The Death Of Saladin

When the city of Jerusalem fell to the force of the Saladin's army on 15 October 1187, Saladin order his army to give humane treatments to the Crusaders. This was opposite to the cruel slaughter for the Crusaders earlier. None of the civilian population of the city was killed or threaten, instead they were allowed to leave upon the payment of the appropriate amount of ransom.

After the conquest of Jerusalem and the signing of the treaties, Saladin returned to Damascus. At that time he was the ruler of an empire stretching from Egypt to Iraq in the east and Yemen in the south. He was famous, not only in the Muslim worlds but in the Christian Kingdoms as the man who returned Jerusalem to the hand of the Muslims.

He fell ill with high fever. Even when he was suffering, he rode out of Damascus to welcome the returning pilgrimage from Mecca. The very pilgrimage the wanted so much to perform, but did not have the opportunity to do it.

In March 1193, at the age of 55 years, he past away and was burried in Damascus, Syria. Upon his death, it was found that he had no money left even to cover for the burial expenses. All his treasures were given to the poor. He took the example of the prophet and the close companions, living a simple life, although the controlled a vast empire.

Saladin in Brief

Saladin is a prominent figure; the most famous of the Muslim military heroes. He was and still is respected by both the Muslim and Christians. His achievements were not limited to the military sphere alone, but transgressed across the political, diplomatic and administrative arenas. The Muslim owed to him as the man who organized the return of Jerusalem to the Muslim. The Christian remembered his military genius and his humane treatments of his beaten enemies.

His Youth
1138 - Saladin, his actual name was Yusof, born in Tikrit (present Iraq) in the year of 1138. His father, Najmuddin, was a Kurdish from Azarbaijan. When his grandfather migrated to Baghdad, he brought along his two sons, Najmuddin and Asaddin. Later his father was appointed as the governor of Tikrik and his uncle Asuddin as the Army commander. On the night of his birth, his father, Najmudin, decided to move to Aleppo and worked for Imaddin Zangi, the powerful Turkish governor in northern Syria.

He got a taste of military life under the guided eyes of his uncle and the academic and religious elements from his father. Following the tradition in those days, Saladin was trained to be expert horse rider and handled various weapons of combat, such as the sword in and archery. While growing up, Saladin was an ordinary undistinguished youth, with a greater inclination towards religious studies than military.

Egypt.
When Egypt was attacked, the vizier was faced with two mounting challenges, the internal power struggle and the onslaught of the Crusaders. He sent for the help from the Emir, Imaddin in Damascus, who, despite of the fear of crusaders attack, dispatched Asaddin to lead the army. Saladin was enrolled in it. This marked his formal entry to military career.
Asaddin 's army and The Crusader-Egyptian force were engaged in a battle in Giza, a desert border of the Nile River. In this battle Saladin demonstrated his leadership quality and played a significant role in the success of the battle.

The emir was very pleased and awarded Asaddin for his contribution. After his uncle’ Asaddin died, Saladin at the age of 31 was appointed as the vizier of Egypt and at the same as the commander of the Syrian troops in Egypt. His relatively quick rise to power must be attributed not only to the clannish nepotism of his Kurdish family but also to his own emerging talents. As vizier of Egypt, he was accorded the title king (malik) but he was better known as the Sultan of Egypt.

(1171). Saladin strengthened his position by 's position by abolishing the weak and unpopular Shi'ite Fatimid caliphate. The became the sole ruler of Egypt, keep his attachment as a vassal of Nureddin. In the subsequent years, Saladin worked to unite the Muslim’s territories in Syria, Egypt, northern Iraq and Palestine. His had only one ambition, to liberate Jerusalem from the Crusaders.

