What
are the Reasons for the Fact that Islam Spread Over Such Vast Territories in
Such a Short Time in the Past? What are the Reasons for the Muslims' Defeat and
Failure at the Present Time?
Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 June 2006
14:00 by Fethullah Gülen Monday, 05 December 2005 03:53
A Muslim
could be defined as one who believes in God and the principles of faith decreed
by God, who never deems the opposite of these principles even likely, and thus
submits and surrenders himself to God. That is, a Muslim is one who
wholeheartedly and sincerely performs and represents all His commands with
respect to regulating his individual, familial and social life. However, during
some periods, Muslims might have been unable to find the opportunity to
represent Islam in all respects. Even so, if people burnt with the love and
yearning to represent Islam and writhed in the longing to live and act upon it,
God willing, they would not be responsible, blamed and reprimanded for
collective failures. Any subtle, complex system dismantled and laid aside
unused, its use half-forgotten with the passage of time, can only be
re-assembled and made to work again after the greatest application and effort.
How much more so if that system were a way of life involving the taking on of
burdens and responsibilities which, in the long term productive of ease and
contentment, are in the short term sometimes strenuous and arduous—how
difficult to build up that way of life again, reviving the consent of not one
or a few persons but of a whole society? And yet, if people are determined,
persevering and sincere in the intention of making it work again, their
sincerity of effort may suffice to excuse them, even though their effort did
not or could not succeed. If people pursue that goal with a total commitment
and yearning, as a matter of life and death, they would surely not be held
accountable if the goal eludes them. In fact, in order to be exempted from the
responsibility, one should either live Islam thoroughly or burn with a strong
desire to live Islam and to make it a lived reality. Any acts contrary to this
will entail consequences in this world and in the Hereafter. In this world, the
people suffer abasement and degradation as a consequence of living apart from
Islam; they will be condemned to live in all the domains of life, social,
political, commercial, military, under the power and direction of unbelief, and
they will be mightily surpassed in the fields of knowledge and technology.
Then, in the Hereafter, they will be questioned and punished severely for all
that failure, that surrender to the powers of unbelief.
For almost a
thousand years, Muslims experienced civilizational rise from one level to
another and earned the highest acclaim. During the period of the Rightly Guided
Caliphs that rise had a sublime, heavenly quality. Those who followed the
Prophet in the first Islamic century were real representatives of the true Islamic
way of life. God's Messenger says concerning this period:
Muslim
armies will arrive, after me, at the gates of cities, where they will be asked,
"Did anyone among you see the Prophet?" The answer will be
affirmative, and the gates will be opened for them. Those who succeeded them
will also perform jihad and they will be asked, "Are there any people
among you who saw those who had seen the Prophet?" They will reply,
"Yes," and the cities will be conquered by them. There will finally
come the third generation, who will be asked, "Did anybody among you see
those who had seen the followers of the Prophet's Companions?' When this
question, too, receives an affirmative answer, conquest will also be bestowed
upon them."[1]
Again, in
another narration recorded in Bukhari and Muslim, God's Messenger says
concerning those three succeeding generations:"The best of you are
those who live in my period, then those who succeed them, and then those who
follow them."[2]
Those three
generations followed strictly in the Prophet's footsteps and, accordingly, were
granted great victories.
When we look
at our Islamic past, we see that the historical events confirm the sayings of
the Prophet. The period of the Four Caliphs was thirty years. During the reign
of the third, 'Uthman, the Muslims spread in all directions of the known world.
In one direction, they went up to Lake Aral and in the opposite direction up to
Erzurum in eastern Anatolia. Despite differences and disagreements at that time,
the spirit of jihad against unbelief was always strong, sustaining the
consciousness of being active and moving forward. During that time the Muslims
conquered the northern Africa in its entirety. 'Uqba ibn Nafi' was the Muslim
commander in that campaign and died at the age of 50. However, the campaign was
successfully concluded within his life-time and he managed to make himself
listened to and obeyed by all the Berbers. When he reached the Atlantic, he
rode his horse into the sea and there stood and exclaimed: "O God! If this
sea of darkness did not appear before me, I would convey Your Name, which is
the source of light, to overseas lands as far as the remotest corners of the
world."[3]
The great Muslims of that time did not dispose of modern ships or planes that
can travel in almost any weather conditions. At that time, they campaigned on a
mount or on foot, and rivers were forded or crossed upon simple rafts. Despite
shortage of means, the Muslims were able to travel to and conquer vast
stretches of territory in different parts of the world in a remarkably short
span of time.
