You are the king of Egypt, Syria, Yemen & Lebanon, why you smile rarely?
How can I smile and how can food and water taste good to me when Masjid al-Aqsa is in the hands of the Crusaders!
Introduction
It is very uncommon to see someone remembered for his bravery, courage, leadership, and aura. Such abstract things are forgotten by history. But in the case of Salahuddin RA, it’s very complex. A person remembered so much for his bravery, courage, and obedience to the teachings of our Prophet P.B.U.H. that one could say he is a role model for every Muslim today.
King of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen left one dinar and 47 dirhams, some armor, and a horse. Not much but what he left behind was a legacy. On his tomb it was written ‘O Allah as his final victory, open for him the gates of Jannah’
Back then, things were very similar to today. Muslims were fearful of death, leaders segregated, and traitors just on one’s left-hand adjacent. But the fact that it took only one Muslim leader to achieve for all of the leaders of that time combined, is a mere reflection of what one can be if he speaks the language of the Quran, walks on the path of our Prophet P.B.U.H. Just like today jargons are from one’s profession, an engineer speaks technical, a scientist by scientific equations, Salahuddin spoke Quran, Sunnah and Seerah. All this made him a Muslim concerned for the Ummah, just as our Prophet P.B.U.H was. If one loves the Prophet P.B.U.H as Salahuddin R.A did, he is bound to get the qualities of the noblest person to ever live.
Salahuddin, or Saladin is respected by Christians as much as we Muslims do. Why could one not, the depth of character, the level of battle intelligence, the persistence, and the zeal to live and die for a purpose bigger than himself are noble enough to make one drawn to the idea of being like him.
Salahuddin was born in 1137 in Tikrit, Iraq in a Kurdish family. At a very early age, he became a Hafiz. He was inspired to become a scholar.
Great men, create great men. He was brought up in an environment of military. The expulsion of the Crusaders was the purpose most critical. Being brought up there was what developed his bravery, courage, and zeal to fulfill a cause bigger than himself i.e. liberate the holy places for the Ummah.
It felt like Allah SWT kept his away from the time of Badr so that he could deal with the enemies of Allah SWT, at a different place and a different time.
He was tutored by Nur ad-Din Zengi RA. About him Ibn al-Athir RA says: The Muslims never had a man who was as upright and caring and compassionate as him. Salahuddin took him as a master, he modeled himself on him. Nur ad-Din RA felt his potential. When in Damascus, crime became rife, he was at a very tender age made in charge of the entire police of Damascus.
Going to Egypt
The first step of turning from an aspiring scholar to a Warrior.
After a while, the Crusaders attacked Egypt. The caliph in Egypt asked Nur ad-Din for help. Shirkuh ad-Din, the Uncle of Salahuddin convinced him. He went to Salahuddin to take him to Egypt. It was a big decision for him, to either work on his aspiration to become a scholar or go to Egypt. Allah SWT is the Greatest Planner. Salahuddin R.A. going to Egypt was not only good for him, but for the Ummah, good for Islamic history.
Becoming the second most powerful person in Egypt.
Shirkuh ad-Din got Egypt rid of the Crusaders. Later, Al-Adid, the Caliph of the Fatimid dynasty retained his throne, and Shirkuh became the second in charge. After Shirkuh passed away, the Ulumah [scholars] and Fuqaha [jurisprudence], chose Salahuddin for his place. At 32, he was the second most powerful person in Egypt. And he showed what a real leader should be. People loved him, he won their hearts, was a true leader. Salahuddin was now in Egypt and Nur ad-Din RA was in Syria.
Back to Syria
The Zengid state under Zengi in 1145, and expansion under Nur al-Din Zengi in 1174 CE.
Nur ad-Din Zengi was a great leader. He was the second son of Imad al-Din Zengi. After the assassination of his father, the kingdom was solid between the two brothers. Nur ad-Din took Aleppo. During his lifetime, he led to a drastic expansion of the Zengid Dynasty. He was a battle genius and later on led it to Salahuddin R.A, who took him as a mentor. It is under Nur ad-Din’s guidance that history saw such a brave, steadfast and just leader.
