THE SPREAD OF ISLAM BY THE SELJUQ TURKS

Islam spread throughout the known world at the time through its ideological power. The Seljuq Turks were drawn toward this spiritual power of Islam.

Seljuq was the chief of the Ghaz tribe. He gathered an army from the youths in his tribe and attacked the western part of Asia in the 11th century. He established a strong empire that included Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, etc. These States were at that time ruled by the Muslims. The Seljuq Turks defeated the Muslim armies and established their empire. Tughril Beg (d.1063) and Alp Arslan (d. 1072) succeeded the Seljuq. It is one of the greatest events in the history of Islam that the Seljuq Turks, who were tribals, accepted Islam and defended Islam for more than 200 years. They succeeded in putting an end to the Shia-Sunni conflicts and established unity in the Islamic world. They built great mosques and schools and defended Islam against enemy attacks.

Our history books describe in detail the achievements of the Seljuq Turks. But these books are totally silent on how and when these Turks accepted Islam. This is the biggest vacuum in Islam’s recorded history: it has recorded in great detail the military and political conquests, but it does not tell us of the greater conquest, i.e., how Islam made inroads into the hearts and minds of the people, and how nation after nation entered the fold of Islam. The present books on Islamic history tell us in great detail about the State of Seljuqs but they do not give us any details of the Islam of the Seljuqs.

In the entire Islamic literature, there is probably only one book worthy of mention, written on the history of the propagation of Islam by T.W. Arnold. Here is a passage from the book The Preaching of Islam:

“In the hours of its political degradation, Islam has achieved some of its most brilliant spiritual conquests: on two great historical occasions, infidel barbarians have set their feet on the necks of the followers of the Prophet—the Seljuq Turks in the eleventh and the Mongols in the thirteenth century — and in each case, the conquerors have accepted the religion of the conquered.” (p. 2)

History is witness to the fact that the Seljuq Turks established unity in the Islamic world, built great mosques and schools, and defended Islam for nearly 200 years.