Part 2

150 Abolishing certain Sunnah practices and adding to others ......... 151 Banning gatherings ...................................................................... 151 Destroying the books of those who followed the Sunnah........... 152 Preventing Sunni scholars from teaching .................................... 152 Abolishing Shariah law ................................................................... 152 Forcing people to break the fast before the moon was sighted.. 153 Erasing all reminders of the Sunni caliphs ................................... 153 Bringing their horses into the mosques ....................................... 154 The Maghrebi people's resistance of the 'Ubaydi Fatimid state . 155 Passive resistance ........................................................................ 155 Debate and dialogue .................................................................... 157 Armed resistance ......................................................................... 159 Resistance through writing .......................................................... 162 Resistance by the Sunni poets ..................................................... 163 Al-Mu'izz li Deen-Illah the Fatimid enters Egypt .......................... 163 Other examples of his odes to al-Mu'izz include: ........................ 164 Demise of the Fatimid state in North Africa ................................ 166 The Seljuks work to protect Iraq against Batini, Rafidi Shiism ..... 168 The Nizami schools: Sunni revival and confrontation with Rafidi Shiite thought ............................................................................... 170 Al-Imam al-Ghazali7s efforts in defeating the Batini Shiites ........ 173 Noor ad-Deen's military campaigns against Egypt ...................... 175 Noor ad-Deen's motives for conquering Egypt ............................ 176 The first campaign of Noor ad-Deen - 559 AH/1164 CE .............. 178 Amalric I's second campaign against Egypt ................................. 180 Noor ad-Deen's second campaign ............................................... 182 Amalric's third campaign and Crusader-Fatimid negotiations .... 183 The battle of Babayn .................................................................... 183 The siege of Alexandria ................................................................ 186 Negotiations concerning withdrawal from Egypt ........................ 186 Noor ad-Deen's third campaign against Egypt (564 AH/1169 CE)189 Al-'Adid seeks the help of Noor ad-Deen Mahmood ................... 189 Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh enters Cairo: making the most of opportunity .................................................................................. 190 The slaying of Shawar .................................................................. 190 Asad ad-Deen becomes al-'Adid's vizier ...................................... 191 Death of Asad ad-Deen ................................................................ 191 The conspiracy of the Caliph's confidant ..................................... 192 The battle with the Sudanese troops ........................................... 193 Dealing with the Armenians ......................................................... 195 Salah ad-Deen strengthens his army ........................................... 195 Confronting the joint Crusader-Byzantine attack: the siege of Damietta (565 AH/1170 CE) ......................................................... 196 Reasons for the failure of the campaign against Damietta ......... 197 Factors affecting the Muslims .................................................. 197 Factors affecting the Crusaders ............................................... 198 Factors affecting the Byzantines .............................................. 198 Factors common to both the Crusaders and Byzantines ......... 199 Outcomes of the attack on Damietta .......................................... 199 Najm ad-Deen Ayub arrives in Egypt ........................................... 200 Abolition of the 'Ubaydi Fatimid caliphate .................................. 202 Phasing out sermons in the name of the Fatimid caliph ............. 203 The death of al-'Adid 567 AH/1171 CE ........................................ 205 Muslims rejoicing at the end of the Fatimid state ....................... 205 Lessons from the fall of the Fatimid state in Egypt ..................... 206 Attempted revolt aimed at restoring the Fatimid state .............. 207 The poet 'Amarah ibn 'Ali al-Yamani ............................................ 212 The siege of Alexandria ................................................................ 214 The conspiracy of Kanz ad-Dawlah .............................................. 216 How Salah ad-Deen put an end to the Fatimid madh-hab and legacy ........................................................................................... 216 Humiliating the Fatimid caliph al-'Adid ........................................ 217 Degrading the palace of the Fatimid caliphate ............................ 217 Cancelling the Friday khutbah in al-Azhar Mosque and abolishing the teaching of Fatimid thought there ........................................ 218 Destruction and burning of Shiite Ismaili books .......................... 219 Abolishing all sectarian festivals of the Fatimids ......................... 219 Erasing the Fatimid symbols and currency .................................. 220 Isolating members of the Fatimid dynasty .................................. 220 Weakening the Fatimid capital .................................................... 220 The Fatimids' false claim of descent from the (Messenger (SAAW) ..................................................................................................... 221 Pursuit of the remnants of Shiism in Syria and Yemen ................ 221 Incorporation of the eastern Maghreb ........................................ 225 Incorporation of Yemen ............................................................... 225 Conquest of Nubia ....................................................................... 227 The real story behind the alienation between Salah ad-Deen and Noor ad-Deen ............................................................................... 227 The death of Noor ad-Deen Mahmood ....................................... 233 Notes ................................................................................................ 235 Appendix A ....................................................................................... 256 Appendix B .................................................................................... 261 Dynasties Mentioned in Salah ad-Deen al-Ayubi ......................... 262 Muslims .................................................................................... 262 Crusaders ................................................................................. 263 Appendix C ....................................................................................... 265 i About the word Lord The word lord in English has several related meanings. The original meaning is 'master' or 'ruler', and in this sense it is often used to refer to human beings: 'the lord of the mansion' or 'Lord So-and-So' (in the United Kingdom, for example). The word Lord with a capital L is used in the lexicon of Islam to refer to the One and Only God-Allah. In Islam, there is no ambiguity about the meaning of this word. While it is true that one may occasionally use the word lord (whether capitalized or not) to refer to a human being, in Islamic discourse the reference of this term is always clear from the context. Whereas for Christians, Hindus and other polytheists, the word Lord with a capital L may refer to Allah, to Jesus or to some imagined deity, for Muslims, there can be no plurality of meaning. Allah alone is the Lord, and the Lord is Allah — not Jesus, not Rama, not any other being. The Editor Publisher's Note All praise and thanks belong to Allah alone, the One, the Almighty, and All-Merciful. Blessings and peace be upon Muhammad (SAAW), the last of His Messengers and his family, his Companions and all those who follow in his footsteps until the end of time. The renowned contemporary Arab historian of Islam, Dr. ' Ali M.