Syria fragmented after Nur ad-Din
After Nur ad-Din passed away, Syria fragmented. They began to side with the Crusaders and many were giving annual tributes to them. People being used to a person like Nur ad-Din RA, turned to Salahuddin RA.
Salahuddin started his fight against this disintegration
At this time Salahuddin started his expeditions. He spent longer fighting Muslims than Non-Muslims. For over 10 years he fought with Muslims. He understood well that it was this division that could weaken the Ummah.
Reginald De Chatillon – The arch-enemy of Islam
The fragmented Syria now had people who sided with the Crusaders. The role of Nur ad-Din RA in the maintenance of order and unity in Syria was becoming evident day by day.
Release of the arch-enemy
This new Syria, released a man, the greatest arch-enemy of Islam, Reginald De Chatillon. He was in dungeons for 15 years, kept by Nur ad-Din RA. As soon as he got out he gathered an army and marched for Makkah.
Words that outraged Salahuddin R.A leading to an oath
Reginald had said to destroy Makkah and later Madena. And he didn’t stop there, he led himself to blasphemy.
Filled with arrogance he said some unbearable statements about our Prophet P.B.U.H. When Salahuddin RA heard this, he took out his Sword, lifted it to the skies, and said, ‘By Allah, I will kill Reginald with my own hands’. He had deep love for the Prophet SAW P.B.U.H and it was a statement he fulfilled later on.
As soon as Reginald gathered his army for their attempt to violate every Muslim, Salahuddin R.A. dispatched an army under Husam Al-Din Lu’Lu, who took a navy and annihilated the army of Reginald, captured his men, and later executed them in Medina.
Battle of Hattin
Muslims and Christians had a truce, but after 4 years Reginald attacked a Muslim caravan traveling from Egypt to Syria. This time Salahuddin again took the oath of killing Reginald with his own hands. He gathered an army and went to war with the Crusaders.
The battle of Hattin was going to be so much important that Imam Ad-Dhahabi RA, said it as the greatest victory for the Muslims since Khalid bin Walid R.A defeated the Romans at the Battle of Yarmouk.
The Military Genius
The crusaders brought forth an army. It was led by Guy of Lusignan. Salahuddin RA asked his men for the next steps. Shall they carry on attacking their forts and castles, or have a head-on confrontation? Continuing to attack on forts was advised but Salahuddin rejected it and said that they would rather take them head-on because no one knows how long he is going to live. The level of urgency was a result of his zeal to complete his oath and live for the greatest aspiration of his life, i.e. liberation of the Holy Lands.
Salahuddin R.A. said ‘O my men, fight to please your Lord, don’t fight to please me’.
They marched towards the army of crusaders. The Crusader army was significantly larger than the Muslim army.
The Crusader’s army was trenched and they had barricaded themselves. Salahuddin RA didn’t rush and showed his military genius. He went to a nearby fort, that had women and children of soldiers and laid siege to it, and then he put his back against the sea.
The Christian charges were very strong. Muslims had difficulty dealing with them, but tactically Muslims were far superior. Christians thought that one charge was enough for Salahuddin he would end up in the sea. But that is exactly what Salahuddin wanted them to think.
Crusaders marched with the True Cross
The next morning the Crusaders marched and with them, they had the True Cross, the most sacred relic in Christendom. They believed that as long as they had it, they could never lose a battle. They credited all the previous wins to it.
Salahuddin R.A’s executed his plan
A map of Guy’s advance to Tiberias. Saladin knew that Guy’s advance would be forced to move through Hattin on their way to Tiberias.
