This is the first volume of five dealing with the Great Army Commanders of Islamic History. This volume focuses on the early generals, beginning with Khalid ibn al Waleed (Walid), 'Amr ibn al 'As (the Conqueror of Egypt), and 'Uqba ibn Na'fi'. The work then looks at the exploits of the conquerors of Spain: Musa ibn Nusayr and Tarik Ibn Zyad. Then it chronicles the Muslim advance in the East as commanded by the Umayyad Viceroy, Al Hajjaj, and carried out by his generals, Mohammed ibn Qasim and Qutayba. The Muslim advance in India by Mahmud of Ghazna is also dealt with here. This volume ends with the valorous deeds of Abd Errahman III and Ibn Abi Amir (Al Mansur) of Muslim Spain.
"Gabriel analyzes the social, economic, and cultural environment in which Muhammad lived and the religion he inspired as they relate to his military achievements. Gabriel explains how Muhammad changed the social composition of Arab armies by replacing the traditional way of fighting - as individuals and clans - with a new command structure. He also relates Muhammad's masterful use of nonmilitary methods - bribery, alliance building, and political assassination - to strengthen his long-term position, even at the expense of short-term military considerations."--BOOK JACKET.
This book is about the lives of those noble Companions and Commanders who led the Islamic forces in the violent and strife-tom arenas of conflict against the Kuffar (disbelievers). They struck terror in the hearts of the enemy and the strong forts and palaces of Caesar and Chosroes trembled before their might. However, in this compilation, there are not only the stories of the battlefields but also the stories of bravery and courage, valor and piety, austerity and simplicity. These stories describe the true circumstances that led the Muslims to fight more powerful enemies than they were at that time.
In the 9th century, a secret sect of the Ismā‘īlīs -- known in the Middle Ages under the name of Fatimids -- arose to play a prominent role in the history of the Near East. Their supreme head today is the Agha Khan. In this mesmerising book, Heinz Halm describes the early history of the Fatimids, from the founding and spread of the secret society to the rise of the caliphal dynasty to power in North Africa and the founding of Cairo, their capital.
In 1105, six years after the first crusaders from Europe conquered Jerusalem, a Damascene Muslim jurisprudent named ’Ali ibn Tahir al-Sulami (d. 1106) publicly dictated an extended call to the military jihad (holy war) against the European invaders. Entitled Kitab al-Jihad (The Book of the Jihad), al-Sulami’s work both summoned his Muslim brethren to the jihad and instructed them in the manner in which it ought to be conducted, covering topics as diverse as who should fight and be fought, treatment of prisoners and plunder, and the need for participants to fight their own inner sinfulness before turning their efforts against the enemy. Al-Sulami’s text is vital for a complete understanding of the Muslim reaction to the crusades, providing the reader with the first contemporary record of Muslim preaching against the crusaders. However, until recently only a small part of the text has been studied by modern scholars, as it has remained for the most part an unedited manuscript. In this book Niall Christie provides a complete edition and the first full English translation of the extant sections (parts 2, 8, 9 and 12) of the manuscript of al-Sulami’s work, making it fully available to modern readers for the first time. These are accompanied by an introductory study exploring the techniques that the author uses to motivate his audience, the precedents that influenced his work, and possible directions for future study of the text. In addition, an appendix provides translations of jihad sermons by Ibn Nubata al-Fariqi (d. 985), a preacher from Asia Minor whose rhetorical style was highly influential in the development of al-Sulami’s work.
Al-Biruni was an Islamic scholar who served on the courts of more than six caliphs. Like many of the great thinkers of the Islamic world’s Golden Age, his quest for truth motivated him to seek knowledge through research and innovation. He did this in the name of Allah. Al-Biruni set himself apart from his peers through his sheer range of expertise and drive for perfection. His considerable progress in astronomy, mathematics, geography, comparative religion, physical sciences, and history earned the respect of his colleagues, influenced countless academic followers, and remains as an inspiration to all who study his work today.
This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. The fact that the outcome of the 2006 Hezbollah-Israeli War was, at best, a stalemate for Israel has confounded military analysts. Long considered the most professional and powerful army in the Middle East, with a history of impressive military victories against its enemies, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) emerged from the campaign with its enemies undefeated and its prestige tarnished. This historical analysis of the war includes an examination of IDF and Hezbollah doctrine prior to the war, as well as an overview of the operational and tactical problems encountered by the IDF during the war. The IDF ground forces were tactically unprepared and untrained to fight against a determined Hezbollah force. ¿An insightful, comprehensive examination of the war.¿ Illustrations.
