Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi great Muslim military leader of Islamic history
Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi great Muslim military leader of Islamic history | Islamic Lions | Islamic history
Salahuddin Ayyubi,
commonly known as Salahuddin, was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. He was
born in 1138 AD in the city of Tikrit, present-day Iraq. Under his leadership,
the Ayyubid dynasty ruled over Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Hejaz, and Diyarbakır.
Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi is respected not only by Muslims but also by
Christians for his bravery, generosity, good manners, and tolerance. Salahuddin
also achieved victories against the Crusaders.
He was strongly inclined towards jihad and actively participated in the army led by his uncle, Nur ad-Din Zangi, which conquered Egypt. His cousin, Shirkuh, was the commander of his troops. After the conquest of Egypt, Salahuddin was appointed as the ruler of Egypt in 564 AH. In 569 AH, he also managed to conquer Yemen.
After the death of Nur
ad-Din Zangi, Sultan Salah ad-Din became the ruler. After conquering Egypt,
Sultan Salah ad-Din incorporated Sham, Mosul, Aleppo, and other territories
into his kingdom by 1182. During this time, he made a treaty of peace with the Crusader
military commander Reynald, which obligated both parties to help each other.
However, this treaty was merely on paper and formal. The Crusaders were busy
with their interests and were looting Muslim caravans.
In 1186, Reynald dared
to attack the Holy Land of Hijaz. Sultan Salah ad-Din immediately took action
to stop his activities and captured him near Hatin. The terrifying battle of
Hatin began in 1187. As a result of this war, 30,000 Christians were killed and
an equal number were taken as prisoners. Reynald was captured, and the Sultan
personally beheaded him. Reynald used to insult the honor of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Sultan had taken an oath to kill
him with his own hands.
After the conquest of
Hatin, Salah ad-Din turned towards Jerusalem. After a week of bloody battle,
the Christians surrendered and requested mercy. Beit al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) came
under Muslim control after 88 years, and the rule of the Christians in all of
Palestine came to an end. The conquest of Beit al-Maqdis was a remarkable
achievement of Sultan Salah ad-Din Ayyubi. Entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, he prepared
Nur ad-Din Zangi's tombstone and placed it in the mosque, thus fulfilling Nur
ad-Din Zangi's desire with his own hands.
After the conquest of
Jerusalem, the Christian rule that had been established in Palestine since 1099
came to an end. Jerusalem remained under Muslim control for approximately 761
continuous years. However, in 1948, through a conspiracy between America, Britain,
and France, a Jewish kingdom was established in the region of Palestine, and
half of Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Jews. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli
War, Israel once again seized control of Jerusalem, and this occupation
continues until today.
Salahuddin Ayyubi was
a brave and generous leader. In battles, he treated Christians so well that
they still respect him today. Salahuddin Ayyubi passed away on March 4, 1193.
He was buried in a mosque in the current capital of Damascus, in the Umayyad Mosque.
Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi ruled for a total of 20 years. According to the
historian Ibn Khallikan, his death was excruciating. An English historian of
the present era, Lynn Paul, also praised Salahuddin and wrote that there was a
strange difference in his character. Kings attained glory because of their
majesty, but Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi earned the love of the people and amassed
wealth through the heartwarming treatment of his subjects.
While Salahuddin was a knowledgeable and capable ruler, he could not free himself from
conventional thinking. Muslim society had already deviated so far from the true
concept of caliphate that even rulers like Nur al-Din and Salahuddin themselves
considered themselves mere vassals. Salahuddin made the same mistake in matters
of succession that Harun al-Rashid had made before him, and all subsequent
rulers followed this practice after the Seljuks. According to the customs of
the time, he divided his empire among his three sons. As a result, the
once-powerful dynasty became divided and weakened. However, a few deserving
rulers from the Ayyubid dynasty, including Salahuddin's brother Malik Adil and
his son Malik Kamal, managed to keep Egypt, Syria, Hejaz, and Yemen united for
almost 60 years. In 648 AH, the Ayyubid dynasty came to an end, and it was
replaced by the rule of the Turks, known as the Mamluks.
