The Conquest of Constantinople

NOT MANY PEOPLE know that today marks the common era anniversary of the Conquest of Constantinople- the 29th May 1453CE (20th of Jumad al Awwal 857AH).

This is that story. A story from the stories of Islam.

It starts with a camel who stops in front of a house. The house belonged to a man, Abu Ayyub, and the camel belonged to a prophet, Muhammad ﷺ.

Having just arrived in Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ had nowhere to live. Everyone was hoping that he would stay at their house. Really who wouldn’t! To have the Prophet ﷺ live in your house- can you imagine that?

But it was at Abu Ayyub’s house that the Prophet ﷺ stayed for the next six months whilst he built the first masjid and his own house next to it.

But this story isn’t about that time. You see Allah ﷻ gave Abu Ayyub a long life in which he saw many things.

He lived through those early days. He saw Badr and Uhud. He was there when Madinah was under siege by the Quraysh at the Battle of the Trench.

Things looked grim for the Muslims. But the Prophet ﷺ, as always, was full of hope.

The Muslims were digging a great ditch to protect themselves against the Quraysh. But there was one great rock that got in the way and no one could break it.

The Prophet ﷺ came and hit it with a spade. Sparks flew and at the first strike he said: ‘Allahu Akbar, I have been given the keys of ash-Shaam (Greater Syria). By Allah, I can see its red palaces now.” On the second strike, “Allahu Akbar, I have been given Persia. By Allah, I can now see the white palace of Madain.” At the third strike, “Allahu Akbar, I have been given the keys of Yemen. By Allah, I can see the gates of San’a while I am in my place.” The great stone lay shattered.

It sounded impossible. Here at the Battle of the Trench, the Muslims were fighting to survive, not sure if they would see tomorrow and yet the Prophet ﷺ was foretelling great victories to come.

Those in whose hearts was doubt laughed at such words. ‘We can’t even go out to the toilet without fear and yet he talks about conquering the great empires!’

But Abu Ayyub, like others with true man, didn’t have any doubts. What Allah ﷻ and His Messenger ﷺ said would happen, today or tomorrow, with or without him. That he was sure of.

The Battle of the Trench came and went. By Allah’s leave, the Muslims stood.

Abu Ayyub saw Yemen open in the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ. He saw Persia and al Shaam open in the time of Abu Bakr (ra) and Umar (ra). Just as Muhammad ﷺ had said.

Abu Ayyub lived a long life. He lived through the years of Uthman (ra) and Ali (ra).

But there was one prophecy that drove him. Another victory his beloved ﷺ said so many years ago.

‘Indeed, you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will her leader be, and what a wonderful army will that army be!’ (Musnad Ahmad)

Years later, Abu Ayyub, now an old man in his 90’s was on the battlefield. He was part of the army trying to open Constantinople- the capital of the Roman-Byzantine Empire.

This was a mighty city. The largest in Europe. A place which had never been defeated. It was surrounded by sea and land, both protected. On the land side, a wall, three layers thick. Many had crashed against those walls. But it did not yield. On the sea-facing side, the Romans put a great chain across the bay, watched by warships, which stopped enemy ships from entering.

Whilst there Abu Ayyub fell ill. He was surrounded by young men. They too, were spurred on by the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ. Someone asked: “Do you need anything, Abu Ayyub?” Abu Ayyub replied: “Convey my salam to the Muslim armies and tell them: “Abu Ayyub urges you to penetrate deep into enemy territory, as far as you can go. That you should carry him with you, and that you should bury him under your feet at the walls of Constantinople.” Then he died. The Muslim army met his request and pushed back the enemy until they reached the walls of Constantinople where they buried Abu Ayyub.

That was 49AH/674CE.

Many Muslim rulers and their armies tried to be that wonderful leader and be part of that wonderful army after that.

The Muslim ummah itself went through many trials. The loss of Jerusalem to the Crusaders and the sacking of Baghdad by the Mongols were dark days indeed.

But the ummah bounced back. Salahuddin regained Jerusalem. The Mongols were defeated. The khilafah was restored.

It is one of the Ottoman sultans- Muhammad II (later to become Muhammad al-Fateh) who would be that wonderful leader. He was cultured in Islam and from an early age he had his sight set firmly on Constantinople.

His army too was extraordinary. It was said about them that they were so disciplined that a thousand men would make the same noise as a hundred Roman soldiers.

And so, it came to be. 857AH (1453CE), almost 800 years after Abu Ayyub’s death.

Muhammad al-Fateh, aged only 21, gathered his army and navy. He had built fortresses in advance on the banks of the Bosporus to control Roman naval traffic and house his army knowing that the siege was likely to be long and hard with bitterly cold weather.

However, his cannons, catapults, and siege ladders had no effect on those mighty walls. But Muhammad al Fateh was not a man to give up. He had heard about a Hungarian engineer, Orban, who had devised a new type of super cannon. A cannon like none before that would change siege warfare forever.

The previous year Orban had been turned down by the Roman Emperor. But Muhammad al-Fateh welcomed him and funded his project. With his expertise, massive cannons were built. It took 60 oxen to move one cannon!

The walls faltered but still did not fall.

The siege continued. Some amongst his advisors were weakening. But he remained resolute. He was reminded by the ayah:

وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ ٱللَّهُ وَٱللَّهُ خَيْرُ ٱلْمَٰكِرِينَ

But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners (Anfal 30)

Ever inventive, Muhammad al-Fateh then did something extraordinary. His ships were lighter than the Roman ships. Overnight he dragged them across the land on oiled tree branches into the bay so bypassing the chain. The Roman navy was caught unaware and was destroyed by the Muslim fleet.

Finding the walls slowly breaking on the landfront and the Muslim navy on the seafront, the Romans lost hope.

Muhammad al-Fateh rode through the gates of Constantinople. 59 days of siege. The first thing he did on entering was to perform sujood, for only Allah gives victory. Allahu akbar!

Constantinople became known as Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman khilafah.

They found the grave of Abu Ayyub. They placed a tomb there. Even today you can go and see it in Istanbul.

The once-mighty Roman Byzantine Empire had fallen. Another prophecy was fulfilled.

Our history is full of great events. Events to inspire every generation. Events to remind us of what we were and what we achieved. Events to show us what we can achieve when we have a vision.

A reminder to the Believers that the promise of Allah ﷻ is always true. That the words of Allah ﷻ and His Messenger ﷺ are a constant source of inspiration. That even in the darkness, there is always hope. That it is not about how old or how young you are. It is about having a vision. That where there is a will, Allah ﷻ will help us find a way.

There are still victories to be achieved.

Did the Prophet ﷺ not say that Rome will also fall? Did he not say that Jerusalem would become the final resting place of the khilafah? Did he not say that after his prophethood, and after the time of the khulafah rashidah, and after the time of kings and after the time of tyranny, the khilafah like that of the Prophet will return? And that Islam will spread from west to east?

Indeed these are the glad tidings of what is to come.

وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ فَإِنَّ حِزْبَ ٱللَّهِ هُمُ ٱلْغَٰلِبُونَ

‘And whosoever takes Allah, His Messenger, and those who have believed, as Protectors, then the party of Allah will be victorious.’ (al Maidah 56)