{"id":112169,"date":"2017-06-27T19:27:22","date_gmt":"2017-06-27T19:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/?p=112169"},"modified":"2017-06-27T19:27:22","modified_gmt":"2017-06-27T19:27:22","slug":"lessons-from-history-genghis-khan-and-the-mongols","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/2017\/06\/27\/lessons-from-history-genghis-khan-and-the-mongols\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from history: Genghis Khan and the Mongols"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

By Sheikh Abdul Hamid Lachporia<\/p>\n

\n
“Al-Hamdu\u00a0Lillahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen was Salatu was\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
Salaamu\u00a0‘alaa Ashrafil Anbiyaa’e wal Mursaleen”.\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
Alhamdulillahi wa kafaa, was-Salatu was-salamu\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
\n
`alaa\u00a0`ibaadihi-lladheena Stafa<\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Wa Ba’d:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Beloved Ummatul Muslimeen! From the very inception of its career on this planet, Islam had been singled out for such fatal attacks as no other religion would have been able to withstand. There have been religions which had once conquered the then known world but they could not survive under an offensive much less serious than Islam had to face. Unlike others, Islam not only overcame all its adversaries but was successful in maintaining its orginal form and purity.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
If, on the other hand, Assassins posed a grave internal danger for the faith and spirit of Islam, the onslaught of the Crusaders and invasion of the Mongols on the other, were sufficient to efface it completely. Had there been any other religion placed in such an inviable position as Islam, it would \u00a0certainly have lost its soul and today we would have had to look for it in the pages of history.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Alhumdulillah! Islam, however, not only survived in the face of all these internal and external threats to its very existence, but was also able to gain victories in entirely new fields. Islam was continuously called upon to resist the onslaught of innovations, deviations and misguided interpretations of the Most Holy Qur\u2019an and the Sunnah, foreign traditions, heretical rites of the worship of saints, relics and tombs, speculative thought, materialism, epicurcanism and godlessless, and, indeed, it sometimes appeared as if Islam would not be able to weather the storm, but the conscience of its followers always refused to strike a compromise with the evil, and Islam emerged triumphantly on every occasion.<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
This article shows what \u00a0ordinary people can accomplish in times of\u00a0great trials and tribulations. Islam was about to be submerged in the whirl-pool of the Mongol ardour of slaughter, hatred, destruction, and annihilation.<\/div>\n
\n
When Islam \u00a0Almost Vanished.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The genocide lasted decades. Historians said that the \u00a0world had never seen\u00a0murder and destruction on such a massive scale. Millions \u00a0died and those\u00a0left alive often longed for death. People openly wondered whether \u00a0the\u00a0light of Islam would be forever extinguished. But the course of history\u00a0changed through some of Almighty Allah’s most unassuming servants.\u00a0In the thirteenth \u00a0century a tidal wave of devastation swept over the\u00a0Muslim world.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
City after \u00a0city, region after region disintegrated amidst death and destruction from a\u00a0storm of iron and fire. The \u00a0death toll inflicted upon the Muslims was incredible.\u00a0In 617 A.H. Samarkand, Ray, and Hamdan were put to the sword causing more than 700,000 people to be killed or made captive. In 656 A.H. Hulagu, the grandson of Genghis Khan continued the destruction. Even Baghdad, the leading city of the Muslim world was sacked. Some estimates say that as many as 1,800,000 Muslims were killed in this awesome carnage.<\/div>\n
\nBaghdad was often described as \u00a0the jewel of the world. For six long weeks\u00a0this jewel cracked and shattered \u00a0under the ferocious might of the Tartar\u00a0hordes. The rivers of the Tigris and \u00a0Euphrates ran red with blood. Women\u00a0who had observed modest and chaste lives \u00a0were savagely assaulted and\u00a0raped. Five centuries of knowledge accumulated from \u00a0every literate\u00a0civilization and contained in the world\u2019s largest libraries was \u00a0reduced to\u00a0ashes. Many of humanity\u2019s greatest centers of education, commerce and\u00a0culture became nothing more than killing fields.<\/p>\n

The architect of this \u00a0colossal avalanche of death was Genghis Khan. His\u00a0barbaric legions were \u00a0triggered into a forty year bloodlust through the\u00a0folly of the Muslim ruler, \u00a0Muhammad Khwarizm Shah. Once a powerful and\u00a0mighty monarch, Khwarizm Shah ordered the execution of Mongol caravans that\u00a0came to trade within his kingdom. \u00a0When Genghis Khan sent a delegation of\u00a0envoys to lodge a formal protest, Khwarizm Shah executed most of them.\u00a0These two inhuman acts were avenged at the \u00a0cost of millions of innocent\u00a0lives.<\/p>\n

