Hazrat Zubair (ra) bin al-Awam’s Courage & Conquest of the Babylon Fort in Fustat

When victory at the Babylon Fort seemed to be delayed, Hazrat Zubair (ra) bin al-Awam said, “I am going to present my life as an offering in the way of Allah. I am hopeful that this will allow the Muslims to become victorious.”

Upon saying this, he took an unsheathed sword, and using a ladder, scaled the wall of the fort. Some other companions supported him as well.

Once they had scaled the wall, they raised slogans along with which the entire army raised slogans, causing the floor of the fort to vibrate, as it were. The Christians realised that the Muslims had entered the fort, upon which they aimlessly ran. Upon coming down from the wall, Hazrat Zubair (ra) opened the door to the fort, and the entire army came inside, and after some fighting, they conquered the fort.

(Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (ra) – Shakhsiyyat aur karname, Ali Muhammad Salabi, Urdu translation, p. 760, Al-Furqan Trust, Khangarh, Pakistan) (Al-Faruq, Shibli Nomani, p. 150, Dar al-Isha‘ah, Karachi, 2004)

Hazrat Amr (ra) bin al-Aas assured them security on the condition that the Byzantine army would take some provisions with them that will last them a few days, and that they would leave the treasures and armour in the Babylon Fort untouched as they were the spoils of the Muslims. Afterwards, Hazrat Amr (ra) bin al-Aas broke the domes and fortified walls of the fort.

(Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (ra) – Shakhsiyyat aur karname, Ali Muhammad Salabi, Urdu translation, p. 760, Al-Furqan Trust, Khangarh, Pakistan)

After conquering the Babylon Fort, the Muslims gained various victories in different places and forts in Egypt, of which, the most prominent was Tarnut, Naqyus, Sultais, Kiryon.

(Hazrat Umar Farooq A‘zam, Muhammad Husain Haikal, translated by Habib Ash‘ar, p. 602, 603, 605, 608, Islami Kutub Khana, Urdu Bazar, Lahore)