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Courage, generosity, and dew...of Muhammad bin Al-Qasim bin Muhammad

He led the armies for seventeen pilgrimages... Oh, close to that, from my birth.

The Arabs before Islam were always famous for their ignorance;

It is felt that its people did not realize the limits of the world around them, and the nature of the peoples that surrounded them, but this perception quickly dissipates when we realize that the Arabs are like any ancient nation. The Quraysh are the masters of Mecca, and the guardians of the honorable Kaaba, as well as the Arabs of Yemen, Al-Hira and others.

The Arabs of the Levant and Yemen, such as the Ghassanids, the Manathira and the ancient sons of Sheba, contacted the Indian trade that was passing through Persia through the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The Yemenis carried the goods, some of which were the share of Quraysh in the famous winter journey mentioned in Surat “Quraysh”;

So that they would travel most of them on the summer trip to the Levant, and some of them were the share of the merchants of Egypt to barter the Roman and Greek merchants with their ports for a huge profit[1].

When Islam came and the Muslims conquered the entire Arabian Peninsula, then Levant and Persia (Iran), their eyes began to look beyond those countries, such as the countries of Persia in the far north-east of Persia, or the countries of Sindh (Pakistan) and India in the far south-east, which was known among them. In the land of wonders and wonders.

How were their attempts, which lasted for decades in the first century of Islam?

Why did some of the Rightly Guided Caliphs fear these distant countries?

And how were the conquests crowned in the end with success and spread?

And who led the conquest of those countries, why was he famous, and how did his life end in a tragedy for which he had no fault?!

The Rightly Guided Caliphs and the Exploration of India

Thinking about exploring these countries and getting acquainted with their subtleties began during the era of Al-Faruq Omar bin Al-Khattab - may God be pleased with him - when his governor of Bahrain and Oman, Othman bin Abi Al-Aas Al-Thaqafi in the year 15 A.H., began directing his army to Sindh and India, and actually implemented this army before it was returned to him. Omar’s answer, in which he said: “Brother Thaqeef, you carried worms on a stick, and I swear by God that if they were infected, I would take from your people the same as them.”

Othman bin Abi Al-Aas had directed his two brothers, Al-Hakam and Al-Mughira to India, so a group of them reached Khor Al-Dibal and met the enemy and defeated him, and the other to an area called Brus near the Indian city of Surat today[2].

It appears from the response of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab - may God be pleased with him - that his strategy was opposing Muslims to the seas, and this idea was always evident to him when he hesitated to agree to the conquest of Egypt and Alexandria specifically because there was a water barrier, the Nile, that might separate Muslims from their central leadership in Medina, as well as When his ruler over the Levant prevented Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan from traveling the Mediterranean to conquer the island of Cyprus.

However, this strategy changed with the advent of the third Caliph Uthman bin Affan - may God be pleased with him - when he authorized Muawiyah to invade Cyprus, and he sent to his governor of Iraq Abdullah bin Aamer bin Kariz ordering him to go to India, which was on the frontiers of the Islamic state at that time, to explore it, and send To it a clever man, and Ibn Aamir actually directed his leader, Hakim bin Jabla Al-Abdi, who remained there for a period of time.

"Its water is crippled, its fruit is sweet, and its thief is a hero. If the army is small in it, they are lost, and if many are hungry. Othman said to him: Tell him or Saji'?" He said: No, no one invaded it. Ibn Abi Talib - may God be pleased with him - asked permission from Al-Harith bin Murrah Al-Abdi, voluntarily, with Ali’s permission, and he was defeated, spoiled and captivated, and then returned.”[3]

However, the entry of the Islamic state into a period of strife and unrest since the martyrdom of Uthman, then Ali, and then the advent of the Umayyad state, which soon faced grave events after the martyrdom of Hussain with the departure of Abdullah bin Al-Zubayr bin Al-Awwam, the death of Yazid bin Muawiyah and the abdication of his son Muawiyah II from the caliphate, as well as other other events;

All of this was stopped from foreign conquests, including the exploration of Sindh and India, and the follow-up of its political developments and news.