The Tartar Holocaust began in 1218 CE \u00a0six centuries after the death of our Beloved Nabee \u00a0Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam. It \u00a0moved westward from Mongolia\u00a0across Central Asia and the Persian Gulf, southward \u00a0toward Delhi and\u00a0northwest to Budapest and Moscow. People as far away as Sweden \u00a0shuddered\u00a0at the thought of a Mongol invasion. Muslims were so overawed by their\u00a0power that one Mongol could kill over a hundred Muslims and none would dare\u00a0defend himself. In Arabic a proverb sprang up which meant that if someone\u00a0tells \u00a0you the Mongols have suffered a defeat don\u2019t believe him.<\/p>\n

On the eve of \u00a0the Mongol invasion, the spiritual state of the Muslim world\u00a0was pathetic. Corruption, disunity, and materialism were rampant. Khwarizm\u00a0Shah was not the \u00a0only example of insufferable leadership. The Abbasid\u00a0Caliph, Al-Mustasim, was \u00a0reportedly pleased to hear of the collapse of\u00a0Khwarizm Shah\u2019s empire because of \u00a0his personal dislike for the monarch.\u00a0Before the Mongols reached Baghdad, the \u00a0Caliph’s advisors had convinced\u00a0him to seriously scale back the army. The city \u00a0was in no way prepared to\u00a0withstand what lay in store for it.<\/p>\n

And yet \u00a0Islam did not die. Genghis Khan who proclaimed himself as the\u00a0Scourge of God, \u00a0who delighted in the rape of conquered women could not\u00a0exterminate the Muslim Ummah. Within a generation the tide had begun to\u00a0turn in Islam\u2019s favour. Baghdad \u00a0was destroyed by Genghis\u2019 grandson Halaku\u00a0but his great grandson Berek became a \u00a0Muslim.\u00a0In fact, Berek withdrew his\u00a0forces from Halaku\u2019s army after the fall of \u00a0Baghdad which contributed to\u00a0the first defeat the Mongols suffered against the \u00a0Muslims during the\u00a0battle of Ayn Jalut in 1260.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
In the wake of such a horrible disaster and with the threat of the whole Muslim world and then Europe being subjected to the same fate, Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata\u2019ala raised up from the Mamluks of Egypt, Saifuddin Qutz, who, united the Muslim army and met the Mongols at Ain Jalut on the 25th of Ramadan. Although they were under great pressure, the Muslims with the help of Almighty Allah, strategy and unflinching bravery, crushed the Mongol army and reversed this tidal wave of horror.\u00a0The whole of the civilized world sighed in relief and stood in awe at the remarkable achievements of these noble sons of Islam.<\/div>\n
\n
The aura of the Mongols\u2019 terrifying\u00a0invincibility was broken. Three years later Berek himself would defeat\u00a0Halaku\u2019s forces in the Caucus region. Those who tried to destroy Islam\u00a0became its protectors.<\/div>\n
The role that ordinary Muslims played in this \u00a0miraculous recovery cannot\u00a0be ignored. The entire Ummah owes a debt of gratitude \u00a0to those men and\u00a0women who never forgot the centrality of their faith or the \u00a0importance of\u00a0sharing it with others. Berek or Baraka Khan was introduced to \u00a0Islam by
\ntwo unknown merchants. Their efforts eventually led Islam to reach \u00a0Russia\u00a0and Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n

If the Tartars are regarded as part of Islam\u2019s \u00a0universal brotherhood\u00a0today, one can thank the efforts of unsung heroes like \u00a0Jamal Uddeen. The\u00a0vast Mongol empire was divided amongst the various descendants \u00a0of Genghis Khan.\u00a0In certain parts of the empire, the Mongols regarded Muslims as no \u00a0better\u00a0than animals while Christianity or Buddhism were expected to become the\u00a0official state religion. But the sincerity of ordinary believers like Jamal\u00a0was \u00a0to outshine all else.<\/p>\n

Jamal was a Persian who was travelling through the \u00a0Middle Kingdom or\u00a0Chaghatay Khanate known for its animosity toward Muslims. With \u00a0his small\u00a0band of travellers he mistakenly travelled through the game preserves \u00a0of\u00a0the Mongol Prince Tuqluq. Jamal was arrested and brought before Tuqluq. In\u00a0his anger the prince told Jamal that a dog was worth more than a Persian.\u00a0Jamal \u00a0replied, \u201cYes. If we did not have the true faith, we would indeed be\u00a0worse than \u00a0dogs.\u201d Tuqluq was struck by the reply. He inquired what Jamal\u00a0meant by the true \u00a0faith. When Jamal explained the message of Islam Tuqluq\u00a0was convinced. He asked \u00a0Jamal for some time to unite the fractured Middle\u00a0Kingdom and then he would \u00a0proclaim his faith.<\/p>\n

Jamal returned home and later fell seriously ill. As he was \u00a0dying, he\u00a0instructed his son Rasheed to remind the prince of his promise when he became king. When Tuqluq ascended the throne Rasheed set out to meet him.\u00a0An \u00a0ordinary person had little access to royalty and after many efforts Rasheed
\nrisked his life to enact a plan. He called out the adhan at fajr nearby the \u00a0royal\u00a0compound. He was brought before the king and invited him to fulfill his \u00a0promise.\u00a0On that very morning Tuqluq Timur Khan, king of the unified Middle \u00a0Kingdom,\u00a0became a Muslim.<\/p>\n

