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 commanderwanted to 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 personabout whom the Prophet gave glad tidings? It
was Muhammad Al-Faatih son of the Ottoman Sultan 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. Hewas 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 Prophetic
narrations, Islamic jurisprudence, mathematics, astronomy and the
skills 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 training on administering state affairs under
the supervision of some of the top scholars of that time. This matter
influenced the character of the young prince and tinted 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 thisshaped
the character of Muhammad Al-Faatih. He was devoted to Jihaad, highly
ambitious, widely cultured, and had deep knowledge of the skills ofwar
and combat.
Taking power and his efforts to achieve the glad tiding:
After the death of his father, Sultan Murad II on5 th Muharram, 852
A.H., 7 th February, 1451 A.C., Muhammad Al-Faatih took over and
became the Sultan of the OttomanEmpire . He was a strong young man,
only twenty years old, very enthusiastic and ambitious. He was
thinking of the conquest of Constantinople, the capital of the
Byzantine Empire . This dream overwhelmed him to the extent that he
would not talk about 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 achievinghis dream was to take control of the Strait
of Bosporus so that he couldprevent 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 tocross
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 of these 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 witha 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 (theConqueror). 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 with this conquest. Then
the Sultan addressed the people of the city who were still bowing and
prostrating in tears:
Stand up! I am Sultan Muhammad and 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 intoa 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. Itwas
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
hisown 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 attained this victory when he was twenty three years
old. This indicated his early military genius. He also deserved the
glad tidingsof the Prophet who foretold that a good person would
conquer that city.
Later on, Muhammad Al-Faatih headed to complete his conquests inthe
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 toconquer Italy . He
prepared a tremendous fleet for 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
northernmilitary operations until he could reach Rome . TheEuropean
world was terrified because of this attempt and they expected the fall
of the historical city, Rome , intothe 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 andbecause of his wise
leadership and well-planned policy, the Ottoman State reached
boundaries that it had never done before.
All these conquests were not the only achievements of Muhammad
Al-Faatih mayAllaah have mercy on him. Through the help of some of his
loyal men, he managed to establish a constitution based on theBook of
Allaah and the Sunnah of His Prophet and the Ottoman state adhered to
this constitution for about four centuries.
Although he was very busy, he managed to establish more than 300
mosques, 192 of which were in Istanbul alone. Healso 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 regular reader. He liked the company of scholars and
poets and made some of them ministers. Whenever he heard about a great
scholar in any field, he would help and support him or ask him to come
to Istanbul inorder to benefit of his knowledge.
The character of Muhammad Al-Faatih :
Muhammad Al-Faatih was a committed Muslim who abode by the rulingsof
Islamic jurisprudence. Because of the way he was brought up, he was a
pious man. As for his military conduct, it was very civilized and it
was unfamiliar to Europe in itsMedieval 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 of his 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 warby making cannons,
preparing his fleet, and making use of all the factors that might
renderhim 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.

