I know that I am in Malta, but I am doing my part and spreading the word about the heroism of our ancestors. I hope that one day you will read them, imitate them, and know why we have reached the state of humiliation and disgrace that we are in.
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Battle of Wadi al-Makhazin or Battle of the Three Kings

The Battle of Wadi al-Makhazin, also known as the Battle of the Three Kings, took place between Morocco and Portugal on 30 Jumada al-Akhira 986 AH (August 4, 1578 AD). The Portuguese were motivated to engage in this battle to occupy the coasts of North Africa, gradually eradicate Islam in those regions, and bring them under Christian rule. They also sought to tighten their control over trade routes, particularly the entrance to the Mediterranean by controlling the Strait of Gibraltar. In doing so, they sought to draw inspiration from the experience of the Reconquista, which Spain had waged against the Islamic presence there, and to prevent the Saadi dynasty, with the support of the Ottomans, from repeating its assault on Andalusia. The outcome of this battle was a victory for Morocco, while Portugal lost its king, its army, and many of its statesmen.

The cause of the battle
Sebastian ascended the throne of the Portuguese Empire in 1557 AD. At that time, Portugal's influence extended to the coasts of Africa, Asia, and America. He aspired to wrest North Africa from the hands of the Muslims. He contacted his uncle, King Philip II of Spain, inviting him to participate in a new crusade against the Maghreb, to prevent the Saadi dynasty, with the help of the Ottomans, from repeating the attack on Andalusia.
The Saadi Sharif rulers of Morocco are descendants of Muhammad ibn al-Nafs al-Zakiyya from the Prophet’s household. After the Almoravid state, the Almohad state arose, then the Marinid state, then the Wattas state, and then the Saadi Sharif state. It was established in 923 AH / 1517 AD on the basis of fighting the Portuguese. This family was able to liberate many of the Moroccan coasts overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, which had been occupied by the Spanish in several campaigns. It was able to enter Marrakesh in 931 AH / 1525 AD, then Fez in 961 AH / 1554 AD. This was the beginning of the establishment of that state, which continued until 1011 AH / 1603 AD.
When Abdullah al-Ghalib al-Saadi, the ruler of the Saadi dynasty, died, his son Muhammad al-Mutawakkil took over the rule in 981 AH / 1574 AD. He was known for his cruelty and wrongdoings, so his uncles Abd al-Malik and Ahmad turned against him and sought help from the Ottomans who were present in Algeria. The Ottomans provided them with aid and they were able to defeat al-Mutawakkil in two battles in 983 AH / 1576 AD. Abd al-Malik was able to enter Fez, the capital of the Saadi dynasty, and take the pledge of allegiance for himself, and he began to establish a strong army that included Arabs, Berbers, Turkish and Andalusian elements.
Al-Mutawakkil's loss to his uncles Abd al-Malik and Ahmad did not make him accept the status quo, so he traveled to the Portuguese coast and sought help from the Portuguese king, Don Sebastian, to help him regain his kingdom in exchange for granting him the Moroccan coast on the Atlantic Ocean.

Crusader Alliance
The young King of Portugal wanted to erase the weakness and indolence that had plagued the Portuguese throne during his father's reign. He also wanted to raise his standing among the kings of Europe. The opportunity came to him when Al-Mutawakkil sought help against his blind followers and his own people, in exchange for ceding to him all the coasts of Morocco.
Sebastian sought help from his uncle, the King of Spain, who promised to provide him with enough ships and troops to control the city of Larache, as he believed it was worth as much as all the other ports in Morocco. He then provided him with twenty thousand Spanish soldiers. Sebastian had already mobilized twelve thousand Portuguese troops with him, and the Italians had sent him three thousand, and a similar number from Germany and many others. The Pope sent him four thousand more, along with fifteen hundred horses and twelve cannons. Sebastian had gathered about a thousand ships to carry these forces to the Moroccan border. The King of Spain had warned his nephew of the consequences of penetrating into Morocco, but he paid no attention to them.
The Ottoman intelligence in Algeria was able to monitor these communications between Al-Mutawakkil and the Portuguese, and Hassan Pasha, the Emir of the Emirs of Algeria, sent an important message to the Ottoman Sultan in this regard. The Ottomans in Istanbul were aware of what was happening in Europe, as they had information about contacts that the Pope of Rome and the Duke of France had been conducting for several months with the aim of gathering soldiers and preparing ships and loading them with fighters to assist Portugal in its invasion of the Moroccan coast. The Ottoman intelligence monitored the communications between King Sebastian of Portugal and his uncle, King Philip II of Spain, but they were unable to determine the truth of the agreement that had taken place between them. However, the information they monitored confirmed that the King of Spain had gathered about ten thousand soldiers to assist Portugal in its discipline of the King of Fez, Abd al-Malik al-Saadi.
As for the Saadi state, its ships were able to capture an embassy that Al-Mutawakkil had sent to Portugal, asking them to intervene to help him recover his kingdom in exchange for granting them the Moroccan coasts on the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, the Saadis began to prepare for the coming war in terms of military preparations, mobilizing soldiers, and contacting the Ottomans in Algeria to obtain their support in the upcoming war against the Portuguese and Spanish.

