Salah ad-Din Recaptures Jerusalem

# Salah al-Din Recaptures Jerusalem

The recapture of Jerusalem by Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin) on the 27th of Rajab, 583 AH (October 2, 1187 CE) stands as one of the most celebrated events in Islamic history. After 88 years of Crusader occupation, the holy city was returned to Muslim governance through a combination of military brilliance and remarkable mercy.

Background

Salah al-Din ibn Ayyub rose from humble Kurdish origins to become the Sultan of Egypt and Syria. He unified the Muslim lands of Egypt, Syria, and northern Mesopotamia under his rule, methodically dismantling the political fragmentation that had allowed the Crusader states to survive for nearly a century.

His career was guided by the vision of his predecessor Nur al-Din Zengi: the unification of Muslim territories as a prerequisite for the liberation of Jerusalem. After Nur al-Din's death in 569 AH (1174 CE), Salah al-Din assumed leadership of the campaign.

The Battle of Hattin

The decisive moment came at the Battle of Hattin on the 24th of Rabi al-Thani, 583 AH (July 4, 1187 CE). Salah al-Din lured the Crusader army, led by Guy de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, into a waterless plateau near the Horns of Hattin overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

Cut off from water and exhausted by the march in summer heat, the Crusader army was virtually annihilated. The True Cross, the Crusaders' most sacred relic, was captured. King Guy and numerous nobles were taken prisoner. Salah al-Din personally executed Raynald of Chatillon, who had violated truces and attacked Muslim pilgrims and caravans.

The destruction of the Crusader field army left the Latin Kingdom defenseless. City after city fell to Salah al-Din's forces throughout the summer of 1187.

The Siege of Jerusalem

Salah al-Din arrived at Jerusalem in September 1187. The city was defended by Balian of Ibelin, who had been allowed to enter the city by Salah al-Din himself to evacuate his family, on the condition that he would not take up arms. When the citizens begged him to lead their defense, Balian broke his pledge. Salah al-Din forgave him this breach.

After a siege of approximately twelve days, during which Muslim sappers breached a section of the wall near the same spot where the Crusaders had entered in 1099, Balian negotiated the surrender of the city.

The Mercy of Salah al-Din

The contrast between the Muslim reconquest and the Crusader conquest of 1099 could not have been more striking. Where the Crusaders had massacred the population, Salah al-Din granted terms of remarkable clemency:

• Every Christian was allowed to ransom themselves: 10 dinars for a man, 5 for a woman, 1 for a child
• Those who could not pay were given time, and Salah al-Din's brother al-Adil personally freed a thousand prisoners
• Salah al-Din himself freed many of the poor who could not pay
• Churches were not destroyed (though the Church of the Holy Sepulchre remained accessible to Christian pilgrims)
• Eastern Christians were allowed to remain in the city
• The Al-Aqsa Mosque, which had been converted into a royal palace and stables by the Crusaders, was purified and restored to worship

The Sultan ordered the cross removed from the Dome of the Rock and had the mosque cleansed with rosewater. The first Friday prayer in al-Aqsa after 88 years was an occasion of immense emotion. The sermon was delivered by the qadi Muhyi al-Din ibn al-Zaki.

Legacy

Salah al-Din's liberation of Jerusalem and his magnanimous treatment of the defeated are remembered as exemplifying the highest Islamic ideals of justice and mercy in warfare. Even his Crusader opponents acknowledged his chivalry and honor.

The reconquest fulfilled the vision that had driven Muslim leaders since the fall of Jerusalem in 1099 and demonstrated that unity and principled leadership could overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. Salah al-Din died in 589 AH (1193 CE) in Damascus, having given away so much of his wealth in charity that his family could barely afford his funeral.

Sources

• Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil fit-Tarikh
• Baha al-Din ibn Shaddad, al-Nawadir al-Sultaniyyah (The Rare Qualities of Saladin)
• Imad al-Din al-Isfahani, al-Fath al-Qussi fil-Fath al-Qudsi
• Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah