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The Battle of Badr | Sun Tzu and the Art of War

September 26, 2020

From a military standpoint, it is widely regarded that planning and strategy are key indicators of success, both pre and post-conflict. The Art of War by Sun Tzu is a widely acclaimed book which extolled preparation, recommended patience and most importantly exploiting an opponents’ weakness. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) masterfully engineered all the above when he rightfully reclaimed the city of Mecca following an unjust expulsion in the year of 622 CE.

The Quraish were a wealthy and powerful tribe who relied heavily on annual pilgrimages from neighbouring nations to Mecca. However, tensions heightened as the Prophet's assertion of strict monotheism to the Quraish tribe ended in defeat. For economic reasons as well as fear of a rising Muslim following, the Quraish – a predominantly polytheist tribe – expelled, mocked and unsettled the Muslims after a decade of personal attacks against their religion and gods. As a result, Prophet Muhammad and the Muslim following departed for Medina, a city 200 miles north of Mecca. This migration is referred to as ‘Hijra’ among Muslims.

Shortly after, a Quranic verse, Surah Al-Hajj 22:39, which sanctioned the right to bear arms in defence for the Muslims. The first time ever in Islam. Had the United Nations, existed then, they would have approved the Muslims cause to reclaim the city from where they faced expulsion. During this period, the Prophet established three broad strategies: establish peace with tribes adjacent to Medina, secondly, the use of a tight-knit group to obtain intelligence on Quraish, and the final strategy was to disrupt and intercept trade caravans that travelled close to Medina. The 3 strategies employed fall under political, military and economic. Ensuring and cementing peace treaties with tribes adjacent to Medina assured the Muslims that they would not face a military threat in unchartered territory and was a geopolitical coup by the Prophet [1].

The famous proverb ‘knowledge is power’ is universally known but more common in the West as a quote which stretches to all walks of life. The military is ample evidence of this as no leader was successful without relying on or utilising a form of intelligence gathering. The Prophet was no different. According to Ibn Ishaq- al-Zuhri, the Messenger of God wrote him a letter but ordered him not to look at it until he had travelled for two days. After 2 days of travel 'Abd Allah b. Jahsh opened the letter and looked at it, and it stated, "When you look at my letter march until you halt at Nakhlah, between Mecca and al-Ta'if. Observe Quraish there, and find out for us what they are doing." When 'Abd Allah looked at the letter he said, "I heed and obey." Then he said to his companions, "The Messenger of God has commanded me to go to Nakhlah and observe Quraish so that I can bring him news of them.” [3]. The use of spies’ during pre-military engagement was extolled by Sun Tzu so much so, he devoted the whole of 13th chapter in his Art of War book to this practice.

The intelligence gathering by Abd-Allah b. Jahsh played a crucial role in the events that brought about battle proliferation and later the decisive victory for the Muslims. The purpose of the trade caravan interception was to disrupt Meccan economic trade as the caravans’ sole purpose was for the purchasing of weapons in preparation for a war with the Muslims. Upon the discovery of a trade caravan containing a wealth of merchandise, Abd-Allah b. Jahsh and the other group members, in an act of haste and confusion, decided to attack the Quraish guards protecting the trade caravan. Both sides lost combatants during this brief conflict. Upon their return, the Prophet was greatly displeased by the actions of Abd-Allah b. Jahsh and adamantly refused to take the spoils from the caravan as the killing of the guards took place during the truce month of Rajab [4]. For Meccans, any form of violence is prohibited during Rajab. However, the Prophet received new revelation, Quran 2:217, which dictated that expulsion and persecution of Muslims were worse than killing in the month of Rajab.

During the beginning of spring, Abu Sufyaan was reported to be leading a weapons caravan to be used in the war against the Muslims. The Prophet gathered over 300 men to Badr to intercept the trade caravan. However, Meccan spies duly informed Abu Sufyaan of the Prophet’s intentions and adopted a new course, favouring the coastal line to reach Mecca. The Prophet arrived at Badr and spent the night there. During that evening, an interesting turn of events unfolded. The Prophet sent the head of a group of companions to the water of Badr, whilst the Prophet was engaged in night prayer. A few water carriers approached the water of Badr to draw water. Among these water carriers was a slave. The men the Prophet had sent, captured this man and returned him to the Messenger of God and interrogated him about Abu Sufyaan and his companions. The companions of the Prophet were under no impression he belonged not to Quraish [5].

