The Muslim army started to mobilize in the camp of departure in As-Saalihiyyah, presently in the Sharqiyyah governorate, a vast desert capable of accommodating the different military brigades, and a point of departure for all the Egyptian armies to the East.

The different military brigades mobilized from all training camps across Cairo and the large cities. Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, gave the start signal to head towards Palestine.

O Allaah! You Are the Companion on a journey and the One Who Looks after one's family (in his absence)!

O Allaah! Make this journey of ours easy upon us, and Relieve us of its long distance!

O Allaah! We seek refuge with You from the trouble of the journey, any gloomy sight, and the evil return in the property and family!

The Egyptian Muslim army moved from As-Saalihiyyah North-East to Sinai, from there they headed further north to take the North coastal way of Sinai, alongside the Mediterranean.

This movement started at the beginning of Sha‘baan 658 A.H., corresponding to July 1260 A.D., the hottest time of the year, during which the army proceeded on in the huge arid desert of Sinai, where there were no populous cities other than Al-‘Areesh. However, the Mujaahid army persevered through these difficult conditions. Of course, all of us remember the Battle of Tabook, and the difficulties that the Muslim army encountered then, which were quite similar to those of this battle. Apart from the severe heat, the economic crisis and the very long distance across the desert, the Muslims were going to fight one of the strongest superpowers on earth, i.e. the Romans; whereas at that time, the Muslims were covering a very long distance across the desert, during the severe economic crisis and the scorching heat, to meet the gigantic army of the Tatars.

History always repeats itself. The only difference here was that the Muslims during the Battle of Tabook did not find the Romans awaiting them, thereupon no battle took place. However, in this situation, the Tatars were waiting for them.

Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, was moving with his army on the alert. In other words, his army was arranged in the same order in which he would fight in the event of fighting, in order to be ready for any sudden attack launched by the Tatars.

Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, appointed Rukn Ad-Deen Beebars, the excellent military leader, in the vanguard of his army, in order to be the first to clash with the Tatars and achieve victory, even partial victory, which would raise the spirits of the Muslims.

Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, also arranged his army in a way that was unfamiliar to his contemporaries at that time, something new in leadership and preparation, intended to thwart the plans of the enemy. He formed the forefront of the army from a relatively large brigade, under the leadership of Rukn Ad-Deen Beebars, and made it go ahead of the remaining army, and move visibly before the sight of the enemy, while the remaining part of the army hid themselves. If there were spies for the Tatars, they would think that the forefront constitutes the entire army. In this way, the Tatars would prepare themselves on that basis, and then Qutuz would appear and take the Tatars by surprise, who, in turn, would not be ready for him.

Gaza is the first stage of victory

Beebars crossed the Egyptian borders on July 26th 1260 A.D., and entered Palestine, and Qutuz followed him a few days later. They then crossed Rafah, Khaan Yoonus and Dayr Al-Balah, and became very close to Gaza.

We have already mentioned that the Tatars had previously occupied Gaza. As Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, expected, the Tatarian spies detected the forefront of the Islamic army led by Rukn Ad-Deen Beebars, and thought it constituted the entire army of the Muslims. They transmitted that news to the Tatar garrison which hastened to face Beebars, and a swift fight broke up between both parties. Meanwhile, the main army, led by Qutuz, was still crossing the Egyptian-Palestinian borders. However, as we have already mentioned, the forefront of the army was strong, and Rukn Ad-Deen Baybars was an outstanding leader, while the Tatarian garrison in Gaza was somewhat small, and the main Tatar army was a long distance far from Gaza. The Tatar army led by Kitbuqa was in the Biqaa‘ Valley, 300 kilometers from Gaza. The meeting took place far from the main armies of the Muslims and the Tatars; and with the Help of Allaah, the forefront of the Muslim army was able to emerge victorious in this small battle, and some Tatar soldiers were killed, and the rest fled northwards to transmit the news to Kitbuqa in Lebanon.

The Tatar garrison in Gaza was taken by surprise, which led to their bitter defeat. However, the Tatars were surprised not only by the sudden attack, the good military plan, and the high strategic dimensions to take the suitable positions, but also by the discovery that from among the Muslims, there was a part still able to fight, and carry the swords in defense of their religion, territory, honor and dignity. The Tatars were used to seeing groups of Muslims fleeing from them, and the Tatar leaders used to find Muslim rulers seeking disgraceful alliance and humiliating submission; and they never expected to find a Muslim sect still defending its rights.

That was the assumption of the Tatars, which, however, was wrong. This (Muslim) Ummah, no matter how weak it becomes, would never die, and even if some of its people submit, there would remain others to defend its rights as long as there is life on earth.

