For eight centuries, the conquest of Constantinople, now Istanbul, Turkey, was a dream for the Muslim commanders. Ever since the era of the revered companion, Mu`aawiyah Ibn Abu Sufyaan, there had been many attempts to conquer it, but none had succeeded. Every Muslim commander wanted to be the conqueror praised in the narration in which the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "You will conquer Constantinople. Its commander is the best and its army (that will conquer it) is the best." Who was then the person about whom the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, gave glad tidings? It was Muhammad Al-Faatih, may Allaah have mercy on him, son of the Ottoman Sultan Murad II.
Muhammad Al-Faatih, may Allaah have mercy on him, as a child and his excellent preparation:
Muhammad Al-Fatih was born on 27th Rajab, 835 A.H., 30th March, 1432. He was brought up under the supervision of his father, Sultan Murad II, the seventh Ottoman Sultan. His father prepared and trained him to shoulder the responsibilities of the position of a Sultan. Muhammad Al-Fatih memorized all the Quran, learnt the Prophetic narrations, Islamic jurisprudence, mathematics, astronomy and the skills required for war.
He also learnt Arabic, Persian, Latin and Greek languages. He joined his father in his battles and conquests.
His father appointed him as a ruler of a small emirate so that he could receive practical training on administering state affairs under the supervision of some of the top scholars of that time. This matter influenced the character of the young prince and tinted his personality with Islamic morals and manners. Shaykh Aaq Shamsd-Deen, one of the scholars who supervised the upbringing and education of Muhammad Al-Faatih, managed to inculcate in his heart the spirit of Jihaad and the desire to be a person with high ambition.
The Shaykh also told Muhammad Al-Faatih, may Allaah have mercy on him, that he may be the one referred to in the Prophetic narration mentioned above. All this shaped the character of Muhammad Al-Faatih. He was devoted to Jihaad, highly ambitious, widely cultured, and had deep knowledge of the skills of war and combat.
Taking power and his efforts to achieve the glad tiding:
After the death of his father, Sultan Murad II on 5th Muharram, 852 A.H., 7th February, 1451 A.C., Muhammad Al-Faatih, may Allaah have mercy on him, took over and became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He was a strong young man, only twenty years old, very enthusiastic and ambitious. He was thinking of the conquest of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. This dream overwhelmed him to the extent that he would not talk about any subject except for the conquest of Constantinople. He would not even allow anyone who was sitting with him to talk, except about the expected conquest.
The first step in achieving his dream was to take control of the Strait of Bosporus so that he could prevent any support or supplies that might come to Constantinople from Europe. So he built a huge castle on the European seashore of the Strait of Bosporus. Along with top senior officials, he personally participated in building the castle. It took three months to build this castle that came to be known as the Roman Castle. On the other bank of the Strait of Bosporus, there was the Castle of Anatolia. It then became impossible for any ship to cross unless it obtained permission from the Ottoman forces.
The rest of the story can be read from this link:
http://english.islamweb.net/emainpage/i ... &id=136061
