The Heroes of Islam

Overview

An exploration of the known (and lesser known) heroes of Islam

Theme periods

Al-Hajj Umar Tall

Imam Shamil

Umar al-Mukhtar

İskilipli Mehmed Atıf Hoca

Key events

• Slave Trade and Islamic Revolution
• The Russian-Circassian War
• His Birth and Origins
• His birth
• Transformation into an Iron Will
• The Sword of the Soul
• The Great Journey
• Tijaniyya
• The Political Blueprint
• The Ignition of the Jihad
• The Eagle Awakens from the Ashes of Gimry
• The Valley of the Shadow
• Foundation of the Jihad
• Anti-Colonial Struggle
• The Siege of Fort de Médine
• The 4th Shore
• The Noble Surrender at Fort Gunib
• The Tragic Fitna
• The Tragic Fitna
• The Downfall
• Homecoming in the Garden of the Believers
• His birth
• The Sanussi Order
• Political Education in Al-Jaghbub
• Cacabey Medresesi
• Higher education in Istanbul
• The Birth of the Lion of the Desert
• Imam of Zawiyat al-Qusour
• Receiving the Icazet
• Appointment as Fatih Müderris
• Graduation from the Darülfünun
• Inspectorate of Medreses
• The Battle of Benghazi
• Exile in Sinop
• Founding of Teali-i İslam
• The Battle of Bir Bilal
• The Strategy of the Green Mountains
• Arrest of Atıf Hoca
• Adoption of the Hat Law
• Acquittal in Giresun
• Transfer to Ankara
• Death Sentence and Execution
• Al-Rahiba and the Escalation to Genocide
• The End of the Struggle
• The Martyrdom of the Lion

Frequently asked questions

Who were the greatest heroes in Islamic history?

The question is open, because 'heroes' can fill very different roles: spiritual leaders (Imam al-Ghazali, Sheikh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani), warriors against injustice (Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi, Imam Shamil, Umar al-Mukhtar), scholars (Imam Bukhari, Ibn Taymiyya) and reformers (Shah Wali Allah, Muhammad Abduh). A hero in the Islamic tradition is not the one who won the most fame, but the one who fulfilled his task, often far from the spotlight of his own time.

Who was Imam Shamil of Dagestan?

Imam Shamil (1797–1871) led the Caucasian resistance against Russian expansion for 25 years (1834–1859). As imam of the Naqshbandi-Khalidiyya Sufi order he united the Avars, the Chechens and other mountain peoples in a state with Islamic jurisprudence (Sharia) as its constitution. He surrendered in 1859 after the fall of Gunib. His conviction that faith and freedom cannot be separated became the ethical DNA of Chechen and Dagestani resistance far into the 20th century.

Who was Umar al-Mukhtar?

Umar al-Mukhtar (1858–1931), 'the Lion of the Desert', led the Senussi resistance in Libya against the Italian colonial occupation for twenty years. With a few hundred horsemen he tied down an Italian army of tens of thousands. He was captured in 1931, at the age of 73, and publicly hanged. His last words, as tradition records them: 'We will not cease; our duty is longer than our lives.' History has proved him right.

Which women stand as examples in Islamic history?

Besides the Mothers of the Believers (Khadijah ﵂, Aisha ﵂, Hafsa ﵂) there are countless examples: Fatima al-Fihri (founder of al-Qarawiyyin University, 859), Rabi'a al-Adawiyya (mystic, 8th century), Sutayta al-Mahamali (10th-century mathematician), Shajar ad-Durr (sultana of Egypt, 1250) and Nana Asma'u (scholar of the Sokoto Caliphate, 19th century). The history of the Ummah is no male monologue; whoever sees only the heroes of the sword misses the heroes of the pen and of silence.

What sets a 'hero' apart in the Islamic tradition?

Classical scholars distinguish the batal (warrior), the 'alim (scholar), the wali (friend of Allah), the mujaddid (reformer) and the shahid (martyr). What they share is not military or intellectual achievement alone, but the binding of that achievement to ikhlas (sincerity) and niyya (intention). A prophetic saying sums it up: 'Deeds are judged by intentions', which is why the hierarchy of heroes in Islam rarely matches the hierarchy of the history books.