Part 90

Thus the Fatimid state lost its last hope of freeing itself from his strong grasp, and he became the sole master of Egypt, with no contender.632 Najm ad-Deen Ayub arrives in Egypt Salah ad-Deen asked Noor ad-Deen to send his father to him, and Noor ad-Deen agreed to do so. He asked Najm ad-Deen Ayub to make preparations to travel to Egypt, and he gave him a message to take to Salah ad-Deen, telling him to hasten to wipe out the Fatimid caliphate and to ensure that the Jumu'ah khutbahs were delivered in the name of the Abbasid caliph.633 The caravan in which Najm ad-Deen Ayub set out also contained a large number of merchants and others who had interests in Egypt. Noor adDeen feared that the Franks might attack the caravan, so he marched with his army to al-Karak and besieged it, until he was reassured that the caravan had passed the danger zone, then he left it and went back to Damascus.634 The father of Salah ad-Deen, Najm ad-Deen Ayub, reached Cairo on 24 Rajab 565 AH, and al-'Adid, the one who dwelt in this palace, went out to meet him, welcoming him with a great show of respect. Ayub's meeting with his son Salah ad-Deen Yoosuf was akin to Ya'qoob's meeting with his son Yoosuf (peace be upon them), when he came to his son in Egypt and found him in charge of the country, and Yoosuf said: 'Enter Egypt, Allah willing, safe [and secure].)' (Quran 12: 99) When his son al-Malik an-Nasir Salah ad-Deen and the caliph al-'Adid came out to meet him, some of the reciters recited: 'And he raised his parents upon the throne, and they bowed to him in prostration. And he said: 'O my father! This is the explanation of my vision of before!'' (Quran 12: 100) When Salah ad-Deen met his father, he observed the usual etiquette and delegated all affairs to him, but his father refused that and said, "O my son, Allah has chosen no one but you for this role, and you are fit for it, so you should not change the causes of happiness." He put him in full control of the storehouses and accommodated him in the palace of al-Lu'lu'ah, which overlooks Khaleej al-Qahirah.636 It was narrated that when Salah ad-Deen met his father in the vizier's palace, they sat down upon a single carpet and Najm ad-Deen said that Salah ad-Deen was born on the night when he was expelled from the citadel of Tikrit. He said: I felt pessimistic about him and thought that he brought bad luck because of what happened to me. I had a Christian scribe with me and he said: 'O my master, who knows? Perhaps this child will be a great king with a great reputation and greatly respected.' His words made me feel compassionate towards the child. And everyone was impressed by this coincidence. May Allah have mercy on them all.637 Najm ad-Deen Ayub died in 568 AH. He was riding and his horse threw him, in Cairo at Bab an-Nasr, on Monday 18 Dhul-Hijjah. He was carried to his home and lived for eight days and he died on Tuesday 27 DhulHijjah. He was noble, merciful, compassionate and forbearing; there were always crowds of people at his door, and he would always spend all that he had because he was very generous.638 Najm ad-Deen was held in high esteem by the people because of his religious commitment and his good attitude and conduct and his good manners. He never heard of any man of knowledge or religious commitment in the vicinity but he would give him money and hospitality. He never heard of anyone who was religiously committed in a city but he would send for him.639 Salah ad-Deen was absent on a campaign in the Levant when his father died. Najm ad-Deen was buried beside the grave of his brother Asad ad-Deen in the sultan's palace, then several years later they were both moved to Madinah, the city of the (Messenger (SAAW). Their graves are in the graveyard of the vizier Jamal ad-Deen al-Isfahani, the vizier of Mosul. Najm ad-Deen was eulogized in verse by 'Amarah alYamani. Najm ad-Deen was survived by his sons, Salah ad-Deen Yoosuf alNasir, Sayf ad-Deen Abu Bakr al-'Adil, Shams ad-Dawlah Turanshah, Shahinshah, Sayf al-Islam Tughtigin and Taj al-Mulook Boori; and by his daughters Sitt ash-Sham and Rabee'ah Khatoon.641 Abolition of the 'Ubaydi Fatimid caliphate This step is regarded as one of the most important missions achieved by Salah ad-Deen. Noor ad-Deen was very keen to put an end to this dynasty, so he wrote to his deputy Salah ad-Deen, ordering him to give Friday khutbahs in the name of the Abbasid caliph al-Mustadi'. Salah ad-Deen excused himself from doing so, for fear that the people of Egypt might turn against him because of their inclination towards the Fatimids, and because he was not yet ready to do that. But Noor ad-Deen sent word to his deputy obliging him to do that in no uncertain terms. The Abbasid caliph had sent word to Noor ad-Deen rebuking him for the delay in promoting his cause in Egypt.