Muhammad Al-Faatih: about whom the Prophetgave glad tidings

For eight centuries, the conquest of Constantinople, now Istanbul
Turkey was a dream for the Muslim commanders. Ever since the era of
the revered companion, Mu`aawiyah Ibn Abu Sufyaan, there had been many
attempts to conquer it, but none had succeeded.
Every Muslim commander wantedto be the conqueror praised in the
narration in which the Prophet said: "You will conquer Constantinople
. Its commander is the best and its army (that will conquer it) is the
best."
Who was then the person about whom the Prophet gave glad tidings? It
was Muhammad Al-Faatih son of the OttomanSultan Murad II.
Muhammad Al-Faatih as a child and his excellent preparation:
Muhammad Al-Fatih was born on 27 th Rajab, 835 A.H., 30 th
March,1432. He was brought up under the supervision of his father,
Sultan Murad II, the seventh Ottoman Sultan. His father prepared and
trained him to shoulder the responsibilities of the position of a
Sultan. Muhammad Al-Fatih memorized all the Quran, learnt the
Propheticnarrations, Islamic jurisprudence,mathematics, astronomy and
theskills required for war.
He also learnt Arabic, Persian, Latin and Greek languages. He joined
his father in his battles and conquests.
His father appointed him as a ruler of a small emirate so that he
could receive practical trainingon administering state affairs under
the supervision of some of the top scholars of that time. This matter
influenced the character of the young prince andtinted his personality
with Islamic morals and manners.
Shaykh Aaq Shamsd-Deen, one of the scholars who supervised the
upbringing and education of Muhammad Al-Faatih, managed to inculcate
in his heart the spirit of Jihaad and the desire to be a person with
high ambition.
The Shaykh also told Muhammad Al-Faatih that he may be the one
referred to in the Prophetic narration mentioned above. All this
shaped the character of Muhammad Al-Faatih. He was devoted to Jihaad,
highly ambitious, widely cultured, and had deep knowledge of the
skills of war and combat.
Taking power and his efforts to achieve the glad tiding:
After the death of his father, Sultan Murad II on 5 th Muharram,852
A.H., 7 th February, 1451 A.C., Muhammad Al-Faatih took over and
became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire . He was a strong young man,
only twenty years old, very enthusiastic and ambitious. He was
thinking of theconquest of Constantinople, the capital of the
Byzantine Empire . This dream overwhelmed him to the extent that he
would not talkabout any subject except for the conquest of
Constantinople . He would not even allow anyone who was sitting with
him to talk,except about the expected conquest.
The first step in achieving his dream was to take control of the
Strait of Bosporus so that he could prevent any support or supplies
that might come to Constantinople from Europe . So he built a huge
castle on the European seashore of the Strait of Bosporus . Along with
top senior officials, he personally participated in building the
castle. It took three months to build this castle that came to be
known as the Roman Castle. On the other bank of the Strait of Bosporus
there was the Castle of Anatolia . It then became impossible for any
ship to cross unless it obtained permission from the Ottoman forces.
At that time, a talented engineer managed to make a number of cannons
for the Sultan, Muhammad Al-Faatih . One ofthese cannons, never known
before that time, was 700 tons and its projectile weighed 1,500
kilograms.
The sound of its shell could be heard from a long distance away.It was
pulled by one hundred oxen aided by one hundred strong men. This giant
cannon was called the Sultanic Cannon.
The conquest of Constantinople and the realization of the glad tidings:
After completing his preparations, Sultan Muhammad Al-Faatih marched
to Constantinople with an army of two hundred and sixty-five thousand
fighters. This army had infantry forces as well as horsemen. Huge
cannons supported this army. The army besieged Constantinople and the
Ottoman cannons started to fire their missiles at the fortified walls
of the city day and night. From time to time, the Sultan surprised the
enemy with a new war plan until the city defenders lost control and
their forces gave up.
