The First QUALITY OF A MUSLIM COMMANDER - True, constant and firm Faith

It is essential for a military man to have true and firm Faith in order to lead in the political and missionary spheres. A strong, firm and solid faith leaves a lasting and deep influence on the personality. This is a basic virtue that empowers the heart with courage, valor and a total lack of fear and ambition. Whether the army faces victory and glory or obstacles and defeat, intelligence and wisdom are never thrown off balance. In the battlefield whether faced with glorious triumph or humiliating defeat, only that army adopts a balanced viewpoint and mode of operation, which has the right faith and the right perspective.
It has often been seen in martial clustery that a victorious army and its general lose all sense of proportions and display a total loss of sense of proportion. It is intoxicated with it success and goes berserk. Civilians are killed, women are raped and human dignity is insulted and betrayed. The social system of the conquered territory is turned upside down, and social and moral values are eroded and destroyed.
But the Muslim generals regard victory with modesty and humility as a blessing and gift of Allah Almighty. This attitude is solely due to trust, faith and a right sense of values. When the Prophet entered Makkah triumphantly after conquering it, his head was bowed low down to the hump of his horse ingratitude to Allah Almighty, His Creator. He declared universal amnesty for all the people of Makkah. Similarly, a successful general who in war faces obstacles, problems and adverse conditions, instead of losing heart, turns and moves closer to Allah. He faces all difficulties with courage and bravery. This competence and ability is born of confident reliance on, and perfect and absolute trust in Allah Almighty.
This is the reason why the Prophet ,instead of losing hope in the disaster of the battle of Uhud led his injured Mujahedeen right up to Harnra' Al Asad in hot pursuit of the Quraish without giving them an opportunity to turn around and enter Al Madinah to celebrate their success. This shows that if the leading general is courageous and ambitious, he can recoup his losses and turn defeat into victory.Misfortunes and defeats fail to overcome his spirits and,ultimately it is this high morale which lifts up the sagging spirits of his soldiers and leads them to triumph.
One day the Commander in Chef of the Muslims, Messenger of Allah , was lying down in the shade of the Ka'bah, resting one of his most loyal Companion Khabbab bin Arait, who had suffered deeply from the Kuffar, asked him when Allah Almighty would help them; the suffering and cruelty had reached its utmost limits. The Prophet SAW sat-up and said: "0 Khabbab, Are you giving up so easily with just these little problems? Our predecessors who spoke up for the Truth and worshiped the Truth had suffered much more than us. Saws were used to tear them apart, and combs made of iron were used to rake their flesh, but they remained stubbornly adherent to the Truth. The greatest torture and tyranny failed to make them recant or retract an inch from their positions. 0 Khabbab, be patient and very soon you will see for yourself the gentle and halcyon days of peace everywhere. The land of Arab will become the cradle of loving and serene brotherhood. From San'a' to Hader Al Moat wayfarers will be able to travel in peace, with no fear of danger."
Calamities, misfortunes and problems have to be faced with patience and fortitude because they prove to be the forerunners of victory and success. And how does one inculcate these qualities? They are born of a deep and abiding faith in Allah Almighty; many a time, because of these qualities, events which be wilder man's powers of reason and logic occur in the battlefield. One of the greatest generals in the history of Islam, Khalid bin Waleed , right in front of the enemy fearlessly and boldly drank up a bottle of deadly poison. This lethal dose of poison did him no harm! This was because he had absolute faith that Allah Almighty could negate the effect of the poison. The enemy was "I did not fight in the battlefield for Amirul Mo'nliizeez 'Umarbin Khattab's; I fought to bring glory to Allah and Islam. I can continue to perform my duty even as an ordinary soldier. Therefore I do not regret receiving a letter of dismissal."Such an attitude can only be the result of the deep faith and a righteous viewpoint.

