This story takes us back a little to the time when Mr. Mohammad Amin had just completed his studies at Amber College. Having newly graduated as a security officer, he was assigned to his first official task in confronting crime.
How would he react? Would he succeed? Would good triumph over evil?
Let us relive this critical time with Officer Mohammad Amin and see how he conducted himself when faced with the dangers of this, his first important duty.
In a certain district of Damascus, a group of Kurds had arrived and set up residence. They took over a substantial area which they established as their home and went to build their houses. At that time many of them were united behind their mighty, autocratic leader who was an indomitable criminal.
They, in their perverted view, held him in high esteem and would always rally around him against all attempts made by the Ottoman State to curb the crimes committed by that arch criminal in its endeavours to wipe out corruption in that region.
The region we are talking of is marked by its mountainous terrain, dotted with caves which provide ample hiding places for all who might need them. Every inch of its landscape is well-known to these criminals for they had made this land their home and had become accustomed to the mountain and its harshness.
The Ottoman authorities had sent army troops to kill the Kurdish leader, but they knew nothing about the region, nor did they have any idea about its caves and rough and difficult terrain. They were unfamiliar with the harshness of the mountains and if they were to chase the Kurds they would need to be as agile and nimble as mountain goats that easily climb and descend this type of terrain, as indeed were the Kurds. The army found itself at a serious disadvantage as its soldiers could gain no ground in their pursuit of this criminal, especially when his band of loyal followers would rush to his aid and defend him whenever he came under attack by the armed force. Day by day, the criminal’s confidence grew, and his evil and criminal acts grew along with his confidence until the Ottoman State no longer knew what further action they should take to apprehend this criminal. Thus, the high commander of the army left no stone unturned in his quest to find a solution to the problem since his own reputation was at stake, and the state itself was under threat.
It seems inconceivable that this villain might continue to outwit the high commander of the Turkish army despite the impressive resources at his disposal.
He studied the case carefully and became lost in his thoughts until, suddenly, an idea came to him. ‘I’ve got it!’ he exclaimed to himself. ‘I’ll entrust this case to that young officer who proved to be far superior to all his peers in the Royal Military Faculty. Without a doubt he’s the best man to tackle this problem and take down this felon.’ The commander had seen great potential in the Arab cadet Mr. Mohammad Amin, even before his graduation from Amber College. His skills in planning and management, his conduct, courage and bravery, added to other excellent attributes, had made him stand out head and shoulders above his peers.
He sent for the cadet without further delay, and the young officer came with a face alight with his hope and aspirations for the future. The newly graduated officer saluted his commander and said, ‘Commandant, I am reporting to you as requested.’
‘Please have a seat’, the commander replied. The young officer sat and listened to his commanding officer, who continued by setting out the problem he was faced with: ‘I believe that you have heard about the criminal leader of the Kurds in Damascus? You must be aware of the Kurdish Quarter and the criminal disturbance and trouble that these people cause. Of course, the source of all that misery is the lawless leader of the group; he’s as venomous as a snake. He’s killed dozens of men, destroyed people’s lives and families, turned wives into widows and made their children fatherless. Many times we have tried to get rid of him, but we have failed, so we want to get rid of him at any cost: dead or alive. All we care about is to save good people from any further suffering at his hands. So, as a senior commander, I have put your name forward for this important mission. You can have as many soldiers as you need, a squadron of the army will be at your disposal if you wish. So what do you say, Officer?’
Officer Sheikho replied, ‘I would like to think about this, Commandant. Please give me some time.’
‘You have it,’ the commander replied, ‘but please reach your decision without delay because we are facing an extremely difficult situation.’ The young officer left the room, racking his brain to make sense of what had been put to him, and analysing the request carefully.
He wondered: ‘Is it justifiable to kill this criminal? Would this action be pleasing to God? He is a felon; he has killed many men and plundered so many times. Should he be killed under God’s Law? I think that I should ask religious scholars their opinion about this matter.’
He spoke with many men of the cloth and asked each of them, ‘Oh Sheikh! There is a criminal in the Kurd’s Quarter. He has killed dozens of men and the families of their victims are distraught. His crimes get worse with every day that passes. Should he die for this? And would it please God if he were to be killed?’
One of these sheikhs answered him, ‘Oh my son! If he had killed just one person unjustly it would be lawful to put him to death. God says, “And We ordained therein for them: life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal.”[33]Since you say that he has killed dozens of men, killing him is admissible under God’s Law, and the man who kills him will be rewarded in full for his action.’
To be absolutely certain of any action he might take Amin Bey2 [34]consulted many other scholars and they all gave similar replies, which made it far easier for him to take a decision. He thought, ‘All the scholars I have spoken to are unanimous. They say that killing him is allowed, and in fact I would get a great reward from God if I did. So, this task is mine. I will save people from his crimes, with God’s Permission.’ He took himself directly to the senior commander and said to him, ‘Sir! I am ready to undertake this mission.’