Sindh and equipping armies

With the victory of Abdul-Malik bin Marwan, the reunification of the state again, the elimination of the opponents, and the appointment of Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf Al-Thaqafi over Iraq, which was the home of revolutions and armed rebellion for long decades, and giving it wide powers that included the appointment of the governors of Persia, Khorasan and the Levant, they were of their opinion to restore the conquest operations Islam, which stopped a long time ago, and he has already made several attempts timidly, but they did not reach his goal due to the presence of the outlaws of the Umayyad state in the regions of Makran and other areas adjacent to the province of Sindh (Pakistan), which was ruled at that time by King Daher [4].

King Daher (networking sites)

However, what ignited the enthusiasm of the pilgrims and prompted him to prepare a military campaign was that some pirates belonging to the Sindh region from “Med Al-Dibal” had attacked a ship coming from the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), which was carrying some Muslim women widows and their daughters to some Muslim merchants who died on that island. Al-Hajjaj sent to Daher, the king of Sindh, ordering him and urging him to break free from the families of these women.

However, he justified his inability and inability to defeat these pirates, so Al-Hajjaj sent a quick force led by Abdullah bin Nabhan, which ended in defeat, so he followed it with another force led by Badil bin Tahfa Al-Bajali out of Oman towards India, but it was also defeated [5].

At that time, Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf Al-Thaqafi decided to ask the Caliph Al-Waleed bin Abdul-Malik bin Marwan (d. 96 AH) for permission to open the Sindh, and the approval of the Caliph came in support of the pilgrims, to put at the head of the military campaign an outstanding young figure, his cousin Muhammad bin Al-Qasim Al-Thaqafi, and he was a young man in The prime of his youth, he was only seventeen years old when he began to open Sindh in the year 93 AH, and the pilgrims worked on the general supervision of the supplies and needs of this army for months, and took care of the most minute needs of that army, including threads, cotton, needles and vinegar, until Al-Baladhuri said about that In his book “Futuh al-Buldan”:

He held for him (the pilgrims) at the gap of the bond, and included six thousand soldiers from the people of Levant and created from others, and equipped him with everything he needed, even threads and money, and ordered him to stay in Shiraz until his companions completed him, and what was his justice, so the pilgrims Al-Mahluj baptized. So we soaked in clever wine vinegar, then dried it in the shade and said: If you reach the sanad, because the vinegar is too tight, then soak this cotton in water, then cook with it and dye it.”[6]

A hero did not enter the age of youth!

Muhammad bin Al-Qasim Al-Thaqafi (communication sites)

The army of Ibn al-Qasim al-Thaqafi integrated twelve thousand men in Shiraz, and they marched from Persia in the south towards Makran along the Arabian Sea, and from there to al-Dibil, the most famous region of Sindh (Pakistan) near Karachi today. Two bonds, many of its men emigrated outside their country due to the excessive mistreatment of the Brahmin government, which owed to the Hindu caste;

They were among the untouchables who were forbidden to ride animals or wear expensive clothes, and only the lowest professions and trades were permitted to them, and Muslims benefited from these men, because of their knowledge of the paths and paths of those countries, as well as their courage and fortitude in wars and battles.

The Muslims approached the city of al-Dibl in southern Sindh (southern Pakistan), and Ibn al-Qasim began to tighten his siege on the city, then began to launch the spark of the attack by demolishing its walls and houses with his large catapult called “The Bride”, which was moved and operated by five hundred strong men, and soon he moved Terror among the residents, and chaos spread among them, so that the Muslims stormed the city, and its king Daher fled, surviving himself, and gathering his forces to engage in a decisive battle, so that Ibn al-Qasim would secure the people on their blood and money[7].

Then Muhammad ibn al-Qasim walked to the city of “Al-Birun” (currently Hyderabad, Sindh) and reconciled with its people. And one of the Muslim eyewitnesses who participated in this campaign relates, saying: “Daher came to us in a large gathering with twenty-seven elephants, so we crossed over to them, but God defeated them, and Daher fled, then we crossed to them and a group of Muslims followed the enemy and killed them, then they returned to the army. At night, Daher came with a large crowd, and Daher and his companions were killed, and the rest were defeated” [8].

