Life After Death - Lessons From History

Life After Death

The Arabs were too severely crushed to stop the roaring and raging storm of Mongol invaders. It was the Mamluke ruler of Egypt — Saifuddin Kutuz (Al-Malik Al-Muzaffar) who defeated them for the first time in 1260, thereby shattering the myth of Mongol invincibility. After him, Ruknuddin Baybras inflicted several defeats on the Mongol armies, forcing them out of Syria. In this way, at least the western wing of the Muslim world was saved from destruction.

During the 12th and 13th centuries, however, the center of the Muslim land was presenting a desolate and hopeless picture.  The  situation  there  was  a  repetition  of  what  had happened to Jerusalem in the 6th century B.C., when Prophet Uzair (AS) was overwhelmed with grief and had, according to the Qur’an, said to himself, “how shall God bring this city to life after its death?” (Al-Baqarah 2:259). But despite the widespread devastation  and  degradation,  just  as  the  Israelites  had  risen again, so did the Muslim, and the words of the Qur’an — “Then we gave you a chance against them, and strengthened you with wealth and children, and increased your number” (Al-Isra 17:6) — were fulfilled once again.

There was, however, a significant departure from the pattern set by the Jewish history. The previous Muslim Ummah was composed of a single race, and therefore their renaissance had to take place exclusively from within that race. There was no such limitation in the case of the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and, as a result, the process of her revival was  accomplished  by  the  efforts  of  a  number  of  non-Arab nations.

Almost miraculously, the barbaric Mongols themselves started to embrace Islam, and this provided the Muslim world with powerful defenders and guardians. Similarly, the Temurid and Ottoman Turks also converted to Islam, the former laying down the foundations of a strong Muslim dominion in India and thereby   strengthening   the   eastern   wing,   and   the   latter establishing   themselves   initially   in   Asia   Minor   and   then founding the Great Ottoman Empire.

The terms “Turkey” and “Ottoman Empire” are often treated as synonyms, although present-day Turkey constituted only a small part of that largest of all modern states which extended into Asia, Europe, and Africa. The capital of Byzantine or the Eastern Roman empire, Constantinople, was conquered by Muhammad II in 1453 and became the Ottoman capital. The Turks  were  then  able  to  establish  their  domination  over  the whole east Europe, and also accepted the challenging and stupendous  task  of  protecting  and  leading  the  heart  of  the Muslim land, including North Africa. Moreover, the institution of  the  Caliphate  was  revived  and  the  lost  greatness  of  the Muslims  was  recaptured  in  its  totality,  although  this  was achieved by the efforts of the Turks and not by those of the Arabs. The Ottoman empire reached its zenith under Selim I and his son Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century, when the Turk armies advanced through the Balkans and Hungary into Austria, and later in 1683 when they again reached up to the gates of Vienna.

Source:Lesson from History (Book) by Dr. Israr Ahmad

First Period of Decline - Lessons From History

First Period of Decline

The Arabs gradually became corrupted as a result of their unprecedented power and wealth. The simple, frugal, and almost self-denying life style of the early Muslims slowly disappeared, giving way to the luxurious and hedonistic trend that  is  the  hallmark  of  all  worldly  rulers.  Due  to  their materialistic and this-worldly ambitions, the faith and religious enthusiasm of the Arabs faded away, leading ultimately to their political decline. Although clear signs of their hollowness and exhaustion remained shrouded for quite some time, it became increasingly obvious by the 10th century that the Arabs were reaching their senility.

During the 11th century, Arab decline and decadence became severe enough to create a power vacuum in the heart of the Muslim world. This attracted tribes from the North East, i.e., the Kurds and the Seljuk Turks, to the center of the Muslim land.  These  tribes,  after  embracing  Islam,  strengthened  their hold in Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. This led to the infusion of fresh and energetic blood into the ailing Muslim Ummah. It was during this period that Afghan tribes started invading the Indian subcontinent, paving the way for the establishment of Muslim rule in India.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Arabs experienced their  first  taste  of  Divine  punishment,  and  the  words  of  the Qur’an — “We sent against you Our creatures full of martial might who ransacked your cities” — were fulfilled once again. Previously, the Jews were destroyed by the Assyrians from the North and then by the Babylonians from the East. History was repeated when the Arab Muslim were devastated first by the Crusaders from the North, and then by the Mongols from the East.

The Christian Europe launched a series of attacks, in order to recapture Jerusalem from Muslims, after Pope Urban II had declared a Holy War in 1096 to liberate the city from “infidels.” Wave after waves of Crusaders invaded the Muslim territories for the next two hundred years. During one of their initial attacks, the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem in 1099, violating   the   sanctity   of   Al-Aqsa   mosque.   The   Christian warriors, in their extreme religious frenzy, went completely berserk after this conquest. Such wholesale butchery took place in  Jerusalem  that  it  embarrasses  the  Western  historian  even today.

The  Holy  City  remained  under  Christian  rule  for  a period of 88 years, as the decrepit Umayyads ******** were no longer capable of launching an offensive. Finally, the fervent and  zealous  elements  from  among  the  non-Arab  nations  — under Salahuddin Ayyubi (1137-1193), an Egyptian ruler of Kurdish descent — fought successfully against the Crusaders and brought Jerusalem again under the Muslim rule in 1187. The real extermination of the Arabs, however, was still to come. Genghis Khan (1162-1227), after uniting the Mongol tribesmen, had already established a ruthless and powerful army that plundered  North  China,  Turkestan, Transoxania, Afghanistan, and Persia. After Genghis Khan’s death, his empire was divided among his sons and grandsons. The fierce Mongol warriors, however, continued to advance further east, towards the heart of Muslim land. 

The destruction of the romantic city of Baghdad in 1258 was brutally thorough, as most buildings were razed to the ground. For a period of forty days, the conquerors continued to massacre the inhabitants, even pregnant women were not spared. Dead bodies in street and market places were too numerous to be properly buried, leading to uncontrollable epidemics of disease which  further  added  to the death toll. The whole social and economic framework collapsed, along with the rich traditions of culture and learning. With the execution of Mu‘tasim Billah, the already  flickering  lamp  of  the  Abassids  Caliphate  was  also extinguished.

The fall of Baghdad was not only the last episode in the first manifestation of Divine punishment to the Muslims, but it also constituted the coupe de grâce for the Banu Isma‘el, as Almighty Allah (SWT) sacked them from the leadership of the Muslim world. The following Qur’anic words came true, at least regarding the Arabs:

If you turn away, then Allah will bring other people in your place, who will not be like you. (Muhammad 47:38)

Source:Lesson from History (Book) by Dr. Israr Ahmad