How Did Turks Become Muslim? By Sword or By Their Own Wills? - Towards Eternity
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When and how did the Turks, one of the last armies of Islam, get introduced to the religion of Islam? Did they accept Islam as a result of being forced by the sword, as some frequently say, or were there other reasons for their conversion? What happened between the Arabs and the Turks? Let's take a look at the introduction of the Turks to Islam. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent thousands of prophets, before Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Some of those prophets were also sent to the Turks in the past. So, they believed in the afterlife and in the oneness of God. They remained as the sole nation that did not engage in idol worship, always having faith in only one true God.
Simocatta, a Byzantine historian, said the following about the pre-Islamic faith of the Turks: "The Turks do not worship anything other than one God,'' ''Who created the sky and the earth. They sacrifice horses, cattle and sheep for Him." Thus, according to what he said, the faith of the Turks had some resemblance to the Islamic faith. In addition, the understanding of the Turks', which is "the sky is our tent, the sun is our flag", corresponding to the Islamic obligation of spreading Islam to the whole world, is another similarity. When did Islam first come to the Turks? The initial encounters between the Turks and the Arabs occurred during the caliphate of Omar (R.A).
In the year 642, the muslim army brought down the Persian Empire at the battle of Nahavand and then marched on and reached the Caucasus region. Thereafter, it came to the borders of Western Turkic Khaganate. During that time, meeting between the Turks and the Arabs occurred in the form of minor border conflicts. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Leave the Turks alone as long as they leave you alone" and the Arabs complied with it. Because the Arabs knew this hadith, they avoided fighting the Turks as they didn't want to prevent the Turks from accepting the religion of Islam.
As a result, 10-15 years after the demise of the Prophet (pbuh) some Turkic people, although in low numbers, started to get introduced to Islam. As the Turks gradually started to embrace Islam, the Umayyad Caliphate's nationalistic approach, and its outlook on reverts as second class citizens, became a huge obstacle in spreading Islam. The Umayyads took it to such an extent that they even started to fight the Turks. Moreover, their actions during the wars, which were completely against the teachings of Islam, distanced the Turks from Islam even more. Therefore, the Turks didn't accept the Umayyads.
Some of the recent converts among the Turks at the time even left Islam because of the transgressions of the Umayyads. In face of the Umayyad's injustices, they questioned: "is this what Islam really is?" and not only did the Turks not become Muslim, but the approach of the Umayyad Caliphate, which was contrary to Islam, also prevented them from getting to know the religion more. The Umayyads during that time, unfortunately, persecuted everyone, including the Muslims.
Hence, it's probably because of this that people frequently ask: "Did the Turks become Muslim by force?" Because of the Umayyads' persecution of the Turks, who were dethroned and had to face difficult times during that period, a false perception has evolved that they were 'forced' to accept Islam. If the Turks were forced to convert, why did they not return to their old faith after they regained power? As a matter of fact, regardless of whether such persecution took place or not, if the heart doesn't accept Islam as being the truth, one doesn't become a Muslim. Islam, at its essence, does not allow any form of coercion.
The Turks, with their heart and by their choice, became Muslims at the end of a long process. Well, how did this process begin? How did the Turks get close to Islam again? Because of a big uprising and a civil war that broke out in the year 750, the Umayyads were split into two. As a result of this uprising, the Abbasid Caliphate was founded in place of the Umayyads and all the wrong practices of the Umayyads came to an end. Shortly after the Abbasid Caliphate was founded, a war, which was a turning point in the world history, broke out: The Battle of Talas.
Taking advantage of the turmoil in the Muslim world, The Chinese took over the city of Fergana, a border district with the Abbasid Caliphate. Their main intent was not only to take it over but also to spread their faith in Central Asia. In order to prevent the Chinese, who initiated this outbreak, the Abbasids faced the Chinese in the battlefield on the coast of the Talas River. There was something very important that changed the course of the battle. The Arabs had never met the Chinese nation prior to that event. The Arabs were not only going to fight the Chinese but also the Turks in this battle. Yes.
The Karluk Turks, who lived during the darkest ages of the Turkish history, worked as mercenaries. They didn't have a stable income, so they made their living this way. Since the Chinese general Gao knew this, he made an agreement with the leader of the Karluk Turks and confronted the Arabs with them on his side. So, the battle of Talas was a war in which all the three nations participated. The first few days of the war were very brutal and and the Chinese army was unexpectedly dominating the war against the Arabs, because superior weaponry and advanced technology gave the Chinese an upperhand.
