Seeking help from enemies... The merciless lessons of history.
One of the remarkable historical experiences in the world is that its lessons often resemble each other, and its patterns are consistent. Yet the benefit derived from these lessons and patterns is not as expected, leading some thinkers to doubt the very usefulness of history itself!
On this basis, the stories of the betrayals of rulers, and their complicity with the enemies of their nations at the expense of their interests and sanctities, continue to unfold without much benefit to be hoped for, and Islamic history was not innocent of this, nor was it infallible
In our historical books, there are pages of shame that have been turned, for which the nation has paid dearly, and their authors have descended into the depths of betrayal, becoming a lesson for those who came before!
One example of this is that Shawar, the minister of the Fatimids in Egypt, sent for help from the Crusaders, once during his conflicts with his rivals, and another time because of his fears regarding Nur ad-Din Mahmud's ambitions in the region. When Shirkuh, the leader of Nur Ad-Din’s army, sent to offer him an alliance against the Franks and swore that he would withdraw his army after defeating them, Shawar killed Shirkuh's messenger and said: "These are not the Franks; these are the relief!
Among these events, the righteous Ismail, the young prince to whom the kingdom of Nur ad-Din had passed, sent for assistance from the Crusaders against Salah ad-Din. In exchange, he released a number of their senior leaders who were imprisoned by Nur ad-Din, paid a tribute of 20,000 dinars, and surrendered some territories to them, in return for expelling Salah ad-Din from Damascus; thus, their raids against him continued.
Among these events is that the righteous Ismail, the young prince to whom the kingdom of Nur al-Din had passed, sent to seek assistance from the Crusaders against Salah al-Din, and in return, he released a number of their senior leaders who were imprisoned by Nur al-Din, paid a tribute of 20,000 dinars, and handed over some territories to them, in exchange for expelling the Crusaders and Salah al-Din from Damascus; thus, their raids against him continued.
One example of this is that al-Kamil Muhammad bin al-Malik al-Adil sought the help of Emperor Frederick II against his brother al-Mu'azzam Isa; he even relinquished sovereignty over Jerusalem and instructed the muezzins not to call to prayer during Frederick's stay there, which caused displeasure to Frederick himself. This led to increased condemnation of al-Kamil, and many accusations were directed at him across various regions.
The stain of betrayal by Minister Ibn al-Alqami remains a glaring mark in history, as his sectarian bias and limited political acumen led him to conspire with the Tatars to seize Baghdad and end the Abbasid caliphate there in the year 656 AH.
Read also : Fall of the Abbasid Caliphate: A Reflection on the Causes and Consequences
The era of the Taifas (the party kings) in Al-Andalus was perhaps one of the most humiliating periods in our history, and the clearest in terms of the severity of treachery. After the collapse of the Umayyad state in 422 AH, Al-Andalus divided into about 22 small principalities, each ruled by an emir whose greatest concern was to expand at the expense of his rivals, even if it meant seeking assistance from the enemies of the nation and religion.
The fall of Toledo to Alfonso, the King of Castile, is almost the greatest event in the disasters of that period, and a repeated model that, despite its severity, the profound lesson it carries has been overlooked.
Alfonso VI, the King of León, spent several months as a political refugee in Toledo, seeking refuge with its ruler, Al-Qadir bin Dhī al-Nūn, who granted him shelter. He would spend time with him, speaking about the defenses of his city, its fortifications, and the points of strength and weakness within it. When Alfonso returned to his kingdom, he began to prepare to seize the city that had sheltered him.
The weakness of Al-Qadir bin Dhī al-Nūn encouraged his neighbors to seize whatever they could from his kingdom. He sought assistance against them from his old friend Alfonso, who demanded a hefty sum of money and the surrender of several important forts. Al-Qadir did not hesitate to meet his demands, which led to a revolt by the people of Toledo against him in 472 AH. Al-Qadir called upon his friend Alfonso, who helped him regain his kingdom in 474 AH, and he took revenge on those who had revolted against him. However, Alfonso's desire grew for the riches of Toledo, its strategic location, and the weakness of its ruler, so he gradually annexed portions of its territory until he laid siege to it for nine months in 477 AH, at which point the city surrendered at the beginning of the following year.
When the people of Toledo sought help from al-Mutawakkil bin al-Aftas, the prince of Badajoz, and he prepared to assist them, al-Mu'tamid bin Abbad, the prince of Seville, moved to attack his territories and refrained from aiding them, leaving them to their inevitable fate. Al-Mu'tamid had hastened to pay an additional tribute to Alfonso in exchange for his pledge not to invade the lands of Seville and not to aid Toledo when Alfonso laid siege to it!
In the final stages of Alfonso's siege of Toledo, a delegation from its inhabitants met with the Arabized minister of Alfonso, Sanindo. They informed him that they would not surrender the city because they were awaiting reinforcements from some of their brethren, the leaders of the taifa kingdoms. Sanindo rebuked them and mocked them and summoned all the ambassadors of the taifa kings from their tents. They came to seek his favor, showering him with gifts and money. The leaders of Toledo left his presence stumbling over their own garments, having lost hope of withstanding the siege. It was only three days later that the city surrendered.
As for Al-Qader bin Dhī al-Nun, he settled in Alfonso's camp—according to the account of Ibn Bassam, the historian of Al-Andalus—“humiliated in his dignity, stripped of his honor, with no door preventing access to him, and no veil or curtain shielding him. Someone who saw him at that time told me that he was in that state, holding an astrolabe, observing when he would depart, while Christians and Muslims surrounded him; some laughed at his actions, while others marveled at his ignorance.
The son of Dhul-Nun did not restrain himself from his wrongdoing; rather, he continued to impose Valencia under Alfonso's control, giving rise to a new tragedy. The Castilian soldiers wreaked havoc there, and the locals revolted against them. The moment of retribution arrived for Al-Qadir as a punishment for his treachery, and he was killed by the rebels, whose heads were paraded around the city on the 23rd of Ramadan in the year 485 AH.
After the fall of Toledo, almost all the kings of the factions hurried to send their messengers to Alfonso to congratulate him, and they sent him their gifts, expressing their desire for him to share in their lands! They wanted to be his subjects, collecting taxes for him, although Alfonso did not hide his contempt for them. For example, Husam al-Dawla Ibn Razine, the prince of "Al-Sahla," approached Alfonso himself heavily laden with gifts; Alfonso, however, was preoccupied with watching a monkey jumping in front of him, and sarcastically said to Husam al-Dawla: "I thank you for your gift of this monkey." The Muslim prince did not feel the slightest offense and saw this gift as a sign of goodwill; he regarded it as his protection against what he feared from Alfonso in terms of losing his position. Ibn Adhari comments on this, saying: "In his foolishness, he took pride in that monkey over the kings of Andalusia. Look at this foolishness and this humiliation!
It was not hidden from the wise among the Muslims that the situation was dire and that the fall of Toledo was a harbinger of final collapse. Therefore, a group of them hastened to urge unity and agreement in the face of a common danger. Judge Abu Al-Walid Al-Baji (d. 474 AH) traveled throughout Al-Andalus, encouraging its people to unite, abandon infighting, and refrain from seeking assistance from the enemy. However, he found no receptive audience, until God saved Al-Andalus by the crossing of the Almoravids, who prolonged the life of Islam there for centuries.
