"Your Majesty, your son Akbar is here" announced the attendant. Caliph Walid's face lit up. Akbar was Walid's 22 year old son. His mother Mariam was technically Walid's slave girl, but Walid still loved her and Akbar very much. Walid was the world's most powerful man and his empire was the richest, largest and most powerful empire the world had ever seen. The Islamic Caliphate extended over 6 million square miles, from Spain in the west to the Indian province of Sindh in the east. And now he was about to take decisive action to expand his empire even further.
"Assalam Alaykum Abba(May God grant you protection and security, father)" Akbar said as he bowed to show his respects to Walid
"Wa-Alaykum Assalam Akbar" (Peace be upon you)
"Assalam Alaykum Ammya" Akbar then bowed to his uncle Sulayman
"Wa-Alaykum Assalam Akbar" Sulayman said smiling.
"Sit down son, we have some important things to discuss" said Walid, directing Akbar to a seat next to him. Akbar sat and waited for his father
"Son, you know that we have been blessed by Allah. In a remarkably short span of eighty years since the prophet Mohammad's death, peace be upon him, in 632 AD, Islam has redrawn the map of the world. Today 25 million people or close to 13% of the world's population lives under the Islamic Caliphate. Your grandfather Abdul Malik the fifth Caliph spent twenty years waging war to protect and expand the Caliphate"
"I know Abba, Jiddo told me he enjoyed waging war to expand the Caliphate"
"Well child, I too have done my part in taking the empire my Abba bequeathed me and have grown it. Now it is your turn"
"I am not sure I understand Abba"
"It is our dear friend Al-Hajjaj, Akbar" Walid's brother Sulayman interjected
Akbar shook his head. Anytime Hajjaj's name came up, the news was never good.
"What's he done this time?" Akbar enquired
"Oh, he has been doing it for two years now. I warned your father about it long ago, but your Abba has a soft corner for that scoundrel" Sulayman said in an angry voice
"Sulayman!!. Hajjaj gets things done. You may not like him. Allah knows, I don't fancy him either, but the empire needs people like him"
"He is draining your treasury on useless wars in distant lands and is a terrible administrator. Look at the situation in Iraq. His methods and techniques have alienated the people there and they hate him as their governor" Sulayman persisted
"Ammya is right Abba. Hajjaj is a cruel sadist who enjoys torturing and killing people. Even though, grandfather enjoyed war, he also contributed to Islamic civilization by building the magnificent Dome of the Rock, but Hajjaj has no such redeeming qualities. He is destroying the Caliphate's reputation by indiscriminately slaughtering innocent men, women and children. My friends returning from Iraq say he has slaughtered at least 100,000 women and children during his murderous campaigns and imprisoned and tortured many more".
Walid pondered about what Akbar had just told him. He trusted his son.
Akbar softened a little bit when he saw the frown on his father's forehead.
"Anyway Abba, what does Hajjaj have to do with expanding the empire?"
"It's about the disaster he has created in the city of Debal, Sindh Province, India" said Sulayman. "His ambition and blood lust seems unquenchable. He is always looking for new opportunities to wage war and massacre people. I guess he was getting tired of terrorizing the Iraqis and was looking for fresher pastures"
"That's not true Sulayman" Walid countered. "Hajjaj came to me with complaints about how King Dahir Sen of Sindh was aiding pirates steal treasure and slave girls that the king of Sri Lanka had shipped to the Caliphate as gifts. The Caliphate's reputation was on the line. If we don't respond to such outrageous acts, then nobody will respect and fear us anymore. I had to act"
"Yes, your majesty and Hajjaj was counting on exactly that reaction from you. I believe he lied to you about the pirates. I am not sure what his motivations were, but I believe you were misled."
“Akbar, after your Abba finally gave Hajjaj the permission to invade Sindh, he first dispatched his friend Bazil and then his teenage protégé and nephew Muhammad bin-Qasim to capture Debal and the surrounding areas"
"Not Qasim!" Akbar groaned.
Qasim was four years younger to Akbar but already Akbar saw another Hajjaj in the making with Qasim.
“Ammya, he just blindly emulates Hajjaj and literally worships the man!! Is it any wonder that. Hajjaj had also taken a liking to Qasim and had given his daughter Zubaidah, in marriage to him? Of all the people he could have sent to India, Hajjaj chose to send Qasim? That is nepotism at its worst. Qasim has never led a major campaign before”
Sulayman laughed. "And you can see that in the results! Hajjaj has bitten off more than he or his teenage general can chew. For the first time in that scoundrel's career he has encountered an enemy that is unrelenting and not intimidated by his threats of violence and cruelty. They have fought him to a standstill and have exacted a heavy price on his armies"
"Sulayman!! I am not going to let a handful of idolaters bring the Islamic Caliphate to its knees!!" thundered Walid. "Debal is an important port city. We must capture it and gain control over Sindh. By doing so we will control an important trade route to the east."
