Part 5
Written by: Harith Ubaida
In 262 AH, an envoy from the governor of Makkah, Muhammad ibn Hashim, arrived at Sultan Arslan’s court with an important message. He conveyed that the Friday sermon (khutbah) in the holy city should be delivered in the name of Caliph al-Qāʾim Pasha and Sultan Arslan. Furthermore, he stressed that moving forward, the directives of the Abbasid Caliphate should be upheld instead of those issued by the Ubaydi (Fatimid) Empire.
The envoy further stated that, henceforth, Shia worshippers would no longer include phrases such as “Hayya Al-Amal” in the call to prayer (Adhan) in Makkah. Sultan Arslan received the envoy from Makkah with great respect and honor. As a gesture of goodwill, he sent 30,000 dinars to the governor of Makkah and remarked, “If the governor of Madinah follows suit, he too shall be granted 20,000 dinars in recognition of his service.”
Alp Arslan’s conquests greatly unsettled the Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes, prompting him to make a firm resolve to defend his empire at any cost. In response, he mobilized his entire army against the Seljuks. This led to a series of fierce battles between the Seljuk and Byzantine forces. Among them, the Battle of Manzikert stood out as the most significant. This decisive battle took place in the year 463 AH, corresponding to 1071 CE.
Ibn Kathir writes about this battle, stating that Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes marched with an army as vast as mountains. His forces included soldiers from the Byzantine Empire, Russia, Britain, and other nations. In addition to this massive army, Romanos had made extensive war preparations.
The Byzantine army comprised 35 commanders (Patricians), each commanding 200,000 cavalry troops. Moreover, there were 35,000 European (Frankish) soldiers, along with 15,000 additional warriors linked to Constantinople.
Apart from this, the army also included 100,000 masked soldiers and 100,000 trench diggers. Additionally, there were 1,000 supply transporters and 300 ox-drawn wagons, which carried military uniforms, weapons, horse saddles, catapults, and siege equipment.
Among these catapults, there was one so massive that it required 1,200 men to operate it. Romanos had assembled this formidable force with the sole aim of eradicating Islam and its followers.
He was so confident in his power that even before the battle, he had already assigned Islamic territories to his officials. Their plan was that once they had conquered Iraq and Khorasan, they would launch a decisive attack to reclaim the Levant from the Muslims.
However, while they entertained these ambitions, fate had other plans—it was as if destiny was mocking them, saying…
[ العَمْرُكَ أَنَّهُمْ لَفِي سَكْرَتِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ] (الحجر (۷۲)
Sultan Alp Arslan and the Byzantine army faced each other on a Wednesday at the battlefield of Zahwa.
There were only five days left in the month of Dhu al-Qi’dah when Sultan Alp Arslan saw the size of the Byzantine army and became concerned. However, the scholar Abu al-Nasr Muhammad bin Abdul Malik Bukhari, a prominent Hanafi scholar, advised the Sultan. He said, “O noble Sultan! When the Friday sermon is delivered, and the prayer for the Mujahideen is made, at that moment, we should launch an attack on the enemy. By the grace of Allah, the blessings of the Muslims’ prayers will grant you victory.”
When the moment arrived and both sides advanced to the battlefield, Sultan Alp Arslan dismounted from his horse. He prostrated on the ground, placing his forehead in the dust. He raised his hands in prayer, seeking help and victory from Allah. Allah Almighty granted His assistance to the Muslims, humbling the Christians. The Islamic forces overcame them, and Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes along with his military commander was captured.
Romanos IV Diogenes had been captured by a Roman slave. When the Byzantine emperor was brought before Sultan Alp Arslan, the Sultan struck his hands three times and asked him, “If I had been captured and brought to you, what would you have done to me?” Romanos replied, “I would have treated you very harshly.”
Alp Arslan then asked, “What do you think will happen to me?” Romanos responded, “You will either kill me, disgrace me in your country, forgive me, or take a ransom from me and set me free.”
Alp Arslan replied, “My intention is to take a ransom from you and set you free.” The Sultan took 150,000 gold dinars as ransom and freed him.
As Romanos was about to depart, Sultan Arslan offered him refreshments. Deeply moved by the Sultan’s kindness and noble conduct, Romanos bowed his head in respect.
Out of compassion, the Sultan allowed him to keep 10,000 dinars from the ransom for his travel expenses. He also freed a group of captured patriarchs and made them accompany the emperor, ensuring he wouldn’t travel alone. Additionally, the Sultan provided him with a group of guards to ensure no harm would come to the emperor. The guards carried a flag inscribed with “La Ilaha Illallah, Muhammadur Rasoolullah”.
With a small army of no more than 15,000 men, Alp Arslan dealt a crushing defeat to Romanos IV Diogenes’ 100,000-strong army. This was no small event; it dealt a severe blow to the Byzantine forces, significantly weakening their influence in many regions of Asia Minor. These were the very regions where the foundations of the Byzantine Empire were believed to have been laid.
This great victory of the Seljuks marked the beginning of the historical weakening of Byzantine control in its territories, ultimately leading to the fall of this once-mighty empire at the hands of the Ottomans.
Alp Arslan was a pious and God-fearing man who made use of every material and spiritual means available to him for victory. He was fortunate due to his participation in the gatherings of scholars, where he would listen to their advice and act upon it.
This great leader of Islam met martyrdom at the hands of a rebel named Yusuf Khwarazmi. Sultan Alp Arslan was martyred on the 10th of Rabee’ al-Awwal, 465 AH, which corresponds to 1072 CE. He was laid to rest alongside his father in the city of Merv. After his passing, Malik Shah succeeded him as the ruler.
