The Conquest of Istanbul and the Conquerors

“To obey the command ‘strive in the way of Allah’ is my intention;
My only zeal is zeal for the religion of Islam.”
Fâtih Sultan Mehmed Han

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Napoleon says: If the world were one country, its capital would be Istanbul.

Necip Fazıl, for his part, says of Istanbul: “Let alone those who laugh, even those who weep in it are blessed” …

Fahri Müdebbir, an Indian scholar and poet, says:

A horse worth the name is a bay, the rest is just colour,
An arrow worth the name is white poplar, the rest is rubbish,
A rider worth the name is a Turk, the rest is a burden,
A city worth the name is Istanbul, the rest is a village.

In the words of Bediüzzaman, Istanbul is described as “A paradise on earth…”

There are so many words in praise of Istanbul that they could well be gathered into a book. It is clear that Istanbul presents itself to the eye as a paradise on earth, like a richly adorned bride gracing the dreams of every lover.

That is why, throughout history, the Conquest of Istanbul, the conquest of Kostantiniyye or the fall of Constantinople was the dream of every commander. It was besieged 29 times by foreign nations and Muslims, but on the 29th the conquest was granted to Mehmed II and his soldiers. Of the sieges, 17 were carried out by foreign states, 7 by the Umayyads and Abbasids, and the last five by the Ottomans.

However, the real reason behind the Muslims' insistence on conquering Istanbul was the glad tidings of our beloved Prophet (pbuh)…

“Kostantiniyye will surely be conquered. What a fine commander is the commander who conquers it, and what fine soldiers are the soldiers who conquer it.”

This last siege was the longest siege of the Ottomans. The Ottoman custom was this: a siege would last at most forty days. If the conquest was not granted, they would say “until another spring” and turn back. On the fortieth day of the siege of Istanbul, when the pashas reminded the Sultan of this long-standing custom with the idea of “let us turn back”, the Sultan rode his horse into the sea and spoke those famous words expressing determination and zeal:

“Either Istanbul takes me, or I take Istanbul…”

Genius is being able to see the possible in the impossible. Allah (Almighty), who inspired in his sagacity the idea of moving ships over land, made a Mehmed into FATİH (the Conqueror). He was saying to the Byzantines: “If they are clever enough to put a chain across the strait, we are crazy enough to move ships over land.”

…and with this determination, the conquest was granted on the 54th day. They were honoured with the glad tidings of the Prophet (pbuh).

As a result of this conquest, which opened one era and closed another and shook the whole world, our deep-rooted civilisation left its mark on the history of humanity.

Fatih became a hafiz at the age of 9, sultan at 12 and conquered Istanbul at 21. He knew 7 languages; during his 30 years of rule, 2 empires, 14 states, 4 kingdoms and 11 principalities fell.

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Han conquered Istanbul 569 years ago, on 29 May 1453. This conquest was the end of the material conquest and the beginning of the spiritual conquest. Now it was time to win hearts. It was a principle of Islam: winning hearts (müellefe-i kulûb)…

For example, after taking Istanbul, Fatih Sultan Mehmet granted the people remaining in the city the right to worship freely. He embraced the followers of all religions. So much so that he had the priest Scholarius elected patriarch under the name “Gennadios II”. He even granted him certain privileges. For instance, special courts could be established for the Orthodox, and the members of these courts would be chosen from the clergy. He was showing them in practice what tolerance and justice in Islam were like. This was another dimension of the conquest.

Perhaps conquests should continue until the Day of Judgement. Just as a new era was entered through conquest, the fact that every new day is the door to a new world for us and for everyone clearly showed that conquests must continue through movements of renewal. Then we must direct our determination and zeal with the thought that these conquests will come with new conquerors.

May the Almighty have mercy on Fatih Sultan Muhammed Han and his soldiers, who brought the Sublime Ottoman State to its rise and were honoured with the glad tidings of the Prophet (pbuh)… O Lord, keep Istanbul, which is honoured with the Qur'an's praise of “a good land” (beldetün tayyibetün), which hosts Hazrat Ayyub al-Ansari together with thousands of saints and Companions, and which carries in its heart the priceless trust of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, as Islambol until the Day of Judgement. And make us steadfast among the conquerors of this age. May our conquest be blessed, luminous and sacred, inshallah.