer it.
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Along with the strong resolve and extensive preparations
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that the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman possessed,
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there were external factors
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that helped in achieving the desired goal.
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Among those contributing factors were:
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First, Europe’s preoccupation with the Great War
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between Charles V,
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Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire,
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(Spain and Germany),
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and Francis, King of France.
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Second, the preoccupation of Pope Leo X
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with debating and resisting the German monk Luther,
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the founder of the Protestant sect.
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Third, the internal instability of Hungary
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due to the lack of consensus among its princes and nobles,
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and the young age of its king, Louis II.
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Fourth, the conclusion of a peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Venice.
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Fifth, the growth of the Ottoman navy
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during the reign of Selim I.
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The road to Rhodes:
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The Ottoman Sultan prepared
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a massive military campaign
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under the command of Mustafa Pasha,
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consisting of seven hundred ships,
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and equipped them with giant cannons.
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When they arrived,
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the island resisted them,
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so Suleiman the Magnificent set out himself in its wake.
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His journey there began on the twentieth of Rajab,
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in the year 928 AH.
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His arrival at Rhodes and his landing there
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took place in the month of Ramadan of the aforementioned year.
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The Sultan traveled by land
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to the Marmara region,
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opposite the island from the side of Asia.
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Siege cannons, provisions, and ammunition
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were sent by land.
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Upon his arrival,
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the siege began with extreme intensity.
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The tightening of the siege
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and the attempt to conquer the island by force:
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The total siege of the island began,
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as they surrounded it by land and sea.
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Those on land were unable
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to approach the wall of its fortress
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due to the great trench surrounding it,
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which was defended by massive cannons.
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Those at sea were unable to approach
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and enter the harbor
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because of the chain stretched
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across the sea,
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and the fire directed at anyone approaching it
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from large cannons.
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They were striking the Muslims with their cannons,
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while the Muslims' cannons could not reach them.
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Even if something did reach them,
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it would not penetrate the wall
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due to its thickness and height.
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So the land troops delayed slightly,
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and ordered earth to be brought.
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They brought it until it became like mountains,
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and they took cover behind these earthworks.
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They began moving those barricades forward
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little by little,
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until the earth reached the trench.
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They threw it in,
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and it filled up, coming close to the fortress wall
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and rising above it.
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The wicked disbelievers were now beneath the Muslims,
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being struck while unable to strike back,
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the opposite of their previous situation.
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The Muslims fired upon them with cannon fire
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until they were exhausted and weakened,
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and realized they were captured.
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They requested safe passage from Sultan Suleiman,
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and surrendered the land to him
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on the condition that they take their women, children, and wealth,
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and head wherever they wished,
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and that none of the soldiers would molest them.
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The Sultan granted their request.
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It is worth noting
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that those who were on the island
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had defended it with great desperation,
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and fought for it like heroes,
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especially the monks.
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It is said that the women helped
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the men in the defense by throwing stones
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at the besiegers,
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and pouring hot oil on their heads.
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But all of that was of no avail
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against the Ottoman cannons,
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some pieces of which still exist today,
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and the viewer is overwhelmed by their sheer size.
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But when all strategies failed
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the head of this order,
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whose name was Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam,
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of French origin,
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and his provisions and ammunition ran out,
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he sent two of his monks to the Sultan
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on the second of Safar,
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in the year 929 AH,
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asking him for permission
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to evacuate the island
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within a period of 12 days,
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on the condition that the Ottoman armies move away
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from the besieged city
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a distance of one mile from all sides,
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so that no harm would come to the besieged
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upon their departure.
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The Sultan accepted that.
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A siege of six continuous months,
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despite the poor weather conditions,
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as rain was falling heavily.
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Nevertheless, those
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Ottoman soldiers remained steadfast with great resolve.
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The results of the conquest:
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First, the conquest of this island
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and the entry of the Muslims into it after great hardship
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and long years
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of the harm its people had caused the Muslims,
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and the attempts at conquest that had ended
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in failure every time,
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unlike this time.
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Second, the Sultan ordered the construction of a great fortress
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on this island,
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and left behind those among the Muslims who would defend
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Regarding the island and the maritime routes connected to it.
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Third:
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The Islamization of this island after its conquest.
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It served as a base from which they launched
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expeditions to conquer many other islands,
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and subsequently, to seize the capital
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of the Byzantines.
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Imprinting the island with an Islamic character,
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and teaching the people there the matters of their religion.
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Fifth:
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The event of the island's conquest was a bitter one.
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Third:
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Permitting those who were on the island,
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from the Knights of Saint John,
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to depart from it to Malta,
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along with their men, women, and children,
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as well as their provisions and equipment.
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This was a grave historical error
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committed by Suleiman the Magnificent,
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due to the consequences that followed,
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the dire consequences.
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Mahmud Maqdish said:
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They requested safety from Sultan Suleiman,
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and surrendered the territory to him,
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on the condition that they take their women, children,
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and wealth, and head wherever they wished,
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and that none of the soldiers would interfere with them.
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The Sultan granted their request,
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even though his ministers had warned him against granting them safety,
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because they were a formidable force of disbelief,
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and because if they escaped with these treasures,
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they would be able to strengthen themselves with them,
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and gather armies of Christians, the enemies of the faith,
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and return to harm the Muslims.
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Yet the Sultan did not heed their warnings,
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and granted them safety.
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They departed with all their wealth and families,
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and everything they held dear, and set off.
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Then they returned to harm the Muslims,
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and began raiding the roads just as they used to do in Rhodes.
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Sultan Suleiman regretted
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having granted them safety,
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and sent a great fleet against them,
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and many soldiers to capture them
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and eradicate them late in his life,
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under the command of the vizier Mustafa Pasha.
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However, a disagreement occurred between him and the admiral,
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which led to a dispute, and they failed,
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just as Allah had warned would happen.
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“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)
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They returned without achieving their goal,
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due to a matter Allah had willed.
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People to this day—meaning in the author's era—
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are still defending against their harm
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and enduring their terrors,
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especially the people of Sfax,
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because they are engaged in intense warfare with them,
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with fighting and killing occurring on both sides,
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for war is a seesaw.
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Perhaps there is goodness in that, and more goodness,
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because practicing the war against the enemy
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breeds courage and vigor,
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unlike growing up in peace and comfort,
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which causes weakness in character
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and cowardice in the soul.
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Allah chooses for His servant
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what he would not choose for himself,
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and in it are the greatest benefits,
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which is the persistence in raiding, jihad, and guarding the frontiers,
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and returning with one of the two best outcomes:
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wealth or martyrdom,
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and the reward is attained in any case.
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In this event, there are lessons:
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First: The importance of securing the Muslims' routes
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and protecting them from every threat,
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in order to preserve lives and wealth,
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and to facilitate the means of travel
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for religious and worldly interests without fear.
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Second:
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The enemy of Islam who fights its people
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cannot be deterred from his evil except by force,
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and without it, he will commit whatever corruption he desires.
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Suleiman the Magnificent had begun
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at the start of the conquest of this island [well],
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but he was lenient at the end of it,
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and that leniency led to widespread corruption,
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as became clear.
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Had he remained as he was at first,
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and dealt with the enemies of Islam
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as Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi used to deal with them,
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that evil would not have occurred.
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Third: Ideological disbelievers
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display a level of stubbornness and hatred
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that other disbelievers do not display.
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Fourth:
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Developing military power, both in equipment and strategy,
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is among the essential tasks that honor the Muslims
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and repel evil from them.
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Fifth: Patience and steadfastness
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are the path to achieving goals.
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Ramadan: Events and Lessons.