Chapter 13: Armageddon
The messenger ran at full speed, with a scroll on his hand
“For the Sultan! For the Sultan!”
Sultan Muzaffar looked at the parchment with an inquisitive look. It was sealed with the seal of the Caliph…now that was interesting…
He broke it and read the letter word to word… his face darkened and then he muttered some angry words
“To the Deplorable Nestorian Sultan of Syria, of Arabia and other places,
For decades the Ibadi had shown great patience with your dynasty branch. At first, you were lost sheep who broke away from the Caliphate, striving to find your place in your world. But then you did the unthinkable by converting to Nestorianism when you knew the full wealth you would receive in Paradise from Allah. Now, not only the Gates have been sealed but father to child, mother to daughter, all your kin are destined for Jahannam, voluntarily or not.
Your kin branch in Italya has been the only thing that kept for so long the explosion of the wrath of the Ibadi upon you. But now, no word can explain anything.
You in particular, you have persecuted Muslims and Christians alike and here in the Caliphate we are beginning to agree that you are something more than a disillusioned fighter but rather a force of evil, which should be extinguished from the world. You have defiled Medina and Mecca and you shall pay!
I call a Jihad against you, Devil Worshiper, that we may erase any existing memory of your foul deeds. Be prepared!”
“A jihad…for Arabia…”
The war council stood silent and pondered
“The Muslim World shall be upon us like locusts! How on Earth can we defend against this onslaught?”
Muzaffar rubbed his ring and stood silent. He then spoke
“With God”
So thus began the Jihad of Arabia, the Struggle of Worlds in the End of the Medieval Times. The Ibadi to save the morality of their faith and take back an ancient heirloom and the Nestorians to preserve what was theirs from time immemorial. It was a conflict in parallel with the Apocalypse. Who though could claim the role of the Good or the Evil powers? To each part’s eyes they were the instruments of their God. The final judge would be the sword.
War preparations begun and the Hafsid Nestorian domain began supplying for sieges that would last for a long time. Swords were sharpened, spears ready and the camel warriors armed to fight in the desert dunes of Syria and Arabia.
The Muslims would come in waves as each and every Sheikh, Emir, Sultan and the Caliph rode to liberate Arabia and restore the sacred sites of the Ibadi.
The Nestorians on their part also bought paid swords and military minds to aid them in their war. Russian Slavs, Bulgarian Bogomilists and other faiths enlisted themselves for the Hafsid gold.
The first battle was held at Pella, in Irbid
There were often skirmishes and minor battles, since the Muslims did not come in full force but rather with each Mujahideen leader.
On 7 May 1433, in the county of Safed, two forces set camp and monitored their movements. With scouts to and from, it was revealed that the army the Nestorian Syrians would face would be none other than the Hafsid Ibadi of Italya. They too had come to fight in this war, against them.
For ages, the blood ties were not easily maintained due to religion differences. However, on the eve of battle, the two armies met together, exchanged stories of the homeland and common roots, to cut them down the next day and fight to the end. Hafsid kinsman fought kinsman , with religion to separate them.
Meanwhile, in the hills of Kirkuk, the order of St. Addai gave an unequal battle with the Muslims. They fortified themselves in the mountains, poised to make their last stand and reach sainthood by becoming martyrs.
But what added more to the apocalyptic scene was the fact that few of the Mujaheeden actually set course for Arabia: rather they set their eyes upon wealthy Baghdad which had split from Syria some decades ago.
The besieged waited for help to come from their Nestorian Syrian brothers, as such a force could not be fought by none other than the Nestorian Hafsids.
The voices were mixed in the council: some suggested to let Baghdad fall, as a lesson for their treachery, others proposed the Christian example to aid them despite their differences.
Sultan Muzaffar considered that when Baghdad would fall completely, that army would be upon them and combined with the Caliphate armies, the Syrians may meet their doom at that moment. So he took the decision to march to this ancient city, a holy place for the Nestorians as well
At Hillah all was decided, Muzaffar along with allies from the broken Emirates, fought the Muslims and cornered between the besieged and the relief force, the majority of the besiegers perished.
However, just as the Jihad was showing to turn to the Nestorian favor, the unthinkable happened: Sultan Muzaffar passed to God and left in charge his young son, Nestorian to fend off the Muslims.
As we recalled from the previous chapter, Nestorian was considered a Brilliant Strategist(at least in paper) and was taught by Boutros ibn Tawfiq, the man who was claimed to hear Jesus Himself.
When hearing of the news Nestorian rode to the Damascene palace to ascend to his new role. As time passed, he became more and more ready for the task, eager to show his skills to his vassals and bring a new breath to the Hafsids.
He saw his father as he was being prepared for his final resting place, with much prestige and care as befitting a man who fought to spread Christianity to India and elsewhere. As he looked upon the soulless body of his father, he saw the Ring upon his finger. It glittered and sparked and as weird as it sounded, no one could remove it , which made it all the more peculiar and spooky if one considered there was a visible pentacle upon it.
But not with Nestorian. The Ring was loose with ease and Nestorian promptly wore it.
“Rest well Father. For my work now begins…”
Some saw Nestorian and talked in suspicion between themselves, as they were curious of what all these meant.