The Prophet overheard the conversation between the captured man and the companions. When the slave informed the Prophets’ companions of Quraish plan to meet them, they physically beat him and branded him a liar. The Prophet witnessed the actions of the companions and stated: “By Him in whose hand my soul rests, you beat him when he tells the truth and leave him alone when he lies?” The companions retorted "He is telling us that Quraysh has come." He replied, "He is telling the truth the Quraysh have come to protect their horsemen." He called the slave and questioned him, and the slave told him about Quraysh, and said, "I know nothing about Abu Sufyan." He asked him how many people there were, and the slave said, "By God, I do not know. There is a large number of them." They assert that the Prophet said, "Who fed them the day before yesterday?" and the slave named a man who had fed them. Then he said, "How many camels did he slaughter for them?" and the slave said, "Nine." Then he said, "Who fed them yesterday?" and the slave named a man. "How many camels did he slaughter for them?" he asked."Ten," the slave said. The Prophet adamantly stated, "There are between nine hundred and a thousand of them." [6] The number of Quraish combatants on that day was, in fact, 950. Thus confirming the outnumbering of the Muslims, a ratio of 3:1. Although the Muslims were heavily outnumbered, this did not daunt them and they still marched into battle. A battle which lasted a mere few hours, with Muslims securing a resounding victory.

However, the aftermath of the battle cemented the legacy of two men. The first being Abu Sufyan, who led the caravan during the battle. This was a result of several noble deaths among the Quraish tribe. In the later years, Abu Sufyaan would successfully negotiate the peaceful surrender of Quraish along with becoming a high-ranking official in the Muslim empire. The second, more crucially, was the Prophet. The strategies employed by the Prophet served as the ultimate catalyst in a successful military campaign against the Quraish. The month of Ramadan has been held an importance in the history of the Muslims as the resounding victory against the Quraish sealed Islam as a force to be reckoned with in the Arabian Peninsula for the next century.

Srebrenica: The Forgotten Massacre

September 26, 2020

I would like to dedicate this post to my Grandfather, Ismet (Omer) Džanić (June 21, 1949 — August 3, 1992). He died fighting in the Bosnian War while serving his country and protecting his religion. I was deprived the chance to meet this courageous man because he had to fight for his right to freedom and peace. Alhamdulillah, his efforts haven’t gone to vain. May we meet in Jannah, Ameen.

What you’re seeing here is the Srebrenica Memorial and Grave-site where more than 7,000 people are buried, with more being discovered each year. 8,000 Bosniak men and boys as young as 12 were slain in what was the largest massacre in Europe after the Holocaust.

After the disbandment of Yugoslavia in 1992, the newly sovereign territories recognized and seized their opportunities in becoming independent. Bosnia declared their independence in the same year. This proclamation was recognized by the United Nations albeit for the Serbs. The Serbs were opposed to Bosnian independence because the idea of having a Muslim majority country as a neighbour was threatening. It would also result in a loss of territorial land for the Serbs. In response to the independent state, the Serbs declared war against the Bosniaks in 1992. The Serbs began their blockade and siege of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, which lasted a gruelling 4 years. The siege was to be the longest modern siege of a capital till this date. Excluding fatalities as a result of the war, the Serbs expelled around 20,000 Muslim civilians (Bosniaks), turning the war into an ethnic cleansing.

The war continued and was especially intense in places that bordered Serbia such as Doboj. This is where my Grandfather was from. In Doboj, the Serbs would enter the homes of the Bosniaks and kill off the males. The same was done to the Croat villages because initially, the Croats sided with the Bosniaks. This was done to them by the Serbs, both for military and ethnic cleansing purposes. Eventually, Croats created their own party in the war and fought against both the Serbs and Bosniaks with the aim of establishing a Croatian Republic of Herzeg Bosnia. Without the protection of Croats in the area, Bosnian Muslims were basically sitting ducks.

