[video:http://vimeo.com/2969043]

120,000 Ottoman soldiers, out gunned and ill prepared for winter conditions, were driven to their fate, not only at the hands of Russian heavy artillery, but, to frostbite under the command of Enver Pasha, a Union and Progress Party figure (İttihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti). Thousands perished on The Allahuekber mountains without firing a single shot. This was one of the many methods employed by Enver and other masons to weaken the Ottoman Empire. Footage by occupying Russian forces.

Only 40,000 survived

One of the most important sources about the Sarıkamış Campaign is the memoirs of Köprülülü Şerif Bey. He mentions that they did not even possess a proper map of the region.

In his memoirs, Şerif Bey writes: “Let us make up our mind about this: For us, Sarıkamış has not only been a great lesson, but also a bright chapter of our history. Future generations should know that we met this fate because we sought salvation following a wrongly created man. History has witnessed that a great Turkish army has fought due to the greed of an ignorant and mad commander.”

“OSMANLI troops fought on the top of tall mountains under snowstorm against the artillery of an enemy of centuries and they were completely annihilated, but not a single soldier has ever turned his back to his nation… ın Sarıkamış, there was no panic.”

[1915]

Taken from Yursil Blog

Born in the Ottoman Principality of Wallachia, Romania in 1435 AD, he was known as Radu al III-lea cel Frumos to his Romanian countrymen, Yakışıklı Radu Bey to the Turks, Radu al-Wasim to the Arabs, and Radu the Handsome in English. This ally and childhood friend of Sultan Mehmet II was instrumental in the conquest of Constantinople for Islam. Radu’s participation in that conquest ensured that Mehmet II would go down in history as “Fatih,” or “Conqueror.”

Radu was the Ottomans’ secret weapon against the Safavids to the East and the Serbs, Romanians and Hungarians to the West. The Muslim world owes much to this hero of Islam, yet they recorded little other than cursory references to him, perhaps for fear of taking away from Fatih Sultan Mehmet’s limelight. The Byzantines recorded Radu as a reviled despot due to their hatred for his conversion to Islam and instrumental role in ending the Byzantine Empire.

Yet, this Ottoman general had a greater war, a war against darkness. He hunted the very progenitor of the vampire legend who impaled his enemies and drank their blood – Vlad al III-lea Ţepeş, also known as Vlad Drăculea, who would go down in infamy as, simply, Dracula. The character of Professor Abraham Van Helsing was no more than a figment of Bram Stoker’s terrifying imagination, but Sultan Mehmet II and Radu cel Frumos were perhaps the first and only true vampire hunters in history.

Read more @ Suhaib Webb

Also known as the Gallipoli campaign.

Sheykh Effendi taught us a few weeks ago about the War of Canakkale, 1915 , many others continued to ask and learn about this great battle that most Muslims are sorely unaware of.

This was one of the last battles under the Khalifate of Islam, and created over 253,000 martyrs. Western orientalist histories emphasize Attaturks involvement, but it is clear that at this time he was just one field commander. The martyrs of this war were sincere Muslims, who gave their life knowing that this entry into Muslim territory would be the end of Islam as a nation.

It seems that Islam was able to win in the battlefield, but it is through disuniting subterfuge that we lost our Khalipha. Keep in mind that this is was a legitimate war, on the shores of the Muslim state. A war between states, with armies and with a Kalipha, not the atrocious ‘jihad’ that the terrorists of today promote.

The Sheykh said,

When the so-called Allied Forces came together, they were coming from every side to the Empire, trying to bring an end to the Empire and they made all their calculations and all their planning. Bringing an end to the Empire means bringing end to Islam. That was their aim. The Khalifah and the soldiers of the Khalifah surprised them very strongly. When they made all those planning and they reached all the way to Yemen, Arabia, Egypt, and from every angle to the lands of Islam with the help of so many traitors inside Islam, they were aiming for the Capital of Islam, Istanbul. Once they enter there they will declare and they will finish it. That was their aim. They collected soldiers all the way from Australia to Canada, from one end of the world to the other end. They came and they surrounded the whole land. The Ottoman soldiers were fighting in 28 frontlines. The world has never seen such a thing like that before. The world has been at war but it has never seen a war like that where all nations came together and squeezed only one nation into the corner and they were ready to hit the last hammer and bring an end to Islam.