On the last day of the war, which lasted five days, An incident happened which changed the course of the war. This happened when the Chinese were about to defeat the Arabs. The Abbasid General, Ziyad, and the Karluk Turks' leader met on the fourth night of the war. The Karluk Turks' leader knew that the Chinese wanted to wipe out the Turkish race, So, he didn't want the Chinese to be victorious. The matter was no longer about money or making a living. He wanted to teach the Chinese a lesson because of all the persecution they faced for years but he was also not able to forget about their persecution by the Umayyads.
The Abbasid General Ziyad, promised that what happened in the past wouldn't happen again. He wanted the recently established Abbasid Caliphate and the Turks to be allies. The Turkish leader believed in the sincerity of Ziyad and agreed to fight against Gao together. On the last day of the battle, the Karluk Turks became the side that changed the course of the battle. While the Arabs attacked the centre of the enemy's army. The Turkic cavalries suddenly started to attack the right and left sides of the Chinese army. The Chinese General Gao, who didn't understand what was going on and didn't know what to do, couldn't prevent his army from being defeated.
The Chinese army lost the battle with heavy casualties and left many captives behind. 751 The Battle of Talas was a turning point in World History. This is because if the war ended with a Chinese victory, it was inevitable that Central Asia would be Sinicised. There was no power in the Turkic world, which was politically divided, that could face China. For this reason, the victory of Arabs in the Battle of Talas caused really important developments in both the Islamic and Turkic histories. Most importantly, it paved the way for Islamization of Central Asia. There was also another incident that occurred and changed the course of World History.
An invention that China hid from the rest of the world was captured by the Muslims. We are talking about an invention that we take for granted today and it is in front of our eyes every day. Paper. Yes. As the paper making technology was captured by the Muslims and the Turks, important steps that marked an era were taken. With this victory, compass and gunpowder were also captured by the Muslims. This way, the Abbasids took the first steps in their progress towards the golden age. Conflicts between the Turks and the Arabs were replaced with friendship and cooperation, as a result of this war. The Turks and the Arabs quickly moved away from being two nations fighting each other.
Trade routes were opened. This wasn't all. The Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur wanted the Turks to take part in special missions. The Turks, who were the guardians of the caliph in Baghdad, were probably the first Turkic Muslims. They were such good warriors that they were deployed at border cities such as Malatya and Adana. The Turks completely devoted themselves to Islam during that period. They even participated in military campaigns against Byzantium. The Abbasid Caliphate practiced the method of spreading the message of Islam in such a successful way that the same success achieved in terms of military were also achieved in spreading Islam.
Among the Turkic cities, the first city in which people converted to Islam was Tashkent. The Kara-Khanid Khanate was the first large state to convert to Islam. At the beginning of the 10th century, for the first time, a Turkic group converted to Islam. Later, a group from the Oghuz Turks followed them. They had a leader named Seljuk. He took the first steps towards a great empire that would later be founded. Yes. The Great Seljuk Empire. This way, Islam became the prevalent religion among the rest of the Oghuz Turks, along with the Seljuk Empire, since the beginning of the 11th century.
When the trait of bravery found in the nature of the Turkic nation converged with the sacred mission of Islam, which originated from Makkah and Madinah and arrived in their lands, the Turks settled into their rightful place in history. What happened afterwards is well known. Kilij Arslan, Alp Arslan, Suleiman Shah, Osman Ghazi, Mehmed the Conqueror, Suleiman the Magnificent did not remain only as Turkic Khagans, they also took the message of Islam to the furthest lands. With the permission of Allah, Islam spread all over the world by their hands. There was Yunus Emre, Ahmad Yasawi, Rumi and many others.
Sufi imams like them, who had a significant impact, greatly increased loyalty of the Central Asia to Islam. Islam being a divine and universal religion; Islam not allowing for coercion at its essence; Islam offering a better system than any other, and Islamic values being in line with human nature, were other important factors that were influential in the acceptance and spreading of Islam by the Turks. The Turks have always served the Muslim world and its religious institutions. They have never hesitated to sacrifice their lives and wealth for an Islamic cause. They have never compromised on Islamic values.