“Ammya, he just blindly emulates Hajjaj and literally worships the man!! Is it any wonder that. Hajjaj had also taken a liking to Qasim and had given his daughter Zubaidah, in marriage to him? Of all the people he could have sent to India, Hajjaj chose to send Qasim? That is nepotism at its worst. Qasim has never led a major campaign before”
Sulayman laughed. "And you can see that in the results! Hajjaj has bitten off more than he or his teenage general can chew. For the first time in that scoundrel's career he has encountered an enemy that is unrelenting and not intimidated by his threats of violence and cruelty. They have fought him to a standstill and have exacted a heavy price on his armies"
"Sulayman!! I am not going to let a handful of idolaters bring the Islamic Caliphate to its knees!!" thundered Walid. "Debal is an important port city. We must capture it and gain control over Sindh. By doing so we will control an important trade route to the east."
Sulayman's silence indicated he conceded that point. This war may have started on the flimsy excuse of piracy, but now there were some bigger strategic interests at stake.
"I have however grown weary of the lack of progress Akbar" Walid complained
"I want you to go to India with reinforcements, monitor the campaign, drill some sense into that upstart Qasim and help him defeat the Indians"
"As you wish Abba. When do you want me to leave?"
"In a few days. Go meet with your Um-me(mother) first though. I am sure she will be unhappy that I am sending you on this mission"
They talked about other things for a while and then Akbar got up to take leave of his father and uncle
"Let me walk you out" offered Sulayman
As they walked out, Sulayman began
"Akbar, you should be proud that your father chose you for this important mission. I know he holds you in high regard and I know how much you look up to him, even though you two have not spend as much time together as you would have liked"
"Everyone, likes Abba" Akbar observed
"That is because he cares about his subjects. He has built orphanages, founded schools and hospitals, granted pensions to the old and impoverished and built roads and canals. Unlike my father, your Abba enjoys interacting with people and is sensitive to their needs. He has even built asylums to take care of the mentally challenged and established the first hospices for the blind".
"But he loves building mosques the most" said Akbar staring at the construction of great mosque of Damascus that his father had commissioned. Locals lovingly referred to it as the Ummayad mosque . The mosque showcased the best of Islamic architecture, with its unique blend of Byzantine and Hellenistic techniques. In addition to the Ummayad mosque, his Abba had rebuild the mosque at Madinah where Mohammad was buried and had finished the expansion of the famous Al-Aqsa mosque that his grandfather had started"I have however grown weary of the lack of progress Akbar" Walid complained
"I want you to go to India with reinforcements, monitor the campaign, drill some sense into that upstart Qasim and help him defeat the Indians"
"As you wish Abba. When do you want me to leave?"
"In a few days. Go meet with your Um-me(mother) first though. I am sure she will be unhappy that I am sending you on this mission"
They talked about other things for a while and then Akbar got up to take leave of his father and uncle
"Let me walk you out" offered Sulayman
As they walked out, Sulayman began
"Akbar, you should be proud that your father chose you for this important mission. I know he holds you in high regard and I know how much you look up to him, even though you two have not spend as much time together as you would have liked"
"Everyone, likes Abba" Akbar observed
"That is because he cares about his subjects. He has built orphanages, founded schools and hospitals, granted pensions to the old and impoverished and built roads and canals. Unlike my father, your Abba enjoys interacting with people and is sensitive to their needs. He has even built asylums to take care of the mentally challenged and established the first hospices for the blind".
"He is a religious man. For him, building mosques and spreading Islam is the greatest service a believer can do unto Allah" sighed Sulayman.
"You have been directing the effort on his behalf, Ammya. How is the Ummayad mosque coming along?"
"Should be ready in two to three years. It is already the most expensive building project he has undertaken. He has hired countless Byzantine craftsmen to decorate the mosque. The whole floor will be white marble and the dome will be covered with a thin sheet of gold"
"How much is it going to cost?"
"Well, let me put it this way Akbar. For years now, your Abba has lavished the entire tax revenue of Syria on this mosque. He has imported 18 shiploads of gold and silver from Cyprus to decorate the interiors. We have already accumulated 18 mule loads of expense receipts in building this mosque, but your Abba refuses to reign in the expenses because he considers the mosque a gift to posterity and to the Syrian people"
"Akbar, I am beginning to worry now. If we don't find new sources of tax revenue, his spending may bankrupt the Caliphate!"
Akbar looked at his uncle surprised.
"Are you trying to tell me something, Ammya?"
"Akbar, we need India's wealth to sustain our spending. Much as I detest Hajjaj, we must support him here. Without success on the Indian front soon, we could have problems at home. You must find a path to victory for us in Sindh".
"Son, I love your Abba. He not only defeated the Visigoths and expanded deep into Spain, but also paid attention to its administration. The Caliphate has prospered under him. History will probably remember your Abba as one of the greatest rulers of our times. We just need to shore up our revenue base to sustain our spending efforts. I believe that bringing a large part of India under our reign will help"
"But you don't think Qasim can pull it off?" Akbar asked Sulayman
"Qasim is young and inexperienced and I don't believe the tactics that worked for Hajjaj in Iraq will work in India. That is why I asked my brother to seek your help. We need new leadership in India and a change in strategy. We are counting on you Akbar, don't let us down”