They came with over 525,000 soldiers trying to pass through Canakkale, Gallipoli. That’s where the soldiers of Islam surprised them all, the last area for which they made all their calculations and said, “This is finished now. We came to the end. We will pass from here and Istanbul will be gone.”

“Other soldiers also attacked at that time and they took that enemy line. They went to that one and the captain asked if anybody had a piece of bread for this soldier who is ready to give out his life. That battalion didn’t have a piece of bread to eat for one week. One piece of bread appeared from the other side and it came to their hand. That one was laying down smiling and saying to the captain, “Oh captain, please save that piece of bread because I am already counting the minutes to go out from this life. Save that bread for another one of my brothers so that it may give energy to them to fight.”

It was not only the men fighting. There were also so many girls who died in that war. One Anzac soldier was saying, “I was watching in the frontline this young girl who was shooting so bravely and she was knocking down everything that she was hitting. She was sitting from morning to evening and everyone was trying to aim her. But they were not able to finish her and we thought that there was a big battalion in that area because so many bullets were coming from everywhere. By the evening one bullet reached to her and she fell down. When she fell down we entered to that area and we only found her and another boy and we have counted sixty-three bullets in her body.” That kind of faith saved Islam.

So we must understand where we are and where they were. If we sit, think and understand deeply for ourselves then no depression, no problems and no worries can come to our way because we have a bigger worry then saying, “What did we do? What are we doing for the sake of Allah and for the sake of Holy Prophet (alayhi salatu wa salam)?” We must understand this. We must think about this from time to time, we must think about them from time to time and we must read for their souls from time to time. If you do then you will receive visitations from them too. Someway somehow they will be happy knowing that there are still people living on this earth who are trying to live for the sake of Allah and they are still continuing what they left.

Taken from Yursil's Blog

From Yursil:

Would Muslims of that age even recognize the innovated shortened Azan that we hear today?

The calls during the night are long chants, that of the daytime is much shorter. Mr. Lane renders it thus: ”God is most Great ” (four times repeated). “I testify that there is no deity but God ” (twice). ” I testify that Mohammed is God’s Apostle ” (twice). “Come to prayer ” (twice). “Come to security ” (twice). “God is most Great” (twice). “There is no deity but God.”

The muezzin whom I hear when the first faint light appears in the east, has a most sonorous and sweet tenor voice, and his chant is exceedingly melodious. In the perfect hush of that hour his voice fills all the air, and might well be mistaken for a sweet entreaty out of heaven. This call is a long one, and is in fact a confession and proclamation as well as a call to prayer.

It begins as follows: “[I extol] the perfection of God, the Existing forever and ever” (three times) : ” the perfection of God, the Desired, the Existing, the Single, the Supreme: the perfection of God, the One, the Sole: the perfection of Him who taketh to Himself, in his great dominion, neither female companion nor male partner, nor any like unto Him, nor any that is disobedient, nor any deputy, nor any equal, nor any offspring. His perfection [be extolled]: and exalted be His name. He is a Deity who knew what hath been before it was, and called into existence what hath been; and He is now existing, as He was [at the first]. His perfection [be extolled]: and exalted be His name.”

And it ends: ” O God, bless and save and still beatify the beatified Prophet, our lord Mohammed. And may God, whose name be blessed and exalted, be well pleased with thee, 0 our lord El-Hassan, and with thee, O our lord El-Hoseyn, and with thee, O Aboo-Farrag, O Sheykh of the Arabs, and with all the favorites [' the welees'] of God. Amen.”