 

Entrepreneurship 

Tareq Bin Ziyad

Tareq Bin Ziyad

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Tariq ibn Ziyad was born in the tribe of Natzawah (a Berber tribe of North Africa). His father was an early convert to Islam who had joined the Faith since the days of the first liberator of North Africa, 'Uqbah ibn Nati' AI-Fihri . Upon the death of his father Tareq bin Ziyad , still a young teenager joined  the Muslim army in North Africa. Despite his young age he showed great courage and enthusiasm for the Faith and for its spread in the hearts of people.  Soon he won the trust of Musa ibn Nusair who appointed him Governor of Tangier and its surroundings in the Far West (as Morocco was called then), when the area was liberated from Roman control.  

History tells us that Spain at the time was suffering from turmoil and strife under the rule of Rodrigos who usurped the Spanish throne from its rightful heirs. Julian had sent his daughter to get education at the Spanish Court in Toledo. But Rodrigos apparently did not observe the rules of propriety in dealing with royal guests. Julian's daughter was badly mistreated and imprisoned by him. When her father learnt of the news he was enraged. Julian convinced the legal heirs of the Spanish throne to seek help from the Muslim Arabs who had conquered the whole of North Africa and were near the doors of the Iberian Peninsula. Both of them talked to Tariq ibn Zivad who suggested to them to talk to his Emir Musa ibn Nusair in Kairawan in Tunisia. Naturally, Musa ibn Nusair and Tareq bin Ziyad were already studying the ways and means of carrying the banner of Islam across the sea to Spain. So Julian's visit gave Mussa ibn Nusair a golden opportunity to learn more closely of the situation in Spain. Musa ibn Nusair wrote to the Caliph at Damascus for permission to invade Spain. Due to the novelty of the experience the Caliph was very reserved in his reply. He suggested that scouting expeditions be sent to Spain before any major invasion was undertaken. Tareef another Berber Muslim was chosen to lead 400 commandoes tor the task of military exploration or scouting. The expedition was a success. Upon the return of Tareef, Musa ibn Nusair decided that the time was ripe for the invasion.

Tariq ibn Zivad was chosen to lead the army of 5000 men under the pretense of saving the Spanish throne. Tariq ibn Ziyad was supported by a group of experts, Arab and Berber alike. Julian was to supply the ships to transport the fighters, and he was also to act as a guide for them on the Spanish land. It has been pointed out by historians that the move was a tactful and strategic one. For if the Muslims used their own ships it would have attracted attention to them. The Muslim fighters crossed the strait in groups and gathered at the mount called later the Mount of Tariq (Gibraltar), after the name of their commander. This was achieved in 92 A.H. (711 G.). In order to show his soldiers the seriousness of the situation,  Tareq bin Ziyad burnt all the ships that carried them to the Iberian Peninsula. In his historic speech to his army he said, "0 people! Where is the flight? The sea is behind you, and the enemy is in front of you. By Allah! You have no alternative except patience and steadfastness.

On Sunday, 28th of Ramadhan 92 AH  (19th July 711 AD) the battle  started between the Muslim army under the command of Tareq bin Ziyad and the Spanish army under the command of Rodrigues . Naturally, by then the Muslim army received a new reinforcement of 5000 men, carried this time by the Muslim fleet. Julian's men acted as agents for the conquerors by pointing out to the Spaniards the truth about the Muslims: that they were not colonizers, nor military invaders, but rather "carriers" of a message of peace and liberation. So, a part of the Spanish cavalry deserted Rodrigues. This caused chaos in the army, and many soldiers started running for their lives. However, the battle continued and the Muslims started winning the war. Rodrigues fled, leaving behind his defeated army.  In 14 months all the major towns of Toledo, Seville, Morda and others were under Muslim control, and in two years’ time almost the whole of the Iberian Peninsula was already under Muslim rule, which lasted for the next 800 years.

To the conquest of Spain by Muslims many historians attribute the cultural developments in Europe that led later to the Renaissance. The Muslims brought to Spain the net products of many civilizations that extended from the Atlantic Ocean in the West to India and China in the East. It was in Muslim Spanish centers of learning that many influential European scholars had their education.