In this connection, it was narrated on the authority of Thawbaan, May Allaah Be Pleased with him, that he said that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "A sect of my Ummah will continue to be victorious on the right (path), and their opponents will cause no harm to them in the least until the Command of Allaah comes." [Muslim]

Exalted be Allaah! According to the narration of Imaam Ahmad, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, on the authority of Abu Umaamah, May Allaah Be Pleased with him, there is the important addition: “The Companions asked about this sect, saying, ‘O Messenger of Allaah! Where will this sect be?’ He said, ‘In Bayt Al-Maqdis, and the precincts of Bayt Al-Maqdis.’"

Although those who fought the Tatars in Gaza and afterwards in ‘Ayn Jaaloot were, most of the time, not from the inhabitants of Bayt Al-Maqdis and Palestine, Allaah The Almighty Made this pure territory of Palestine a place for the Muslims’ victories.

Of course there might be flaws and declines, but the Muslims will inevitably stand once again.

On the land of Palestine and Shaam, the Roman Empire received very painful strikes from the Muslims in Ajnaadeen, Baysaan, Yarmook and Bayt Al-Maqdis.

In the land of Palestine and its surroundings, the Crusaders received painful strikes from the Muslims in Hitteen, Tiberias and Bayt Al-Maqdis.

In the land of Palestine, the Tatars received painful strikes from the Muslims in Gaza, ‘Ayn Jaaloot and Beesaan, as we shall see later.

In the land of Palestine, the remaining Crusaders received painful strikes from the Muslims in Acre, Ashkelon and Haifa.

On Palestinian land, the French invaders received painful strikes from the Muslims in Acre.

On Palestinian land, the English colonizers received painful strikes from the Muslims in different revolutions, and the most famous was the 1936 Revolution, which lasted about for 4 years.

On Palestinian land, the Jews have and still do receive painful strikes from the Muslims.

The destruction of the Jews, by the Permission of Allaah The Almighty, will be on this land.

The last war between the Muslims and the Jews will be on this land, and the Muslims will kill them.

This is neither a conclusion nor a deduction; it is a universal fact and Prophetic glad tidings.

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, May Allaah Be Pleased with him, that he said that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "The Hour would not be established unless the Muslims fight against the Jews, and the Muslims kill them until the Jews hide themselves behind stones or trees, and a stone or a tree would say, 'O Muslim! O slave of Allaah! There is a Jew behind me; come and kill him', save the tree of Gharqad, for it is the tree of the Jews." [Muslim]

Now, let us return to Beebars and Qutuz and the Muslim army.

The Muslims emerged victorious over the Tatars, even if that victory was partial, transitional or simple.

Some historians underestimate the Battle of Gaza to the extent of ignoring it entirely. Indeed, it was, in my view, one of the most important military battles in the history of the Muslims, not because of the great number of the Tatars who were killed, nor because of Gaza's strategic importance; but primarily because it treated the psychological defeat of the Muslims.

The Muslims saw, with their own eyes, the Tatars fleeing, thereby abolishing the statement that was common at that time, i.e. "Do not believe anyone who tells you that the Tatars could be defeated." However, now, they could believe such a person. That was the first time the Tatars were defeated in many long years.

As much as the effect of the Battle of Gaza was positive on the Muslim army, it was quite negative on the Tatar army. The Muslims should, by no means, make little of any deed.

No Muslim should belittle the fact that a stone is thrown at a Jew, causing him to run away, or that a Jewish or an American soldier is killed.

The real defeat, my brothers, is psychological and spiritual defeat. Furthermore, the transitional and simple victories, no matter how little their military advantages might be, contribute a great deal in raising the spirits of the Ummah.

To ‘Ayn Jaaloot

After the victory of Gaza, the Muslim army headed northwards alongside the Mediterranean coast, passing through such great Islamic cities as Ashkelon and then Yafa – we ask Allaah The Almighty to Liberate them as well as all the Palestinian territories from the filth of the Jews – and it is well-known, my brothers, that Tel Aviv was founded directly North of Yaafa. Qutuz and his army continued their advance northwards and came upon the west part of Tulkarm, then to Haifa and then Acre, the Muslim city that was occupied by the Crusaders.

Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, camped in the gardens surrounding the Acre fortress, in the valley lying east of Acre. Then, the correspondences between Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, and the Crusader emirs of Acre began, to confirm once again the previous agreements. Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, sent a delegate from the Muslim emirs who entered the Acre Fortress and were received kindly by the Crusaders. Both parties confirmed the previous agreements, and there was more than one visit, until both parties felt assured about the stability of the circumstances. Then, Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, decided to leave Acre and choose a suitable place for the expected important meeting between him and the Tatars.

When Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, started to leave Acre, a Muslim emir who had taken part in the embassy to the Crusaders, suggested that since Acre was now in its weakest state, and the Crusader emirs were assured about the Islamic treaty, and unprepared to fight, then, should Qutuz turn against them, he might probably be able to overthrow the Acre Fortress and liberate the Islamic city from the Crusader occupation that had started one hundred and sixty-six years earlier. However, Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, gave his decisive, strict and clear reply, saying: "We never betray treaties."