The mosques of Cairo are more numerous than the churches in Rome; there are about four hundred, many of them in ruins, but nearly all in daily use. – “Mummies and Moslems”, Travelogue By Charles Dudley Warner Published 1876

Now one may compare this type of Azan to what one may hear in the company of Naksibendi Mureeds:

Arabic

——

Allahumma Salli ‘alaa Sayyidina Muhammad

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar

Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah

Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah

Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah

Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah

Hayyi ‘alas salah

Hayyi ‘alas salah

Hayyi ‘alal falah

Hayyi ‘alal falah

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar,

La ilaha illallah

As-Salatu was salamu ‘alayk,

alayka ya Sayyidiyya Rasullullah

As-Salatu was salamu ‘alayk,

alayka ya Sayyidiyya Habbibullah

As-Salatu was salamu ‘alayk,

ya man arsalahu-llahu ta’ala rahmatan lil-’alamin

As-Salatu was salamu ‘alayk,

alayka ya Sayyidiyya Awwalin wal Akhirin

As-Salatu was salamu ‘alayk,

wa ‘ala alika wa ashabika ajma ‘in

As-Salatu wa s-salamu ‘alaykum,

ya Anbiya wa Awliya Allah.

Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alamin!

(Du’a)

Allahumma Rabba hadhihi da’wati tamma’ was salatil qa’ima, ati Muhammadan al-wasilata wal fazilata wad darajatir rafi’atal ‘aliyya, wab’athhu, ya Rabbi, al-maqamal mahmudal lazi wa’adtahu, warzuqna shafa’atahu yawmal qiyama, innaka la tukhliful mi’ad

English

——-

O Allah! Shower blessings upon Sayyidina Muhammad

Allah is Greatest

(four times)

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah

(twice)

I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (twice)

Hasten to the prayer

(twice)

Hasten to salvation

(twice)

Allah is Greatest (twice)

There is no god but Allah.

Blessings and peace be upon you,

O Messenger of Allah

Blessings and peace be upon you,

O Beloved of Allah

Blessings and peace be upon you,

O you whom Allah Most High sent as Mercy to the Worlds.

Blessings and peace be upon you,

O Master of Here and Hereafter

Blessings and peace be upon you,

and upon all your family and your Companions.

Blessings and peace be upon you,

O Prophets and Friends of Allah

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

O Allah! Lord of this perfect supplication and of this established prayer, grant Muhammad the means and the exellence, and the sublime and supreme rank. Raise him, O my Lord, to the Praiseworthy Station which You promised him, and grant us his intercession on the Day of Judgement, for You do not fail Your promise.

The word surre means the gifts and precious goods that were donated by the Sultan and citizens of the Ottoman Empire every year and which were sent to Mecca and Medina during the pilgrimage season.

The Surre caravan was sent along with the pilgrims on the 12 of Rajab, the first of the three blessed months, so that it could arrive in Mecca in time for the pilgrimage. The caravan spent the holy month of Ramadan in Damascus, and then distributed the gifts in Mecca. After performing the pilgrimage, the hajj, the caravan would depart for its return journey.

The first caravan ever was sent by Sultan Celebi Mehmed (d. 1421) with 14,000 gold coins by ship by Captain Kemal Reis; this tradition continued with higher quantities being sent by other sultans. After the Hijaz region was annexed by Selim I, the Surre caravans were more systematically organ-ized. It is reported in Mir’at al-Haramayn that the gifts and goods donated to the caravan were distributed to scholars and people who spent all their time worshipping in the Grand Mosque, and whose names had been determined beforehand.

The foundation deeds belonging to Sultan Mahmud II and Abdulhamid II reveal that the money sent with the Surre caravans were to be distributed to the teachers at the Hamidiye Madrasa, some righteous poor, and mosque attendants (Sabri, 1887, vol. 2, p. 687).

Spectacular ceremonies were staged before the departure of the Surre caravans. Each ceremony was held according to a detailed plan organized by the protocol officer. The list of participants, ceremonial positions, costumes, and other issues were recorded in ceremony books. Esad Efendi’s Teshrifat-i Kadime [Ancient Protocol], for instance, describes the gifts, costumes, and money donated to the caravans in detail.

Read more @ Yursil

Just an interesting article which I found while looking for stuff. Read.

I have mentioned on here quite a few time how the "Middle-eastern front" in World War one is often overlooked and many do not know that a major part of world war one was the decimation of the ottoman empire.

However, something that has not been discussed, nor have I looked at is the Ottoman empire itself.

How was it run? Was it a force for good or evil?

Why did everyone want to break away?

I think we can all agree that the Armenian genocide was absolutely appalling, but other than that, what else was there (especially in the late Ottoman empire)?