The day of the funeral came and after the solemn procession, it came the time for Nestorian to speak, as the new Sultan. The speech was long and well put, however the speech took a different turn…
“…..We are here to honor a great Sultan. A Sultan who fought for his ideals and to spread them to the edges of the very world! With him, the Hafsid became even more proud for their achievements! We begun from the isle of Crete and now stretch to the known world, from Sheikhs to Emirs and Sultans, of all faiths!
Sultan Muzaffar, my father, left us on the most dire edge: a Jihad is upon us with the war so far in our favor. The Muslim waves splash against the Rock which is us and we endure! And now I promise you even greater achievements but I ask of you in return of one thing, something that will bring salvation to us all from the danger of the Jihad!”
The people listened
“…. You have often wondered what this ring was. You have often considered the role of Boutros, the marshal general who heard Jesus himself.
As Ashraf my distant ancestor did before, so I too have to reveal to you a secret. Muzaffar was the first Perfectus, the one to achieve the perfect state of mind through intense prayer and with Boutros, they perceived the Divine Nature of Christ through prayer. Although he would not admit it, he was a Messalian in nature as am I, in nature and open belief…”
The crowd looked dumbstruck at Nestorian. Did he just profess heresy in front of his father’s funeral and claimed that his late father was also a heretic?
The Patriarchs rubbed their beards and the gathered Vassal Lords looked each other. The Hafsids had done it again…
“ Sultan Nestorian...surely you jest…Messalians are…they believe… Lucifer is the Elder Son of God, in total contrast with our teaching that Jesus is the only Son of God..I cannot believe…”
Nestorian cut him
“ I do not expect everyone to believe at this instant… even the turn to Nestorianism took its time when Ibadism was rooted for so many centuries. However do consider this, if we are united, it will be for the better of the realm and Messalianism offers us the Way to become more close to God…”
The priests began to protest
“ How can…how can we hear this heresy?! Should Church hierarchy be abolished…?”
The crowd was beginning to become restless. Mutterings began to be heard. And this time there was no Patriarch of the East to save the Hafsids.
“Listen to me! All I ask of you is to unite our forces against this threat, and then we can consider on which common ground we can stand! I promise you though that this New Age shall usher the realm into greatness and a new Golden Age!”
“..for if you do not…I shall invoke the laws of Syria and each and every one of you will be replaced!”
That was the final straw! Some stopped talking while others became agitated and pushed the guards to pass into the palace. The guards pushed the revolutionaries back, when Nestorian thought of a ruse…
…he paid a servant of the palace to go out in the crowd, mingle with them and start to shout.
“God help us! The Muslims! They are heading towards Damascus and we are overrun!!”
Panic ensured and the people from attackers became the defenders and routed for their homes. Nestorian took the opportunity and barred the palace entrance. In a few days, martial law was instilled and there was a restriction of free movement, as measures against the attacking Muslims.
In the meantime, Nestorian send letters to his vassals to repent and convert, invoking their oath of allegiance , as well as promising honorary titles and gold.
Some, like the Patriarch of Constantinople, agreed , so long as his privileges were not harmed. In fact some liked this new change of religion a lot, as it allowed them to retract land previously inaccessible to them due to the law.
However there were others who would not budge away from their faith
In the meantime, the Muslim waves grew more and more stronger and again, this time out of decision, the Order of St. Addai was left on its own to defend themselves, having heard only rumors of the religious coup d’ etat by Nestorian(the irony of the name).
With time, Nestorian mustered a force to deal with the Jihad and prayed(as it was proper of Messalians) to win the fight.
The Jihad was over. The Muslims retreated and the Syrian Hafsids were victorious. But the triumph, as large it was, left an empty spot in the soul of the populous. The danger was now gone, did they now have to put with this new religion idea imposed to them by the new Sultan?
In paradox, the gregarious nature of Sultan Nestorian had convinced almost all the priests who held the former holy sites of Nestorianism, to adopt the new faith and teach the people the importance of prayer and the quest to sense God and the Divine with their senses, just as Boutros once heard Lord Jesus.
When the war was over, Nestorian decided to go on a pilgrimage to Antioch, to speak with the people and strengthen the new faith. As a pilgrim he heard a lot of things, rumors, half true, half false
“Have you heard? Sultan Nestorian is rumored to have wed a long time his sister, even when Muzaffar was alive…what on Earth are they thinking…”
“I heard the Westerners do it as well! The royalty wed amongst themselves, to keep the lands united and not split…”
“Hm, might explain it then! But his own sister…”
The pilgrimage to Antioch was enlightening. However, Nestorian, as to imitate pilgrim life, slept in unsheltered areas and strove for humility, perhaps in an attempt to become a Perfectus himself.
He became Pneumonic and his health gradually failed. Bad tongues talked it was a punishment by God.
A month later, Sultan Nestorian, the one who repelled the Jihad for Arabia and the one who confirmed the suspicion of the people towards the ruling Hafsids, he passed away at age 50, leaving his son Muzaffar II at a razor’s edge. Rumors of conspiracy abounded and the people were wary of this new Hafsid change, pressed upon them. Would the world once again tolerate the new innovations or would the powers of tradition overvoice them and restore the century ago Nestorian stability?
