Conquest of Constantinople is a Decisive Event in the Islamic Ummah’s Life
(Translated)

The significance of events in the life of the Islamic Ummah differs from one to another, as do its decisive battles from its marginal battles. Among the decisive battles are Badr, Al-Khandaq, Yarmouk, Al-Qadisiyah, Warsaw, Ain Jalut, Hittin, Constantinople. And among its upcoming decisive battles, by the will of Allah, fighting Jews and conquering Rome.

The Battle of Badr is the most important battle in the history of Islam, for through it, Allah (swt) glorified Islam and its party and humiliated Kufr and its party. Badr was the day of the criterion (Furqaan), Allah (swt) said:

[يَوْمَ الْفُرْقَانِ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ]

“The day of criterion, the day when the two forces met in battle.” [Al-Anfal:41]. It is the day when the banner of Islam rose high, the force of the Muslims strengthened, the pillars of their state became firm, and their power became well-known, so fear invaded the hearts of the kuffar and hypocrites, for the blessed Eid Al-Fitr in the second year of Hijrah was the first Eid in the history of Muslims that Allah (swt) imposed, a few days after the victory of Muslims in the Great Battle of Badr.

As for the Battle of Al-Khandaq, in which the polytheists faced a crushing defeat, Allah (swt) sent against them winds and soldiers that they did not see; therefore, the victory of the Muslims in it was evidence that the Islamic State became stronger than all its enemies combined.

As for Yarmouk, the victory of Muslims in it over the Romans was a crushing victory, and that day was the beginning of the countdown to the Roman Empire, which was the world’s super-power at that time.

As for the Battle of Al-Qadisiyah, it destroyed the Persian Empire, which was the second world power, competing with the Romans for the first place.

As for Varsco, in which Muslims defeated the Crusaders, as well as Ain Jalout, in which Muslims defeated the Tatars after they were able to overthrow the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad, leaving Egypt the last bastion of defending Islam and Muslims, and if the Crusaders or Tatars were able to defeat the Muslims in Egypt, they would have taken Makkah and Medinah and destroyed Islam and Muslims. But Allah (swt) granted and predestined for this Ummah great leaders such as Seif al-Din Qutz (Mahmoud bin Mamdud) who led the battle of Ain Jalut himself, so he defeated the Tatars in a landslide, thus protecting the Muslim lands from their evils.

As for the Battle of Hittin, the Muslims defeated the Crusaders, a defeat of denial led by Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi, who liberated Al-Quds, which was captivated by the Crusaders for 88 years. This defeat put an end to their existence in Al-Shaam in which they stayed for a short while after that, until Al-Nasser bin Qalawun finally kicked them out of it.

As for the conquest of Constantinople, it was a watershed day in the history of Muslims; Islam entered Europe strongly after it remained confined to Andalusia, which Islam conquered during the Umayyad Caliphate, then eight centuries later, the kuffar expelled the Muslims from it. Likewise, the conquest of Constantinople expanded the scope of conquests in Europe and was confined to the few regions that were conquered during the time of the Ottoman Sultans before Muhammad al-Fateh. The conquest of Constantinople was also a thunderous thunderbolt that shook all of Europe, which was at that time ravaged by rival nationalism and states, so the conquest of Constantinople rocked and shook it violently, uniting it by the fear of the Islamic giant sweeping it all away.

Due to the importance of the conquest of Constantinople, the Messenger of Allah (saw) gave the glad tidings of conquering it. Abdullah bin Bishr Al-Khath’ami reported from his father that he heard the Prophet (saw) saying:

«لَتُفْتَحَنَّ الْقُسْطَنْطِينِيَّةُ، وَلَنِعْمَ الْأَمِيرُ أَمِيرُهَا، وَلَنِعْمَ الْجَيْشُ ذَلِكَ الْجَيْشُ»

“Verily you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will her leader be, and what a wonderful army will that army be!” he said, so Maslamah bin Abdul-Malik called me and asked me, so I narrated to him (this hadith), then he invaded Constantinople, reported by Ahmad. This glad tiding was achieved by Muhammad II, who, after his conquest, was labeled “Al-Fatih” (the conqueror). His Sheikh and his mentor, Aq Shams al-Din, instilled in him the love of jihad and conquest, and that he would be the one who would conquer Constantinople to attain the glad tidings of the Messenger and to be the one who fulfills this promise. Indeed, its conquer was accomplished by him. Allah (swt) honoured him by it, and with that conquest it was shown that he deserves the praise of the Messenger (saw), so the conqueror was truly the wonderful leader and wonderful Ameer and his soldiers were rightly the wonderful soldiers and army. Constantinople was of great importance, because it was a strong city, fortified with its high walls that prevent its penetration from any army, and if the whole world was one state at that time, Constantinople would have been its capital city.

Muslims have tried to conquer it since the introduction of Islam. In the succession (Khilafah) of Muawiyah, the Muslim army was the first Islamic army to invade Constantinople in the hope of fulfilling the glad tiding of the Messenger (saw).

These days mark the anniversary of the Conquest of Constantinople, which reminds us of the greatness of Islam that made statesmen like Muhammad Al-Fateh, and indeed, this conquest is a prelude to the realization of other glad tidings, which include the return of the Khilafah

«... ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةٌ عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ» 

“Then there will be a Khilafah Rashidah on the method of Prophethood...” narrated by Ahmed, fighting Jews and defeating them in such a way that they will not exist after that, and the conquest of Rome, which is followed by the submission of all Europe to Islam and the entry of its people in it after it had been for centuries one of the biggest obstacles that prevented the expansion of Islam in it, and that this matter will not be achieved until after the establishment of the second rightly guided Khilafah on the method of prophethood that Hizb ut Tahrir works for day and night, until Allah (swt) blesses the Ummah with victory, succession and empowerment. That day is near, and the date of victory is very imminent, by the will of Allah.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Shayef Al-Sharady – Yemen

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