Shirkuh

Asad ad-Din Shirkuh bin Shadhi  literally means lion of the mountains in Kurdish), also known as Shêrko or “Shêrgo” (died 22 February 1169) was an important Kurdish military commander, and uncle of Saladin. His military and diplomatic efforts in Egypt were a key factor in establishing the Ayyubid family in that country. He was originally from a Kurdish village in Armenia near the town of Dvin. He was the son of Shadhi ibn Marwan, a Kurdish ruler, and was the brother of Najm ad-Din Ayyub, the ancestor of the Ayyubid dynasty.^[1] The family was closely connected to the Shaddadid dynasty, and when the last Shaddadid was deposed in Dvin in 1130, Shahdi moved the family first to Baghdad and then to Tikrit, where he was appointed governor by the regional administrator Bihruz. Ayyub succeeded his father as governor of Tikrit when Shahdi died soon after.

 

When Shirkuh killed a Christian with whom he was quarrelling in Tikrit in 1138,^[2] the brothers were exiled (Shirkuh’s nephew Yusuf, later known as Saladin, was supposedly born the night they left). They joined Nur ad-Din Zengi‘s army, and Shirkuh served under Nur ad-Din Zengi who succeeded Zengi in Mosul. Shirkuh was later given Homs, Ar-Rahba and other appanages by Nur ad Din Zengi as his vassal.^[3] Ayyub served as governor of Baalbek and later Damascus, and the two brothers negotiated the surrender of Damascus to Nur ad-Din in 1154. In 1163 Nur ad-Din was asked by Shawar to intervene in Egypt in a dispute between him and Dirgham over the Fatimid vizierate. Nur ad-Din sent Shirkuh, and this was to be the first of three ventures Shirkuh made into Egypt, nominally on Nur ad-Din’s behalf. On this first occasion, his nephew Saladin accompanied him as an advisor. Shawar was restored and Dirgham was killed, but after quarrelling with Shirkuh, Shawar allied with Amalric I of Jerusalem, who marched into Egypt in 1164 and besieged Shirkuh at Bilbeis ^[4] (see Crusader invasion of Egypt). In response Nur ad-Din attacked the Crusader states and almost captured the Principality of Antioch.

 

Shirkuh was invited back into Egypt by the Fatimid Caliph Al-‘Āḍid in 1167, to help defeat the Crusaders who were attacking Cairo.^[5] Shawar once again allied with Amalric, who besieged Shirkuh in Alexandria until he agreed to leave; however, a Crusader garrison remained in Egypt and Amalric allied with the Byzantine Empire, planning to conquer it entirely. To destroy the garrison, Shawar switched alliances, from Amalric to Shirkuh. The Muslims fought a pitched battle with the Crusaders, who did not have the resources to conquer Egypt and were forced to retreat. Shirkuh and his associates enjoyed widespread support among the civil elite In Egypt for religious reasons. Although the Fatimid rulers were Shiite, the majority of people remained Sunni Muslims.^[6] In January 1169 Shirkuh entered Cairo and had the untrustworthy Shawar executed.

 

When he reached Cairo with his armies he was welcomed by the Fatimid Caliph Al-‘Āḍid and treated with great honour.^[7] He accepted the office of vizier, but died two months later on March 22; as Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad describes, “it was the case that Asad ad-Din was a great eater, excessively given to partaking of rich meats. He suffered many bouts of indigestion and from quinsy, from which he would recover after putting up with great discomfort. He was taken severely ill, afflicted with a serious quinsy, which killed him on 22 Jumada II 564 [22 February 1169].”He was succeeded as vizier by his nephew Saladin, who had served with him on his campaigns in Egypt. Saladin eventually succeeded Nur ad-Din as well, uniting Egypt and Syria, which enabled him to almost completely drive out the crusaders from Syria and Palestine. A number of historians have offered the view that Shirkuh’s death was an important factor in allowing Saladin to consolidate his position as Sultan and as undisputed head of the Ayyubid family.^[8]

 