At dawn of Tuesday, 20 th Jumaadaa Al-Awwal, 827 A.H., 29 th May,
1453 A.C., the Ottoman forces managed to penetrate the walls and drive
away the defenders who fled. The people of Constantinople were taken
by surprise when they saw the Ottoman flags waving on their walls and
the soldiers flooding into the city.
After the Ottoman forces conquered the city, Sultan Muhammad arrived
on his horse in a great procession that included his ministers and
army commanders. Ever since that time, the Sultan was known as
Muhammad Al-Faatih (the Conqueror). The soldiers were shouting:
Mash-Allaah! Mash-Allaah! Long live our Sultan! Long live our Sultan!
The Sultan's procession marched until it reached Hagia Sophia church
where the people of the city had gathered. When they knew that the
Sultan had arrived,they bowed and prostrated and they were all weeping
and crying because they did not know their fate; what Sultan Muhammad
Al-Faatih would do to them.
When the Sultan arrived, he dismounted from his horse and prayed two
Rak`ahs thanking Allaah Who had blessed him withthis conquest. Then
the Sultan addressed the people of the city who were still bowing and
prostrating in tears:
Stand up! I am Sultan Muhammadand I would like to tell you, your
brothers, and all the people present that your lives and freedoms are
protected.
The Sultan ordered that the church be turned into a mosque and for the
first time, the call for prayer was heard from this place.Until now,
this mosque is still known as the Mosque of Hagia Sophia. He also
decided to take Constantinople as a capital of his country. It was
called Islambul, meaning the House of Islam. Later on the word was
viciously twisted to become Istanbul .
The Sultan was very tolerant and merciful with the people of the city,
and acted according to the teachings of Islam. He commanded his
soldiers to treat their prisoners of war in a good manner. The Sultan
himself paid the ransoms for a large number of prisoners of war from
his own money. He also allowed those who left the city when it was
under siege to return home.
The aftermath of the conquest of Constantinople :
Muhammad Al-Fatih attainedthis victory when he was twenty three years
old. This indicated hisearly military genius. He also deserved the
glad tidings of the Prophet who foretold that a good person would
conquer that city.
Later on, Muhammad Al-Faatih headed to complete his conquests in the
Balkan. He managed to conquer Serbia Greece Romania Albania and Bosnia
Herzegovina. He also looked forward to conquering Rome so that he
would have another source of pride in addition to the conquest of
Constantinople .
In order to achieve this great hope, he needed to conquer Italy . He
prepared a tremendous fleetfor this mission. He managed to land his
forces and a large number of cannons near the Italian city Otarant.
Consequently he managed to capture its castle in Jumaadaa Al-Awwal 885
A.H., July 1480 A.C.
Muhammad Al-Fatih decided to take Otarant as a base for his northern
military operations untilhe could reach Rome . The European world was
terrified because of this attempt and they expected the fall of the
historical city, Rome into the hands of Muhammad Al-Fatih . However,
he died suddenly (on 4 th Rabee' Al-Awwal, 886 A.H., 3 rd May, 1481
A.C.) while he was preparing to realize this dream. All Europe was
very happy when they knew about his death. The Pope of Rome ordered
that thankfulness prayer be held in churches as a means of expressing
joy and happiness over the news.
Muhammad Al-Fatih as a statesman and a sponsor of civilization
During the reign of Muhammad Al-Faatih and because of his wise
leadership and well-planned policy, the Ottoman State
reachedboundaries that it had never done before.
All these conquests were not the only achievements of
MuhammadAl-Faatih may Allaah have mercy on him. Through the help of
some of his loyal men, he managed to establish a constitution based on
the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Prophet and the Ottoman state
adhered to this constitutionfor about four centuries.
Although he was very busy, he managed to establish more than 300
mosques, 192 of which were in Istanbul alone. He also built 57
schools. Among his most famous architectural monuments are the Mosque
of Sultan Muhammad, the Mosque of Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansaari, and Sarai
Tub-Qabu Palace .
Muhammad Al-Faatih was known for his love for literature. He was a
good poet and a regularreader. He liked the company of scholars and
poets and made some of them ministers. Whenever he heard about a
greatscholar in any field, he would help and support him or ask him to
come to Istanbul in order to benefit of his knowledge.