Death and destruction are ravaging Baghdad once \u00a0more. The innocent victims\u00a0of this injustice must not be forgotten. We owe it to \u00a0them to follow in\u00a0the footsteps of Almighty Allah\u2019s Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam, in the footsteps of ordinary believers\u00a0like Jamal and Rasheed Uddeen and share Islam with each and \u00a0every human\u00a0being. The beauty of our character and our sincere conduct need to \u00a0be the\u00a0beacons that attract those around us to this Divinely prescribed system \u00a0of
\nlife.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Conversion of the Mongols to Islam was indeed one of the few unpredictable events of history. The Tartaric wave of conquest which had swept away the entire Islamic East within a short period of one year was, in truth, not so astounding as the Mongol\u2019s acceptance of Islam during the zenith of their glory; for, the Muslims had by the beginning of the seventh century of the Muslim era imbibed all those vices which are a natural outcome of the opulence, luxury and fast living.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Mongol\u2019s were, on the other hand, a wild and ferocious, yet vigorous and sturdy race who could have hardly been expected to submit to the spiritual and cultural superiority of a people so completely subdued by them, and who were also looked down and despised by them. The author of the\u00a0\u201cPreaching of Islam\u201d\u00a0<\/i>T.W. Arnold, has also expressed his amazement over the achievement of this unbelievable feat. ( T.W. Arnold “Preaching of Islam” page 219)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cBut Islam was to rise again from the ashes of its former grandeur and<\/i><\/div>\n
through its preachers win over these savage conquerors to the\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
acceptance of the Faith. This was a task for the missionary<\/i><\/div>\n
energies of Islam that was rendered more difficult from<\/i><\/div>\n
the fact that there were two powerful competitors\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
in the field.\u201d<\/i><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
\u201cThe spectacle of Buddhism, Christianity and Islam emulously<\/i><\/div>\n
striving to win the allegiance of the fierce conquerors that<\/i><\/div>\n
had set their feet on necks of adherents of these great<\/i><\/div>\n
missionary religions, is one that is without<\/i><\/div>\n
parallel in the history of the world\u2026\u2026.”\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
For Islam to enter into compitition with such powerful rivals as Buddhism and Christianity were at the outset of the period of Mongol rule, must have appeared a hopeless undertaking. For the Muslims had suffered more from the storm of the Mongol invasion than the others. Those cities that had hitherto been the rallying points of spiritual organisation and learning for Islam in Asia, had been for the most part laid in ashes: the theologians and pios doctors of the faith, either slain or carried away into captivity.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
So notoriously brutul was the treatment the captive Muslims received that even the Chinese showmen in their exhibitions of shadow figures exultingly brought forward the figure of an old Muslim man with a beard dragged by the neck at the tail of a horse, as showing how the Mongol horsemen behaved towards the Muslims. (Sir H. H. Howarth:\u00a0\u201cHistory of the Mongols\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
London (1870-80) Vol. 1, p. 159.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Among the Mongol rulers – usually so tolerant towards all religions – there were some who exhibited varying degrees of hatred towards the Muslim faith. Chenghiz Khan ordered all those who killed animals in the Muslim fashion be put to death, and this ordinance was received by Qubilay, who by offering rewards to informers set on foot a sharp persecution that lasted for seven years, as many poor people took advantage of this ready means of gaining wealth, and slaves accused their masters in order to gain their freedom.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Turning to the spread of Islam among the branch of Golden Hordes which was succeeded by Ogotay, the third son of Ghenghiz Khan and under which Kubilay Khan later brought the whole of China, Arnold says: (p. 227)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cScattered up and down throughout the length and breatdh of the Mongol empire,<\/i><\/div>\n
there must have been many followers of the Prophet Muhammad who<\/i><\/div>\n
laboured successfully and unknown, to win unbelievers to<\/i><\/div>\n
the faith. In the reign of Ogotay (1229-1241), we read<\/i><\/div>\n
of a certain Buddhist governor of Persia, named<\/i><\/div>\n
Kurguz, who in his later years abjured Buddhism<\/i><\/div>\n
and became a Mussalman\u201d.<\/i><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
\u201cIn the reign of Timur Khan (1323-1328), Ananda, a grandson of Qubilay<\/i><\/div>\n
and viceroy of Kan-Su, was a zealous Mussalman and had converted a great<\/i><\/div>\n
many persons in Tangut and won over a large number of the troops<\/i><\/div>\n
under his command to the same faith. He was summoned to court and efforts were made\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
to induce him to conform to Buddhism, and on his refusing to abandon his faith he<\/i><\/div>\n
was cast into prison. But he was shortly after set at liberty, for fear of<\/i><\/div>\n
an insurrection among the inhabitants of the Tangut, who were<\/i><\/div>\n
much attached to him.<\/i>\u201d<\/i><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
In this way Islam won over, in a short time, its most inverterate enemy who had trampled underfoot the entire Islamic world, and whose onslaught, for a time, no Muslim power was able to \u00a0withstand. Islam again proved that it possessed an irresistible charm which can captivate the hearts of its bitterest foe. The Mongols, after accepting the faith of Islam, produced a large number of scholars, theologians and doctors of faith as well as those who fought for the Pleasure of Almighty Allah, and served to defend Islam on many a critical occasion.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Unbelievable and far-reaching significance, although the conversion of the Mongols to Islam had been, it is also not less surprising that extremely few and scanty records of this glorious achievements are to be found in the annals of the time. The names of only a few dedicated savious of Islam who won proselytes from the savage hordes are known to the world, but their venture was no less daring nor their achievement less significant than the accomplishments of the great warriors of Islam.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Their memory shall always be enriched by the gratitude of Muslims for they had, in reality, performed a great service to the humanity in general and to the Muslims in particular, by diffusing the knowledge of faith among those barbarians, winning them over to the service of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata\u2019ala and making them the standard-bearers of Almighty Allah\u2019s Beloved Nabee – Rahmatul Liel Ala\u2019meen Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
True, it is only Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata\u2019ala Alone who guides; it is also true that Almighty Allah does\u00a0not \u00a0change the condition of a people until they change what is within\u00a0themselves. \u00a0For us to do anything less would be to disgrace those who are\u00a0dying before our \u00a0very eyes.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
And\u00a0Almighty Allah is the All-Knowing.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
And\u00a0Peace be upon those who follow the Guidance.<\/div>\n
The\u00a0Truth is from Almighty Allah; the errors are all mine<\/div>\n
and\u00a0I stand to be corrected.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Baarak Allaahu Feekum\u00a0wa-sal-Allaahu wa-Sallam ‘alaa<\/i><\/div>\n
Nabiyyina Muhammad\u00a0sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam.<\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Was\u00a0Salamualaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Abdul\u00a0Hamid Lachporia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sheikh Abdul Hamid Lachporia
\n” In\u00a0his anger the prince told Jamal that a dog was worth more than a Persian.\u00a0Jamal \u00a0replied, \u201cYes. If we did not have the true faith, we would indeed be\u00a0worse than \u00a0dogs.\u201d Tuqluq was struck by the reply. He inquired what Jamal\u00a0meant by the true \u00a0faith. When Jamal explained the message of Islam Tuqluq\u00a0was convinced…”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":112171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[316],"class_list":["post-112169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-sheikh-abdul-hamid-lachporia","column","twocol","has-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112169"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112172,"href":"https:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112169\/revisions\/112172"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/khutbahbank.org.uk\/v2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}