They have reached such high levels by following the way of the Prophet (pbuh) and by taking Him as their guide. What is required for us as Muslims is to take our ancestors as an example. Take their struggle as an example, in which they got rid of their personal desires and lived for a greater purpose. Without getting behind the many excuses of our time, live a life Allah may be pleased with and set an example for the future generations. If we don't do that we will become a generation that the previous ones condemn and the future ones are ashamed of. If the Muslim identity still comes to mind when one thinks of a Turk, That means it's still not too late.
Simocatta, a Byzantine historian, said the following about the pre-Islamic faith of the Turks: "The Turks do not worship anything other than one God,'' ''Who created the sky and the earth. They sacrifice horses, cattle and sheep for Him." Thus, according to what he said, the faith of the Turks had some resemblance to the Islamic faith. In addition, the understanding of the Turks', which is "the sky is our tent, the sun is our flag", corresponding to the Islamic obligation of spreading Islam to the whole world, is another similarity. When did Islam first come to the Turks? The initial encounters between the Turks and the Arabs occurred during the caliphate of Omar (R.A).
In the year 642, the muslim army brought down the Persian Empire at the battle of Nahavand and then marched on and reached the Caucasus region. Thereafter, it came to the borders of Western Turkic Khaganate. During that time, meeting between the Turks and the Arabs occurred in the form of minor border conflicts. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Leave the Turks alone as long as they leave you alone" and the Arabs complied with it. Because the Arabs knew this hadith, they avoided fighting the Turks as they didn't want to prevent the Turks from accepting the religion of Islam.
As a result, 10-15 years after the demise of the Prophet (pbuh) some Turkic people, although in low numbers, started to get introduced to Islam. As the Turks gradually started to embrace Islam, the Umayyad Caliphate's nationalistic approach, and its outlook on reverts as second class citizens, became a huge obstacle in spreading Islam. The Umayyads took it to such an extent that they even started to fight the Turks. Moreover, their actions during the wars, which were completely against the teachings of Islam, distanced the Turks from Islam even more. Therefore, the Turks didn't accept the Umayyads.
Some of the recent converts among the Turks at the time even left Islam because of the transgressions of the Umayyads. In face of the Umayyad's injustices, they questioned: "is this what Islam really is?" and not only did the Turks not become Muslim, but the approach of the Umayyad Caliphate, which was contrary to Islam, also prevented them from getting to know the religion more. The Umayyads during that time, unfortunately, persecuted everyone, including the Muslims.
Hence, it's probably because of this that people frequently ask: "Did the Turks become Muslim by force?" Because of the Umayyads' persecution of the Turks, who were dethroned and had to face difficult times during that period, a false perception has evolved that they were 'forced' to accept Islam. If the Turks were forced to convert, why did they not return to their old faith after they regained power? As a matter of fact, regardless of whether such persecution took place or not, if the heart doesn't accept Islam as being the truth, one doesn't become a Muslim. Islam, at its essence, does not allow any form of coercion.
The Turks, with their heart and by their choice, became Muslims at the end of a long process. Well, how did this process begin? How did the Turks get close to Islam again? Because of a big uprising and a civil war that broke out in the year 750, the Umayyads were split into two. As a result of this uprising, the Abbasid Caliphate was founded in place of the Umayyads and all the wrong practices of the Umayyads came to an end. Shortly after the Abbasid Caliphate was founded, a war, which was a turning point in the world history, broke out: The Battle of Talas.
Taking advantage of the turmoil in the Muslim world, The Chinese took over the city of Fergana, a border district with the Abbasid Caliphate. Their main intent was not only to take it over but also to spread their faith in Central Asia. In order to prevent the Chinese, who initiated this outbreak, the Abbasids faced the Chinese in the battlefield on the coast of the Talas River. There was something very important that changed the course of the battle. The Arabs had never met the Chinese nation prior to that event. The Arabs were not only going to fight the Chinese but also the Turks in this battle. Yes.
The Karluk Turks, who lived during the darkest ages of the Turkish history, worked as mercenaries. They didn't have a stable income, so they made their living this way. Since the Chinese general Gao knew this, he made an agreement with the leader of the Karluk Turks and confronted the Arabs with them on his side. So, the battle of Talas was a war in which all the three nations participated. The first few days of the war were very brutal and and the Chinese army was unexpectedly dominating the war against the Arabs, because superior weaponry and advanced technology gave the Chinese an upperhand.