The character of Muhammad Al-Faatih :
Muhammad Al-Faatih was a committed Muslim who abode bythe rulings of
Islamic jurisprudence. Because of the way he was brought up, he was
apious man. As for his military conduct, it was very civilized and it
was unfamiliar to Europe in its Medieval Ages.
Owing to his ambition fostered by his teachers who always encouraged
him to be the conqueror of Constantinople he managed to make the
greatest ofhis achievements by conquering this city.
Muhammad Al-Faatih managed to realize his dreams through hard,
continuous work, and well-organized planning. For example, before
besieging Constantinople he prepared for the war by making cannons,
preparing his fleet, and making use of all the factors that might
render him victorious.
Through high ambition, determination, and the effort to achieve his
goals, he managed to materialize his dream, make his hope an existing
reality which made him one of the great Muslim heroes and conquerors.

Celebrating the Mother's Day

What is known among many people as Mother's Day and whichis claimed to
be the 21st of Marchis nothing but an innovation and a non-Islamic
ritual which has entered the Muslim's homes because of their
inadvertence andignorance of the Islamic values and rites. In fact
this so called"Mother's Day" is an imitation of the non-Muslims,
namely the western people and their followers.
It is proven that the Prophet Muhammad said: "If somebody tries to
introduce into this faith of ours (Islam) something which is not a
part of it, is to be rejected and that person is condemned". [Imaam
Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
No innovation has come except ithas caused a Sunnah to be neglected or
even rejected. This isclear and evident. You can for instance see a
man who disobeyshis mother and causes her much harm and who does not
visit her except on rare occasion, and when this "Day" comes he brings
her a gift or a flower and thinks that by this act he has fulfilled
hisduties towards her.
The People who innovated this practice did so first as compensation to
their society's neglect as far as the rights of mothers are concerned
and, second, due to the break in kinship ties and lack of the sincere
affection that should exist between parents and their children. For
the above reasons, these people innovated this Day to return to
mothers "some of their rights" and to make familiescelebrate it and
"honor" mothers.
By doing so, they are like the one who kept silent for a long time and
the first word he uttered was nonsense. What is the importance of
"honoring" a person one day in a whole year and leaving that person
the rest of the year in a "nursing home for the elderly or alone with
her dog or cat? Are these animals more faithful to this woman thanher
own children whom she has breast-fed and raised as best she could?
The Prophet said: "No people have innovated something that isnot from
the religion but a Sunnah of the same extent is eliminated. So
sticking to a Sunnah is better than creating aninnovation". [Imaam
Ahmad]
The scholars are agreed that it is forbidden to appoint a feast day
for Muslims other than the two feasts: Al-Fitr and Al-Adhaa because
feasts are part of what Allaah has ordained on us. Allaah says (what
means): {For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies which
they must follow.} [Quran 22: 67].
Moreover, celebrating this Day does not give the mother the smallest
fraction of what Allaah has prescribed for her. Allaah has ordained on
us to obey our mothers and do all the good to them as long as they are
alive and after they die. No other religion has given the mother
therights Islam prescribed to her.
Allaah commanded us in many verses of the Quran to obey parents and do
good to them. He even linked their obedience to Hisworship. He linked
thanking Him to thanking them. Allaah mentioned the mother alone in
some places to show us that her rights are greater than those of the
father. Allaah says (what means): {Worship Allaah and join none with
Him in worship, and do good to parents.} (Quran 4:36) Allaah also says
(what means): {And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but
Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents.} (Quran 17:23)
Ibn Abbaas said: "The obedience of the parents increases by being kind
and gentle to them. One should reply gently to everything that they
tellhim. One should not look at themin their eyes. One should not
shout at them. Rather, when with one's parents one should belike the
slave before his master".
Ibn al-Musayyib said: "When interpreting the verse (which means): "And
out of kindness lower to them the wing of humility and say: 'My Lord!
bestow on them Your Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.'" he
said: "like what a sinful slave says to a harsh master."