Salahuddin RA had strategically put archers on the way and poisoned all the wells. The archers did their part and the movement of the Crusader march became snail-paced. Thousands perished and the ones left were hopeful for an easy night. The army of Salahuddin had encircled them in such a way that not an ant could go through. On the Muslim camp, there were cries of Takbir, and on the Christian side, there were cries of dying and the wounded. The battle was already in control, no matter how outnumbered the Muslims were. Still, it was not a time to celebrate early on.
Burning the Brushwood
The next morning Salahuddin RA noticed the brushwood to be dry and the wind blowing towards the Crusaders. It was mid-summer, and Crusaders were already trapped and scarce of water. Muslims lit the brushwood. The Crusaders now started to choke along with their thirst. At this moment the Muslims attacked. And they were reciting the verse,
‘And indeed it is a right upon us that we assist the believers’.
It was a divine help from Allah SWT, everything felt in place. Salahuddin RA was already leading to a win. Muslims gave the final blow to the Crusaders, by capturing the True Cross. An entire regiment was sent to capture it. Once captured, the Christians were demoralized and they fell by the wayside. Only 150 of them remained standing. They had never seen such a response from the other side. All of the 150 Knights surrounded the King. And the Muslims attacked again.
Divine help and pure Military Genius led to a significant impact on the course of history
Salahuddin RA was watching this and had his brother by his side. His brother was happy to see themselves winning. ‘Alhamdullilah we have defeated them’, he said. ‘Not yet’, said Salahuddin. And then the Muslims attacked again and the Christians went back. Again the brother said ‘Alhamdullilah we have defeated them’. ‘Wait, not yet. When the tent of the King fells then we have defeated them’, said Salahuddin. At the same time, the tent fell. Salahuddin RA didn’t jump in joy, but descended from the mount and went to ‘Sajdah’. It was a decisive Muslim victory ultimately leading to the liberation of Al-Aqsa mosque.
It was such a victory that if one looked at the dead, it was impossible to imagine anyone would have survived. A clear win, a military genius in execution. Imam Dhahabi RA says ‘This was the greatest victory for the Muslims, since in ‘Sham, since Khalid bin Waleed, defeated the Romans at the Battle of Yarmuk.
Aftermath of ‘The Battle Of Hattin’
After the battle, a tent was settled for Salahuddin. The king was brought to him along with Reginald. Salahuddin gave the King some water to drink, a sign of mercy and protection. He drank it and gave it to Reginald. ‘You gave it to him, I didn’t give it to him’, said Salahuddin in a fury. Reginald was the one who once boasted to cause harm to the sentiments of Muslims. He was the one who tried to attack Makkah and Madinah. He was the one who tried to transgress in the honor of our beloved Prophet P.B.U.H.
Fulfillment of the Oath
Salahuddin walked up to Reginald and reminded him of his transgression. ‘It is what kings have always been doing’, said Reginald. He was accused of killing Muslim civilians and blasphemy. Salahuddin still gave him an offer to revert to Islam. Leaving such an arch-enemy of Islam alive was a threat and only two options were in his hands, revert to Islam so that all his sins are forgiven or taste death. He rejected. ‘Do you know who I am? I am the representative of Prophet Mohammad SAW’, said Salahuddin, and then he fulfilled his oath.
Man of Allah SWT, inspired by the Greatest Man to ever live
Ibn Shaddad mentions that for years Salahuddin never missed salat with Jamat. He didn’t live in a palace but in a tent on the battlefield. He wasn’t just a warrior but a man of Allah SWT and inspired by the greatest man to ever live, our Prophet P.B.U.H.
The Greatest Aim
Two days later, Salahuddin was in the North of Acre. He led to taking Turan, Haifa, Arsuf, Beirut, Nablus, etc., under his control. He got all the ports so that the Crusaders could not get any more reinforcements in.
Liberation of the Holy Places
Then Salahuddin marched towards the greatest aim of his life, ‘Liberation of the Holy Places’. People used to ask him, we did the king of Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon very rarely smile. Salahuddin RA replied, ‘How could I smile? How can food and water taste good to me? When Bayt al-Maqdis is in the hands of the Crusaders.
