HALAKU KHAN AND THE PILLAGE OF BAGHDAD
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
Originally Narrated by Irfan Hasan.
I had heard that when Halaku Khan brought his army to Iraq, it destroy- ed the entire Baghdad which used to be the major Islamic center of learning. The whole of Baghdad was burned to ashes, its world-renowned libraries burned, all the books thrown in the river that flows through Baghdad, and it created huge piles of human skulls (as a symbol of its "achievements") every where. The Khalifa himself was killed in the most ruthless manner. His legs were tied to a horse which was driven all over Baghdad. The Tatars (Halaku Khan's army) however stayed and later on converted to Islam who then spread the light of Islam throughout the entire Eastern Europe and deep into Russia. I often wondered how this remarkable transformation took place. Recently, I found my answer in a publication which narrated it as follows.
After burning and pillaging entire Baghdad and killing thousands of Muslims, Halaku ordered his army to arrest and gather all the Islamic scholars in a huge field in which he was to enjoy the scene of them beheaded in front of him. When all the Islamic scholars were gathered in the field, Halaku came galloping on his beautiful horse in the field while holding the reins in one hand and repeatedly throwing a lemon in the air and catching it (as it was his habit) in the other hand. He then stopped at the front of the assembly of prisoners where his generals were waiting for him. He stayed seated on his horse and started addressing the scholars with scornful arrogance while still playing with the lemon:
"Today no power will save you from my wrath. Where is your Allah? If He really exists then why don't you call Him to come to your help?"
This insult to Allah really infuriated an old Islamic scholar named Imam Yusuf who was physically very weak and thin. However, he was endowed with a great religious zeal and fervor. When he heard Halaku saying that, he moved forward, his body trembling with anger, and his face turned red with rage. Imam Yusuf spoke in his fearsome loud trembling voice:
"You ruthless! You are the one who spreaded rape, pillage, and destruction in this land. How did you dare to insult my Allah like that. My Allah is so power that if He wills, He can take your life even before this lemon that you have just thrown in the air falls in you hand!"
Halaku started sweating profusely, he never heard anyone talking to him like that - this man was feared by all for his ruthlessness. The lemon fell on the ground. He bend down while still seated on his horse to pick up the lemon from the ground. The horse took it as a signal to gallop at her maximum speed. This shook Halaku who fell on the ground on his back but his one foot got stuck in the saddle. The horse was running like wind while Halaku was mercilessly dragged all over the place. Then he started to bleed profusely and when the horse stopped, Halaku had died a miserable and painful death. The man who loved to inflict painful deaths on innocent people, himself died that way.
When Tatar generals saw this, they started trembling with fear. Imam Yusuf's faith in Allah had convinced them more them enough that Allah indeed exists and is not oblivious to what the transgressors do. The huge fearsome- looking Tatar generals wept and apologized to Imam Yusuf and converted to Islam on his hand. Because of these Tatar generals, the entire Tatar nation converted to Islam. It was these Tatar Muslims who then founded the great Khilafat-e-Usmania (the Ottomon Empire) and pushed the frontiers of Islam to the gates of Vienna.
There is indeed great lessons to be learned from this gruesome incident (i.e. destruction of an Islamic state) of our history. Firstly, Allah does not spare transgressors and those who spread FASAD (death, destruct- ion, misery) in His land. He just gives such people a respite till a certain time so that these people get more ruthless in their destructive activities and start thinking that they can do what they please. When that happens Allah's wrath comes into action which does not spare such spreaders of FASAD. Secondly, such adversities are test from Allah for the Muslims. When we Muslims confess that we are Muslims, Allah tests us to see how true we are to our words. Becoming or confessing to be a Muslim is like signing a contract asking Allah to test us. As Allah says in Qur'an:
O you who believe! seek help With patient perseverance
And prayers; for Allah is with those Who patiently persevere.
And say not of those Who are slain in the way of Allah:"They are
dead." Nay, they are living, Though your perceive (it) not.
Be sure We shall test you With something of fear And hunger, some
loss In goods or lives or the fruits (Of your toil), but give Glad
tidings to those Who patiently persevere, Who say, when affected With
calamity: "To Allah We belong, and to Him Is our return."
They are those on whom (descend) blessings from their Lord, And
Mercy, And they are the ones That receive guidance.
Ponder over the above Ayahs (verses) very carefully. Allah says it
very clearly that He will test us (the Muslims). But even before Allah
states what the test will be, He gives us the tools to be used to pass
the tests we encounter in our lives. He says:"Seek help with patient
perseverance (i.e.SABR) and prayers; for Allah is with those who
patiently persevere (i.e.who do SABR)". Prayers are indeed a great
gift from Allah because prayers protect us from losing courage, giving
in to evil temptations, and save us from indulging in vices that make
our hearts dead. And "patient perseverance" is a hallmark of a Muslim
only because as the Messenger of Allah Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said in a Hadith, that SABR is the
quality of a believer only; when he is in good condition he thanks
Allah and when he is suffering, he patiently perseveres [knowing that
it is also from Allah]. As Allah says in the above Ayahs, whenever we
are affected with calamity we must give our resigned submission to
Allah by saying from our hearts "Inna Lillah-hay Wa Inna Ilaeyhay
Rajioon" ("To Allah we belong and to Him is our return"). If we
Muslims learn to seek help from patient perseverance (SABR) and
prayers (SALAT) then no trial and tragedy will be a source of
disheartening for us. We will have the inner conviction that Allah is
the Master of whole universe and all events that unfold around us are
due to the Divine Will, and these events no matter how tragic they are
can turn into a source of invigorating our spirits and making us
stronger than before. With this attitude, we get imbued with a sense
of inner satisfaction and optimism. Miseries and tragedies like
happiness and good times are not eternal. They will change by the
Divine Will and Plan of Allah; we just do not know what this Divine
plan is, but this lack of knowledge should not make us assume that
things will not change for the better. Our job as Muslims is to BELIVE
AND DO GOOD DEEDS (as prescribed by Islam) AND LEAVE THE REST IN
ALLAH'S HANDS. Allah is the most supreme strategist of all
universes. Sincere devotees to Allah who fulfill all their obligations
to Allah, will indeed triumph as truth is bound to prevail and forces
of evil will meet their utter humiliation and defeat.
Wassalamu Alaikum,
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