Part 27
Harith Ubaida
Rebellions simmered across cities and provinces, and Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror witnessed the unrest with his own eyes. Seizing the moment, he gathered all his strength to pursue the prize that had eluded generations before him: the capture of Constantinople, the heart of Byzantium. By taking this city, he sought not only to secure his place in history but also to extinguish one of the chief bastions of the Crusader cause, a fortress long engaged in plots against Islam.
Yet for Mehmed, the conquest carried meaning beyond military glory. By humbling Christendom in general and Byzantium in particular, he aimed to transform Constantinople into the capital of the Ottoman state and to realize the vision that earlier Muslim commanders had striven for but never achieved.
The Conquest of Constantinople
Constantinople was among the greatest cities of the world. Founded in 330 CE by Emperor Constantine, it soon rose to such prominence that people declared: If the entire world were a single kingdom, Constantinople would deserve to be its capital.
From its inception, the city became the seat of Byzantine power, one of the largest and most splendid centers of its age. When Muslims entered into conflict with Byzantium, Constantinople assumed extraordinary significance. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), foreseeing its destiny, repeatedly gave his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) the glad tidings of its eventual conquest.
During the famous Battle of the Trench, he once again foretold this victory, inspiring caliphs and commanders of later generations to strive for its fulfillment.
The Prophet (PBUH) said: “You will surely conquer Constantinople. What an excellent commander will be the one who leads it, and what an excellent army will that army be.”
From the time of Caliph Mu’awiyah (RA), Constantinople became a central objective of the Muslim armies. The first attempt in 24 AH ended in failure, as did subsequent campaigns during his reign.
The Umayyads renewed the effort, mounting one of their most ambitious assaults in 98 AH under Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik. Yet even this great undertaking fell short. The struggle continued into the early Abbasid era, when successive offensives battered the Byzantine Empire but failed to breach Constantinople’s mighty defenses.
Though the city itself remained unconquered, the relentless pressure weakened Byzantium. Its internal stability faltered, especially during the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, when an attack in 190 AH dealt another heavy blow to the empire’s strength and confidence.