It is one of
the mysteries of destiny that wherever the Companions of the Prophet went or
conquered then, there is to this day a Muslim people, even in countries far
from the "heartlands" of the Arabian peninsula—such as Dagestan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan. These countries still have functioning
mosques and traditional religious academies, raised scholars and scientists,
who were, and are still, regarded as the best in their fields, from Bukhari to
Muslim, from Muslim to Tirmidhi, from Ibn Sina to al-Farabi, because Islam was
lived and acted upon in those lands. We certainly believe that the splendor and
excellence of an Islamic ethos, spirit and consciousness will be experienced
again in those places, and the Muslims will regain their former status in the
world.
That the
Companions of the Prophet managed to conquer so many places in such a short
time certainly has its own explanations and meaning. First of all, the
Companions were wholly devoted tothe cause of Islam. Superficially viewed by
their enemies, they must have seemed to them to be out of their
minds—certainly, their accomplishments were such as to stir and freeze all
imagination. For instance, 'Ali slept in the Prophet's bed, in his place, on
the night when the Prophet left for Madina and the enemies surrounded the house
intending to assisinate the Prophet with multiple sword blows. 'Ali's doing so
means that he had accepted the likelihood that he would be dismembered and
killed. But the polytheists' hands remained hanging in the air, so astounded
were they that the person in the bed was not the Prophet but a young man who
accepted such a sacrifice and thus attributed no value to the rest of his life,
at the age of 17. In another instance, on hearing the continuous howls and
voices of livestock and domestic animals, Abu Jahl and other polytheists
climbed to the roof of the house of Abdullah ibn Jahsh to learn what was going
on in there. They were struck by what they saw. All the members of the family
had deserted the house to follow the Prophet, taking nothing with them, giving
not a second thought, to their possessions, thinking only of moving to Madina
to be with the Prophet. Upon this Abu Jahl said to 'Abbas: "How strange!
That cousin of yours has caused such a split (iftiraq) between us that
it is impossible either to explain or to understand." Home, goods and
chattels, wife, children and family, and everything were left, given up, for
the sake of God, His Messenger and the message he brought. How could
polytheists comprehend such a thing?
While Abu
Bakr was migrating from Makka to Madina, he did not take anyone along with him,
but he left his children, wife and father, whom he loved dearly, back in Makka.
'Uthman did not take his wife, Ruqiyya, the beloved daughter of the Prophet,
along with him while migrating. Ruqiyya was the light of the Prophet's eyes,
and I certainly believe that if it were said that a life is needed for Ruqiyya,
each and every Muslim would run to sacrifice his own life thousands of times
for her. However, that Ruqiyya was left in Makka and 'Uthman emigrated to
Madina. Such was the loyalty to the Prophet at that time.
On his
return from negotiations with the Prophet 'Urwa binMas'ud he said the following
to the people in Makka about the Companions' commitment to their cause and
devotion to the Messenger of God:
O people, I
have been sent as envoy to kings—Caesar, Chosroes, and the Negus—but I have not
seen a king whose men honor him as the Companions of Muhammad. If he commands
anything, they almost outstrip his word in fulfilling it; when he performs his
ablution, they well-nigh fight for the water thereof; when he speaks, their
voices are hushed in his presence; nor will they look him full in the face, but
lower their eyes in reverence for him . . .[4]
However, the
Prophet advised those who stood up for him: "Do not stand up (for me) as
the Persians do (stand up for their elders)."[5]
As the Prophet demonstrated and lived modesty and humility, so he rose ever
higher surpassing even the angels. It was narrated that when the Prophet first
saw the Archangel Gabriel, he was frightened. However, as one of the saints,
lovers of the Prophet, remarked: "If Gabriel had comprehended the essence
of the haqiqat al-Ahmadiyya (the truth of Muhammad), he would have
passed out and never come to himself till the Day of Reckoning." The
Prophet always rose higher and higher in respect of his power of relationship,
obedience, submission and servanthood to God. However, every step toward the
highest deepened his humility. He presented himself as an ordinary man, one
among many others, and was deeply disturbed by any other manner or treatment
shown to him.
That period
was such that the Companions attached themselves deeply to the Prophet and
integrated with him thoroughly. When the Prophet said: "Your blood is my
blood, your life is my life," the words confirmed what actually existed as
a full harmony and accord. When the time came to spread and represent Islam
abroad, when it was necessary to emigrate to different lands and climates, none
of them asked why or what. They simply went and never thought to return to
their old homes. Let alone thinking of coming back, out of the fear of
blemishing the sincerity of the intention to emigrate for the sake of God only,
they trembled at the thought of dying being buried in their old hometowns. Sa'd
bin Abi Waqqas had fever in Makka, and was shaking with grief. When the Prophet
asked the reason for his sadness, it was that he was worried that he would die
in Makka after he had emigrated to Madina, and that thus his emigration would
not be complete.