The commander swelled with pride and great relief for Mohammad Amin was the only officer he could trust to carry out this mission. He addressed the young officer, saying, ‘Now, my brave, compassionate officer, you may choose whichever police officers and soldiers that you need. They are ready to do your bidding and for you to command as you see fit.’
Surprisingly the courageous young officer replied, ‘I need only eight men, sir. But I want to choose them myself.’
Astonished, the commander said, ‘Are you sure? I’ve told you before that we have already employed large squadrons of well trained and fully armed men to track down this criminal, and even they had no success. Their efforts came to nothing. So, how can you say that you need only eight men? Have you really thought this through? Be fully aware, officer, that you will come up against many, tough, able- bodied men in those mountains, not just one criminal. Most of them are armed and share their leader’s goals and they will immediately rush to help him. I’ve told you before and now I’m saying it again, “take as many of my men as you want.” ’
‘Sir, I have considered this very carefully and I still say that I want only eight men – not more. So please set your mind at rest and leave this to me.’
Due to Officer Sheikho’s insistence, and concerned that the young man might have second thoughts and withdraw from the assignment, the commander realised he had no option but to agree to his demands. He said to him, ‘As you wish. It is your choice. But I have to say that I think this course of action may be suicidal. There’s nothing more for me to add, it is now your business to deal with as you think fit! I wish you and your men success and a safe return.’
The commander fell silent but continued to look at the officer with a steady, admiring gaze. And so Officer Sheikho went to the barracks and began to assess each of the men until he had at last selected seven strong soldiers whose faces displayed their courage and fearlessness. Curiously, he chose only those men who spoke Turkish and understood no Arabic at all. For his eighth man, he wanted a knowledgeable guide who could lead them to their quarry. So he chose a man who had been born and raised in the mountains, and who knew by sight the criminal’s house, which was perched at the summit of the mountains and towered over all the other houses. Unlike his comrades, the man chosen to be the guide spoke only Arabic, and not a word of Turkish, exactly as the young officer had planned. Every man had been chosen for a specific reason and not by accident, for our officer had thought thoroughly about the criminal and the plan he should hatch to overcome him.
He knew that the criminal had become famous by the very fact of his countless violent crimes and everybody in the town had heard tales of his exploits repeated in coffee houses throughout the area. The tales of his exploits had instilled such fear that men trembled with terror on hearing his name.
So, fearing that the squad of men he had chosen might become afraid and lose their courage if they heard the guide speak of the criminal, or point him out (whereby, God forbid, they should be too afraid to put an end to his criminal acts), the young officer chose seven men who understood no Arabic; and just one who understood no Turkish was chosen as a guide.
In this way the men could not understand the guide and the guide could not understand them; Mohammad Amin, however, understood both languages fluently. This was all part of the young officer’s cunning plan whereby he could be sure that the soldiers would focus fully on the task at hand, and by God’s Leave they would have the courage and high level of morale required to succeed.
Officer Sheikho called his men together to begin their journey to the Kurdish mountains.
It was after midnight and the stars twinkled brightly in the sky above. The streets were empty because all good people were at home in their beds. There was only our intrepid young officer and his brave troops riding their horses and demonstrating great skill and strength. Onwards they rode, watched by the stars in the night sky, until they arrived at the square which was then known as al-Sit Hafaza and is now called al-Maysat Square, in Damascus.
At that time, this area was full of beautiful gardens and abundant orchards, and there was also an abandoned police station. So, accompanied by his seven soldiers and the guide, our officer entered the building. He had spent a difficult day thinking and scheming for the best way to get rid of his adversary and he needed a short rest before carrying out this duty. He was particularly anxious to succeed as this was his first mission after graduating as a security officer. So, he ordered the police watchman to wake him when the muezzin called the people to dawn prayer; then he went in and slept. This timing was well calculated because the dawn prayer is called long before sunrise, and so our courageous troop would be able to set off under cover of darkness.
While sleeping, Mohammad Amin had a vision: he saw himself in a tough and violent man-to-man fight with the criminal, but he finally got the better of him, and pinned him to the ground.
At this moment, he woke up with a start and found himself in a heap on the floor, having fallen out of bed. As he opened his eyes fully, he saw the watchman coming in to wake him, and as he stood up he believed that the vision was a good omen from God that he would be granted victory over the wicked criminal. Immediately, demonstrating great personal strength and high morale, he assembled his courageous men who rode their horses with their leader’s firm will and optimism reflected in their own spirits. They climbed the mountains with the courageous Officer Sheikho and the guide at their head, and made slow but steady progress in the direction of the criminal’s house. By the time they drew near to their objective, the darkness had become mixed with daylight and the first shadows of dawn approached.
The sound of the hoof-fall of the squadron’s horses and their general commotion alerted the criminal and put fear into his heart. Whereupon he immediately ran out of his house and continued as fast as he could towards the wall between his house and his neighbour’s, and started to climb it. As he tried to run away the guide recognised him in the growing light and turned towards him to indicate that, indeed, this was the dangerous, wanted man himself.