The killing of Daher heralded the opening of the way for Muhammad ibn al-Qasim and the Muslim forces to flee in the country of Sindh, so they headed north to the Ruhr or Rawar region, and the country faced him surrendering, seeking safety, until he reached “Multan” and its people fought him, and it was one of the most important and densest areas of Sindh. It is one of the bases of the Punjab province, but they were defeated after a severe siege, and the Muslims seized huge spoils of gold that were gifted to the deities of the Sindh and the Hindus and their idols, and when these spoils were sent to the pilgrims, and he saw the great success of his nephew’s campaign, he said: One thousand (sixty million) dirhams, and a head of Daher"[9].

The advance of Muslims towards the north did not stop until they reached the city of Brahmanabad, and one of the sons of Daher, called Jay Sink, had fled to it after the fall of the Ruhr or Rawar, so he fortified it and blocked its outlets. In the north, seeking refuge with the King of Kashmir, Ibn al-Qasim al-Thaqafi and his forces resided in this city for a period of time during which he managed the affairs of the open areas, organized their administration, and honored the Hanakah chiefs of the clergy there, and granted them freedom of worship on the condition that they be loyal to Muslims and pay what is imposed on them[10].

Soon, the name of Ibn al-Qasim rose to prominence among the people in the Islamic world, especially when he informed them that he had conquered those rebellious regions, and the numerous armies, the jungle countries, and the elephants were great in breadth and obstacles, and he was still in his early youth at the age of seventeen. Ibn al-Hakam in which he said [11]:

Courage, generosity, and dew...of Muhammad bin Al-Qasim bin Muhammad

He led the armies for the seventeen pilgrimages... Oh, that is close to my birthday.

Conquests stop!

The leader Muhammad bin al-Qasim’s release of the people of Sindh with freedom of worship, good treatment, and their security of their money and themselves, had the greatest impact on getting to know these people and getting closer to Islam, and consolidating the position of Muslims among them. He sent to his chief and his cousin al-Hajjaj in Iraq asking him for permission to continue the conquests and enter the Kingdom of Kannauj, the greatest of the northern emirates of India, and it was a vast emirate stretching from the borders of Sindh to the region of Bengal (Bangladesh), and al-Hajjaj met the matter with approval and welcome[12].

At that time, the young commander Ibn al-Qasim began preparing his army, which amounted to ten thousand fighters, but before that he sent a mission to the king of the Indian state of Kannauj asking him either to enter Islam or to pay tribute, and while Ibn al-Qasim was preparing for this great effort;

He received the news of the death of his cousin, supporter and first aider, Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf Al-Thaqafi in the year 95 AH, then the death of the Umayyad Caliph who supported this campaign, Al-Waleed bin Abdul-Malik bin Marwan in the following year in the year 96 AH [13], and the ascension of Suleiman bin Abdul-Malik bin Marwan, at that time. The scene changed completely.

Suleiman bin Abdul Malik bin Marwan (96-99 AH) hated Hajjaj bin Yusuf and his family very much.

Because he supported Al-Waleed bin Abdul-Malik when he tried to appoint his son as crown prince instead of Suleiman, and despite the death of Al-Hajjaj one year before Suleiman’s ascension, this did not prevent him from inflicting his revenge on everyone who was related to him, including the young conqueror Muhammad bin Al-Qasim Al-Thaqafi, who was hacking Sindh is preparing to enter India when he is not yet nineteen years old, and from here Suleiman bin Abdul-Malik sent to Muhammad bin al-Qasim asking him to stop, and even to come to Damascus, the capital of the Umayyad state, and in the meantime, Saleh bin Abdul Rahman was elevated to the governorship of Iraq and the East by Solomon was one of the enemies of Hajjaj;

Al-Hajjaj killed his brother [14].

