Part 55

Undoubtedly previous experience had shown that the principality of Edessa was vulnerable enough to be the first Crusader principality to fall into the hands of the leaders of the Islamic Jihad at that time. It had become severely weakened due to the ongoing raids by the atabegs of Mosul in particular for more than forty years, which was like a slow death, until it was dealt the final blow in 539. b) In addition to that, the military genius of Zangi took that Crusader state by surprise, after the Crusaders had felt secure and thought that he would never attack them. He took advantage of the absence of its ruler Joscelin II and aimed the final blow at it which resulted in its fall. This proves that this great Muslim leader chose the right time for that important military action. c) Furthermore, the dispute between the principalities of Edessa and Antioch in turn affected Edessa, and exhausted it both politically and militarily350 in a manner which proves that the differences that arose between the Crusader leaders had an impact on their political entities. Here we see the principality of Edessa — fortunately — paying the price by falling into the hands of the leaders of the Islamic Jihad who deserved it at that time. d) On the other hand, we should not ignore the character of Edessa's ruler, Joscelin II, who was not of the same level of political and military competence as his father Joscelin I. He was more inclined to a life of promiscuity, immorality, and the pursuit of physical pleasures. He often left Edessa itself and went to Turbessel in search of various licentious activities. The Muslims discovered this weak point in him, and their leader made the most of it by attacking Edessa in the absence of Joscelin II, thus dealing it a fatal blow.351 It seems that the second Crusader generation, which succeeded the first generation that had established and protected the Crusader presence, was not able to preserve what their predecessors had built; indeed they did not realize the importance of their historical role in that highly sensitive situation in which they were surrounded by the Muslims on all sides. Hence Joscelin II, without realizing it, contributed to the success of the Islamic Jihad movement which at that time was led by 'Imad ad-Deen Zangi.352 Whatever the case, it seems that some western historians tried to highlight the factors of internal weakness in Edessa, and regarded these factors alone as what led to its downfall. Their aim in so doing is to undermine the Muslims' political and military actions. But historical logic dictates that we should think of both internal and external factors combined as playing a role in the victory of 539 AH/1144 CE. Regardless of the internal factors and their outcome in Edessa, the city would not have fallen without the military action of a gifted leader such as 'Imad ad-Deen Zangi and his troops.353 Anecdotes about the conquest of Edessa The scholar Moosa al-Armani's clever approach The Muslim scholar and muezzin Moosa al-Armani, who was a teacher in a madrasah (religious school) in Mosul, adopted a great approach to the conquest of Edessa, using psychological warfare to support the campaign of Imad ad-Deen Zangi against Edessa in 539 AH/1145 CE. The scholar joined the siege as a fighter, and a smart idea occurred to him during Imad ad-Deen's siege of the city. He went to the marketplace and bought some Armenian-style clothing, then he entered the city wearing them, and the Crusaders did not recognize him or become suspicious about him.354 He explains: I went to the marketplace and bought some Armenian garments, and dressed as one of them.355 I went to the city to see what I could find out about it. I came to the mosque and went in, and I saw the minaret and said to myself: Let me ascend the minaret and give the adhan and see what happens. So I ascended and gave the call to prayer, "Allahu akbar, Allah akbar!" I gave the adhan. The infidels were on the walls, and the cry went up in the city that the Muslims had attacked the city from the other direction. So the infidels stopped fighting and came down from the walls, and the Muslims climbed up and attacked the city.356 In Sicily At the time of the conquest of Edessa, the King of Sicily was a Frank. In Sicily there was a righteous Muslim man from North Africa, whom the king used to bring to his court, to honour him and listen to what he said, and he preferred him to the monks and priests in his court. At the time that Edessa was being conquered, this Frankish king had sent an army by sea to North Africa, where they raided, plundered and took prisoners. The news came to the king as he was sitting with this Maghrebi scholar, who was feeling drowsy and was almost asleep. The king woke him up and said, "O wise one, our companions have done such and such to the Muslims; why didn't Muhammad (SAAW) help them?" He replied, "He was attending the conquest of Edessa," — meaning the followers of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).