O Allaah! The vision is clear-cut in the eyes of Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him.

That is leadership which utilizes the real means of victory; and among those means is to follow the Conditions of Allaah The Almighty in every matter, be it significant or insignificant; and keeping the contracts, and not repealing the covenants that are from the very Laws of Allaah The Almighty. In confirmation of that, Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts.} [Quran 5:1]

Here, I would like to relate to the Jews, the Crusaders, the Tatars, and all the world, the Hadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, narrated by both Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi, who renders it as Hasan Saheeh, on the authority of ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah, May Allaah Be Pleased with him. He narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Let the one, between whom and people there is a covenant, neither break nor change it whatsoever, until it terminates, otherwise, let him throw [their covenant] back to them, [putting himself] on equal terms."

You have only two ways: either to wait until the covenant terminates, or tell your enemies that you are going to break it for some reason. However, there is no place for treachery in the Islamic covenants.

That is indeed the religion of Islam, and that is the Sharee‘ah of Islam, and those are the laws of Islam, and those are the leaders of Islam.

Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, left Acre and headed South-East in search of a suitable place for the next battle. At the same time, the remaining troops of the Tatar army who had fled from Gaza reached Kitbuqa and told him about the movements of the Muslim army. Kitbuqa grew very angry because of the defeat of his garrison in Gaza, and was enraged even more because there were Muslims gathering to fight him, as if the Muslims, in principle, had no right of resistance; and if they resisted their enemy, this should infuriate Kitbuqa and the Tatars. Kitbuqa then held an advisory meeting with his leaders, and this meeting was attended by Al-Ashraf Al-Ayyoobi of Homs. Kitbuqa made his decision in this meeting to move quickly to fight the Muslim extremists who would spoil the peace process between Kitbuqa and the Muslim leaders, and put the Tatar-Islamic negotiations at risk.

It was clear that the movement of the Tatars towards the Muslims was so slow that it enabled Qutuz to cut most of Palestinian coast from South to North before the Tatars could enter the Palestinian borders, despite the fact that the distance between the Biqaa‘ Valley of Lebanon and the Lebanese-Palestinian borders was no more than 100 kilometers, and it would take 2-3 days for the army to cover that distance. The point is that Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, was the first to move in search for a suitable place for the battle. That was a good point in his favor, which enabled him to arrange the brigades of his army in a better way, test the region and know well its nature and secret places.

Kitbuqa moved southwards between the mountains of Lebanon until he entered Palestine from the North-East, West of the Golan Heights, and then crossed the Jordan River and reached East Galilee. The Muslim reconnoiterers detected the movement of Kitbuqa, and soon transmitted the news to Qutuz, who had already left Acre in the South-East. However, when he heard the news, he hastened to cross the city of Nazareth, and moved further south-east until he reached a place known as the valley of ‘Ayn Jaaloot, nearly in the middle between Baysaan in the North and Nablus in the South, very close to the camp of Jenain, the place where one of the most important battles in the history of the earth would break out. Exalted be Allaah! Time passed and a very important battle broke out on this land between the Palestinian Mujaahids and the Jews in 2002, in which the Muslim martyrs exceeded 500, after they had showed wonderful perseverance when fighting.

The valley of ‘Ayn Jaaloot is 65 kilometers South of Hitteen, where the Battle of Hattin broke out in 583 A.H., 75 years before that of ‘Ayn Jaaloot, and about 60 kilometers West of Yarmook, where the Battle of Yarmook broke out between the Muslims led by Khaalid ibn Al-Waleed and Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn Al-Jarraah, May Allaah Be Pleased with them, and the Romans nearly six centuries earlier.

Of course, those memories contributed to raising the spirits of the Islamic army to the utmost.

Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, found that the valley of ‘Ayn Jaaloot was a very suitable place for the battle. It is a vast plain surrounded by medium-size hillocks from all sides save the northern side, which is open, with an abundance of trees and bushes over those hillocks, fit for hiding places for the Islamic army, making it easy to set up many ambushes along the sides of the valley.

Qutuz, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, arranged his army quickly. He made the forefront of his army led by Baybars in the North of the valley, in an apparent place thereby to induce the Tatar army to come, and hid the remaining of his army behind the hillocks and bushes.

This took place on Ramadhaan 24th 658 A.H., i.e. during the last ten days of the Holy month of Ramadhaan, I mean the month which witnessed early Islamic victories as the noble Battle of Badr, the Conquest of Makkah, and the Conquest of Andalusia. The Muslims waited on the alert, while the Islamic spies continued to transmit the news of Kitbuqa and the Tatar army who had drawn very close to the valley of ‘Ayn Jaaloot.

There remained only a few hours before the horrific clash between the force of the Islamic Ummah and the force of the Tatars would take place.

We ask Allaah The Almighty to Grant permanent victory to Islam and the Muslims.

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