On the other hand, the obedienceto parents is an obligation on
thechildren even if the parents are non-Muslims or Muslims who are
known to be dissolute. Allaah says (what means): {But if they strive
to make you join in worship with Me things of which you have no
knowledge obey them not; Yet bear them company in this life with
justice (and consideration).} [Quran 31:15] So, Allaah ordered that
they be given good company even if they are atheists.
Imaam Bukhaari and Muslim narrated from Asmaa' that she said: "My
mother came to me, hoping (for my favor) during the life time of the
Prophet . I asked the Prophet : "May I treat her kindly?" He replied,
"Yes".
Abdullah Ibn Mas'ood reported: I asked the Prophet : "Which of the
deeds is loved most by Allaah?'' The Messenger of Allaah said,
"Performing prayer at its proper time.'' I asked, "What next?'' He
replied, "Kindness to parents." I asked, "What next?" He replied,
"Jihaad in the way of Allaah.'' [Bukhaari and Muslim]
Abu Hurayrah reported: "A person came to the Messenger of Allaah and
asked, "Who among people is most deserving of my fine treatment?'' He
said, "Your mother" . He again asked, "Who next?'' "Your mother" , the
Prophet replied again. He asked, "Who next?'' He (the Prophet ) said
again, "Your mother.'' He again asked,"Then who?'' Thereupon he said,
"Then your father.'' So, the mother's right is greater than that of
the father. It is three times the right of the father.
Al-Mugheerah Ibn Shu'bah reported: The Prophet said, "Allaah has
forbidden you from disobedience to your mothers, towithhold (what you
should give), or demand (what you do not deserve), and to bury your
daughters alive. And Allaah dislikes idle talk, to ask too many
questions (for things which will be of no benefit to one), and to
waste your wealth". [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Al-Bukhaari narrated in his book "Al-Adab Al-Mufrad" that Ibn Abbaas
said: "I do not know any good act that brings the person closer to
Allaah The Almighty than the obedience of one's mother".
Moreover, the obedience of parents is not restricted to their
lifetime, it is also done after theirdeath. Abu Dawood reportedthat a
man once came to the Prophet and said: "Is there any form of obedience
that I could do to my parents after their death?" The Prophet said:
"Yes. Ask blessings for them.Ask Allaah to forgive them. Carry out
their will. Treat kindly anybody with whom they have blood
relationships and treat their friends kindly."
Indeed, this is the recognition that parents deserve, and the mother
in particular. So, anybody who obeys Allaah as ordered by the Shariah
should not celebrate this day because it is an innovation and because
Islam gave the mother complete and comprehensive rights all the time.
So, anyone who does not give due respect to his mother allthe time,
cannot make it up to her just by celebrating this day. In fact, by
doing so, he will be both disobedient to Allaah and an innovator.
Likewise the practice in the west of setting aside certain days for
expressing good deeds, such as Thanksgiving Day or Christmas, should
not be observed by Muslims for the reasons already given. Thanking and
praising Allaah, and doing acts of charity are forms of worship that
should be a way of life for the Muslim.

The story of Prophet Shu’ayb

The story of Prophet Shu'ayb with his people is mentioned in the
seventh chapter of the Noble Quran.
The people of Madyan, to whom he was sent by Allaah Almighty, were
Arabs who lived in a place called "Ma'aan" (in Jordan). They were a
greedy people who did not believe that Allaah existed and who led
wicked lives.
They gave short measure, praisedtheir goods beyond their worth, and
hid their defects. They lied totheir customers, thereby cheating them.
Allaah, the Almighty, Says (what means) : "…And to [the people
of]Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu'ayb. He said, 'O my people,
worship Allaah; you have no deityother than Him. There has come to you
clear evidence from your Lord. So fulfill the measure and weight and
do not deprive people of their due and cause notcorruption upon the
earth after its reformation. That is better for you, if you should be
believers. And do not sit on every path, threatening and averting from
the way of Allaah those who believe in Him, seeking to make it[seem]
deviant. And remember when you were few and He increased you. And see
how the end of the corrupters was. And if there should be a group
among you who has believed in that with which I have been sent and a
group that has not believed, then be patient until Allaah judges
between us. And He is the best of judges.'