(1174) , When the Syrian emir died, Saladin was asked by the young ruler of Damascus to put down the uprising in Syria. Using his rich agricultural possessions in Egypt as a financial base, Saladin soon moved into Syria with a small but strictly disciplined army to claim the regency on behalf of the young son of his former suzerain. Soon, however, he abandoned this claim, and from 1174 until 1186 he zealously pursued a goal of uniting all the Muslim territories of Syria, northern Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Egypt. He accomplished by skillful diplomacy backed by the swift and resolute use of military force. Gradually, his reputation grew as a generous and virtuous but firm ruler, devoid of pretense, licentiousness, and cruelty. In contrast to the bitter dissension and intense rivalry that had up to then hampered the Muslims in their resistance to the crusaders, Saladin's singleness of purpose induced them to rearm both physically and spiritually.

Battle of Hattin. This is the beginning of the downfall of the crusaders. Due to the poor calculation by the Crusaders, the army was trapped, after a long and exhausted match. So great were the losses in the ranks of the crusaders in this one battle that the Muslims were quickly able to overrun nearly the entire Kingdom of Jerusalem. Acre, Toron, Beirut, Sidon, Nazareth, Caesarea, Nabulus, Jaffa (Yafo), and Ascalon (Ashqelon) fell within three months.

(1187) The Crowning achievement for Saladin and a fatal blow for the Christian was the surrender of Jerusalem. The city surrendered to Saladin's army after 88 years in the hands of the Franks. In stark contrast to the city's conquest by the Christians, when blood flowed freely during the barbaric slaughter of its inhabitants, the Muslim reconquest was marked by the civilized and courteous behaviour of Saladin and his troops.

By 1189 the crusaders occupied only three cities in the entire Middle East. Saladin's conquest sparked the Third Crusade, which was led by the famed military leader Richard I (the Lion-Hearted). The clash between these two great powers ended in a draw, but a treaty was drawn up that allowed Christians to visit holy sites in the area. Saladin died a peaceful death in Damascus in 1193.

Achievement
Saladin's every act was inspired by an intense and unwavering devotion to the idea of jihad, or holy war, taking example from the struggle of the prophet and the companions. It was an essential part of his policy to encourage the growth and spread of Muslim religious institutions.

He courted both scholars and preachers, founded colleges and mosques, and commissioned them to write edifying works both in religious topics as well as academics' interest. Through moral regeneration, which was a genuine part of his own way of life, he tried to re-create in his own realm some of the same zeal and enthusiasm that had proved so valuable to the first generations of Muslims when, five centuries before, they had conquered half the known world.

In wars against the Christian crusaders, he achieved final success with the disciplined capture of Jerusalem (Oct. 2, 1187), ending its 88-year occupation by the Franks. The great Christian counterattack of the Third Crusade was then stalemated by his military genius.

His chivalrous behavior was noted by Christian chroniclers, especially in the accounts of the siege of Kerak in Moab, and despite being the enemies of the Crusaders he won the respect of many of them, including Richard the Lionheart; rather than becoming a hated figure in Europe, he became a celebrated example of the principles of chivalry.

The noble prince of Islam

Readers Reviews
28 people found the following review helpful:
Why the name "Good King Richard" is an oxymoron, September 20, 2004
By E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird"

When you look at the British involvement in that farcical escapade known as the Crusades, it seems remarkable that ANYONE living today could side with England. I mean, let's look at it soberly. They come into a country in the Middle East, take over huge swaths of it, claim it as their own, are shocked when the residents of the area don't like being oppressed, then set about hacking their way back in only to fail in the end. Just a scant overview of their actions is enough to make them look vaguely ridiculous. Once you start learning a little more about their actions (or rather, the actions of their leaders) you see just how violent and, not to put too fine a point on it, evil they were. Therefore, it's a bit surprising that a popular kid's book about Saladin hasn't been written before now. At this moment in time, circumstances have given kids a chance to learn more about the followers of Islam and their history. It seems fitting, then, that we should look at one of their greatest heroes and grant him the respect he's due. "Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam" does just that.

