Customer Reviews

Suleiman the Magnificent

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I picked up this book for a few dollars and it was well worth the read due to my interest Islamic, Eastern and Arabian history as it relates to the realities surrounding us today. Lamb does a fabulous job outlining the life and times of the Turkish Sultan Suleiman The Magnificent; from his Osmanli heritage to the after math and downfall of his Empire. Lamb outlines the various thoughts of the Sultan, deeds and changes within his leadership role as well the various Wars on land and sea through the infamous Barbarossa or his Greek Christian Vizier Ibrahim.

I would have given Lamb's work 5 stars however I think the reader, prior to reading any of Lamb's works dealing with Islamic/Eastern readers might well become learned on Islam itself, its history and its theo-political jurisprudence: Sharia as within Lamb's books on Suleiman, Omar or Tamerlane the author continually uses and makes references to different Islamic subjects without, either understanding therein himself or simply thinking the reader understands the meanings or influence of such within the theology of Islam. For this, I feel it would be very much worthy to pick up, even something easy like the works by Robert Spenser or Bill Warner or something more studious by authors; Bat Ye'or, K.S. Lal, Ibn Warraq, or Andrew Bostom for a strong background that will allow the reader immediately recognition of different theological concepts mention, however brushed over, buy Lamb. Some other background books that too would encapsulate the times and dealings of the era would be perhaps reads by Thomas Madden, Victor Hanson or even the fabulous book by Barbara Tuchman "Bible and Sword; Britain and Palestine from the Bronze Age to Balfour. Some examples include repeated mentioning of and dealing with taxation, slavery, deceit, "lands of war", "infidel", "umma" etc. however never explaining what they are and how they apply to both the Muslim and non-Muslim from a Islamic perspective. Placing them into perspective allows the reader an entirely different, and more accurate, ingestion of the words read. If one has knowledge of the theological concepts of "Umma", "teqqiyya","dhimmitude", "jihad", "hudna", "salah","jizya", "kafir", "dar al Harbe" etc. etc. the read becomes entirely understandable from an informed Eastern and Western perspective.

Aside from this bit of advice the only real discrepancy I hold with Lamb's works are that they seem to come across from an Eastern or disenfranchised Western perspective similar to that of the 19th-20th century "Arabist" that went to "dar al Islam" and "turned native". Of course this too has various and numerous problems because the perspective bias of the author can, and often does, mislead the uninformed reader. A very good example is the contortion of Islamic Spain; Andalusia and its so-called "Golden Age". Even Vlad Tepes "The Impaler" fought against Islamic Jihad at the borders of his Wallachian kingdom.

The combining of the overlooking of various Islamic concepts and numerous areas within Islamic history itself paints an entirely different picture upon reading Lamb's related works. My last example comes in disagreement with his critique on the Siege of Vienna in both 1529 and by his Grandson in 1683. Although Lamb mentions various Islamic concept he fails entirely to place explain them and forward the meanings to the reader. Lamb tells the reader that the "Gates of Vienna" ordeal was generally created mythology by Europe to overshadow their greatness in the face of the Turks thus saving Europe from certain Muhammadan occupation, similarly to Charles Martel at Tours 800 years earlier. Lamb states explicitly that Suleiman had no intention of occupying Vienna but also states his intention was really to "recover" Budapest. When one reads through the book the concept of Islam pillar; Jihad is mentioned, though never explained, that wherever the Sultan (Caliph) sets foot it is forever under the ownership of Islam; Allah. Suleiman may well have never intended the "occupation" of Vienna, but it is certain, like Buda, Greece, the Balkans, Hungary etc. all would pay yearly tax to the Caliph/Umma (Muslim People) for their "Freedom". The outcome of such practice is today seen within the realities today in the Balkans, Levant (the once Christian Lebanon), the Coptic and Zabaleen Christian in Egypt and most assuredly the Jews in Israel and the Hindu in India all having conflict with their, or under their, Islamic neighbors/governments. This is, in fact, directly related to the theology of Islam. Therefore, had Vienna fallen in 1529, the peoples of that region would be forced to have paid a head tax, the proliferation of Mosques would occur, as is today in the West, and both silent and overt Muslim immigration thus turning a very important part of Christendom into another Balkan religious conflict zone as Islam does not recognize any other religion but Islam which is seen by the various methods of conversion employed.

What most do not understand is that the beliefs that drove Suleiman and all the Caliphs before and after since the days of Muhammad the Prophet of Islam, more specifically since the Nakhla Raids, has been the driving force behind Global Islamic Terrorism today as well the main crux within the highly perverted, contorted and media driven Arab-Jewish conflict over the region of Palestine. Once one delves into Islamic theology, jurisprudence and history re: Jihad one attains a very different view of such individuals as Charles Martel, Vlad Tepes, Pope Urban II, the history of the gypsies as well numerous events in related history: Ridda Wars, Battle of the Trench, Battle of Yarmouk, Battle of Tours, Battle of Delhi and the fall of the Hind, the fall of Constantinople, Spain/Portugal's Reconquista, America's Barbary Wars and, of course, the Arab-Jewish conflict.

A very good read however, I suggest the future reader to become thoroughly acquainted with Islam, its history and its theo-political jurisprudence thus placing Lamb's works into their truly deserved perspective.