OUR HISTORY - "And remind them of the Days of Allah "(14:5)
A Slow Trickle that Grew into a Raging River

In 492 A.H. (1099 CE), the Western Crusaders had arrived at the city of Jerusalem. Tens of thousands of Muslims were killed, including children and women. They were slaughtered at the hands of these Crusaders in an ugly massacre.

In 492 A.H. (1099 CE), the Western Crusaders had arrived at the city of Jerusalem. Tens of thousands of Muslims were killed, including women and children. They were slaughtered at the hands of these Crusaders in an ugly massacre. In 493 A.H., these same invaders annihilated the residents of both Haifa and Beirut. The following cities were also evacuated: Ramlah, Beisan, and Tayariyyah. As a consequence, the people ran away to the interior regions of ash-Sham.

The news of this tragedy arrived at the Islamic capital, Baghdad, but the response was weak. The leaders of the kingdoms in ash-Sham were busy with their own personal affairs and feared for their own individual small kingdoms. The Ismaeli State and the Fatimids in Cairo did not care very much, but rather they cooperated with these invaders later on.

The journey to return to the land and free it from the invaders was slow. It was similar to streams of water that flow from different places, gathering to form springs which gather to form a stormy river.

In an effort to stand up to these invaders, Muslim scholars worked to spread a spirit of resistance among the people. They worked on bringing the people back to the Sunnah after the serious attempts of the Fatimid's State to spread their corrupt Ismaeli ideas.

Among these scholars was Ali IbnTahir as-Sulami (431-500 A.H.), a Shafi'ee jurist. He stood up against the Crusader-led annihilation, and used al-Masjid al-Umawi in Damascus as a center for teaching and for the efforts of the uprising and revival. When Sultan Nuruddeen Mahmoud came to power and took Damascus as his capital, the spirit of jihad was well established in the hearts of the people. There was another scholar located in Alexandria, Egypt-Imam at-Tartoushi (451-520 A.H.). He was a scholar of the Maliki madh-hab who called the people to the Sunnah. Ibn Awf Az-Zuhri, who was one of his students, played a leading role in spreading the spirit of jihad and later provided Salahuddeen al-Ayyoubi with the necessary money and men to fight the minister of the Fatimid's State, Shawur, who had conspired against the Muslims with the Crusaders. Alexandria then belonged to the Fatimid's State and Salatul Jumuah had not yet been established there. Apologizing for his stay in Alexandria, because of the evil influences there, Imam at-Tartoushi said, "Should Allah ask me about my stay in Alexandria, I would say to Him, 'I found misguided people there and I hoped to be a means of guiding them'."

Another great "Sunni Revival" leader was Ahmad ibn Muhammad as-Salafi (475-576 A.H.).The Sunni leader, Ibn as-Salar, built al-Adiliyyah School for him which was a great center for teaching the Shafi'ee Madh-hab.

Among those who revived the Sunnah in ash-Sham and Egypt was a man who had an effective leading role in assisting Salahuddeen in his plans for jihad. He also assisted in the Salahuddeen's plans to unite the regions that were struggling with the Crusaders. His experience came from the offices of government and administration in Cairo. He was a Palestinian clerk from the occupied city of Asqalan and belonged to a learned family. His name was Abdur-Raheem al-Beisani, better known as al-Qadhi al-Fadhil or "The Eminent Judge."

Abdur-Raheem was born is Asqalan in 526 A.H. The Crusaders repeatedly attacked the city of Asqalan by land and sea. In 543 A.H. his father sent him to Cairo to receive training in management and clerical studies. Abdur-Raheem worked in the Correspondence Cabinet and was very successful in his work. Egypt, during the years between 558 A.H. and 564 A.H., was badly stumbling in its political instability. There were conspiracies everywhere: between the ministers and the ruling palace, and amongst the ministers themselves. They sometimes sought assistance from the Crusaders, fearing the state may be run by Nuruddeen in Damascus. At other times they sought assistance from Nuruddeen. There were a lot of internal struggles and fights. Because the government had sought assistance from the Crusaders, King Ammuri imposed high taxes, which exhausted Egypt financially.

Abdur-Raheem lived in this corrupt political environment and amongst these conspiracies against the religion and the ummah. He met with the armies from ash-Sham, led by Asaduddeen Shirakoa, the uncle of Salahuddeen. Abdur-Raheem was delighted with the position of Nuruddeen in Damascus-the pivotal point in his life. He later became the political and administrative advisor for Salahuddeen, after the latter had taken a ministry position following his uncle Asaduddeen. The first step in the jihad plan was to eliminate the Fatimid's State with the help of al-Qadhi Al-Fadhil. Then Salahuddeen officially announced his loyalty to al-Abbasi Khilafah in Baghdad.

In a letter sent to the Abbasi Khalifah, al-Qadhi al-Fadhil wrote: "We will fight both enemies, the covert and overt. We will also endure the suffering from both evils, the hypocrites and the disbelievers. We will do so until Allah brings about His Decree and bestows on us His Victory." The hidden enemy was the Fatimid leaders in Egypt, and the open enemy was the Crusaders. In another letter to the Khalifah, he wrote: "The religion became one after there were many religions. Al-Jumu'ah salah is now established." The concern for Islamic unity was always present with al-Qadhi al-Fadhil. The second step, after the death of Nuruddeen Mahmoud, was to unite ash-Sham and Egypt. Al-Qadhi al-Fadhil continued to send letters to the leaders in Damascus, calling upon them to join the battle for unity.

Al-Qadhi was not only a political clerk and minister, he knew that the strength of the state was in justice and knowledge. He advised Salahuddeen to make contacts with the public and to concern himself with the affairs and problems of the people. He used to tell him, "Our leader! Relieving the people's distress and lifting injustice are the most important acts of obedience to Allah." After these steps were successful, there had to be a call for jihad to liberate the sacred land, especially the city of Jerusalem. Al-Qadhi al-Fadhil himself supervised the preparation of the armies (what is presently known as logistics), and fighting the enemy became his only concern. He advised Salahuddeen not to concern himself with the annexation of the city of Mousel, but to instead focus his attention on ending the Crusaders occupations. Salahuddeen became ill before he surrounded Mousel. Al-Qadhi then said to him, "You must not fight any Muslim after Allah has cured you. You should now direct your attentions to fighting the Crusaders."

Salahuddeen knew the significance of al-Qadhi's opinion. He knew that al-Qadhi had an understanding of the strategies that would lead to victory. As a result, he used to consult al-Qadhi in every matter, small and large. As a result of this close relationship between the military, administrative, and scholarly leadership, the Sunni revival and the unity between ash-Sham and Egypt were the greatest victories achieved. These victories began with the Battle of Hitteen in 583 A.H. (1187 CE). Salahuddeen stepped down from his horse and prostrated in gratitude to Allah. He cried out with happiness over the victory. That victory was followed by the conquest of Akka and Asqalan. Finally, Jerusalem returned to the Islamic State and that was one of the Days of Allah.

Al-Qadhi Al-Fadhil continued to concern himself with jihad and took lessons from the initial victories. When Salahuddeen intended to go to Makkon to perform hajj, al-Qadhi wrote to him: "The Crusaders have not left Ash-Sham or forgotten Jerusalem. They should not be trusted in peace treaties." He then advised him to delay his hajj trip.

Despite all of these victories, Salahuddeen remained humble, filled with kindness and fairness. He was grateful to those who shared these victories with him. He used to say to his friends and leaders, "Do not think that I conquered these places with soldiers. I conquered them with al-Qadhi al-Fadhil."

Shaykh Muhammad al-Abdah

Last modified: July 19, 2007

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