Saladin The Turk (1138-1193). 19th Century Depiction Of A Victorious Saladin, By Gustave Dore. Colored Engraving/Alamy
The founder of the Egyptian Ayyubid dynasty, greatest military commander of his time, scourge of the crusaders, personal sworn friend-enemy of King Richard the Lionheart of England (reigned 1189–99) bore the honorific epithet Salah ad-Din, literally meaning ‘righteousness of the faith’. This name was pronounced by Europeans as ‘Saladin’, and his real name was Yusuf ibn Ayyub (died 1193).
In both the West and Asia, he was seen as a nearly mythical figure. He was believed to be handsome in looks, charming in conversation, and extraordinarily brave in battle. Of Kurdish ancestry, he conquered Egypt and Syria, unifying the Middle East under his rule. He defeated European armies, captured Palestine and Acre, and reclaimed Jerusalem. But despite his fearsome military reputation, Sultan Saladin was famed for his generosity, mercy to prisoners, and magnanimity toward his enemies. The Europeans dubbed him the ‘most courteous knight of the East’—even his adversaries admired him, and his name became synonymous with the ideals of true knighthood. Thanks to three biographers—Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad, Ibn al-Athir, and al-Qadi al-Fadil—we have a clear picture of Saladin's character and wisdom. These quotes have been sourced from their writings.
Midieval picture of Saladin/Wikimedia commons
On Sensitivity
His heart was full of humility and compassion; tears came easily to his eyes.
On Justice
Our sultan was just, merciful, compassionate, and ready to help the weak against the strong. Every Monday and Thursday, he sat among the people administering justice, with scholars, qadis, and legal experts present. They listened to everyone who had been a victim of injustice—great and small, old and weak. He did this not only when he was in the city but also during his travels; he always personally received petitions and did everything possible to put an end to the wrongs reported in them.
Saladin's arrival in Jerusalem in 1187. Liebig card, Episodes from the Caliphate, 1897/Getty Images
On Generosity
The sultan consistently bestowed gifts, offering new presents to those he'd already favored, and he did this with such pleasure as if he had never given them anything before. He always displayed great generosity, giving a second time more than a person had received the first time. This was such a well-known practice that people tried to take advantage of the opportunity to extract money from him. Remarkably, he never complained about repeated requests or said things like ‘I've given to you several times already; how many more times must I give?’ Most of the responses to these requests were written under my dictation and sometimes by me. While often embarrassed by the petitioners' greed, I never hesitated to approach the sultan on their behalf, fully aware of his boundless generosity and magnanimity.
Detail of a portrait of Saladin 15th century/ Getty Images
On Composure on the Battlefield
I never heard him express concern about the numbers or strength of the enemy. Occupied with his thoughts, he listened to all plans and discussed all their advantages dispassionately, never losing his composure. Even when the Muslim army was almost defeated in the great battle on the plains of Acre, when even the central troops fled, abandoning the drums and banners, he continued to hold his position, although only a handful of supporters remained with him. Finally, he managed to reach high ground, and there he gathered his men. His reproaches shamed them so greatly that they returned with him to continue the fight.
Richard I and Saladin at Ascalon in 1192 at the end of the Third Crusade. From Hutchinson's History of the Nations, published 1915/ Getty Images
On Patience
It sometimes happened that people would step on the cushion he was sitting on, so great was the number of those who came to him with petitions. However, this did not bother him in the least. Once, while I was on duty, the mule I was riding was startled by some camels, causing me to crash into the sultan with great force, bruising his thigh, but he merely smiled.
Bataille d'Ascalon, 18 novembre 1177 (1842-1844) by Charles-Philippe Larivière, Versailles, musée de l'Histoire de France/Wikimedia Commons
On Women and Children
I was attending to the ruler during a campaign when a scout brought to him a woman who was tearing at her clothes, crying, and beating her chest incessantly. Through a translator, the sultan asked what had happened, and she replied, ‘Last night, Muslim scouts entered my tent and kidnapped my child, a little girl.’ The sultan was moved by her grief; his eyes filled with tears, and, guided by his generous heart, he sent a messenger to the camp market to find the girl and bring her back, paying the purchaser as much as he had paid for her. The woman arrived early in the morning, and within an hour, the messenger returned, carrying the little girl on his shoulder. As soon as the mother saw her, she threw herself to the ground, pressing her face into the dust and crying and everyone who saw her could not hold back their tears. She lifted her eyes to the sky and began speaking in her language, something we did not understand. We returned her daughter to her and put them on a horse to send them back to the enemy camp.