The two armies' march to Wadi al-Makhazin
The Portuguese Army: The Crusader ships sailed from the port of Lisbon towards Morocco on June 24, 1578 AD / 986 AH. They stayed in Lagos for a few days, then headed to Cadiz and stayed for a full week. They then docked in Tangier, where Sebastian met his ally Al-Mutawakkil. The ships then continued on their way to Asilah, where Sebastian stayed in Tangier for one day, then joined his army.
The Moroccan Army: The cry throughout Morocco was: “Go to Wadi al-Makhazin to fight in the way of Allah.” The people gathered, eager for victory or martyrdom. Abd al-Malik wrote from Marrakesh to Sebastian: “Your power has become apparent in your departure from your land and your crossing of the enemy. If you hold out until we attack you, then you are a true and brave Christian. Otherwise, you are Kalb ibn Kalb.” When he received the letter, he became angry and consulted his companions. They advised him to advance and take possession of Tataouine, Larache and Ksar, and to gather their equipment and garrison. Sebastian hesitated despite his men’s advice. Abd al-Malik wrote to his brother Ahmad to go out with the soldiers of Fez and its environs and prepare for battle. Thus, the people of Marrakesh and southern Morocco marched under the leadership of Abd al-Malik, and his brother Ahmad marched with the people of Fez and its environs. The encounter took place near the district of Ksar el-Kebir.

The forces of both parties
The Portuguese army: 125,000 fighters and their necessary equipment, and the least that was said about their number was eighty thousand, and among them were 20,000 Spaniards, 3,000 Germans, 7,000 Italians, with thousands of horses, and more than forty cannons, under the command of the young King Sebastian, and with them was Al-Mutawakkil with a group ranging between 3,000 and 6,000 at most.
The Moroccan Army: Led by Abd al-Malik al-Mu'tasim Billah, the Muslim Moroccans numbered 40,000 fighters. They had superior cavalry and only 34 cannons, but their morale was high because they had previously defeated the Portuguese and seized control of their territories. They knew that the outcome of the battle would determine the fate of their country, and because popular forces were present in the battlefield and had an impact in galvanizing and raising morale, represented by the sheikhs and scholars.

Before the battle
The Portuguese thought they were going on a picnic on the Moroccan beaches, and they took the matter very lightly. They were confident of an easy victory, so much so that crosses were prepared to be hung on the great Moroccan mosques in Fez and Marrakesh. There were even plans to convert the famous Qarawiyyin Mosque's qibla into a church altar. Some upper-class Portuguese women wanted to accompany the army to witness the battle, and some Portuguese dressed in dazzling, ornate dresses as if they were attending a race or a festival.
Portuguese and Spanish ships sailed from the port of Lisbon on the 19th of Rabi' al-Thani 986 AH / June 24, 1578 AD and landed at the shore of the port of Asilah, which they occupied. Sebastian was surprised to find that the number of Al-Mutawakkil's forces was very small.
The Saadians based their plan on extending the period during which the Portuguese forces remained on the coast without penetrating Moroccan territory, so that the Saadians could assemble their forces and push them into battle. Then the Saadians began trying to tempt Portugal to leave the coast and penetrate the Moroccan desert lands, in order to exhaust them and distance them from their supply centers on the ocean coast.
Abd al-Malik's plan succeeded, and he was able to lure the Portuguese and Spanish forces to advance into Morocco, reaching a wide plain called the Ksar el-Kebir Plain or the Wadi al-Makhazin Plain, near the Loukos River. There was only one bridge over the river to cross into the valley.
Abd al-Malik's battle plan was to have the Portuguese forces cross the bridge into the valley, and then the Moroccan forces would blow up this bridge to cut off the Portuguese's return route. This would then leave the river behind them during the fighting, leaving the Portuguese soldiers with no other way to rush to when the fighting intensified, meaning they would drown in it, given the iron and armor they carried.
The two armies faced each other with artillery, followed by infantry archers, and on the flanks by cavalry. The Muslim army had popular volunteer forces in addition to a reserve group of cavalry that would attack at the appropriate time.

