Qazaan, also known as Ghazan, was the seventh ruler under the Mongol Ilkhanate, a Tatar-origin dynasty descended from the evil Hulagu Khan, the leader of the attacks on Baghdad. Qazaan had claimed to have converted to Islam, but he was still doing immoral things in the kingdom he ruled. During his rule, people were allowed to drink wine openly, even in mosques, and the rate of crime was extremely high. His conversion to Islam was merely for politically gain, and he also was influenced by the Rafidhah who were present in Syria. He even had Christian allies, such as the kingdom of Armenia. Qazaan rejected ruling by Shari'ah and instead ruled by the Mongol law of Al-Yaseeq.
One day, Qazaan had plans to attack Dimashq. The word spread out to the Mamluks, and they sent out a delegation of Muslim scholars to try and make Qazaan change his mind. One of these scholars was Imam Ibn Taymiyyah. He was a leading scholar of Dimashq and came from a family of Hanbali nobles. The other scholars were mainly religious teachers and ulema of the Ash'ari creed. The delegation arrived at Qazaan's camp in An-Nabk, at a mountainous, sandy area far from Dimashq. Ibn Taymiyyah met many of the Muslim envoys under Qazaan, such as the Qadi, Diya al-Din Muhammad.
Qazaan decided to serve food for the event. But, Ibn Taymiyyah refused to eat anything. Qazaan questioned him as to why he did not want to eat anything. So, the Imam said, “Why should I eat, when the food you have made is produced from animals stolen from your people?” Qazaan was taken aback by this, but he was impressed with how courageous Ibn Taymiyyah was. Ibn Taymiyyah said to Qazaan, “You claim to have become a Muslim, and you have all these Imams, Muezzins and Muftis on your side, but what do you intend on invading our territory? Even though your father and your grandfather, Hulagu, were disbelievers, they signed treaties with us and did not break their pact, unlike you.”
Qazaan then said, “I have never seen a soul so courageous as you, so your requests should be answered. Now, I ask you to make a supplication.” Ibn Taymiyyah then made the Du'a, saying; “O Allah, if your servant Mahmood (Qazaan) is truly a Muslim who is fighting for You, then grant victory upon him. But if he is only claiming to be a Muslim for the worldy benefits of being known as one, then I invoke you to take him with severity and cut off his offspring!”
The session was over. Ibn Taymiyyah left the camp of Qazaan alone. His companions refused to accompany him back, as they felt that he had almost led to them being executed by Qazaan with how he defied the fearsome ruler. When Ibn Taymiyyah returned to Dimashq, he was accompanied by a lot of Mamluk soldiers in armour. While his companions were robbed by bandits!
After the event, Qazaan postponed the attack on Dimashq. But he would attack Dimashq again at least three years later. This time, he lost the battle against the Muslims. Imam Ibn Taymiyyah was one of those who defeated the Mongols in that that battle, and the battle marked the end of the Mongol invasions into Syria and the Levant.
Allah answered the Du'a that Ibn Taymiyyah had made earlier during the meeting with Qazaan. Many years after the final battle, Qazaan died of an illness. He had no children. Hence, he was succeeded by his brother Oljeitu Khudabandah, who was a former Christian and a Rafidhi supporter.
Source:
Al-Kawakib Al-Durriyah fi Manaqib al-Mujtahid Ibn Taymiyyah by Imam Mar'i ibn Yusuf al-Karmi
Biography of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah by Adil Salahi
Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah by Ibn Kathir, volume 14
The Successors of Genghis Khan by Rashid al-Din Hamadani
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