When
marching on the Khaybar, the Prophet did not want to take 'Ali on the expedition
because he had some ailment of the eyes. However, 'Ali was not willing to be
left behind. He said: "Would you have me to stay behind with the women
and children, O Messenger of God?"He did take part in the expedition
and the citadel of Khaybar was conquered though his extraordinary courage.
Once, before
leaving Madina for an expedition, the Prophet appointed Umm Maktum, a blind
person, in charge during his absence. He was exempt from fighting because he
was blind; the other who remained behind were women and children. Years later,
when Umm Maktum learned that the Muslims were going to fight the Persians.
Despite his old age, he joined the marching soldiers and expressed his wish to
take part in the battle ahead. Some Muslims, especially Mughira ibn Shu'ba,
wanted him to stay away from the front, but Umm Maktum found an opportunity to
talk to the commander of the Muslims, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and said:
"Mughira bin Shu'ba wanted to prevent me from fighting in the way of God.
If any of you prevents me from fighting and dying in the way of God today, I
will make complaint about you to the Caliph 'Umar." What a reason to
complain about—being prevented from offering his life in the way of God! When
asked what he could do, he answered: "Yes, I am blind, but this will not
prevent me from holding the flag and walking straight ahead. So, I would like
to hold the banner before the army." He really seized the opportunity, did
not hide behind excuses, but took part in the front line, held the banner,
walked forward, and found what he yearned for, martyrdom at the battle of
Qadisiya.
The
Companions were that kind of people, who scorned danger in the way of God, and
even courted death for the sake of their true belief, and to convey it to other
lands.
Though Abu
Talha had grown very old, weak and feeble, when he heard that the army was
preparing to go to Cyprus, he called his grandsons and told them that he would
like to take part in the expedition: "I heard from the Prophet that Cyprus
would be conquered[6]
and I think it is time for it, and I'd like to take part in it. However, it is
not possible for me to sit and ride on horse-back. Therefore, tie me tightly to
the horse lest I fall off." His grandsons did not want to yield to their
grandfather's wish and argued that he was quite old, and so excused and would
not be accountable for being absent from the battle. However, he replied that
he understood the Qur'anic verse urging people to strive in the way of God as
not discriminating between young and old; he read it in the absolute sense. In
the end, the grandsons were unable to dissuade him and Abu Talha joined the
army in the way that he wished. However, his life did not suffice to complete
the journey as he was so elderly and feeble; but he did, after all, achieve
what he longed for in this world, and perhaps he might have said with his last
breath: "All thanks and praise to God! You bestowed upon me what I longed
for."
Another
Companion, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, who hosted the Prophet at his home, had already
been married with children when the Prophet first arrived at Madina. Abu
Ayyub's grandchildren helped him mount the horse before he came all the way to
Istanbul (Constantinople) under the command of Yazid. From the Prophet's
arrival in Madina to the rule of Mu'awiya and the command of Yazid, we may
count that 40 or 50 years passed. Abu Ayyub must therefore have been around 75
or 80 years old when he arrived in the vicinity of Istanbul.
Let us pause
to ask at this point: What were such Companions of the Prophet after? There are
many verses in the Qur'an and there are sayings of the Prophet praising their
virtues and attributes. God named them as Ansar (Helpers) and Muhajirun
(Emigrants) and glorified them. They were even foretold in the Old and New
Testaments (the Torah and the Gospel). They had listened to the Prophet saying
that the victorious armies of Islam would arrive at the gates of Europe, and
that he gave tidings that Constantinople (now Istanbul) would be conquered by
Muslims. Many attempts were made to realize this and be worthy of the
encouragement of these words of the Prophet: "Certainly, Constantinople
will be conquered. Blessed is the commander who will conquer it, and blessed
are his troops."[7]
Since that
city was itself a symbol of a large dominion, the Prophet was thus directing
his community to carry Islam all over the world. So the only objective they had
was to be among the troops the Prophet praised and thus gain the pleasure of
God. There was no other motive, ambition or purpose behind the hardships and
dangers they endured. Since the Prophet pointed out the worthiness of the army
in the eyes of God, the Companions were in a sense competing to become members
of that army.
Hoping to be
an object of the Prophet's praise, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Khalid bin Zayd) set
forth from Madina to Istanbul even in old age. The city was besieged for weeks
and months, but the Muslims were not then granted the conquest. Before that,
Abu Ayyub al-Ansari was totally exhausted and waiting for death. One of the
things he mostly kept asking was "Any news of the conquest?"