The Battle
On Monday morning, 30 Jumada al-Akhirah 986 AH, corresponding to August 4, 1578 AD, Sultan Abdul Malik stood up and urged the army to fight. The priests and monks spared no effort in arousing the enthusiasm of the Crusader soldiers, reminding them that the Pope had absolved the souls of those who died in these wars from their sins.
Dozens of shots were fired from both sides, signaling the start of the battle. Despite the deterioration of Sultan Abdul Malik's health, who was afflicted with illness on his way from Marrakesh to the Grand Palace, he went out himself to repel the first attack, but illness overcame him and he returned to his litter. Moments later, he breathed his last, and died with his index finger on his mouth, indicating that they should keep the matter secret until victory was achieved and not to be disturbed. And that was the case, as no one knew of his death except his chamberlain and his brother Ahmed Al-Mansur. His chamberlain began to say to the soldiers: "The Sultan orders so-and-so to go to such-and-such a place, so-and-so to hold fast to the banner, so-and-so to advance, and so-and-so to retreat." In another narration, Al-Mutawakkil poisoned his uncle Abdul Malik before the encounter so that he would die in the battle and so that strife would break out in the Moroccan camp.
Ahmed Al-Mansur led the vanguard of the army against the rearguard of the Portuguese, setting fire to their gunpowder. An attacking wave also targeted their archers, but the Portuguese did not recover from the force of the shock. The Portuguese tried to escape from the battlefield and return to the shore, but they found that the Wadi al-Makhazin bridge had been blown up. The soldiers, including Sebastian, threw themselves into the water, and he and many of his soldiers drowned. The rest were killed on the battlefield or captured. As for the rest who survived and took to the sea, the ruler of Algiers, Hassan Pasha, and his commander, Reis Sinan, were able to intercept their ships and capture most of them; 500 people were captured.
The traitor Al-Mutawakkil tried to flee north, but he drowned in the Wadi al-Makhazin River. His body was found floating on the water, so he was skinned, filled with straw, and paraded around Morocco until it was torn apart and disintegrated.
The battle lasted four and a quarter hours, and victory was not a coincidence, but rather the result of high morale, a sense of responsibility, and a carefully thought-out, well-planned plan.

Battle result
The outcome of the battle was an immortal victory in the history of Islam, and the death of three kings: a defeated Crusader, Sebastian, king of the greatest empire on earth at the time; a drowned, flayed traitor, Muhammad al-Mutawakkil; and a heroic martyr, Abd al-Malik al-Mu'tasim, whose soul departed. History will forever be proud of his loyalty, wisdom, courage, and chivalry. In those hours, Portugal lost its king, its army, and its statesmen. Only one member of the royal family remained. Philip II of Spain seized the opportunity and annexed Portugal to his throne in 988 AH / 1580 AD. Ahmad al-Mansur inherited the Saadi throne in Fez and sent an embassy to the Ottoman Sultan, offering to join his state to the Ottoman Caliphate.

Reasons for victory
1- The Muslims’ pain from the fall of Granada, the loss of Andalusia, and the Inquisition are wounds that have not yet healed, and they are present before them.
2- A carefully planned plan, luring the enemy into a field where horses roam and charge, cutting off his supply routes, and then blowing up the only bridge over the Wadi al-Makhazin River.
3- The effective participation of popular forces led by scholars and sheikhs, full of faith, love of martyrdom, and high spirits to achieve victory, to the point that some fought with sickles and sticks.
4- The Moroccan artillery was superior to the Portuguese army's artillery, with skill in aiming and accuracy.
5- The Muslims had more horses than the Christians, and the plain that the Sultan had chosen for the battle suited them.
6- Sebastian was on one side and his advisors and senior men were on the other.

Why We Were Great
Unforgettable Days: Important Pages of Islamic History by Tamer Badr