THE MUGHAL-TARTARS
Islam has the inherent power to conquer the hearts and minds of the people.
Since ancient times, certain tribes called the Turks lived in Turkistan (Russia) and Mongolia (China). Genghis Khan (1162-1227 AD) was their leader. He was a man of extraordinary capabilities. He gathered a force of twenty thousand warriors and conquered territories from China to Iran.
These tribals continued to advance until Hulagu Khan (1218-1265 A.D.) came onto the scene and began to carry into effect the plan of his grandfather Genghis Khan to destroy the Islamic Empire. He completely destroyed Baghdad and killed the Caliph Mutasim. The Tartar chiefs had some cause for complaint against the Muslim ruler Khwarezm Shah, and in anger, they resolved to destroy the Muslim Empire.
This was the most horrible event in Islamic history and due to the tyranny and violence of the Tartars, the whole Muslim world became terror-stricken. Word spread that if someone said that the Tartars had been defeated, he should not be believed. This most dreadful problem was solved by spreading the word of God. When the Tartars had shed enough Muslim blood, the fire of their revenge cooled down. Now they started thinking seriously about the religion of their subjects. This came about because the Tartars came into contact with the Muslims in a variety of ways. A great number of Muslim men and women were taken captive and confined in Tartar homes. They also met the Tartars in the streets and bazaars, etc. The Muslims used to go to their courts as well. In this way, the Tartars were introduced to the teachings of Islam through interaction with the Muslims.
They later began accepting Islam. First, their rulers and chiefs accepted Islam and then the rest followed suit. Finally, the majority of them embraced Islam. Consequently, the very people who had demolished the foundation of Islam became its builders. Professor Arnold has recorded this great story of their acceptance of Islam in detail. He writes, “The conquerors had accepted the religion of the conquered.” (The Preaching of Islam, p. 2) Professor Philip Hitti writes about this event in his book, The History of the Arabs, that “the religion of the Muslims had conquered where their arms had failed.” (p. 488) This shows that Islam has the inherent power to conquer the hearts and minds of the people.