Eventually, when the commander of the army realized that he was on the very
verge of death, he asked the noble Companion of God's Messenger if he had any
wish. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari said: "Take me as far as possible. If it is
possible, take me and bury within the walls of Constantinople. We came to
conquer Constantinople, but I see that I will not be blessed with such a
conquest. On the other hand, I definitely believe that one day the tidings of
the Prophet will come true and be attained by some [other Muslims]. Therefore,
I would like to be buried over there. Listening to the clashing of their swords
and shields in my grave will please me. Let me hear at least the voices of
those blessed soldiers." Almost five or six centuries later, Istanbul was
conquered by the Ottoman commander, whose name was also Muhammad (Mehmed), at
the age of 22. Such sweet manifestations of destiny, as to end one period in
history and start a new age, to be blessed with the tidings of God's Messenger,
to break down an iron door, like the door of Khaybar, leading to Europe, to
represent the Muhammadi spirit completely at his time, were the blessings
bestowed on Sultan Mehmed the conqueror. He can be said to have represented the
Muhammadi spirit in his time like a Mahdi; his was among the voices of the
soldiers that Abu Ayyub al-Ansari wished to hear and welcome to Istanbul.
Those people
who sincerely and devoutly commit themselves to either irshad and tabligh
(guiding and enlightening others) or to striving by what they own (material and
physical struggle, jihad with their lives and wealth) can conquer the world and
hold their authority in it. As the Prophet of God expressed it in a hadith,
when the fear, of death grasps the souls of the Muslims, everything gained will
start to slip away piece by piece. We enjoyed great status and weight among the
peoples and in the history of the world until two or three centuries ago. Now
we have lost that. There can be only one explanation for this: namely, that we
were victorious when we had the Islamic spirit, and kept our submission,
obedience and servanthood to God in a firm and sound condition. During the
period in which we started to slip backward, our souls were captured and
enslaved to fear of death, and other fears, weaknesses, love for life,
ambitions and concerns for our own future.
Those
Muslims in the past spread to all parts of the world and conveyed the Divine
Message and established the best and noblest type of rule. What can this
accomplishment be attributed to other than the fact that they really devoted
their physical, spiritual and material wealth to the way of God?
No matter
what nation or ethnic background they were from, we see in all those heroes
raised from the Islamic world the same spirit. They scorned and ignored the
pleasure of living for themselves but preferred the pleasure of making others
live instead. The only thing they had in mind was to spread the Religion to
which they were bound as believers and followers, and they regarded that
belonging as the highest honor. In the Seljuk, Ottoman or other states, in
rulers like Alparslan, Kılıçarslan, Murad Hüdavendigar, Mehmed the Conqueror,
Selim I, Salahaddin Ayyubi, and many others, we see the same spirit and
consciousness.
Alparslan,
the Seljuk Sultan, who defeated the Byzantines in 1071 and thus opened the
doors of Anatolia and the vast Byzantine territories to Muslims, delivered a
sermon before the Battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert), one of the great decisive
battles in history, and concluded with this prayer: "O Lord, make the
white clothes and robe I put on my shroud today." Those Muslims went on
the battlefield to become martyrs rather than victors, and proved that with the
shrouds they put on before battle. In that way they were undoubtedly ready to
tackle the enemy army, often many times more numerous, without a second
thought. At the end of the day, the Muslims were victorious and the enemy were
defeated and captured, even the Emperor Romanus Diogenus, and we believe that
Sultan Alparslan meant it sincerely when he said he was not so happy because he
had not reached his goal, which was to become a martyr.
The Ottoman
Sultan Murad Hudavendigar prayed throughout the night: "O Lord, make my
army victorious but me a martyr" before he fought against the Serbs in
Kosovo. His prayer was accepted, he defeated the Serbs, saw his army victorious
but while inspecting the wounded soldiers, he was stabbed to death by a Serb.
As he lay on the ground, he was asked what his last wish was. He said two words
"Never dismount." Then he passed away. The wish he expressed was
never to stop struggling in the way of God and carrying His Divine Message
further.
The
magnificent state (and states) established by people of this quality enjoyed
such prestige and authority in the balance of power in the world that other
nations and states looked to them and adjusted themselves and regulated their
affairs accordingly. They exerted such efforts in the way of Truth, and scorned
everything except that, holding God first in all plans and affairs. They
thought and evaluated everything according to the Divine Will and Pleasure, and
became the zealots of the Sublime Cause. For this reason God protected our
borders from all intrusions, and we led a glorious and dignified life in the
past. When we lost such high attributes and spirit, we were surrounded on all
sides, degraded and eventually captured by our enemies. We first died in spirit
and then in dignity and honor, and then in physical, material terms.
If we would
like to recover and represent Islam beautifully as they did in the past, we
must first recover those factors which made our ancestors attain their high
rank, all of them, not neglecting a single one among them. For the truth is: .
. . man can have nothing but what he strives for (Najm 53:39).
[7] Another
narration of the hadith is as follows: "Certainly, Costantinople will be
conquered. How good is the commander who will conquer it, and how good is his
army." Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 4/335; Hakim, Mustadrak,
4/422.