Upon realizing this plight, the UN (1993) declared six safe zones for the Bosniaks: Sarajevo, Tuzla, Bihac, Srebrenica, Zepa and Gorazde. These zones were under the protection of international UN peacekeepers. Many in Bosnia deemed these zones a prison camp where refugees would be starved and forced to work. But the desperate ones bought into the myth and migrated by the thousands in seek of refuge.

In February 1994 NATO intervenes in the war. It was the first military intervention by NATO since their establishment in 1949. American F-16’s were used to shoot down four Serb warplanes that were aiming to attack Sarajevo. After much reluctance, Bosnian Serbs agreed to the NATO agreements and withdrew their artillery from Sarajevo which temporarily relieved the tension brewing there. Hence why the UN declared Sarajevo one of the 6 safe zones.

But this drawback was short lived. When the Serbs moved back to their positions in Sarajevo, NATO responded by bombing their ammunition deposits. In an act of ‘revenge’, the Serbs pettily go after the Muslim safe zones declared by the UN.

July 11-22, 1995 marked one of the deadliest massacres the world has ever seen. The Serbs retaliation brought them to Srebrenica where nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys were mass murdered on July 11th alone. The victims were forced to dig their own graves and shot in the back of the head execution style. The ‘graves’ were massive pits where dead bodies were dumped. They were shot in groups of 10. About 23,000 women and young girls were deported and separated from their male family and friends. To call it mercy up in women would be a deceit. Many survivors recall being raped and beaten. Males as young as 12 were left behind to be interrogated and then shot dead. Assistant Chief of Security and Intelligence of the Bosnian Serb army, Momir Nikolić was present and even accused of decapitating some of the 90-100 Muslim males that were loaded on trucks to be taken to grave pits.

The UN eventually deems this event a genocide. But by then, their reputation and credibility has begun to tank.

The Dutchbat (Dutch Battalion) who were under the command of the United Nations and in charge of protecting Srebrenica failed to do so. An investigation later revealed that the battalion was poorly equipped and their request for more artillery and assistance went ignored. Recently (2016), veterans of the battalion sued the Dutch government for "severe negligence and carelessness" in Srebrenica that cost the lives of nearly 8,000 innocents.

All over Bosnia, there are reminders of war, genocide, and the broken promise the world once claimed - “Never again” is what was said after WWII. From bullet-riddled buildings to gravesites for the fallen soldiers, Bosnia earned her stars but at a price that could have been avoided.

Every year more bodies are discovered and brought to the Srebrenica memorial and grave sight to be buried. Each year, for the last 22 years there has been a funeral prayer for the brave who gave their lives or lost it unwillingly. Every year families come back to pay their respects, some walking for miles to reach the site.

The official flower of Srebrenica is a crocheted flower with white petals and a green centre. The green is meant to resemble a coffin. In Bosnia, coffins are draped in green flags with the Islamic star and crescent printed on them. The white petals represent women surrounding the coffin. Culturally, women wear white to funerals and because women were spared, it made sense to depict them as grieving for their lost sons and husbands. The flower is usually followed with the caption, “Never Forget, Srebrenica”.

Author: Momina Tashfeen

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The Slave Warriors Who Saved The Muslim World | The Mamluk Sultanate Of Egypt

September 26, 2020

The Islamic civilisation series takes a look at prominent Muslim empires that have existed throughout history. In this article we present a brief overview of the rise and fall of the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt.

The Mamluk Sultanate of Cairo is a standout epoch in Islamic history and is perhaps the grandest example of a rags-to-riches story. The Mamluks left behind a fascinating legacy, fraught with controversy, political assassination and factional conflict - the perfect plot for the next blockbuster TV series. The Mamluks of Egypt would rise from mere servants to commanders of a vast empire which would eventually encompass Egypt, Hijaz and the Levant.