At that moment, our young officer pointing to the criminal, ordered his soldiers in Turkish: ‘Open Fire!’
In a trice, the seven men shot the criminal who fell down to the ground. Dead!
As swift as lightning Officer Sheikho drew his long dagger, and jumping off his horse he dashed towards the dead felon where he cut off his head and attached it to his belt.
Then he shouted to his men in Turkish, ‘Come on men! Let’s climb higher up the mountain. Quick! Let’s get away before we come under attack and it’s too late.’
The way uphill was narrow, winding and rugged, for it was a ravine which cut through the surface of the mountain. Needless to say the criminal’s men had heard the crack of bullets from the soldiers’ guns, so they rushed out, heavily armed. Some of them saw the body of the headless criminal lying on the ground, and they called out the gory news to each other, ‘Our leader’s dead. They’ve cut off his head. God help those who have killed him! Come on men! Let’s take our revenge. Let us show them the force of our fury. Quick! Follow them.’
So they all began to climb the mountain pass.
Almost every able-bodied man in the area came out to avenge the blood of their evil leader and role model, and set off in pursuit of the officer and his troops who were making good their escape.
As for our young officer Mohammad Amin and his troops, they slowly but surely continued to climb the mountainside until they reached a place where the path became so narrow and difficult that the horses could go no further. At that point the quick-witted officer shouted,
‘Come on, men, quickly! Abandon the horses and run up towards the summit of the mountain.’ Meanwhile the whole of the local population who, to a man, championed the murdered chief, had already surrounded the level summit of the mountain, as a bracelet would encircle the wrist, as they steadily climbed higher on all sides.
At that time guns could fire only a single shot, so the rifleman needed some time to reload his gun after shooting.
The soldiers and their officer were now in a critical and dangerous situation. Soon the mob’s bullets would rain upon them from all sides in a desperate attempt to avenge their dead leader. So Officer Sheikho actioned a brilliant plan in order to create a gap so he and his men could escape from the siege. He ordered his men to play his own ingenious version of leapfrog! [35]What a brilliant ploy! Our young officer quickly explained to his squad that as the Kurds opened fire they should lie flat on the ground to reload their guns. Then as the bandits stopped firing at them and dropped to reload their own guns the first soldier, the one closest to the bandits, should leap up while he and his colleagues are firing in every direction, and run to the end of the line. He will then be the man closest to the escape route. Their guns now empty, the whole squad should reload as quickly as possible while the enemy was firing another round.
As the enemy stopped to reload Officer Amin’s men were to fire at the bandits all around while the second of their colleagues, the one now closest to the bandits, was to run to join the end of the line. They were to continue in this way, one man “leapfrogging” to the back of the line during every round fired by his colleagues. This pattern was to be repeated by every other soldier in turn and as each soldier played his part in this well-thought out, but dangerous, game, the whole column would move backward, man by man, and they would gradually be able to retreat to the nearest place of safety, which was al- Salhiyeh, located behind the Kurd’s Quarter.
This manner of retreat ensures that the enemy remains at bay, while the soldiers in the squadron provide a form of covering fire for their comrades as they retreat.
In this tale, the troops implemented their speedy retreat in the most brilliant and efficient way. Neither side ceased firing at each other until Officer Sheikho reached al- Salhiyeh with his soldiers.
Once there, a gap opened in the Kurdish through giving them the opportunity to escape to the lower level of the mountainside. While all of this was taking place the constant snap and crackle of shooting had woken the people of Damascus. Word of the great battle reached the ears of the supreme commander who immediately raised an armed battalion and led them out to the mountains to help our young officer.
However, he was too late, for our cadet and his squadron had already reached al-Salhiyeh in Damascus and the Kurds could not advance further since they had no control or influence over that area. Further, when they saw the commander coming with his army to aid the dauntless officer they turned tail and fled. They retreated having suffered two losses: the death of their leader, and their complete failure to avenge his death.
Indeed, it was a perfect victory and success for our officer, for all of his men survived the raid uninjured. The Almighty protected them by the high morals of their leader and his excellent, well contrived plan.
So, when the situation calmed down and the danger was past, the stalwart officer, Mohammad Amin, marched down the mountain towards the high commander and there he saluted him. Then, proudly, with head held high, he cast the head of the criminal at the commander’s feet.
But how strange! The reaction of the commander was so cool and unexpected. He said, ‘What have you accomplished? You have killed only one criminal and brought me his head. Do you think such a deed is remarkable?’
Nevertheless, our officer did not react to the commander’s words, on the contrary he said to himself,
‘That is right. Really I have not achieved anything worth boasting about.’
But, one must be fair! Can such a triumph over one of the biggest districts of Damascus and its leader by a squadron of only eight soldiers be regarded as merely a simple deed? That none of them was hurt is miraculous in itself! The miracle of our young cadet’s achievement was yet hidden from glory. And it was said, ‘Spirits of great wishing weary the body in their seeking.’