Shirkuh is a Kurdish–Persian name which literally means “the lion (of the) mountain”. His Arabic honorific Asad ad-Din similarly means “the lion of faith”. In Latin, his name was rendered as “Siraconus”; William of Tyre, referring to the expedition of 1163, describes him as:

“an able and energetic warrior, eager for glory and of wide experience in military affairs. Generous far beyond the resources of his patrimony, Shirkuh was beloved by his followers because of this munificence. He was small of stature, very stout and fat and already advanced in years. Though of lowly origin, he had become rich and risen by merit from his humble estate to the rank of prince. He was afflicted with cataract in one eye. He was a man of great endurance under hardships, one who bore hunger and thirst with an equanimity quite unusual for that time of life.^[9]

Although Nur ad-Din Zengi took back the domain of Homs on Shirkuh’s death, in 1193 Saladin gave Homs to Shirkuh’s son Muhammad ibn Shirkuh^[10] and his descendants continued to rule in Homs thereafter until the death in 1263 of his last descendant the emir, Al-Ashraf Musa, Emir of Homs. After this Homs was ruled directly as part of the Mamluk empire.

Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi

Salahuddin Ayyubi, popularly known in the West as Saladin, was a courageous and brilliant Muslim leader during the 12^th century. His firm foundation in the religion and its prime values, leading to his commitment to the Islamic cause, enabled him to accomplish great things. His Ayyubid Empire united Egypt and Syria. Above all, he played an instrumental role in turning the tide against the Crusaders by successfully reclaiming Jerusalem and earned a name for himself in the annals of both Muslim and Western history.

 

Saladin was born in 1137 AD in Tikrit, Iraq, and studied the Quran and theology along with astronomy, mathematics, and law. He joined the military as a young man and was ably trained by his uncle Asad-al-Din Shirkoh, a commander of the Zengid Dynasty. Saladin’s impressive performance in his early battles enabled him to take on leading responsibilities during military campaigns. His rise from a soldier to the King of Egypt and Syria was the result of both cleverly executed tactics and advantageous circumstances. He held key posts in Egypt, enabling him to consolidate power and overthrow the Fatimids. Syria, at the time, was ruled by the Zengids; when the Zengid ruler unexpectedly died, leaving an underage successor, the road was eventually cleared for Saladin to capture Syria. During his reign, Saladin built many schools, hospitals, and institutions in his quest for intellectual and civic achievements. He was also determined to bring justice, peace, and prosperity to those within his domain.

 

Salahuddin is best known for repelling the Crusaders and reconquering Jerusalem. He defeated and decimated large numbers of the Crusaders in the decisive Battle of Hattin in July, 1187. On his way to Jerusalem, Saladin conquered almost every Crusader city. After a siege, Jerusalem was handed over to him in October of the same year. Subsequent efforts by the Crusaders to win back Jerusalem were resisted until they finally gave up and retreated homewards. Although one would expect Saladin to be hated among the Crusader nations, he became one of the most esteemed Muslim figures of the medieval Islamic world because of the generosity he displayed towards the Christians despite the brutality Muslims had endured at the hands of the Crusaders. When the Christians had overtaken Jerusalem during the very first Crusade, they carried out mass atrocities and killings, creating a bloodbath in which the Muslim residents were the most prominent targets, as graphically documented in the PBS series Islam: Empire of Faith. In the words of the chronicler of Crusades, Raymond of Agiles, the massacre was so extensive that the Crusaders “rode in blood up to their knees and bridle reins.”

 

When Saladin retook Jerusalem, the Christians waited for a similar onslaught. However, Salahuddin not only spared the Christians but treated them honorably, allowing those who wished to leave to do so in peace, and for those who wished to stay to do so in harmony. Truly, he was a living example of the tolerant, progressive, and inclusive faith which was so dear to his heart. By showing restraint and peaceful treatment, Salahuddin was upholding the central tenets of Islam such as freedom of religion and protection of non-Muslims.