Said the eminent ones who were arrogant among his people, 'We will
surely evict you, O Shu'ayb, and those who have believed with you from
our city or you must return to our religion.' He said, 'Even if we
were unwilling? We would have invented against Allaah a lie if we
returned to yourreligion after Allaah had saved us from it. And it is
not for us to return to it except that Allaah, our Lord, should will.
Our Lord has encompassed all things in knowledge. Upon Allaah we have
relied. Our Lord, decide between us and our people in truth, and You
are the best of those who give decision.' Said the eminent ones who
disbelieved among his people, 'If you should follow Shu'ayb, indeed,
you would then be losers.' So the earthquake seized them, and they
became within their home [corpses] fallen prone. Those who denied
Shu'ayb --it was as though they had never resided there. Those who
denied Shu'ayb — it was they who were the losers. And he[i.e. Shu'ayb]
turned away from them and said, 'O my people, I had certainly conveyed
to you themessages of my Lord and advisedyou, so how could I grieve
for a disbelieving people?'" [Quran 7:85-93]
Allaah, the Exalted, sent His Prophet Shu'ayb armed with many
miracles. Prophet Shu'ayb preached them, begging them to be mindful of
Allaah's favors and warning them of the consequences of their evil
ways, but they only mocked him. Prophet Shu'ayb remained calm as he
reminded them of his kinship to them and that what hewas doing was not
for his personal gain.
They seized the belongings of Prophet Shu'ayb and his followers and
drove them out of the city. So, he turned to his Lord for help, and
his plea was answered. Allaah sent down on them scorching heat from
which they suffered terribly. On seeing acloud gathering in the sky,
they thought it would bring cool, refreshing rain, so they rushed
outside in the hope of enjoying the rainfall. Instead, the cloud
burst, hurling thunderbolts and fire. They heard a thunderous sound
from above, which caused the earth under their feet to tremble. The
evil-doers perished in this state of horror.
Allaah, the Exalted, States (what means): "The companions of the
thicket [i.e. the people of Madyan]denied the messengers, when Shu'ayb
said to them, 'Will you not fear Allaah? Indeed, I am to you a
trustworthy messenger. So fear Allaah and obey me. And I donot ask you
for it any payment. My payment is only from the Lordof the worlds.
Give full measure and do not be of those who cause loss. And weigh
with an even [i.e. honest] balance. And donot deprive people of their
due and do not commit abuse on earth, spreading corruption. And fear
He who created you and the former creation.'
They said, 'You are only of those affected by magic. You are but a man
like ourselves, and indeed, we think you are among the liars.So cause
to fall upon us fragments of the sky, if you should be of the
truthful.'
He said, 'My Lord is Most Kknowing of what you do. O my people! Work
according to your position; indeed, I am working. You are going to
know to whom will come a punishment that will disgrace him and who is
a liar. Sowatch; indeed, I am with you a watcher, [awaiting the
outcome].' And when Our command came, We saved Shu'ayb and those who
believed with him, by mercy from Us. And the shriek seized those who
had wronged, and they became within their homes [corpses] fallen
prone. As if they had never prospered therein. Then, away with Madyan
as Thamud (the people of Madyan) was taken away." [Quran 84:95]
This is the fatal end of the disbelieving People of Prophet Shu'ayb as
was the end of every people before and after them who rejected the
Divine Message and belied Allaah's Messengers and Prophets.

Can we eat meat slaughtered by one who does not pray?.

I would like to ask what we should do if my brother does not pray, so
he is regarded as a kaafir according to sharee'ah; can we eat meat
that is slaughtered by him or not?.
Praise be to Allaah.
