Part 28

His efforts are embodied in his book, Al-Jihdd, which he wrote following the fall of Jerusalem in 492 AH/1098 CE, and in one of his speeches in which he urges the Muslims to wage Jihad against this invasion.129 In the first chapters of his book, al-Sulami focuses on a number of important circumstances and issues which Syria and the Muslim world were facing at that time. He starts with a discussion of the general Crusader policy which targeted Andalusia, Sicily and Syria; he was also the first to point out the unified goal of the Crusader wars encompassing their attacks on Andalusia, Sicily and Syria, an idea which was adopted and developed further by subsequent historians. Ibn al-Atheer wrote: The Frankish state began to grow stronger and set out for the Muslim world, capturing some of it in 478 AH, when they seized Toledo and other cities in Andalusia. Then in 484 AH they targeted the island of Sicily and gained possession of it. In 490 AH they set out for Syria.130 As-Sulami realized the weakness and division of the Muslim world, and that its disunity, not the strength of the Crusaders themselves, was the main factor for the success of the Crusaders in both the western and eastern wings of the Muslim world. He focused on the political divisions in Greater Syria in particular, because he lived there and was pained by what he saw of its people's reluctance to engage in Jihad.131 As-Sulami reminded the Muslims of the idea of continuing Jihad at times of war and of peace, as part of a general policy that the Muslim rulers and caliphs should adopt as an essential condition of a successful confrontation: every year, the Muslim ruler should lead an expedition outside the Muslim territory, not to satisfy greed or to seek booty, but to protect the Muslim land from the aggression of non-Muslims and to make them realize and fear Muslim strength on a continual basis, as an embodiment of the idea which in modern times is described as 'taking the war to the enemy in his own land'.132 As-Sulami reminded the Muslim rulers that this invasion was not only aimed at Muslim lands and faith, it was also aimed at removing them from power and expelling them from the land that was under their authority; his aim was to stir them up and urge them to engage in Jihad.133 He asked the common folk to support their rulers and leaders in Jihad, as they were following the example of the righteous Muslim predecessors in confronting this turmoil, and by this to expel the Crusaders.134 Anyone who reads as-Sulami's book about Jihad will immediately understand the depth of the pain and suffering felt by this Muslim scholar who saw the sanctity of Jerusalem being violated and transgressed. Hence the first thing he urged was rescuing Jerusalem from the hands of the invaders:135 "Strive, may Allah have mercy on you, in that Jihad, so that you might be victorious by means of Allah's support."136 AsSulami is regarded as the first to have realized the importance of a united Jihad between Syria, Iraq and the cities of Asia Minor, before the Muslims united against the Crusaders under the leadership of the Zangids and Ayubids.137 In this field he is regarded as one of the pioneers. As-Sulami called upon Muslims to purify their souls and reform themselves, because this is the basis of Islamic unity, and to resolve to persist in fighting this invasion. Give precedence to Jihad over your own ego before Jihad against your enemies, for your egos are more harmful to you than your enemies. Force your ego to refrain from what it is doing in disobedience towards its Creator, then you may gain what you are hoping for in terms of (Allah's) support against them.138 The Crusader invasion of Syria from as-Sulami's point of view did not come out of nowhere; he realized that the Muslims were weak because they were not adhering to the religion of Allah. Hence he strove to advise them to turn back to Allah and purify their souls, to come back to the Book of Allah (the Quran), to give up the sins that they had been committing and to take steps towards Jihad: Let your aim in your Jihad be to please your Lord and to defend yourselves and your brothers, so that Allah may grant you reward for your Jihad. But that cannot be achieved while we watch the progress of the Crusader invasion, in which they have captured many cities, unless we hasten to confront them and protect the cities that have not fallen into their hands. Mobilizing and heading towards the cities that they have captured from us is nothing less than a war in which we are defending ourselves, our children, our wives and our wealth, and guarding the land that is still in our hands.139 As-Sulami's call to the Muslims was a general call to unite the Muslim forces: Syrian, Mesopotamian and Egyptian.