 

Moreover, his chivalrous conduct toward King Richard I, and the mutual respect which ensued despite their warring roles, won him further accolades in quarters that could not bring themselves to despise him. “When Richard falls sick at the siege of Acre in 1192, Saladin not only sends his personal physician Maimonides over to treat him, he sends ice to help him fight the fevers and certain healing fruits. When Richard’s horse is killed during battle, and the English king finds himself on foot facing the entire Muslim army, the Muslims let him walk by their entire phalanx without attacking. Later, Saladin sends him two fresh mounts so he will not be at a disadvantage,” wrote Michael Hamilton Morgan in Lost History.

 

According to the French historian, Rene Grousset, “It is equally true that [Saladin’s] generosity, his piety, devoid of fanaticism, that flower of liberality and courtesy, which had been the model of our old chroniclers, won him no less popularity in Frankish Syria than in the lands of Islam.”Salahuddin Ayyubi died in 1193 AD at the age of 56. Although he was at the helm of a vast empire stretching from Egypt to Syria, he himself owned very little. At the time of his death, his property and assets included a horse and money which was not sufficient even to bury him. He had devoted his entire life to the service of Islam and his subjects, avoiding the pomp and splendor which often distract rulers. Indeed, he was the epitome of a true hero and a devoted Muslim.

Nuruddin Zangi

 Mahmud Ibn Imaduddin Zangi or Nuruddin Zangi was one of the greatest rulers and Mujahids of his era and of Islam. This great mujahid of Islam was born in 1117 and was one of the sons of Imaduddin Zangi who was the founder of the Zaghid Dynasty that ruled over parts of Syria and Iraq. Nuruddin first governed Allepo and then became the ruler of Damascus in 1154 and his ruled continued for twenty years where after Salahuddin Al Ayyubi took over.

 

During his rule, the people recognized him as a pious and just man who ruled and fought only for the sake of Allah. Not only was Nuruddin a great ruler he was also a scholar of Islam and was a great and reciter of the Quran as Allah had blessed him with a beautiful voice along with his many other traits. Nuruddin would always march at the front of his army and would seek martyrdom in the depths of the enemy ranks. Nuruddin fought against the Crusaders and defeated them in many battles. Nuruddin would attack the crusader states and capture back many lands for the Muslims and would defeat the crusader generals such as Jocelyn II who tried to retake Edessa from the Muslims after Nuruddins noble father had captured it from the Christians. There is one narration that Nuruddin Zangi would constantly play polo and he did this so the enemy never see the horses of the Muslims resting and make it an oppurtunity to attack.

 

Nuruddin took control over Egypt after the Crusaders were attempting to take it and he repelled and routed the Crusaders from Egypt and also brought Egypt under Sunni rule and no longer under Fatimid Shia rule. The famous mujahid and ruler Salahuddin fought under his command so this Salahuddin must have inherited from his commander many of his military skills. Nuruddin fought Jocelyn at Azzaz and lost the battle. After this indident, Nuruddin paid Turkish mercanaries to capture Jocelyn dead or alive which they succeeded, however the Turkish mercanaries were about to release him upon receiving treasures. Nuruddin came to know of this and immediately dispatched troops to capture Joscelin by force from the hands of the Turks. Eventually, Nuruddin showed mercy and released the count for a ransom. Nuruddin would also employ the use of carrier pigeons throughout his territories to get news quick about Crusader attacks.

 

This was vital in his victories against the kuffar. Nuruddin had many great victories against the crusaders and it was he who brought Salahuddin into the main battlefields who may not have been the great liberator of the Muslim lands had it not been for Nuruddin. Nuruddin recaptured many lands from the Crusaders and with the help of Salahuddin and Shirkuhdin under his command, secured Egypt back into Muslim hands from the Shia, bringing light to the darkened Egypt marred by the evil creed of the Rafidah. This great mujahid who strove so hard for Islam fell ill 1173 and soon died afterwards, another mujahid who Allah had willed die on his deathbed rather than on the battlefield. Some of his great battles and conquests were:

In 1147 defeated Crusaders at Bosra

1148 Capture of Damasuc against a 50,000 Crusader force

1164 Battle of Harim where 10,000 crusaders were killed and where the main general of the Christians, Raymond III of Tripoli, Bohemund III, Joscelin III and Hugh VIII were captured.

In 1169, Egypt was secured from the Crusaders and the Fatimids.