The word Mamluk (singular) or Mamalik in the Arabic language means something that is owned and can be used more generally to refer to slaves who were used for military purposes by various Islamic empires throughout history including in the Abbasid period and also emerging in India.

The Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt lasted in an intermittent form between 1250 and 1517. The Mamluks were mostly made up of ethnic Turks who had ancestral ties with the Turkic Kipchaks, they were originally acquired as slaves but were given a higher status within the empires they served, being provided extensive military training and education in the Islamic sciences. Their emergence begins within the 10th century under the famed Ayyubid dynasty founded by Salahuddin Al Ayubi. Under the Ayyubids the Mamluks were given extensive military positions and were an integral part of the military structure. After the final substantive Sultan As-Salih Ayyub passed away following his successful campaign against the 7th crusade, a convoluted series of events resulted in the Mamluks effectively inheriting the seat of power.

The first of the Mamluk Sultans was Izz al-Din Aybak who also happened to marry Shajar al-Durr the widow of the final Ayyubid Sultan As-Salih Ayyub. Aybak inherited power as a result of Shajar's abdication as the Sultana (Female Sultan) of Egypt. In a bizarre turn of events, Aybak was murdered by Shajar after his decision to strategically marry the daughter of the Emir of Mosul. Aybak's reign lasted a mere 7 years and his adolescent son inherited power being put in place by an assembly of loyalist Mamluks known as the Mu'iziyya Mamluks who were principally led by the renowned Saif ad-Din Qutuz. Following in the tradition of his father Aybak's son ruled for a meagre two years and thereafter Saif ad-Din Qutuz ascended to power.

Qutuz is perhaps the most illustrious Sultan of the entire Mamluk period despite ruling for an even shorter period than his predecessors. Qutuz was a Kipchak originally enslaved by the Mongols and later sold to Aybak the Ayyubid Sultan. As the leader of the Mamluks, Qutuz led the first ever army to defeat the Mongols on the battlefield an achievement that has cemented his vestige in Islamic history centuries on. His reign was followed by that of Baibars who reigned for 54 years, under Baibars the Mamluks firmly established their government and made significant territorial gains wiping out Crusaders in the Levant and unifying Egypt and Syria.

The Mongols and The Mamluks

The Battle of Ain Jalut was a defining moment in the formation of the Mamluk state and is also the reason behind Qutuz and Baibars renown in relation to other Mamluks Sultans. The Battle of Ain Jalut was initiated after the sacking of Baghdad and the continued advance of the Mongol army. At the time Baghdad was considered the ‘capital’ of the Islamic world and numerous tales tell of the devastating attack when the Tigris river ran red with blood and the ink of books turned the water black. The attack on the Islamic capital of Baghdad which also contained the House of Wisdom library (Bayt al-Hikma) sent shockwaves throughout the empire, and this sentiment was further exacerbated by a letter sent by the Mongol leader Hulagu to the Mamluk leadership.

“From the King of Kings of the East and West, the Great Khan. To Qutuz the Mamluk, who fled to escape our swords. You should think of what happened to other countries and submit to us. You have heard how we have conquered a vast empire and have purified the earth of the disorders that tainted it. We have conquered vast areas, massacring all the people. You cannot escape from the terror of our armies. Where can you flee? What road will you use to escape us? Our horses are swift, our arrows sharp, our swords like thunderbolts, our hearts as hard as the mountains, our soldiers as numerous as the sand. Fortresses will not detain us, nor armies stop us. Your prayers to God will not avail against us. We are not moved by tears nor touched by lamentations. Only those who beg our protection will be safe. Hasten your reply before the fire of war is kindled. Resist and you will suffer the most terrible catastrophes. We will shatter your mosques and reveal the weakness of your God and then will kill your children and your old men together. At present, you are the only enemy against whom we have to march.”

