Chapter 3: Part 5 - Umar رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ and The Egypt - The Gift of the Nile!
As long as Egypt remained firmly in Byzantine hands, the peace achieved in Syria could never be secure. After long reflection... Umar رضي الله عنه finally granted permission. But it came with remarkable caution. Amr ibn al-'As رضي الله عنه would march...
THE BRIEF HISTORY OF ISLAM!
Danish Shafiq
6/12/20265 min read
Chapter 3: Part 6 - Umar رضي الله عنه and The Egypt!
Chapter 3: Part 5 - Umar رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ and The Egypt - The Gift of the Nile!
The opening of Jerusalem transformed the map of the ancient world. For centuries, the Byzantine Empire had ruled the eastern Mediterranean through a chain of powerful cities. Antioch... Jerusalem... Alexandria... Together, they formed the backbone of Roman power in the East.
Now Jerusalem had entered Muslim rule peacefully. Yet one great province still remained firmly under Byzantine control.
Egypt.
To many people, Egypt was simply another land. To the ancient world... It was life itself. Long before Rome became an empire... Long before Persia reached its greatest glory... The civilization of the Nile had already astonished mankind. Its fertile river nourished millions. Its ports connected Africa, Arabia, and the Mediterranean. Its harvests fed entire empires. Its wealth sustained kings.
Whoever governed Egypt possessed not merely another province... But one of the greatest treasures on earth. For centuries, successive rulers had understood this. The Pharaohs... The Persians... The Greeks under Alexander... The Romans... Each had fought to possess the valley of the Nile.
Now it remained one of the richest provinces of the Byzantine Empire. Yet beneath its prosperity lay deep suffering. The native Coptic Christians had endured years of religious persecution under Byzantine rule because of theological disputes that divided Constantinople from the churches of Egypt.
Heavy taxation burdened ordinary farmers. Political authority rested in distant imperial hands. Many longed less for another conqueror... And more for a ruler who would govern with justice.
Far away in Madinah, Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه continued carrying responsibilities that stretched across thousands of miles. Persia had fallen. Jerusalem had opened its gates. Yet Umar never allowed victory to distract him from governing. Every report from the provinces reached his attention. Every governor remained accountable. Every complaint was heard. Every public coin remained an Amanah before Allah سُبْحَانَهُ.
Among the commanders returning from the Syrian front was one man whose understanding of Egypt surpassed almost everyone else.
He was Amr ibn al-'As رضي الله عنه.
Even before embracing Islam, Amr had travelled widely through the lands of Egypt and Syria. He understood its roads... Its people... Its strengths... And its weaknesses. More importantly... He understood its strategic importance.
One day, Amr رضي الله عنه entered Madinah and sought permission to speak privately with the Commander of the Believers. He spread a simple map before Umar رضي الله عنه. Then he pointed toward the fertile valley of the Nile. "O Commander of the Believers," he began, "If Egypt remains under Byzantine control, they will always possess the strength to threaten Syria and Palestine again. But if Allah سُبْحَانَهُ grants the Muslims Egypt, the Roman Empire will lose one of its greatest sources of wealth and power."
Umar رضي الله عنه listened silently. No one understood better than he did the weight of such a decision. Another campaign meant more fathers leaving their families. More mothers waiting for their sons. More lives were placed in danger. This was never a game of expanding borders.
Every decision would one day be questioned by Allah سُبْحَانَهُ.
For several days, Umar رضي الله عنه consulted the senior Companions. Opinions differed. Some believed the Ummah had already carried enough burdens.
Persia still required administration. Jerusalem had only recently entered Muslim rule. Perhaps it was wiser to consolidate before marching farther. Others saw what Amr رضي الله عنه saw. As long as Egypt remained firmly in Byzantine hands, the peace achieved in Syria could never be secure.
After long reflection... Umar رضي الله عنه finally granted permission. But it came with remarkable caution. Amr ibn al-'As رضي الله عنه would march... Not with a vast imperial army... But with a carefully selected force of only a few thousand men. The objective was not reckless conquest. It was to test the situation carefully and avoid unnecessary bloodshed wherever possible.
