Ramadan through History – TheBattle of Ayn Jalut

Throughout Ramadan we are publishing articles about historical moments that took place in this blessed month. We present to you the Battle of Ayn Jalut – the first time ever that a Mongol advance had been permanently halted.

When the Mongols invaded the Muslim world in 1255, they showed no mercy. The goal of the Mongols was to destroy Islam. The Abbasid Caliphate had no power or strategy to fight. The Muslim world was divided and without direction. Fighting amongst themselves, the lust for power was not a strange thing to see in the Muslim world at that time.

Genghiz Khan was waging war in Bukhara at the time – the Muslims decided not to fight and surrendered so that there would not be any bloodshed. They Mongols’ reputation for wanton violence was well known. At first, Genghiz Khaz gave the people amnesty but this only lasted for 10 days. Then the killing started.

Ibn Kathir wrote about this:

“They killed (so) many people that only Allah knows their number! They enslaved women and children. They fornicated with women in the presence of their families. Of the Muslims, those who had fought were killed; and some who were captured were tortured badly. Then they burnt homes, masajid and schools, and Bukhara fell into ruins”.

Baghdad, the capital of the Muslim world at that time, was attacked in 1258. The siege began in mid-January and lasted approximately 2 weeks. The Mongol army of 150,000 strong destroyed hospitals, mosques, libraries and palaces.

Between 200,000 and 1,000,000 people were butchered; Baghdad, once the centre of the Islamic Empire, was left like a ghost town.

The Mongols threw the books from the libraries of Baghdad into the river Tigris. So many books were thrown into the river that it was said that the river went black from their ink.

The Christians in Europe considered Europe safe from the invasion as the Mongols turned back after capturing Poland and Hungary. The Europeans didn’t waste any time in taking advantage of this and chose to seek alliance with the Mongols against the Muslims.

The Mongols cooperated with the Christians and promised them military help. Whilst the Muslims were savagely murdered in Baghdad, the Christians were spared.

The Mongols continued with their barbarity towards the Muslim and devastated Asia and the Christians attacked Muslims in the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa.

It was one of the dark chapters in the history of Islam.

The Muslim world was being attacked from every side. The Muslims in Damascus surrendered without a fight and in 1260, Aleppo was decimated.

The Mongol commander at the time, Kitbogha, the Armenian King Hayton and the Crusader King Bohemund of Antioch, marched through the city, which was once the capital of the Ummayad dynasty and forced the Muslims to kneel before the cross.

The oppressors and invaders then summoned Kutuz, the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt to either surrender or face annihilation.

There was no choice but to fight back.

The Mamluk Sultan Kutuz allied himself with fellow Mamluk, Berbers and anyone who wanted to defend Islam after the Mongols captured Damascus and most of Bilad-al-Sham.

On 9th Ramadan (September 1261), both sides met at Ayn Jalut.

The armies of the Mongols with their allies were far greater in number than the armies of the Muslims. However, with their well thought out strategy the Muslims were able to defeat their oppressors. The victory of the Mamluks was so great that the leaders of the opposition fled.

When Muslims unite, with the correct intention, nothing can stop them from stopping oppression.

If the Mongols had won, it would have had devastating effects. Egypt, which was the last stronghold for the Muslims, would have no longer been a Muslim state.

With the Mongols defeated, the Christians who had wanted to recapture Palestine, lost any hope of doing so.

This was the first time that a Mongol invasion had been permanently halted.

Like the Battle of Badr, it is not numbers that matters, it is the quality of those who stand firm against the oppressors.

Insha’Allah (God-Willing) we too can be as organised and sincere as those Muslims who defeated the Mongol at the Battle of Ayn Jalut.

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