With the advent of the enemies of Al-Hajjaj, led by Saleh bin Abdul Rahman, the governor of the new Iraq, the decision was not merely to withdraw Muhammad bin Al-Qasim Al-Thaqafi from the land of Sindh and stop the conquest and expansion operations;

It was taken with revenge, especially since Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf Al-Thaqafi left after him a heavy legacy of enemies from all social classes, from the new caliph straight, then the new governor, and then the Muhallab bin Abi Safra family, which had revenge with Al-Hajjaj and his relatives, at that time Ibn Al-Qasim realized The end has come!

Sad ending for a great hero!

The withdrawal of Muhammad ibn al-Qasim, the conquest of al-Sind, was humiliating for himself.

Instead of going to Damascus, the capital of the Umayyads and the Muslims, the masses greeted him with good tidings, celebration and welcome. His opponents decided to come in the shackles of the criminals. Then Caliph Suleiman bin Abdul Malik handed him over to his greatest enemy in Iraq, Saleh bin Abdul Rahman, who imprisoned him in Wasit prison, where he met Ibn al-Qasim. The most severe form of torture and humiliation, and when he realized that his end was near, he lamented himself[15]:

So if I settled in Wasit and its land... I pledged iron, handcuffed and fettered

So to the Lord of a horse I have nurtured it... and to the Lord of a century I have left one slain.

Historian Dr. Abdullah Muhammad Jamal al-Din, professor of history at the House of Science, Cairo University, comments on this tragic end of Muhammad ibn al-Qasim al-Thaqafi, saying:

"One wonders how the life of that young man ends with this bitter image, who is the one who conquered the entire country of Sindh and spread Islam throughout it in a record period that did not exceed three years? How does Muhammad ibn al-Qasim face this painful fate and be rewarded with that humiliating punishment? It has diminished in front of his deeds. Military and political greatness and fame of Alexander the "Macedonian", as while Alexander was unable a thousand years ago to seize a small part of India whose population was less than a quarter of the population at the time of Ibn al-Qasim, this young man was able to subjugate it and annex it to the Islamic state without much trouble. : If Ibn al-Qasim had wanted to continue his conquests to China, no obstacle would have hindered him, and none of the invaders would exceed his conquests until the days of the Gnawyids. He was one of the great men of all time"[16].

Some of the men of military strategy nowadays have stood before the conquests of Ibn al-Qasim, astonished by the size of his huge achievement in a period that did not exceed three years only. Among them is the Iraqi Major General Mahmoud Sheet Khattab, who said about his conquests: “The wanderer in the areas conquered by Muhammad ibn al-Qasim finds In these days when those vast distances are covered by rapid means of transportation, including planes, great difficulties are encountered in his transportation, due to the length and breadth of the distances. 17].

The truth is that the impact of Muhammad ibn al-Qasim did not depend on his military effort, the speed of resolving battles in his favour, and his amazing young age in front of those events that he managed with the intelligence and brilliance of the youth, and the wisdom and prudence of the elders and people of experience. The Hindu class, which used to classify people into masters and slaves, and when he treated the people of the country with kindness and goodness, managing its affairs and reconciling the hearts of its people, then he entrusted all administrative matters to the original people of the country from the Zat, the Indians and the Punjab, acting on his behalf [18]. ease of its military operations;

He was accompanied by a good reputation among the people of the country who saw in him a young military man, and an intelligent man who takes into account their conditions, natures and weaknesses, so Islam spread thanks to this great effort of a boy who did not reach twenty years of age before his departure.

Ibn al-Qasim left the country of Sindh and good parts in the provinces of India in the incubator of Islam, and soon the preachers worked to spread the call and establish mosques, and men like Malik bin Dinar became famous among the people of Sindh and southern India. And the country of India after Muhammad ibn al-Qasim al-Thaqafi and for several centuries to come did not touch Tariq except that who came from Afghanistan or Ghazni, when another Turkish conqueror came to it, his horses reached Delhi, the capital of India and beyond, and that is another story!