As the small Muslim army prepared to depart, few could have imagined what lay ahead. They marched not toward another ordinary province... But toward the land of Musa عليه السلام... The land where Yusuf عليه السلام had risen from slavery to leadership... The land where Pharaoh had defied Allah سُبْحَانَهُ...
And where Allah سُبْحَانَهُ had demonstrated His power before all mankind. History had once again begun to move.
The Nile awaited.
And with it... Another chapter in the remarkable caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه.
A Letter That Changed the Course of History!
The small Muslim army departed from Palestine with complete trust in Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ. Its numbers were modest. Its provisions were limited. Its commander carried neither the wealth of kings nor the banners of an empire. Yet every soldier understood that they marched under an Amanah entrusted to them by Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ.
As the army advanced toward the frontier of Egypt, Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه remained in Madinah, reflecting upon the enormity of the decision he had made.
Jerusalem had only recently entered Muslim rule. Persia still demanded careful administration. The Muslim state had expanded with astonishing speed. Umar feared one danger above all others: That the believers might advance faster than they could govern with justice. The burden of leadership weighed heavily upon his heart.
After another consultation with the senior Companions, he decided that if the army had not yet crossed into Egyptian territory, it should return.
He immediately dictated a letter to Amr ibn al-'As رضي الله عنه and entrusted it to a swift rider. The messenger hurried south across the desert, determined to reach the army before it entered Egypt. Days later, the rider finally caught up with the Muslims. He handed the sealed letter to Amr رضي الله عنه. Amr recognized the seal of the Commander of the Believers. He understood immediately that the contents might determine the fate of the entire expedition.
Yet before opening it, he quietly asked a simple question. "Have we crossed the frontier of Egypt?" The soldiers looked around. Some replied, "Not yet." Others pointed ahead. "The border is very near." Without another word, Amr رضي الله عنه urged the army forward.
Only after they had unmistakably entered Egyptian territory did he stop. He broke the seal.
The letter read:
"If this letter reaches you before you have entered Egypt, then return. But if it reaches you after you have entered Egypt, then continue your march, seeking the help of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ."
Amr رضي الله عنه smiled. The army had already crossed. The Commander of the Believers had left the final decision to Allah's سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ decree. The Muslims continued forward. When news later reached Umar رضي الله عنه, he did not express anger. Nor did he accuse Amr رضي الله عنه of disobedience.
He understood exactly what had happened. His commander had remained faithful to both the wording of the letter and the responsibility entrusted to him.
Thus, the expedition continued. Not because men insisted upon conquest... But because Allah سُبْحَانَهُ had opened the way before them. As the Muslim army pressed deeper into Egypt, they entered a land unlike anything many of them had ever seen. The endless deserts gradually gave way to the fertile valley of the Nile.
Villages lined the riverbanks. Fields stretched farther than the eye could see. Water wheels turned endlessly, lifting life from the great river that had sustained civilizations for thousands of years.
Many among the Muslims remembered the stories they had learned from the Qur'an. This was the land where Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام had risen from the depths of a prison to become the trusted guardian of Egypt's storehouses.
This was the land where Allah سُبْحَانَهُ had tested Pharaoh with signs that shook his kingdom. Here, Prophet Musa عليه السلام had stood fearlessly before one of history's most arrogant rulers and declared: "Indeed, I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds." Here, the sea had parted by the command of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ. Here, tyranny had drowned beneath the waves.
The believers could not help but reflect upon those sacred memories. Centuries had passed. Empires had risen. Empires had fallen.
Yet Allah's promise remained unchanged. The earth belongs to Him. He grants authority to whom He wills. And He removes it from whom He wills. Soon, another formidable obstacle appeared before the Muslims. Towering above the surrounding plain stood the mighty Fortress of Babylon. Its massive stone walls guarded the gateway to Lower Egypt.
Beyond it lay the road to Alexandria—the greatest city in the Byzantine world after Constantinople itself. The commanders understood immediately. If Babylon remained unconquered... Egypt could never truly be secured.
The next great chapter of the conquest was about to begin.