When the young and stout-hearted Mu-slim General, Tar-iq Bin Ziad, landed with his Arab soldiers on the coast of Spain, he ordered the vessels in which they had crossed the Mediterranean to be burnt, so that there remained no possibility of a retreat. After the command had been carried out, he addressed his troops in these memorable words: "There is no escape now. The sea is behind you and the enemy is in front. By God! you have nothing to depend upon except your own courage and fortitude." The enthusiasm of the soldier knew no bounds as they heard the rousing oration and their trust in Allah and in the strength of their own arms became complete. Tariq realised, after he had drawn his troops for battle, that the Spaniards were far superior to them in numbers and equipment and being cut off from home by hundreds of miles he could also not hope for reinforcements. His only hope lay in capturing the arms of the enemy. Otherwise, the prospects were very dark. Tariq was worried and, in the desperation of this situation, he could think of no other recourse than to seek Divine Help by budding up the spiritual stamina of his men. He placed his Reliance on the help of Allah and took it for granted that He was with him for he was sure of the justice of his cause. He knew in his heart that his army was the party of Allah' which had not embarked upon the expedition for conquest or worldly glory but solely for the victory of His Word and the defence and advocacy of His Faith. They had come out with their heads on their palms' to lead mankind from darkness to light and to deliver it from the over-lordship of fellowmen to the over-lordship of Allah, the Supreme Being, from the narrow confines of this world to the boundlessness of the Hereafter and from the tyranny and oppression of other religions to the fairness and justice of Islam; and had the Lord of Lords, the Creator of all things, not promised of the sublime mission? 'And that Our host, they verity would be he victors." (37:173) The Arab General, at that fateful hour, turned meekly to Allah and beseeched Him earnestly for help. He was following the example of the Holy Prophet (SAW) who had led the first Muslim army and, alter marshalling his troops on the battlefield of Badr, withdrawn to a quiet corner, placed his forehead on the ground and cried out for Divine Help. "0' Allah!", he had said. If these men are killed today, You shall not be worshipped in the world." Thus, Tariq, following in the steps of his leader and master made a prayer which military commanders seldom make. They just never think of it. IqbaI has heightened the beauty of it by adorning it with the robe of poetry. His poem, "Tariq ki Du'a" (The prayer of Tariq), read: "0 Lord! These bondsmen have set out in Your path for Jehad. They are the seekers of Your good pleasure. They are mysterious as well as the keepers of mystery. Their true state and position is known only to You. You have taught them high-mindedness and, now, they will not settle for less than world-leadership and Divine Rule. These proud men listen or yield to no one. Save them.Deserts and rivers carry out their biddings and mountains turn into heaps of dust out of fear and respect for them. You had made them indifferent to the riches of the worlds by instilling Your love into their hearts. But for the love of Jehad and the joy of martyrdom, the kingdom of the earth hold no attraction for them. This is the magic of love. It is the ruling passion that has brought them to this remote land. It is the last wish and the greatest desire of a Muslim. "The world is hovering on the verge of ruin. Only the Arabs, by laying down their lives, can save it from falling into the abyss of destruction. Everyone is thirsting for Arab blood and this sacred blood alone can remove the malady. Forests and gardens, tulips and roses are pining for it to colour their cheeks. We have come to this strange country to irrigate it with our life-blood so that the withered crop of humanity may flourish again and springtime may return after the agonising spell of autumn." The Ghazi, these mysterious bondsmen Of Thine, To whom Thou hast granted zest for Divinity.
Deserts and oceans fold up at their kick, And mountains shrink into mustard seeds. Indifferent to the riches of the world it makes, What a curious thing is the joy of love? Martyrdom is the desired end of the Momin, Not spoils of war, kingdom and rule! For long has tulip in the garden been waiting, It needs a robe dipped in Arab blood. "0 Lord! You has conferred Your unique favours on these desert dwellers and herders of camels. You vouchsafed them a new knowledge, a new faith and a new way of life. You gave them the wealth of Adhan which is the standing call of "Tauheed", arousing men from the slumber of ignorance. By means of it, the Arabs put an end to the death-like stupor that had descended upon the world and gave it the glad tidings of a new dayspring. Life had lost its warmth and movement and centuries had passed over it in that state. It regained its momentum, started again on its journey and attained the destination of faith and love. The crusaders do not regard death to be the end of life but the threshold of a new existence. "0 Allah! Grant them for dignity of faith and enmity for The own sake (as was revealed in the prayer of Noah: 'My Lord! Leave not one of the disbelievers in the land.') so that this army may be come a relentless sword and a fearful thunderbolt for heathenism and corruption and produce fear for it in the heart of the enemy." Thou made the desert dwellers absolutely unique, In thought, in perception, in the morning Adhan; What, for centuries, life had been seeking, It found the warmth in the hears of these men; Death is the opener of the heart's door, It's not the journey's end in their sight. Revive, once again, in the heart of the Momin, The lightning that was in the prayer of 'Leave Not'. Wake up ambition in the breasts, O' Lord! Transform, the glance of the Momin into a sword. The prayer of the death-defying soldier was granted and the Arabs gained a magnificent victory. Christian Spain became Islamic Andalusia and a strong Muslim kingdom was established that lasted for eight hundred years. Its downfall came only when the spirit of Tariq and his valiant companions had died among the Moors and the high purpose that had brought. them there was forgotten. The extinction of religious fervour and free-living and internecine strife not only led to the termination of Muslim rule in Spain but also imperilled the very existence of the followers of Islam in that country till not one of them was left. Such has been the way of Allah with those that are negligent and ungrateful since the beginning of time. "Thou will not find for Our method aught of power to change." (AlQur'aan 17:77)
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