A husband's responsibilities towards his family

The family is that brick which forms the foundation of a society. It
is composed of individuals that have permanent relations established
between them. Most importantly, it possesses almost a majority of the
different kinds of personal relations. Because of this, there must be
certain etiquettes placedin order to control and regulate these
relations. This is such that it can be maintained in the best possible
manner, and so that it can generate and produce its proper fruits.
Family relations consist of the relationship between the spouses from
one perspective, the relationship between the parents and the children
from a second perspective, and the relationship between the children
themselves from a third perspective.
Etiquettes pertaining to the Husband
1. It is not from the deficiencies, but rather from good manners, that
the husband shares in the responsibility of specified matters, such as
the mending of garments or what is similar to that.
2. It is appropriate for a man to not restrict himself from serving
himself. This is since the wife takes care of the household affairs.
So therefore, it is from good manners that the husband extends a
helping hand to his wife in the house, during times of necessity, such
as when she is sick, pregnant, has given birth or similar to that.
3. The exemplary husband is he who cooperates with his wife by bearing
good relations and showing kind manners (to her), according to the
full extent of themeaning contained in these (last)two expressions.
Truly, the husbands who are best at working alongside their wives are
the best of mankind in the view of Islam.
4. Beware of characterizing the relationship between the spouses with
over-seriousness! For indeed characterizing the family life with a
militaristic nature amounts to one of the causes for failure and bad
results.
5. From the kind and noble manners of the husband is that he complies
and assents to the requests of his wife, so long as they are not
forbidden in Islam.
6. The husband should specify a time in which he can play around and
pass free time with his wife.
7. The relationship between the spouses must contain one singular and
specific nature. And it cannot be this way unless the couple begin
demolishing all the obstacles and impediments that stand between them.
For example, the husband should notfeel timid and restrain himself
from drinking out of the same cup that his wife drinks out of.
8. There is no human being that is perfect. So there is no doubt that
the husband will see things in his wife that do not comply with his
natural disposition and preferences. If these aspects are not in
opposition to the fundaments of Islam or to the obedience of the
husband and hisrights, then at that point, he should not try to change
her personality. He should also remember that if there are some
characteristics that he doesn't find pleasing in his wife, then indeed
she has other characteristics, which are definitely pleasing to him.
9. Do not let Ramadhaan be a barrier that impedes you from showing
affection to your wife. But this is so long as you are ableto refrain
yourself, since what is forbidden during the days of Ramadhaan is only
sexual intercourse. Showing affection to one's wife during Ramadhaan
can be done during the night andif during the day (while they are
fasting), it can be done by other than kissing and huging.
10. Do not chase after the small errors of your wife and recount them
to her, for too much blaming and reprimanding will worsen the
relationship betweenthe two of you, and it will pose a threat to your
marital life.
11. If you are able, do not hold back from providing your wife with
good clothing and food, andfrom being generous in spendingmoney on
her. This is of course according to the extent of your ability.
12. Do not give little importance to implementing the
punishmentrequired for any acts in opposition to the Islam, which your
wife has committed, whether it is in the home or outside it. This
should be the onlyreason that causes you to become angry.
13. What has been stated previously does not mean that you should
leave matters alone until that result comes to happen. Thus, whenever
you realize that a matter is left alone, weigh it with seriousness and
determination, without being too harsh or rude about it.
14. Do not attempt to meddle into your wife's housework affairs that
do not fall into your area of duties and responsibilities, such as the
food and the order of the house because woman like to put their
personal touch on the house (herkingdom).
15. Beware of scolding your wife or blaming her for a mistake she
committed, in the presence of others, even if they are your own
children. For indeed that is an actthat goes against correct behavior
and it will lead to raising anger in the hearts of people.
16. If you are forced to place punishment upon your wife after having
adviced her and she didn'trespond then let it be by staying away from
her at bedtime. And do not boycott her except that it is done within
the household. And avoid using foul language, insulting her, beating
her and describing her with repulsive names.
17. Having jealousy and caring about the bashfulness of your wife is a
praiseworthy thing, which shows your love for her. However it is on
the condition that you do not go to great extremes in this jealousy.
For then at that point, it would turn into something worthy of no
praise.
18. Entering the house: Do not alarm your family by entering upon them
suddenly. Rather, enter while they are aware of it, and greet them
with Salaam. Andask about them and how they aredoing. And do not
forget to remember Allaah, the Mighty and Sublime, when you enter the
house.
19. Beware of spreading any secrets connected with the intimate
encounters you have with your wife, for that is something restricted
and forbidden.
20. Constantly maintain the cleaning of your mouth and the freshening
of your breath.
21. Guardianship of your wife doesn't mean that you can exploit what
Allaah has bestowed upon you from taking charge of her, such that you
harm and oppress her.
22. Showing respect and kindnessto your wife's family is showing
respect and kindness to her. This applies on the condition that it is
not accompanied by an act forbidden in Islam, such as intermingling of
the sexes or being in privacy (with them).
23. Too much joking will lead to (your family having) little fear (of
disobeying you) and a lack of respect for you.
24. Be prompt in fulfilling the conditions, which you promised to your
wife during the pre-marriage agreement.
25. When you lecture your wife orreprimand her or simply speak toher,
choose the kindest and nicest of words and expressions for your
speech.
26. It is not proper for you to ask your wife to look for work outside
of the house or to spend upon you from her wealth.
27. Do not overburden your wife with acts that she is not able to
handle. Consider, with extreme regard, the environment she was raised
up in. Rural service is not like urban service, and the serviceof a
strong woman and her preparation for it is not like the service of a
weak woman.