‘I will take the holy lands, even if it means I walk into Jerusalem blind‘
Astrologers had told Salahuddin that they had seen in stars and that if he tried to take Jerusalem, he would lose an eye. Salahuddin replied by saying, ‘You talking to me losing an eye, I swear by Allah, I will take the holy lands, even if it means I walk into Jerusalem blind’.
Liberation Of Jerusalem
For 5 days, Salahuddin RA went around Jerusalem. On the 20th of Rajb, they found an ideal place to lay siege. And for 6 days, they pounded the city.
Terms with Balian
On the 26th, Balian of Ibelin came out to ask for terms. Salahuddin said ‘I offered you terms initially, but you didn’t take them and now the city is mine’. The Balian replied by saying, ‘If you do not offer terms then I will kill 5000 Muslims in the city and will destroy the Holy Masjid’. Salahuddin could have easily said, ‘Do it and you will see what we do to your men, women, and children’. But he knew that these Muslims had been on the frontline for 88 years and he didn’t want any more suffering for them.
Entering Jerusalem
And he gave Balian terms, and on the 27th Rajb, he entered Jerusalem. 27th Rajb is the same day our beloved Prophet P.B.U.H. entered Jerusalem.
Mercy
88 years of persecution, living Muslims being catapulted over the walls of Jerusalem, Muslim women continuously violated, babies snatched from mothers’ breasts and their heads being smashed against the walls, 70000 Muslims killed in the masjid in a single day until blood ran up to the knees of the butcherers.
But the memory of our Prophet P.B.U.H. re-entering Makkah was the prominent emotion and eased the pain of all the above sufferings. In the time of Prophet P.B.U.H. the atrocities were unimaginable. Hazrat Bilal R.A. was dragged until his skin peeled off. Two young girls, Lubauna and Unaisa were killed for believing in the Shahada. Ammar, Yasir, Sumayyah, and the entire family were persecuted.
On re-entering Makkah, one of the Sahabi, in the heat of the moment, said that it was the day of retribution, the day of bloodshed, the day of payback. But Prophet SAW replied by saying ‘Oh Saad come here, change the cry to Today is the day of mercy, Today is the day of Forgiveness.’
And this is what Salahuddin R.A. chose for himself. Mercy.
Stanley Lane Paul, British orientalist, and archaeologist, mentions in his classics: ‘The Muslim Kings showed the Christians the meaning of compassion’. Salahuddin in his life killed only 1 man named Reginald and 200 templars, which was nothing to what the Crusaders had done to Muslims. By nature he was considered to be a just and merciful leader, loved by not only Muslims but his nature also entered the hearts of various Non-Muslims.
After the liberation of Jerusalem, things were still not easy
When Europe heard that the Holy Place was liberated by Muslims, it went ablaze. Pope Urban 2nd died of grief due to it. And the subsequent Pope ordered every king to send every able person to fight to capture the Holy Place again.
From Germany, Frederick the king, gathered a million fighters and marched for the cause. He drowned on the way and the army dispersed. Richard from England and Philip from France bought around 600000 men.
Battle of Arsuf
Salahuddin was amazed at the zeal of Christendom. He wrote letters to all the Muslim leaders for help, but nobody obliged. Every desperate attempt led to a vein.
The 600000 crusaders camped at Acre. They made trenches around them and barricaded themselves. Salahuddin RA could not attack them from behind.
This led to the Battle of Arsuf. For two years Salahuddin remained on the battlefield.
Salahuddin R.A. would cry at the apathy of the Muslim leaders. Ibn Shaddad mentions that at Acre Salahuddin was like a mother who had lost his child. This is the reason we remember Salahuddin R.A. and all other leaders of the time are forgotten. At that time there were three Caliphs. When they lived in palaces, Salahuddin lived in a tent. He didn’t eat anything for days and still stood steadfast, fighting for the Ummah.