Saladinus, by Cristofano dell'Altissimo, 1568/Uffizzi Gallery/Wikimedia Commons
On Mercy
The sultan greatly disliked resorting to corporal punishment for his servants, even if they deceived him beyond measure. Once, two pouches filled with Egyptian gold coins were placed in the treasury. Soon after they were stolen, two pouches filled with copper coins were left there instead. His only response was to dismiss all those associated with that department from his service.
Miniature the king of Jerusalem guy of lusignan taken in the battle of the forces of Hattin on July 4, 1187 and presents to Saladin and loss of the true cross/ Library of Arsenal in Paris/ Getty Images
On the Vow of Vengeance
Prince Arnaud (Reynald de Châtillon), the lord of al-Karak, and the leader of the Frankish coastal states were captured at the same time and brought to the sultan. The accursed Arnaud, however, was a great blasphemer and treacherous tyrant. Once, during a truce between the Muslims and the Franks, he perfidiously attacked a caravan from Egypt that was traveling through his territory and seized it. He captured the caravaners, tortured them, threw some into pits, and imprisoned others in dungeons. When they protested that there was a truce between their peoples, he replied, ‘Ask your Muhammad to save you.’ The sultan, upon hearing these words, swore to kill the infidel with his own hands if Allah would be pleased to deliver him into his power. On the day of the Battle of Hattin, Allah did indeed give this infidel into the sultan’s hands, and he immediately decided to execute him to fulfill his vow. He ordered that Arnaud be brought to him along with the king. The latter complained of thirst, and the sultan commanded that a cup of sherbet be brought to him. After the king had drunk, he handed the cup to Arnaud, to which the sultan said to the interpreter: ‘Tell the king, “It is you who give him to drink, but I will give him neither food nor drink.”’ With these words, he wanted to make it clear that honor forbade him from harming anyone who enjoyed his hospitality. Then, to fulfill his vow, he personally executed the prince with a stroke of his sword. The king, seeing how his comrade was treated, thought he would be the next; however, the sultan led him into a tent and calmed his fears. ‘It is not fitting for kings to kill kings,’ he said. ‘But this man has crossed all bounds, and that is why I treated him thus.’
Battle between arabs and сrusaders during the siege of Jerusalem by Saladin/Getty Images
On Profanity
He maintained the purity of his speech, never allowing himself to utter insults, and when he wrote letters, he never allowed himself to use harsh words.
On His Sons
Captured prisoners were condemned to death for their crimes, and the sultan’s sons asked their father to let them behead the criminals themselves. The sultan refused, saying, ‘I do not want my children to grow accustomed to shedding blood from a young age and certainly not to take pleasure in it.’
Jan Livens. Saladin and Guy de Lusignan. 1625/Wikimedia commons
On Good-naturedness in Illness
The sultan once fell ill and became extremely weak. On the sixth day, we sat him up, propping a cushion behind his back. Then, we gave him a cup of warm water, which was meant to soothe him after the medicine he had taken. He tried the water and said it was too hot; another cup was brought, but he said it was now too cold, but he did not show any irritation or anger and only said: ‘O Allah, is there no one who can bring me simply warm water?’ Al-Fadil and I left him with tears streaming from our eyes, and he said to me: ‘What a great soul we are losing! Any other person in his place would have thrown the cup at the head of the one who brought it!’
Saladin in the sharbush hat of Seljuk rulers, his rallying sign,on a coin: "The Victorious King, Righteousness of the World and the Faith, Yusuf ibn Ayyub (1190–1191 CE))/Wikimedia commons
On Wealth
The sultan spent all his money on charity. Despite his immense wealth, only forty-seven Nasiriyah dirhams and a single Tyrian gold ingot were found in his treasury after his death. He left no goods, no house, no lands, no gardens, no villages, no farmland, and no other property.
The famous view of Cairo at sunset. The Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan/Getty images
What to Read:
Баха ад-Дин. «Саладин, победитель крестоносцев». — «Диля», 2022.