"Wa Islama: Oh Islam!"

by: Ayesha AbdulMajid

"From A Young Boy to a Slave"
In 650 AH, the Mongols invaded Egypt. They took the nephew of the ruler with them. His name was Mahmoud Mermi. He was a young boy, and as they usually did, the Mongols sold him as a slave.

For a long time, he lived as a slave just outside of Sham, which is today the area of Jordan, Syria, and Palestine. One night, he had a dream. In his dream, a man came to him and told him that he was going to own Egypt and annihilate the Mongols and the Tartars. By the time he had this dream, he was a teenager.

When he woke up, he went to Al-Izza Abdul-Salam, the scholar at that time who stood defiant against the leaders of Islam who were corrupt. Al-Izza was happy when Mahmoud told him about his dream. He said that it was Rasulullah (S) who told him that in his dream. He explained that Rasulullah (S) was telling him that he was going to liberate Egypt from the Mongols and the Tartars.

"His Dream Awaited"
Later on in life, he went to Damascus and asks someone to sell him in Egypt. By Allah's will, the person who bought him was a woman. And that woman became the leader of Egypt after the Ayyubi empire went down. He lived with her as a slave for a short while. Her leadership did not last, so her son had to take over. He was just a little boy, but he was the leader of Egypt. At that time, the Mongols were planning a huge attack on Egypt. Mahmoud senses the imminent danger, so he worked with the people to take over his young master's position, and he succeeds. All of the scholars supported him because they knew that the little boy could not unite the entire Ummah. They let Mahmoud be the leader just for this battle. His name became Sayfuddin Qutuz.

The Mongols sent a letter of threat to Egypt, and during that time, the Mongols were the dominant power. A letter of threat meant instant surrender. But Sayfuddin did not bow down to the Mongols. He had belief in Allah (SWT). He gathered all of the scholars. They agreed with him that they should kill the Mongol messengers. They had to spark up the Ummah. They killed the messengers and the Mongols were furious. They made their army even huger. And during that time, a LOT of land was under their control.

"Wa Islama!: Oh Islam!"
The Ummah woke up. Sayfuddin rallied them at a valley in Palestine named 'Ayn Jalut, which is now called the Jezreel Valley.

He led the Muslims, who were then referred to as 'Turks', and caused the first defeat and great loss of territory on the "invincible" Mongols. The victory reinspired the Muslims discouraged by the Mongols' recent destruction of Baghdad, the caliph, and the Caliphate; it also marked the end of Mongol westward conquering. Many historians wrongly claimed that huge numbers let the Muslims win against the superior Mongols, counting 120,000 Muslims instead of 12,000.

The Mongols repeatedly charged to shoot at the approaching Muslims, avoiding hand-to-hand combat for which they were insufficiently armed and mounted. They shot Sayfuddin's horse, and broke the Muslim left. But after Sayfuddin restored order, the Muslims stood fast, shooting faster and farther than the galloping Mongols. He continued to shout his famous battle cry, "Wa Islama! Wa Islama! Wa Islama!" (Oh Islam!) which sent the message to his soldiers that Islam was in danger. The Mongols' commander, Kedbuga, was killed, and their Syrian allies deserted. The Muslims, armored and riding larger, fresher horses, charged the Mongols who were riding tired ponies. The Mongols broke and lost many men, alot of their reputation, and all of Syria.

The reason that that they defeated the Mongols against all odds was only because of the help of Allah (SWT). Seeking Allah's help, Sayfuddin Qutuz became a legend of Islam.