Min Maarik al-Islam al-Fasila = Mawsuat al-Ghazawat al-Kubra
- Author died
- 1426 AH
- Editions
- Al-Maktabah Al-Salafiyyah
Min Ma'arik al-Islam al-Fasila (Decisive Battles of Islam), also titled Mawsu'at al-Ghazawat al-Kubra (Encyclopedia of Major Expeditions), is a multi-volume historical work by Muhammad ibn Ahmad Bashmil (d. 1426 AH / 2005 CE) dedicated to detailed analytical narratives of the major military expeditions, detachments, and political-military developments of the prophetic era .
Composition and Structure
The series began with the publication of its first volume, Ghazwat Badr al-Kubra, in Muharram 1383 AH . Following the exhaustion of the first run by Shawwal of that same year, Bashmil expanded the volume to more than double its original length—increasing it from around 160 pages to over 296 pages—and issued a second edition in Rabi' al-Thani 1384 AH (August 1964 CE) from Mecca .
The complete encyclopedia comprises ten volumes, each dedicated to a major expedition or milestone in the prophetic period:
- Ghazwat Badr al-Kubra (The Grand Expedition of Badr)
- Ghazwat Uhud (The Expedition of Uhud)
- Ghazwat al-Ahzab (The Expedition of the Confederates)
- Ghazwat Bani Qurayzah (The Expedition of Banu Qurayzah)
- Sulh al-Hudaybiyyah (The Treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah), which details nineteen preceding military and political campaigns and raids
- Ghazwat Khaybar (The Expedition of Khaybar)
- Ghazwat Mu'tah (The Expedition of Mu'tah)
- Fath Makkah (The Conquest of Mecca)
- Ghazwat Hunayn (The Expedition of Hunayn)
- Ghazwat Tabuk (The Expedition of Tabuk)
Method and Sources
Bashmil structured his historical narrative around primary classical works of Islamic historiography, Hadith, genealogy, and geography, referencing core sources continuously throughout each volume . His approach was characterized by presenting unembellished historical facts without resorting to fictionalization or literary inventions, explicitly contrasting with historical fiction writers such as Jurji Zaydan . The author integrated military tactics, topological analysis of battle sites, and chronological linking between military detachments and political events, aiming to present the material in accessible prose suitable for both general readers and specialized academic study .
Reception and Forewords
Individual volumes of the series received introductory forewords from prominent military, political, and academic figures:
- Major General Mahmud Shit Khattab, member of the Iraqi Scientific Academy, contributed a foreword to the third edition of Ghazwat Badr al-Kubra .
- Colonel Abdullah al-Tall, former commander in the 1948 defense of Jerusalem, authored introductions for Sulh al-Hudaybiyyah and Ghazwat Khaybar, commending the work for uncovering the authentic dimensions of early Islamic military history .
- Ahmad Muhammad Jamal, professor of Islamic culture at King Abdulaziz University, wrote a foreword for Fath Makkah, framing the historical lessons of the series within the context of twentieth-century Islamic affairs .
- Ibrahim al-Anqari, Saudi Minister of Information, authored the introduction to the ninth volume, Ghazwat Hunayn, highlighting its military and historical analysis .
Publication History
The volumes were published and repeatedly reprinted by al-Matba'ah al-Salafiyyah wa-Maktabatuha in Cairo, with multiple editions produced across the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s (such as the eighth edition of Ghazwat Badr al-Kubra in 1405 AH / 1985 CE and the third editions of Ghazwat Hunayn and Ghazwat Tabuk in 1408 AH / 1988 CE) .
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