The Shaykh’s Truthfulness and Fearlessness (may Allah have mercy on him)
During this period, “Fakhr al-Din Usman,” who was the governor of the royal palace and, in fact, the administrator of the supreme monarchy of Egypt, built a building on the roof of a mosque in Egypt for playing drums and tambourines. After the renovation, the tambourines began to sound. The Shaykh learned of this incident and, as the judge responsible for the renovation of mosques, ordered the demolition of this building and announced that from now on, Fakhr al-Din was rejected as a martyr. The Shaykh also resigned from his position as a judge. This action did not cause his status in the eyes of the Sultan to diminish, but he was not appointed as a judge again.
The influence of the Shaykh’s fatwa was so great that the Sultan of Egypt sent a representative to the Caliph of Baghdad to convey the Sultan’s message. The Caliph asked, “Did you hear this message from the Sultan himself?” The representative replied, “No, I heard this message from the person in charge of the Sultan’s office and palace (Fakhr al-Din).” The Caliph said: “He is rejected by the fatwa of Shaykh Izz al-Din. I will not accept the message that comes through Fakhr al-Din.” As a result, the Sultan’s representative returned, received confirmation, and a message from the Sultan himself, and went to the Caliph again. This time, the Caliph accepted the message and took action.
The surprising story of the Shaykh’s courage is that it was Eid day, and the King was sitting on his throne in his court with great pomp and ceremony. On both sides, two rows of polite soldiers were standing, and the princes were coming and kissing the ground in a special ceremony. In this special gathering and situation, the Shaykh called the King by his first name and said: “Ayyub! What will you answer Allah if He asks you whether I gave you the kingdom of Egypt so that you can sell and drink wine freely in it?!” The king said: “What do you mean? Explain it more clearly.” The Shaykh said: “In such and such a shop, wine is sold freely, and other unspeakable things are done, and you are busy with your own business.” The king said: “Sir, what is my fault? He obtained his business license during the time of my father.” The Shaykh said: “Then you are one of those who say: ‘إنا وجدنا آباءنا على أمة’; we follow the way of our ancestors.” The Sultan was moved and immediately ordered that the sale of wine be banned.
One of Shaykh Izz al-Din’s students said, “After the Shaykh returned from the Sultan’s court, I asked him: ‘What was this plan?’ The Shaykh said: ‘When I saw the Sultan in such splendor, I was afraid that he would be overcome with wonder and pride and fall into the trap of ego. I said these words to correct him.’ I asked: ‘In this situation, did you not feel afraid?’ The Shaykh said: ‘At that moment, the glory of Allah was so overwhelming that, in my opinion, they were like cats.’”
Jihad Against the Franks
During this period, there was a sense of danger from the Franks’ attack at any moment. Once, the Franks’ army occupied Muslim territory as far as Mansoura. The Shaykh participated in the war against the Franks with the Muslims on this journey and had the status of being an answered prayer with Allah. Ibn al-Sabki wrote in “Tabaqat”: “As if by the blessing of their prayers, the Muslims were victorious. There was a storm at sea, and most of the Franks’ ships were wrecked, and most of the infidel army drowned in the sea.”
Shaykh Izz al-Din ibn Abd Al-Salam and the Sultan’s Encouragement Against the Tatars
The Tatars had attacked Baghdad, and the situation for this ancient Islamic civilization and culture was dire. The strength and power of the Muslims had been shattered, and fear and terror had overwhelmed their will.
Yes, all these developments were not without reason. For this reason, the Muslims had observed very well how the bright and hot sun of their greatness and dignity had become silent, how the chastity and honor of their women had become the playthings of lustful revelers, how their children were slaughtered in front of them like animals, and how the libraries that embodied authentic Islamic culture and civilization were destroyed. The weakness and helplessness of the Muslims had reached a point where an ordinary Tatar soldier would make the Muslims lie down on the ground and, from there, return to his camp, pick up his weapon, and return again. But the Muslims were not able to take refuge in a shelter during this time, and that soldier would kill them with complete impudence without the slightest reaction. The scope of these atrocities reached Egypt, and the Muslims of that land were in a state of panic and despair. But in this very critical situation, a unique personality arose who breathed a new messianic spirit into the dead bodies of Muslims. History remembers this wise man as Shaykh Izz al-Din ibn Abd Al-Salam.
Providing Jihad Expenses
At that time, the Tatars were attacking the Islamic world from all sides. When they reached the vicinity of Egypt, the terror and fear of the Tatars was proverbial among the Muslims. Egypt was terrified, and the people of Egypt and its Sultan could not bear to resist. But the Shaykh encouraged them and said, “You move for jihad in the name of Allah; I guarantee your victory.” The Sultan said, “I have no capital in the treasury and I want to borrow from the merchants.” The Shaykh said: “First, bring the palace jewels and the ornaments of your wives and tell the government officials and cabinet to bring the ornaments of their wives, which are from forbidden wealth, to be distributed to provide for the expenses of the war. Then, if there is a shortage, borrow, but not before that; borrowing is not permissible.” The Shaykh’s influence was so great that no one dared to oppose him, and finally, the Sultan and all the government officials presented their family jewels and ornaments to the Shaykh. Incidentally, this amount was enough to provide military equipment, and the Muslims were victorious.
The personality, greatness, resistance, and bravery of the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) are present and recorded in the golden pages of history. Anyone who seeks to learn about history will stop and think at the mention of this mujahid man and will conclude as follows: If these worthy qualities of the Shaykh, especially his sacrifice and sympathy, had not spread among the Muslims, how would it be possible for the lost greatness of the Muslims to regain its place once again?
