Part 80

In 555 AH/1160 CE, al-'Adid sent gifts to him. In fact the logical explanation for this is that after the Fatimids lost Ashkelon in 548 AH/1153 CE, they realized, more than before, the danger that the Crusaders posed to them and the necessity of benefiting from the strength of Noor ad-Deen's state and its political and military power.555 Noor ad-Deen's motives for conquering Egypt The conquest of Egypt was one of the greatest achievements of Noor ad-Deen (may Allah have mercy on him). He managed to bring down the 'Ubaydi Fatimid state which for more than two centuries had been spreading political corruption and false beliefs throughout the Muslim world. They were the ones who had helped the Crusaders to occupy Greater Syria by means of their alliances and conspiracies with them. They are the ones who adopted the Batini madh-hab and spread it among the Muslims. When chaos prevailed in the Fatimid administration and the viziers took control instead of the caliphs, the Crusaders began to hope that they could invade Egypt, so they attacked it time after time, whereupon Noor ad-Deen Mahmood sent a military campaign to save Egypt from their ambitions, bring it back to the madh-hab of Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah and unite the Muslims.556 We may sum up the important motives that led to the conquest of Egypt as follows: There was a state of chaos that prevailed in Egypt at the end of the Fatimidcaliphate. The state was suffering from many manifestations of disintegration and corruption. It had become something common for the caliph or vizier to be killed during the ongoing conflicts among the viziers themselves andbetween the viziers and the caliphs. Adh Dhahir was killed by his vizier, and the viziers took control after that and chose whomever they wanted, and theviziers killed one another. In one year, three different viziers were appointed to the post: al 4Adil ibn Ruzayk, Shawar and Dirgham The state grew weak and chaos prevailed throughout the land. At the end of his conflict, Shawar left Egypt after he was expelled by Dirgham, then he sought help from Noor ad Deen Mahmood, who found his longawaited oppor tunity to achieve Islamc unity between Syria and Egypt. The Crusaders' hopes led the Mujahid commander Noor adDeen to thinkseriously about incorporating Egypt into the Islamic front. He also receivedconfirmation from the Abbasid caliph giving him a free hand in Syria andEgypt in 549 AH, which reinforced his resolve to achieve this goal.557 One of the strongest reasons for the destruction of the 'Ubaydi Fatimid caliphate was the ideological factor. It was a state that was Batini in its belief and Ismaili in its madh-hab; it divided the Muslims and conspired repeatedly with their enemies.558 So it was essential to form a united front that was strong in its belief and legitimate, incorporating both Egypt and Syria under the banner of the Abbasid caliphate.559 In these circumstances in which the martyr Noor ad-Deen was thinking of invading Egypt, the Fatimid vizier Shawar ibn Mujeer as-Sa'di arrived in Damascus in 559 AH, seeking his help against the one who had usurped his position by force. In return for Noor adDeen's help, Shawar promised him one third of the annual income of Egypt, after paying the solders' salaries, and to act as his deputy in Egypt, if he helped him to overcome his enemy Dirgham; Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh would stay with the troops in Egypt and run the country's affairs with Shawar under the authority of Noor ad-Deen.560 But Noor ad-Deen was hesitant, taking one step forward and one step back, until he prayed to Allah for guidance concerning this matter, because there were great dangers, represented in the Crusader presence on the coast and in Jerusalem, in addition to his doubts about the sincerity of Shawar as-Sa'di.561 Then Noor ad-Deen prepared a number of consecutive campaigns and sent them to Egypt between 559 and 564 AH, under the leadership of Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh.562 The first campaign of Noor ad-Deen - 559 AH/1164 CE Noor ad-Deen Mahmood decided to send a military campaign to Egypt under the leadership of Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh, to achieve two initial aims: a) To be able to examine the internal situation in Egypt closely as a first step towards incorporating it, especially since Shawar had promised him that if he returned to his post, he would bear the costs of the expedition and guarantee that Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh and his troops could stay in Egypt. b) Reinstating Shawar, the deposed Fatimid vizier. Dirgham found out about the preparations that were being made in Damascus for a campaign to help Shawar, so he took precautions and sought the help of Amalric I in an attempt to enter the balance of power game. He made a deal with him for his help against Noor ad-Deen Mahmood, promising him in return that he would pay an annual tribute to be determined by the king; he also agreed that Egypt would become a vassal state of the Crusaders, and he forced the Fatimid caliph al-'Adid to sign this deal.563 Naturally Amalric I accepted this offer, as it gave him the opportunity that he could not miss to enter Egypt, which was a goal for which the Crusaders had been striving for more than half a century. So he immediately prepared a military expedition to march on Egypt.