Qutuz’s response to the letter was damning and he responded by killing the two envoys who had delivered the message, placing their decapitated heads on spikes outside the entrance of the city of Cairo. The Mongols swept through the Muslim lands taking Baghdad as well as cities in Syria such as Damascus and Aleppo. With the Mongol advance threatening the centre of the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt the Mamluks were pressed to make a decision and Qutuz eventually led an army through the Levant region to meet the Mongols on the battlefield. Both Qutuz and Baibars participated in the battle and through skilful military tactics which included a carefully orchestrated attack and retreat manoeuvre the Muslims were able to conclusively defeat the Mongols and halt the western advance. A landmark achievement at the time as the Mongols had never previously lost in combat.

Qutuz had successfully done what many other commanders before him had failed to do but unfortunately for him, his attainment was not enough to spare him his life. While returning to Cairo he was assassinated by the very men he had led in battle. There are debates around who exactly was responsible for his death however evidence seems to suggest Baibars was involved in Qutuz’s demise. Baibars then went on to reign for 54 years, it was under his rule that the Mamluks firmly established their government and made significant territorial gains wiping out Crusaders in the Levant and unifying Egypt and Syria.

The Mamluk Sultanate is described as an 'intermittent empire' due to it having two unique periods of existence. The Sultanate can be characterised under two forms, the early Bahri period (1250 - 1382) and the Burji dynasty (1382 – 1517). Generally, the Bahri period is seen to be the more stable and successful period whereas the Burji dynasty was fraught with controversy and infighting.

Religion

In regards to the long-term contributions of the Mamluk sultanate one area which can not be dismissed was the cultivation of religious scholarship. The Sultanate generally adhered to the Shafite school of thought. However, under the rule of Baibars, multiple schools of thought were facilitated for, creating a hub of Islamic scholarship. The emergence of the Mamluk Sultanate created a breadth of scholarship of which the Muslim world is indebted to till this day. This era saw the works of figures such Imam Nawawi, Jalaluddin Suyuti, Ismail Ibn Kathir, Taj al-Din Subki, Al Dhahabi, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Hajar and Ibn Al Qayyim to name but a few.

The Sultan Hassan Mosque in Cairo, construction began in 757 AH and it is still operational to this day.

The relationship between religious clergy and government was not always a smooth one. Although Ibn Taymiyyah is perhaps one of the most renowned scholars of this time his views were not representative of the Sultanates conventional ideas and he often found himself in conflict with the judicial system.

The Mamluks did not consider themselves Caliphs of the Muslim Ummah rather they held in great esteem the Khalifa of the former Abbasid empire. Although the Abbasids had fallen into decline and the Mamluk sultans had acquired total political control, as a general policy they never took up the position of Khalifas of the Muslim world. Instead, the members of the Abbasid family held the symbolic title of Khalifa and were used to legitimise the Sultans control over the Muslims.

The Fall

Towards the end of the Burji dynasty, a series of events including poor military decisions and infighting resulted in the weakening of the Mamluk state and a new Muslim dynasty was rising in the North. The Ottoman Turks after a successful campaign against the Safavids made their way through Syria and after successfully defeating the Mamluks at the Battle of Marj Dabiq they were able to annexe Syria, paving the way for a final attack on the Mamluk heartland of Cairo. The Mamluks finally lost control of Egypt in 1517 at the hands of Ottoman Sultan Selim I. Similar to the Mamluk-Ayyubid relationship after their ascension to power the Ottomans kept the Mamluks in control of Egypt but as subordinates to the ultimate power in Constantinople.

Looking back at this point in Islamic history the Mamluks contribution to Islam was incredibly important. If the battle of Ain Jalut was lost the Mongol advance would have been orchestrated with relative ease, crushing the Mamluk capital in Cairo and making its way to North Africa. If it weren’t for the efforts of the Mamluks against Mongol and Crusader armies, Islam in Africa and the Levant may have been under severe threat. The lessons one can take from the Mamluks is one of perseverance and dedication, the Mamluks fought as loyal servants and were able to rise to the honoured position of leaders of an empire that saved the Islamic world.

This article was inspired by the wonderful brothers over at the Mad Mamluks podcast. If you're looking for an informative but also entertaining Islamically oriented podcast show, I would definitely recommend checking these guys out.

www.themadmamluks.com

Author: Muhammad Yousuf Shuwekh

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