What you have to do is to advise your brother topray regularly, and
tell him of the ruling of Allaah concerning one who does not pray. Do
not let him slaughter themeat for you himself, and tell him the reason
why, which is that the one who does not pray is regarded as a kaafir,
so meat slaughtered by him is not halaal. Perhaps knowing the ruling
will have an effecton him, and he will come back to his religion and
start to prayregularly. This will be better for him in his religious
and worldly affairs, in this world and in the Hereafter.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:
Is it permissible to eat meat slaughtered by onewho deliberately does
not pray, knowing that if he is told of that he will claim that he
says the Shahaadah? What should we do if we cannot find any butcher
who does pray?
He replied:
If a person does not pray, we should not eat meat slaughtered by him.
This is the correct view, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Between a man and shirk and kufr there
stands his giving up prayer." Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh from
Jaabir ibn 'Abd-Allaah al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him).
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The
covenant that stands between us and them is prayer; whoever does not
pray is a kaafir." Narrated by Imam Ahmad and the four authors of
Sunan with a saheeh isnaad from Buraydah ibn al-Husayb (may Allaah be
pleased with him). And he said: "The head of the matter is Islam and
its pillar is prayer." Narrated by Imam Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi with a
saheeh isnaad from Mu'aadh ibn Jabal (may Allaah be pleased with him).
If the pillar of a thing falls, it cannot stand straight or
remain;when the pillar falls, whatever rests on it falls too.
Thus it is known that theone who does not pray has no religion, so
meat slaughtered by him cannot be eaten. If you are living in a land
where there are no Muslim butchers, you should laughter your own meat
and use your hands to do something that will be benefit to you, or
look for a Muslimbutcher to slaughter meat for you even in his own
house. Praise be to Allaah, this is something easy so you should not
be heedless about this matter.
You should advise this man to fear Allaah and pray. His suggestion
thatthe Shahaadatayn is sufficient is a serious mistake, because the
Shahaadatayn come with conditions that must be fulfilled, as the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "I have been
ordered to fight the people until they bear witness that there is no
god except Allaah and that I am the Messenger of Allaah, andestablish
regular prayer and pay zakaah. If they do that, then their bloodand
wealth are safe from me, except in cases dictated by Islamic law, and
their reckoning will be with Allaah." Saheeh – agreed upon.
So prayer and zakaah are mentioned alongside the Shahaadatayn.
According to another version: "I have been commanded to fight the
people until they say Laailaaha ill-Allaah, and if they say Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah, then their blood and wealth are safe from me, except in
cases dictated by Islamic law, and their reckoningwill be with
Allaah." Prayer is one of these conditions and zakaah isone of these
conditions.
What the believer must do is fear Allaah, and everyone who claims to
be a Muslim must fear Allaah and offer the five prayers regularly, for
prayer is the foundation of Islam and it is the greatest of the five
pillars of Islam after the Shahaadatayn. Whoever neglects it neglects
his religious commitment, and whoever does not pray has left the
faith. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.
This is the truth and this is what is correct. Some of the scholars
said that such a person is not a kaafir in the sense of major kufr,
rather his kufr is minor kufr, and he is a sinner who has committed a
grave sin, one that is worse than adultery, worse than stealing, worse
than drinking alcohol. But he is not a kaafir in the sense of major
kufr unless he denies that prayer is obligatory. Thisis the view of a
number of scholars. But the correct view is that which is indicated by
thewords of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
which is that such a person is a kaafir in the sense of major kufr, as
stated in the ahaadeeth quoted above, because he has neglected the
pillar or foundation of Islam which is prayer.
We should not take this matter lightly. 'Abd-Allaah ibn Shaqeeq
al-'Aqeeli, the great Taabi'i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
"Thecompanions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) did not regard the omission of anything as being kufr, except in
the case of prayer."
And he mentioned that the Sahaabah were unanimously agreed that the
one who did not pray was a kaafir in their view. We ask Allaahto keep
us safe and sound.
So we must be careful, and adhere to this important obligation and not
take the matter lightly if someone does not pray. We should not eat
meat slaughtered by him, or invite him to anyfeasts, or accept his
invitations. Rather he should be shunned until he repents to Allaah
and starts to pray. We ask Allaah to guide us all. End quote.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 10/274-276