"Constantinople will definiately be conquered what an excellent leader is its leader and what an excellent army is its army." (Hadith, Musnad-I Ahmed Bin Hanbel)
"Sins of the first army from my ummah, who go to conquer the city of Caesar (ie. Istanbul), are forgiven." (Hadith, Sahih Al Bukhari)
The two ahdith mentioned above had inspired and motivated numerous muslim armies to conquer Istanbul, however, many got as far as to besiege the city, but none could penetrate it's solid was. It was the magnificent Sultan Muhammad the second who inspired by the words of the Prophet (saw) took up the challenge.
Galata Area |
Istanbu had eventually surrender to Fatih Sultan Muhammad. Not only was he one of the youngest magnificent conquerers of history but also proved to be one of the most intellectual and broad-minded emperors in history by the administration system he established, which was based on equality, freedom of religion and trade practises. He had immediately started reconstructing the city.
The young conquerer, by his courage and tolerance, speeded up the process of renaissance and the reformation movement which enabled Europe to evolve to its current state.
In conclusion, he left a model city, an outstanding example to the world in which people of various religions, culture and languages co-existed in peace for 559 years. For the very same reason, Istanbul has been a "city of peace" for 559 years.
The Universal Islamic & Cultural Trust
invite you to
Lectures by Historians from Turkey
Date: Friday, 1st June 2012
Time: 7pm
Venue: Orient Hall
Donation: R175 pp
Ladies accommodation provided.
Call: 031-2078596 / 083 516 4276