On this day in Islamic history: May
This is a list of events that took place throughout Islamic history in the month of May.
This will be constantly updated when new information arises. Your help in this regard would be most appreciated.
May 3rd:
On this day (May 3, 1481 CE {23/24 Safar, 886 AH}), after his second reign as Ottoman Sultan, Fatih Sultan Mehmed II (Mehmed the Conqueror) passed away at the age of forty-nine (49).
After the conquest of Constantinople (now Istanbul) in May of 1453, he referred to himself as 'Caesar' of the Roman Empire (Qayser-i Rûm) since Constantinople was the seat and capital of the (Eastern) Roman Empire/Byzantine Empire.
The news of Mehmed's death was simultaneously a cause of huge relief and great rejoicing in Europe. Church bells were apparently rung and celebrations held with the news proclaimed in Venice being: "La Grande Aquila è morta!" ('The Great Eagle is dead!')
May Allah have mercy on him. Aameen.
May 4th:
On this day (May 4, 1799 CE {28/29 Dhul Qa’dah, 1213 AH}), Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India - also known as Tipu Sahab or the Tiger of Mysore - was martyred by the British East India company in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War during the siege of Seringapatam, the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore.
Legend has it that one of Tipu Sultan's French advisors suggested that he retreat and fight another day. Tipu Sultan responded by saying:
"It is far better to live like a lion for a day than to live like a jackal for a hundred years."
May 7th:
On this day (7 May, 1721 CE {9/10 Rajab, 1133 AH}), the Mughal Princess and second daughter of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir, Zeenat-un-Nissa (meaning "Jewel among Women"), passed away at the age of 77.
The Princess is known by historians for her piety and extensive charity. She is buried in the Zeenat-ul-Masajid ("Most Beautful of Mosques") in Delhi which she had constructed at her own expense in the 1700s. It resides in close proximity to the famous Red Fort.
Pictured below is the Zeenat-ul-Masajid also known as the Ghata Masjid (Cloud Mosque).
📷 Credit: Madhulika Little
May 15th:
On this day (15 May, 1174 CE {3/4 Shawwal, 569 AH}), the ruler of the Oghuz Turkic Zengid Dynasty in Syria and Northern Iraq, Nūr ad-Dīn Abū al-Qāsim Maḥmūd ibn ʿImād ad-Dīn Zengī or more simply known as Nur ad-Din Zengi, died in Damascus.
Nur ad-Din was the second son of Imad ad-Din Zengi, the Turkish Atabeg/Atabey of Aleppo and Mosul and founder of the Zengid Dynasty, who was a devoted enemy of the Crusader presence in Syria.
Nur ad-Din's death paved the way for Salah ad-Din/Salahuddin al-Ayubbi to unite Egypt and the Levant (Shaam), thereby surrounding the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.
May 18th:
On this day (18 May, 1291 CE {9/10 Jumada al-Awwal, 690 AH}), Acre was conquered from the Crusaders by the Mamluk Sultanate. The Siege of Acre (also called the Fall of Acre) is considered one of the most important battles of the period, and although the crusading movement continued for several more centuries, the capture of the city marked the end of Crusader presence in the Levant (Shaam).
May 19th:
On this day (May 19, 1925 CE {24/25 Shawwal, 1343 AH}), the future Muslim activist Malcolm Little, later known as Malcolm X aka El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was born in Omaha, Nebraska in the United States of America.
Whilst Malcolm is largely seen as a political figure and arguably a civil rights activist, his belief and conviction in the Islamic tradition (both in the unorthodox Nation of Islam/NOI and later as an orthodox Muslim) and the spiritual awakening that came about as a result of him being a Muslim, is often underplayed in his transformation by many who claim him.
Pictured is Malcolm X with his teacher and Shaykh, Shaykh Ahmad Hassoun of Sudan.
May 22nd:
On this day (May 22, 1481 CE {13/14 Rabi al-Awwal, 886 AH}), Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II - the eldest son and successor of the famous Mehmed II who conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) - became the 8th Ottoman Sultan.
During his reign, Bayezid II consolidated the territories of the Ottoman State as well thwarted a rebellion by the Persian Safavids. He later abdicated the throne to his son, Sultan Selim I, who was the first Ottoman Sultan to be Caliph.
Bayezid II is most known for evacuating Jews fleeing the new Spanish state due the Alhambra Decree which ordered them to be expelled, and he thereby resettled them throughout the Ottoman Empire.
May 29th:
On this day (May 29, 1453 CE {10/11 Jumada al-Awwal, 857 AH}), the Ottoman State led by 21 year old Fatih Sultan Mehmed II (Sultan Muhammad al Fatih), conquered Constantinople thereby ending the Byzantine Empire.
The conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul) was the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun on April 6, 1453.
In the morning prior to the conquest, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Han delivered his final speech in which he instructed/reminded his soldiers of the Prophetic injunctions of Muhammad ﷺ (upon whom be peace), that they were not to attack churches and other places of worship as well as ensuring to not attack priests, women, children, the weak and all those unable to fight.
Al Fatiha!
May 31st:
On this day (May 31, 1237 CE {26/27 Ramadan, 634 AH}), the Anatolian Seljuk Sultan Alā ad-Dīn Kayqubād/Alâeddin Keykûbad died as a result of poisoning during a banquet at the hands of the Anatolian Seljuk Emir, Sa'd al-Din Köpek/Sadeddin Köpek.
The Sultan is sometimes styled as "Kayqubad the Great" and his reign is usually considered the peak of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum (Anatolian Seljuk State). He is also remembered for his rich architectural legacy and the brilliant court culture that flourished under his reign.
His death via poisoning from Emir Sadettin is dramatised in the Turkish TV Series Diriliş Ertuğrul.
Pictured are the actors who played Sultan Alâeddin Keykûbad (left) and Emir Sadettin Köpek (right) in Resurrection Ertuğrul.