Saladin was born along the Tigris River well after Jerusalem fell into the hands of the marauding Crusaders from England. As a child, he attended to his studies well and learned the tenants of Islam by heart. All this gave him the understanding he required to be a good and righteous man amongst his people. As a teen Saladin became the chief aide of the Turkish sultan Nur al-Din, a fair leader who earned the respect of his subjects. From him Saladin found his role model and guide. After Nur al-Din's death, he staked his claim on the man's empire and brought together his warring brothers. This allowed him the army he needed to set out to defeat the Franks and to reclaim Jerusalem once more. To do this he faced Reginald of Chatillon, "perhaps the greatest villain in the history of the Crusade" (which is saying quite a lot), Richard the Lionhearted, and other adversaries. The book recounts a myriad of battles undertaken by both the Crusaders and the Muslims. Both sides had their wins and losses. In the end, however, Saladin was victorious and in 1291 (years after his death), "the Franks were driven out of the Holy Land altogether". So well done there.

Though it doesn't look it, this book is an excellent reference for any kid interested in battles and battle strategy. It summarizes the greatest confrontations of both sides and makes them understandable and interesting. There is also no question at any time as to who the heroes are. The Franks (to the Muslims all Crusaders were regarded as "Franks") break treaties, lie, kill for pleasure, and remain the greediest of no-goodniks. Saladin would often spare his captured enemies or give them a chance to pay a price to avoid being sold as slaves. King Richard, on the other hand, was prone to slaughtering three thousand Muslim men when he captured them. A cruel barbarian, he met a violent death, as was his due. Saladin died in his bed, having ended his life to his own liking. Touche.

I suspect that there are people out there who can't imagine a man like Saladin being far more generous and compassionate than a man like Richard. To back up her information, therefore, author Diane Stanley has included an excellent Bibliography for further reading. Terms that might not be readily recognizable to readers are included in a Glossary in the back. Accompanying the text itself are beautiful glossy illustrations that perfectly compliment the book's plot and storyline. All this and the book is respectful to the people of the Islam faith.

Biographies of historical figures well known in their native lands but little known in American schools are difficult to create. With that in mind, Stanley has done a remarkable job. She even ties in the events of the book to the modern day, commenting that, "Two hundred years of Frankish invasion, senseless slaughter, and religious fanaticism left a tragic legacy. A shadow of hatred and mistrust had fallen over this great land, holy to three faiths. A thousand years later, it is still there". And not likely to leave soon. Let us hope then that beautifully written biographies like "Saladin" dispel the myths that remain about the man, his life, and his religion. This book should be in every school library in America.

CLICK TO BUY

--------------------------


Beautiful book, but anti-Christian, November 3, 2005
By Melissa

This book caught my eye at the library because it has beautiful illustrations, and the title obviously gives away its very positive view of Saladin and the Muslim faith. Given the publication date, it is not surprising that the book presents Muslims and their faith in a positive light; however, the book goes to the extreme in presenting Muslims as good and Christians as evil. Children in this age group are likely to be confused by this portrayal of their faith if they are Christians, while those of a Muslim background could very well see the current atrocities committed by Islamic jihadists as justified. Moreover, children at this age don't have the analytical skills to realize that there is more to the history of the Crusades than is presented here. In my opinion, this book may well be an excellent biography of Saladin, but given the age of the intended audience, the slant of the book gives an inappropriate message.

-------------------------


The Crusade which Preceded the 'War on Terror', October 9, 2006
By Cheri Montagu "Writer" (San Francisco Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews


Many people have seen the excellent PBS documentary, "Holy Warriors", about Saladin and Richard the Lionheart in the Third Crusade. For me it opened up a whole new field of inquiry, for although I am myself an historian, my field is not the Middle Ages. I sought out and read many books on Saladin, and found him a fascinating and admirable character, and an excellent antidote to the hatred of Islam which is presently being fomented by our government. It seemed to me that it was important to get the word out-- especially to the next generation-- about this Muslim whose character was so contrary to prevalent stereotypes. Diane Stanley's book fulfills this need. It presents the true history of Saladin and the Third Crusade in a manner which is readily understandable to children and accompanied by beautiful illustrations. It seems unlikely that any child who has read this book will grow up feeling the hatred that our government wants us to feel for all Muslims, and in that lies its greatest virtue.

Thank You.

visit our blog:

http://learningblog-money-online.blogspot.com/