In the 9th century, the golden age of the Abbasid caliphate. Caliph Harun Al-Rashid is known shaleh and philanthropists do not want to miss vying for martyrdom.
Harun al-Rashid was born on 17 March 763 in Tehran, Iran. He became ruler (caliph) in the year 170 H (786 AD) over 23 years. Harun Al-Rashid is the caliph of the Abbasid caliphate and reigned between the years 170-186 AH / 786-803 AD His father Called Muhammad Al-Mahdi, the third Caliph and his brother, Musa Al-Hadi is the third Caliph. His Jurasyiyah dubbed Khayzuran came from Yemen.
Though originally from the Abbasid dynasty, Harun Al-Rashid is known to be close to the Barmaki family of Persia (Iran).
He brought over thousands of Mujahideen troops to Constantinople for violations committed by the Byzantine king over the peace treaty.
At that time the Byzantine was led by the Emperor of women named Queen Irene. Once surrounded by Aaron, sung the queen sent a message of mercy and compassion.
The commander, Harun al Rashid receives a peace offer from Irene with the Byzantine requirement of tribute money on a regular basis each year.
The siege of Constantinople came in winter, and Irene's messenger came to the commander.
"Many queens are calling about your greatness as a General. Though his enemy, I praise you as a knight. "
Aaron was intrigued by the queen's language, "Tell your mum that I will release Constantinople on her terms for an annual tribute of 70,000 gold coins to me. If he keeps it, I will guarantee that Constantinople will not be harassed by other Muslim attacks. "
Finally Constantinople was not conquered in 798 AD, the sheen of gold coins succeeded in repeating this mujahid into a fine human being which is hinted at by the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wassallam.
Baghdad and the Islamic world became advanced and majestic with the world's blinding wealth of the world. The tribute from Byzantium automatically obligated Aaron to protect Byzantium from the attacks of his enemies.
Along with the siege of Aaron, regions such as atarah, Ancyra, Cyprus and Crete returned to the bosom of the Muslims.
When Irene died, she was replaced by Nicephorus who rose to the Byzantine Emperor. Nicephorus Success to ascend the throne for conspiring with the bishops to bring down Irene. Nicephorus refused tribute money and challenged the caliph by sending a letter;
From Nicephorus, the Roman Emperor
To Aaron the Arab King,
In fact, the emperor of the princess who came to power before me has put you in the position of the mighty eagle, while he himself has placed himself as an eagle, bringing him his treasure to you.
This is because of the weakness of a woman and her ignorance. If you finish reading this letter, then return all the treasures he has given you before this.
If not, then the sword will play to solve the problem between me and you!
After hearing the reading of this letter, the caliph became very angry.
The people around him immediately retreated and left the room for fear of being affected by the caliph's anger. He immediately wrote a reply letter. Then came the letter of the Caliph Harun Al-Rashid, In the name of Allah the Most Merciful, the Most Merciful
From Aaron ar-Rashid, Amir al-mu'minin, to Nakfur, the Roman Dog.
I've read your letter, the answer you will see, not you hear. (In Imam as-Suyuthi, Tarikh Khulafa p.349)
On that very day the caliphs mobilized the entire mujahideen to perform long-march to the Byzantine center of Constantinople.
Nicephorus was defeated, he proposed peace by paying tribute and freeing the Muslim captives. Aaron accepted Nicephorus's offer. The Muslim forces returned to Baghdad, not to mention the destination, Harun fell ill on the way.
Hearing the ill news of Aaron, this Christian Emperor again reneged on his promise. He thinks the Muslims will not come back because of going in Winter, but the allegations are wrong.
Aaron did not know the news of Nicephorus's insubordination when sick. When he recovered he heard from the poets of the poets, at once he was angry and ordered to return to Constantinople. He said, "I will not ask jizya, until I can conquer this country!"
Then Aaron again conquered Byzantium. In 181 H (797 CE) the Caliph took over Fort Willow in Cilicia, the next nine years he conquered Heraclia, after several times Nicephorus broke the covenant.
The Fighters, Ibn alJazari
This re-conquest of Aaron was fiercely opposed by Byzantium. The first fortress that Muslimin invaded was Harqalah Fort.
Abu Ishaq al-Fazari, Aaron's adviser, said, "O Amir al-mu'minin, this Harqalah is indeed one of the greatest and strongest fortresses of fortresses owned by the enemy, and we will not be able to conquer it except after a very hard effort. If you try to conquer it, then the troops of the Muslims are not enough. But if you do not try to conquer Harqalah, it is a disgrace to our religion, diminish your power and be a disgrace for all Muslims. "[Hilmi bin Muhammad, The True Story of Islam's Heroes, p. 168]
Caliph Harun then prepared many manjanik and tens of thousands of cavalry horses so that the attack Harqalah Fort was successful.
