Suleiman the Magnificent

Suleiman the Magnificent was not immersed in pleasures as the media promotes to us. Rather, he was a just ruler, a poet, a calligrapher, and a master of several Eastern languages, including Arabic. He was fond of building and construction, and he loved jihad for the sake of God. Here is his true story.

He is Suleiman the Magnificent, son of Selim, known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent. He is one of the most famous Ottoman sultans. He ruled for 48 years from 9261 TP5T, making him the longest-reigning Ottoman sultan.
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent spent forty-six years at the pinnacle of power in the Ottoman Caliphate, during which the state reached the pinnacle of strength and authority. Its territory expanded to unprecedented levels, extending its authority over many countries across the world's three continents. Its prestige extended to encompass the entire globe, and it became the world's leader, courted by countries and kingdoms. Systems and laws advanced to govern life with precision and order, without violating Islamic law, which the Ottomans were keen to respect and adhere to in all parts of their state. Arts and literature advanced, and architecture and construction flourished.

His upbringing
His father was Sultan Selim I and his mother was Hafsa Sultan, daughter of Menguli Karani Khan of Crimea. Suleiman the Magnificent was born in Trabzon in 900 AH / 1495 AD, when his father was the governor. He took great care of him, and Suleiman grew up loving knowledge, literature, scholars, men of letters, and jurists. He was known from his youth for his seriousness and dignity.

Taking over the reins of power
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent assumed the caliphate after the death of his father, Sultan Selim I, on 9 Shawwal 926 AH / 22 September 1520 AD. He began to manage the affairs of the state and direct its policy. He would begin his speeches with the Holy Quranic verse: “Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it is in the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” The works that the Sultan accomplished during his reign were many and of great significance in the life of the state.
In the first period of his rule, he succeeded in establishing the state's prestige and striking at the hands of the rebellious governors who aspired to independence, believing that the young age of the Sultan, who was only twenty-six years old, was a good opportunity to realize their dreams. However, they were surprised by the Sultan's strong and unwavering determination, as he crushed the rebellion of Janberdi al-Ghazali in the Levant, Ahmed Pasha in Egypt, and Qalandar Jalabi in the regions of Konya and Marash, who was a Shiite and gathered around him about thirty thousand followers to revolt against the state.

battlefields
The Ottoman Empire moved into many battlefields to expand its influence during the reign of Suleiman, including Europe, Asia and Africa. He seized Belgrade in 927 AH / 1521 AD, and besieged Vienna in 935 AH / 1529 AD, but he did not succeed in conquering it. He tried again, and its fate was no better than the first. He annexed parts of Hungary, including its capital, Budapest, to his state, and made it an Ottoman province.
In Asia, Sultan Suleiman launched three major campaigns against the Safavid Empire, beginning in 941 AH / 1534 AD. The first campaign succeeded in annexing Iraq to the Ottoman Empire. During the second campaign in 955 AH / 1548 AD, Tabriz and the fortresses of Van and Erivan were added to the state's possessions. The third campaign, in 962 AH / 1555 AD, forced Shah Tahmasp to make peace and ceded Erivan, Tabriz, and eastern Anatolia to the Ottomans.
During his reign, the Ottomans also confronted the influence of the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf. Uwais Pasha, the governor of Yemen, seized the Taiz Castle in 953 AH / 1546 AD. During his reign, Oman, Al-Ahsa, Qatar, and the sea fell under the influence of the Ottoman Caliphate. This policy led to the limitation of Portuguese influence in the waters of the Middle East.
In Africa, Libya, most of Tunisia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia fell under the influence of the Ottoman Caliphate.

Development of the Ottoman Navy
The Ottoman Navy had grown significantly since the days of Sultan Bayezid II, and was responsible for protecting the seas bordering the empire. During the reign of Suleiman, the navy's power increased to unprecedented levels with the accession of Hayreddin Barbarossa, who commanded a powerful fleet that attacked the Spanish coast and Crusader ships in the Mediterranean. After his accession to the empire, the Sultan granted him the title of "Kapudan."
Thanks to the assistance he received from Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Khair ad-Din attacked the Spanish coasts and rescued thousands of Muslims in Spain. In 935 AH / 1529 AD, he made seven voyages to the Spanish coasts to transport seventy thousand Muslims from the grip of the Spanish government.
The Sultan entrusted Khair ad-Din with the command of naval campaigns in the western Mediterranean. Spain tried to destroy his fleet, but failed every time and suffered heavy losses. Perhaps its most severe defeat was the Battle of Preveza in 945 AH / 1538 AD.
Khair ad-Din's fleet joined the French fleet in its war with the Habsburgs, and aided the French in recapturing the city of Nice in 950 AH/1543 AD. This led to France willingly ceding the French port of Toulon to the Ottoman administration, transforming the French military port into an Islamic military base for the Ottoman Empire in the western Mediterranean.
The Ottoman fleet's scope of operations expanded to include the Red Sea, where the Ottomans captured Suakin and Massawa, expelled the Portuguese from the Red Sea, and seized the coasts of Ethiopia, which led to a revival of trade between Asia and the West via Islamic lands.