Islamic Stories - , Thirst for Learning

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
"After the passing away of the Prophet (peace beupon him), I said to
an Ansari friend of mine: 'The Prophet is not now with us. But a large
number of Sahabah are still among us. Let us go to them and get
knowledge of the Islamic practices.' He said: ' Who is going to
approach you for learning a regulation in the presence of these
eminent Sahabah?' I wasnot discouraged. I kept up my quest for
knowledge and approached every person who was supposed to have heard
something from the Prophet. I managed to gather substantial
information from the Ansar. If on my visit to someone of the Sahabah,
I found him asleep, I spread my shawl at the gate and satwaiting.
Sometimes my face and body would getcovered with dust, but I kept
sitting till they woke and I was able to contact them. Some of them
said: 'Abdullah you are the cousin of the Prophet; you could have sent
for us. Why did you take the trouble of coming to our places?' I said
to them: 'I must come to you, for I am a student and you are my
teachers.' Some people for whom I had waited said: 'Since when have
you been waiting for us?' I informed them that I had been sitting
there for a pretty long time. They said: 'What a pity! You could have
awakened us from our sleep.' I said: 'I did not like to disturb you
for my own sake.' I thus carried on my pursuits, till there came a
time when people began to flock to me for learning. My Ansari friend
realizedthis at that time and remarked: 'This boy has surely proved
himself more sensible than us.'"
Source: From the book"Stories of the Sahabah" by Shaikh Muhammad
Zakariyya Kaandhlawi.
Besides our quest for knowledge to earn a livelihood in this world, we
must as well gain sufficient knowledge of Islam. No matter what age
group we belong to at this moment, we should atleast have that much
Islamic knowledgewith which we can turn our 24 hours life into
worship. Those with knowledge and practice will be exalted in this
world and in the hereafter.

Islamic Stories - , Army of Elephants

The following incident ismentioned in Surah Feel of the Holy Quran and
it happened during the period of the birth-year of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him). Abraha Al-Ashram was the governor of Yemen on
behalf of the king of Ethiopia. He (Abrahah) thought to build a
house(like the Kabah at Makkah) in Sana (the capital of Yemen) and
call the Arabs to performthe pilgrimage there in Sana instead of the
Kabah in Makkah, with the intention of diverting the trade and
benefits from Makkah to Yemen. He presented his idea to the king of
Ethiopia who agreed to it. So the house (church) was built and he
named it Al-Qullais; there was no church of its like at that time.
Then a man from the Quraish tribe ofMakkah came there and was
infuriated by it, so he relieved his nature (stools and urine) in it,
soiled its walls and went away. When Abrahah Al-Ashram saw that, he
could not control his anger and raised an army to invade Makkah and
demolish the Kabah.He had in that army thirteen elephants and amongst
them was an elephant called Mahmud which was the biggest of them. So
that army proceeded and none amongst the Arab tribes that faced them
(fought against them) but was killed and defeated, till itapproached
near Makkah. Then there tookplace negotiations between Abrahah
Al-Ashram and the chief of Makkah (Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim, the
grandfather of the Prophet), and it was concluded that Abrahah would
restore the camels of Abdul Muttalib which he had taken away, and then
he (Abrahah) would decide himself as regards the Kabah. Abdul Muttalib
ordered the men of Makkah to evacuate the city and go to the top of
the mountains along with their wives and children in case some harm
should come to them from the invading oppressors. Then that army moved
towards Makkah till they reached valley Muhassir. While the army was
marching towards Makkah, in the middle of the valley, suddenly it was
overtaken by flocks of birds, flocks after flocks, air-raiding that
army with small stones slightlybigger than a lentil seed.There never
fell a stone on a soldier except it dissolved his flesh and burst it
into pieces. So they perished with a total destruction. Abrahah
Al-Ashram fled away while his flesh wasbursting into pieces till he
died on the way (back to Yemen). Such was the victory bestowed by
Allah, (the All-Majestic, All-Powerful) to the people of Makkah and
such was the protection provided by Him for His House (Kabah in
Makkah).
Extracted from Tafsir of Surah Feel (Surah 105)