Emotional trials and steadfastness
One day news came that Salahuddin’s brother had passed away, and later his nephew. He began to cry. The companions were unaware of the reason, but seeing such a brave leader in tears, brought them in tears as well. Still, Salahuddin RA went to the battlefield like nothing had happened. He was a true warrior, physically and emotionally, ready to give his everything for the Noble cause.
Richard’s Terms
After two years of battle, the Muslims asked for terms. Richard proposed that his sister Joan should marry Saladin’s brother and that Jerusalem could be their wedding gift, also insisted that Saladin’s brother convert to Christianity. Salahuddin rejected. Richard suggested that his niece Eleanor be the bride instead, an idea that Saladin also rejected. After this, he butchered every man, woman, and child in Acre.
Prayer that led to immediate ease
That day Ibn Shaddad was sitting next to Salahuddin RA and gave an account of the scene. Salahuddin prayed two Rakats and began to cry while making Dua, ‘O Allah, All my resources are exhausted in assisting your Deen and the only thing I have left is that I turn to you. And I hold on to your rope and I ask you for your Fadl and your Grace’. He cried until his beard became drenched and then the mat in front of him became wet as well.
The next morning the news came that the Crusaders had lifted their siege and Richard had said his famous statement, ‘As long as a man like Salahuddin is protecting Jerusalem, you will never take it’. And it was Richard who asked for a truce instead of Muslims.
‘O Ibn Shaddad, What is the greatest of deaths?’
Ibn Shaddad mentions when he was in Askalan, the first time he witnessed the sea and the sea pounding with waves, he remembered the opinion of some scholars that anybody who goes to the sea, his testimony would not be taken, because he can’t be considered mentally sane. He said that when he saw the nature of the sea, he understood the validity of this opinion. During this Salahuddin came to him and said ‘O Ibn Shaddad, when we have cleansed the Holy lands from Crusaders, what I wish is that I go over this sea and I spread the word of Islam until not one ‘Kaafir’ is left on the face of this earth.’ Ibn Shaddad replied by saying, ‘O Salahuddin, You are the pillar of this Deen, You are the protector of this Deen, What would happen if you die?’ Salahuddin turned to him and said, ‘O Ibn Shaddad, What is the greatest of deaths?’ ‘Martyrdom’ replied Ibn Shaddad. ‘That is what I desire’ said Salahuddin.
Balian’s admiration
The truce took place and Balian said ‘O Salahuddin, you have achieved something in Islam that nobody before you has achieved. 600000 crusaders came and only 1 in 10 ever returned.’
The Last Days
After the truce, Salahuddin R.A. went back to Damascus. On one wet day, he went to visit the holy pilgrims of Hajj, when he came back it was cold, it was wet, he became ill, and later on his state got worse. Imad ad-Din mentions ‘I was with Salahuddin when he was ill, the weaker his body got, the stronger his trust in Allah became’. On the 9th day, Salahuddin became unconscious. Sheikh Jafir mentions ‘I was reciting The Holy Quran by his bed when I reached the verses
‘He it is Allah and no Lord besides him, The knower of the unseen’
and a faint voice said ‘Saheeh’. For 3 days I recited the Quran by his bed and on his last day he reached the verse,
‘There is no God but Allah and upon him I trust’
and Salahuddin’s face became radiant, recited the Shahadah and left this Dunya’
Ibn Shaddad mentions that this was the greatest calamity to befall the Muslims since the demise of the ‘Khulafa-e-Rashidun’. Abdul Latif said that he was mourned like a Prophet because everybody loved him.
The Legacy
He passed at the time of Fajr and after Zuhr, they bought his body out. The people screamed and cried as if the whole Dunya just became one place i.e. ended. Many who saw his dead body couldn’t believe it and became unconscious. King of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen left one dinar and 47 dirhams, some armor, and a horse. Not much in terms of material possessions, but what he left behind was a legacy. On his tomb, it was written
‘O Allah as his final victory, open for him the gates of Jannah’