On the last day of the war, which lasted five days, An incident happened which changed the course of the war. This happened when the Chinese were about to defeat the Arabs. The Abbasid General, Ziyad, and the Karluk Turks' leader met on the fourth night of the war. The Karluk Turks' leader knew that the Chinese wanted to wipe out the Turkish race, So, he didn't want the Chinese to be victorious. The matter was no longer about money or making a living. He wanted to teach the Chinese a lesson because of all the persecution they faced for years but he was also not able to forget about their persecution by the Umayyads.
The Abbasid General Ziyad, promised that what happened in the past wouldn't happen again. He wanted the recently established Abbasid Caliphate and the Turks to be allies. The Turkish leader believed in the sincerity of Ziyad and agreed to fight against Gao together. On the last day of the battle, the Karluk Turks became the side that changed the course of the battle. While the Arabs attacked the centre of the enemy's army. The Turkic cavalries suddenly started to attack the right and left sides of the Chinese army. The Chinese General Gao, who didn't understand what was going on and didn't know what to do, couldn't prevent his army from being defeated.
The Chinese army lost the battle with heavy casualties and left many captives behind. 751 The Battle of Talas was a turning point in World History. This is because if the war ended with a Chinese victory, it was inevitable that Central Asia would be Sinicised. There was no power in the Turkic world, which was politically divided, that could face China. For this reason, the victory of Arabs in the Battle of Talas caused really important developments in both the Islamic and Turkic histories. Most importantly, it paved the way for Islamization of Central Asia. There was also another incident that occurred and changed the course of World History.
An invention that China hid from the rest of the world was captured by the Muslims. We are talking about an invention that we take for granted today and it is in front of our eyes every day. Paper. Yes. As the paper making technology was captured by the Muslims and the Turks, important steps that marked an era were taken. With this victory, compass and gunpowder were also captured by the Muslims. This way, the Abbasids took the first steps in their progress towards the golden age. Conflicts between the Turks and the Arabs were replaced with friendship and cooperation, as a result of this war. The Turks and the Arabs quickly moved away from being two nations fighting each other.
Trade routes were opened. This wasn't all. The Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur wanted the Turks to take part in special missions. The Turks, who were the guardians of the caliph in Baghdad, were probably the first Turkic Muslims. They were such good warriors that they were deployed at border cities such as Malatya and Adana. The Turks completely devoted themselves to Islam during that period. They even participated in military campaigns against Byzantium. The Abbasid Caliphate practiced the method of spreading the message of Islam in such a successful way that the same success achieved in terms of military were also achieved in spreading Islam.
Among the Turkic cities, the first city in which people converted to Islam was Tashkent. The Kara-Khanid Khanate was the first large state to convert to Islam. At the beginning of the 10th century, for the first time, a Turkic group converted to Islam. Later, a group from the Oghuz Turks followed them. They had a leader named Seljuk. He took the first steps towards a great empire that would later be founded. Yes. The Great Seljuk Empire. This way, Islam became the prevalent religion among the rest of the Oghuz Turks, along with the Seljuk Empire, since the beginning of the 11th century.
When the trait of bravery found in the nature of the Turkic nation converged with the sacred mission of Islam, which originated from Makkah and Madinah and arrived in their lands, the Turks settled into their rightful place in history. What happened afterwards is well known. Kilij Arslan, Alp Arslan, Suleiman Shah, Osman Ghazi, Mehmed the Conqueror, Suleiman the Magnificent did not remain only as Turkic Khagans, they also took the message of Islam to the furthest lands. With the permission of Allah, Islam spread all over the world by their hands. There was Yunus Emre, Ahmad Yasawi, Rumi and many others.
Sufi imams like them, who had a significant impact, greatly increased loyalty of the Central Asia to Islam. Islam being a divine and universal religion; Islam not allowing for coercion at its essence; Islam offering a better system than any other, and Islamic values being in line with human nature, were other important factors that were influential in the acceptance and spreading of Islam by the Turks. The Turks have always served the Muslim world and its religious institutions. They have never hesitated to sacrifice their lives and wealth for an Islamic cause. They have never compromised on Islamic values.
They have reached such high levels by following the way of the Prophet (pbuh) and by taking Him as their guide. What is required for us as Muslims is to take our ancestors as an example. Take their struggle as an example, in which they got rid of their personal desires and lived for a greater purpose. Without getting behind the many excuses of our time, live a life Allah may be pleased with and set an example for the future generations. If we don't do that we will become a generation that the previous ones condemn and the future ones are ashamed of. If the Muslim identity still comes to mind when one thinks of a Turk, That means it's still not too late.