The next target is Anwah Fort. This fort was no less strong with the previous fort. The Muslimin siege is very tight, attacking each other between Muslims outside the fort and enemies inside the fortress goes violently. Late in the afternoon, gunfire subsided, while Aaron rested. As he fell asleep, a door of the Byzantine citadel opened, and an enemy whiz came out with horses, clothes and complete combat weapons, he shouted before the Muslims;
"O Arabs, take out twenty of your skilled horsemen to ride against me!"
At that time Aaron was asleep so that no one could make a decision, and no one dared to awaken the commander.
While the Byzantine hero continues to terrorize Muslims with his challenges, as a result the Muslim forces are depressed and Christian forces become energized and re-energize their morale. After the Byzantine hero returned to the fortress, Aaron was awake.
Hearing what happened to the Muslim forces, he became very sorry.
"Why did not you wake me up? And why did one of you not come forward to face it ?! "Aaron said furiously, to the point that he could not fall asleep at night.
The next morning, the Byzantine hero went back alone and challenged as before. Aaron responded immediately, "Take out twenty horsemen to face him!"
One of the Muslim commanders, Ibn Mukhallad said, "By Allah, O Amir al-mu'minin, only one person faces it. If he was able to defeat the Romans, then
Alhamdulillah. But if he is killed, he is killed as a martyr.
Then the other Romans would not have heard that a Roman soldier had to be confronted by twenty Islamic men. "
"That's what you said!"
Then sent a brave Muslimin who is known brave and strong, Ibn alJazari.
"I will come out to face that person and I plead with Allah that He may send His help to me."
Move Ibn al-Jazari with escorted 20 horsemen, when approaching the enemy, the Byzantine hero protested, "O Muslims, you cheat. I ask you to take out 20 of your heroes, but the ones who came to me numbered 21. "
"There will be only one person. We only mengangtar this person and we will be back soon, "replied one of the Muslim forces.
"I have prayed to God, may I confront Ibn alJazari."
"Right, I'm Ibn al-Jaazari!"
"Friend, I feel quite satisfied with you."
After the introduction returns, start the duel between two champions this happened. The duel happened very hard causing anxious hopes between the two sides who watched in tension. Finally Ibn alJazari mastered the situation, then two heroes of this cavalry conduct the last attack. Ibn alJazari managed to subvert his enemy from the horse with his head cut off.
Witnessing the victory, the Muslim army thrust as if to shake the earth. While the forces of polythey become shriveled and collapse morale. After the open fighting ensued, Anwah Fort fell to the Muslims. After the battle was over, Ibn al-Jazari was awarded a lot of ghanimah, but he refused, for struggling sincerely seeking Allah's pleasure.
Essentially this Byzantine country had fallen on its knees before the Caliph, but for some reason the Caliph had no interest in taking over Constantinople. It has been provision from Allah that this country will actually enter into the lap of the Muslims someday in a process of extraordinary struggle, in the hands of a young man of the Ottoman Caliphate.
The magnificence and glory of the Muslim world at that time may have been one of the reasons that the caliph was not too keen on eroding Byzantium. Historians argue that during the Caliphate of Harun Al-Rashid was the golden age of Muslim civilization.
Conditions contrary to Europe which was then led by Charlemagne.
A western historian Philip K. Hitti says, "So far the distance of civilization between Muslims and Europe at the time, so when the Caliph Harun sent a gift of the hour to Emperor Charlemagne, the Europeans were frightened at the thought that the clock was being moved by djinn."
In 831 AD, Sicily, the area of Southern Italy fell into the lap of Muslims. For two centuries this region lived in the peace of Islam.
The echo of the Azan echoed only a few hundred kilometers from the Vatican, the Catholic Christian center of the day. But the jihadist spirit is less echoed to continue to spread Islam to Christian lands, including Constantinople.
Wahn's disease, again struck the Muslims, so that in the 11th century, the country was annexed by the Crusaders.
Sultan Alp Arsalan, succeeded in destroying the Byzantine intelligence in the War of Manzikart in 1071 AD At that time the Byzantines were in a state of great crisis that was so easy to destroy. But unfortunately this Sultan of Seljuq did not attempt to free Constantinople from idolatry idols.