Jerusalem was

recaptured 830 years ago

by Salahuddin
October 04, 2017

The Military Genius of Muhammad al-

Fatih

This is how Salahuddin

retook Jerusalem and shook
the world.
Salahuddin Yusuf Ibn Ayyub is no doubt
one of history’s greatest heroes. Both
Muslims and non-Muslims alike praise his
amazing accomplishments, as well as his
shining qualities of bravery, generosity,
and justice.

From among his astonishing conquests,

the capturing of Jerusalem from the
crusaders is one that changed the history
of the world.

Salahuddin Al Ayubi

Salahuddin’s early life – the

makings of a leader

Born in Tikrit, Iraq in 1137 AD, Salahuddin

(or Salah Ad-Din) spent his childhood
memorising the Quran, learning the
Islamic sciences, as well as poetry. His
father Ayyub was the governor of
Baalbek.

In his youth, Salahuddin learned his

military tactics from his uncle, Asad Al-
Din Shirkuh and was mentored by Sultan
Nur Ad-Din, who inspired Salahuddin to
unite the Muslim Ummah.

Salahuddin went on to capture Egypt

from the Fatimids, and Syria from the
Zengids, uniting the Muslim lands
together and became known as the
Sultan of Egypt and Syria.

The Crusaders capture

Jerusalem

The horror and bloodshed of the events

known as the Crusades are today almost
unimaginable. Occurring in the Middle-
East between 1095 and 1291, these 9
church-sanctioned campaigns sought to
“retake” the Holy Land from its Muslim
occupants.

After the siege of Jerusalem in 1099, the

invading army took control of the city and
indiscriminately slaughtered the Jews and
Muslims they came across. Whilst it is
impossible to know the exact figures,
somewhere between 3,000 and 70,000
(most likely around 10,000) was
butchered at the hands of the crusaders.

“The slaughter was so great that

[Crusader] men waded in blood up to
their ankles…”
Gesta Francorum

Salahuddin defeats the

crusaders

88 years later, however, Salahuddin had

decimated the occupying armies,
defeating the Crusaders at the decisive
battle of Hattin in July 1187, when they
attacked Muslim pilgrims. This eventually
leads to the capturing of Jerusalem by
Salahuddin a few months later in October
1187.

To avoid the captivity they expected, the

leader of the city Balian D’Ibelin
threatened to slaughter his own people
and destroy the city.

“We will kill our own women and

children and burn all that we possess.
We will not leave you a single dinar of
booty, not a single dirham, not a single
man or woman to lead into captivity.
Then we shall destroy the sacred rock,
al-Aqsa mosque, and many other
sites; we will kill the five thousand
Muslim prisoners we now hold.”

However, Salahuddin instead promised

their security gave them 40 days to pay a
small ransom to free themselves. The
Crusaders accepted and surrendered the
city unilaterally.

Salahuddin enters Jerusalem

During his victory of Jerusalem, he

entered the city, not as a boastful
conqueror, but with humility, just like the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
did when he entered Makkah after the
Muslim victory.

Salahuddin was in a position to seek

revenge on the very people that shed the
blood of thousands of innocent Muslims
during the 1st crusades. However, just like
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) promised safety and peace to his
aggressors, Salahddin also did the same
to the Christians of Jerusalem.

When he took the city, Salahuddin

forbade any massacres or plundering of
Christians, Frankish or oriental. He even
strengthened the guards at their
churches and gave them permission to
return for their pilgrimages.

He granted them forty days to safely

leave the city, along with their property
and belongings. Part of the conditions of
surrender was to pay ransom for their
freedom. Salahuddin set the ransom at a
low price so everyone could pay, and for
those who couldn’t, Salahuddin paid for
their ransom from his own wealth.

When the patriarch of the city took

chariots full of gold, carpets, and
precious goods from the city, Salah al-
Din’s advisors were outraged.

“I said to the Sultan: ‘This patriarch is

carrying off riches worth at least two
hundred thousand dinars. We gave
them permission to take their personal
property with them, but not the
treasures of the churches and
convents.’ But Salah al-Din answered:
‘We must apply the letter of the
accords we have signed so that no
one will be able to accuse the
believers of having violated their
treaties. On the contrary, Christians
everywhere will remember the
kindness we have bestowed upon
them.’

This amazing example is a testament to

the character of Salahuddin, as well as his
God-consciousness and forward thinking.

It’s his generosity and justice that earned

him the respect of his later opponent,
King Richard the Lionheart during the 3rd
crusades.

As author Amin Maalouf described it:

“Saladin had conquered Jerusalem

not to amass gold, and still less to
seek vengeance. His prime objective,
as he himself explained, was to do his
duty before God and his faith.”

Despite ruling the vast lands of Egypt and

Syria, he kept very little wealth for
himself. When Salahuddin died in 1193 AD
(age 56), he only had a few pieces of gold
and silver to his name.

With all his power and fame, he did not

allow the temptations of this life to
distract him from his goal of servicing
Islam.

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