Civilizational development
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was a poet with refined artistic taste, a skilled calligrapher, and fluent in several oriental languages, including Arabic. He had an eye for precious stones and was fascinated by construction and building, the effects of which were evident in his empire. He spent lavishly on major constructions, building fortresses and strongholds in Rhodes, Belgrade, and Buda. He also constructed mosques, cisterns, and bridges throughout the empire, particularly in Damascus, Mecca, and Baghdad. He also built architectural masterpieces in his capital. Researcher Jamal al-Din Faleh al-Kilani asserts that the era of Suleiman the Magnificent is considered the golden age of the Ottoman Empire, as it was the most powerful state in the world and controlled the Mediterranean.
During his era, the most famous architects in Islamic history emerged, such as the architect Sinan Agha, who participated in the Ottoman campaigns and became familiar with many architectural styles until he developed his own style. The Suleymaniye Mosque, or Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, which he built for Sultan Suleiman in 964 AH / 1557 AD, is considered one of the most famous architectural works in Islamic history.
During his reign, the art of Ottoman miniatures reached its peak. Arifi documented the political and social events that took place during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent in vivid miniatures. A number of great calligraphers excelled in this era, most notably Hasan Efendi Çelebi Karahisari, who wrote the calligraphy for the Süleymaniye Mosque, and his teacher Ahmed bin Karahisari. He wrote a copy of the Qur'an in his own handwriting, which is considered a masterpiece of Arabic calligraphy and fine art. It is preserved in the Topkapi Museum.
During the reign of Sultan Suleiman, a number of scholars emerged, most notably Abu al-Su'ud Effendi, author of the interpretation known as "Guidance of the Sound Mind to the Merits of the Holy Book."

Law and Administration
What Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent is most famous for, and for which he is associated with his name, is the laws that governed life in his vast empire. These laws were drafted by him along with Sheikh al-Islam Abu al-Su'ud Efendi, taking into account the unique circumstances of the regions of his empire and ensuring that they were consistent with Islamic law and customary norms. These laws, known as the "Kanunname Sultan Suleiman," or the Constitution of Sultan Suleiman, remained in effect until the beginning of the thirteenth century AH (19th century AD).
The people did not call Sultan Suleiman the Lawgiver because he established laws, but rather because he applied them fairly. This is why the Ottomans consider the titles given to Suleiman by Europeans during his time, such as "the Great" and "the Magnificent," to be of little importance or impact compared to the title "the Lawgiver," which represents justice.
The era of Qanuni was not the era in which the state reached its greatest extent, but rather the era in which the greatest state was administered with the most advanced administrative system.

His death
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent never abandoned jihad. In his later years, he was afflicted with gout, rendering him unable to ride a horse. However, he persevered to show his strength to his enemies. Suleiman was 74 years old, yet when he learned that the Habsburg king had raided a Muslim border, he immediately set out for jihad. Although he was suffering from severe illness, he personally led the army, heading a massive army on Shawwal 9, 973 AH (April 29, 1566 AD). He reached the Hungarian city of Szigetvár, one of the greatest Christian fortresses, and loaded with gunpowder and cannons. Before setting out for jihad, his physician advised him not to go out due to his gout. Sultan Suleiman's response, which has been immortalized in history, was: "I would like to die fighting for the sake of Allah."
Glory be to God, this Sultan had reached extreme old age, and he had half the world under his control, and the kings of the earth were at his beck and call. He could have enjoyed life in palaces, moving between rooms, and enjoying pleasures, yet he insisted on going out as a warrior in the cause of God.
He actually went out at the head of his army and he was unable to ride his horse because of the increase in his gout, so he was carried in a cart until he reached the walls of the city of Szigetvar, and he began to besiege it. In less than two weeks, he occupied its front strongholds, and the fighting began and the struggle intensified. It was the most difficult battle that the Muslims faced because of the strength of the walls and the ferocity of the Christians in defending their fortress.
The fighting and siege continued for about five full months, and the matter of conquest only became more difficult, and the Muslims’ worries increased due to the difficulty of the conquest. Here, the Sultan’s illness intensified and he felt that his end was approaching, so he began to supplicate to God Almighty, and among the things he said was: “O Lord of the worlds, grant victory to your Muslim servants, and support them, and set fire to the infidels.”
So God answered Sultan Suleiman's prayer, and one of the Muslim cannons hit the gunpowder store in the fortress, causing a horrific explosion that ripped through a large part of the fortress and raised it to the sky. The Muslims attacked the fortress, and it was conquered, and the Suleimanian flag was raised on the highest place in the fortress.
When the news of the conquest reached the Sultan, he was overjoyed and thanked God for this great blessing. He said, "Now death is pleasant. Congratulations to this happy person for this eternal happiness. Blessed is this contented and satisfied soul, one of those with whom God is pleased and who are pleased with Him." His soul departed to its Creator, to the eternal paradise, God willing, on the 20th of Safar, 974 AH / September 5, 1566 AD.
The Minister Mehmed Pasha concealed the news of the Sultan's death until he sent for his heir, Sultan Selim II. He came and assumed the reins of the Sultanate in Siktvar, then entered Istanbul carrying the body of his martyred father. It was a memorable day, the likes of which had only been seen in the death of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The Muslims learned the news of Sultan Suleiman's death and were deeply saddened. As for the European side, the Christians had never rejoiced at the death of anyone after Bayezid I and Mehmed the Conqueror as they did at the death of Sultan Suleiman, the warrior who fought for the sake of Allah. They made the day of his death a holiday, and the church bells rang in joy at the death of the renewer of the nation's jihad in the tenth century, may Allah have mercy on him.

From the book Unforgettable Leaders by Major Tamer Badr