The Biography of Sultan Salah ad-Din Ayyubi ‘May Allah Have Mercy on Him’ (Part 10)
The Peace Treaty and the End of the Sultan’s Campaign
Finally, after five years of bloody and consecutive wars, in 1192 AD, a peace treaty was concluded at a place called “Ramla” when both parties were exhausted. Jerusalem and other cities and fortresses remained under Muslim control as before, with only a small area at the renowned port of Acre left under Christian control. The rest of the country was under the dominion of Sultan Salah ad-Din. The mission that Salah ad-Din had taken upon himself—or, in another sense, the task that the Almighty had entrusted to him—was thus completed.
A Christian historian recorded the Sultan’s success and the Crusaders’ failure as follows: “The holy war came to an end, and the consecutive wars of the Christians were over. In July 1187 AD, prior to the Battle of Hattin west of the Jordan River, not an inch of land was under Muslim control. However, when the peace treaty was concluded in September 1192 AD, from Tyre to Jaffa, with the exception of a small coastal region, the entire country was under Muslim dominion. At the Pope’s call, the entire Christian world had armed itself. Emperor Frederick, the kings of England, France, Sicily, Austria, and other Christian leaders, along with hundreds of renowned barons and knights from all Christian tribes, as well as the Christian kings of Jerusalem, Palestine, and their regional commanders, had mobilized their forces. Their aim was to revive the nearly collapsed Christian rule in Jerusalem and hold it under their control. But what became of their efforts?
During this period, the Emperor of Rome, Frederick, passed away. The kings of England and France returned to stabilize their own countries, and many of their noble allies perished in the land of Palestine. Despite all this activity, Jerusalem fell into the hands of Sultan Salah ad-Din Ayyubi. Only a small area on the coast near Acre remained under Christian control.”
In the Third Crusade, all the Christian forces confronted the Muslims, but Salah ad-Din, with his iron will and determination, remained steadfast in his position. Despite months of war, Salah ad-Din’s soldiers did not complain or show signs of exhaustion; they carried out their commanders’ orders without fail during every assault. Even though the distant rulers under the Sultan’s dominion might have grown weary from repeated requests for reinforcements, they always sent their forces with great dedication to support the Sultan.
In the final battle at Arsuf, the soldiers of Mosul demonstrated remarkable bravery and sacrifice. Throughout these campaigns, the Sultan relied on the valor of the troops from Egypt and Iraq, while the central and northern armies of Syria provided crucial support.
Muslim soldiers of Kurdish, Turkmen, and Arab descent in Egypt who had been serving the Sultan since the beginning of the campaign followed his commands without hesitation. Despite their different ethnic backgrounds, Salah ad-Din’s skilled leadership united them seamlessly, transforming the diverse army into a cohesive force that operated as a single entity.
While occasional disputes arose within the army, and even during critical moments there were instances of disunity, all these groups remained loyal to the Sultan until the autumn of 1192 AD. From 1187 AD, when the Sultan had called them for jihad, they followed his orders until the very end. No provincial governor disobeyed his instructions, and no tribal leaders refused to pay taxes or rebel.
Although the expectations people had of his benevolence were occasionally strained by unforeseen challenges, disobedience within his ranks was minimal, noted only by a minor incident involving a relative in Iraq who promptly offered an apology. This level of control demonstrated Salah ad-Din’s exceptional governance.
After the conclusion of the five-year war, Sultan Salah ad-Din Ayyubi was the sole ruler governing from the mountains of Kurdistan to the deserts of Syria. Beyond this territory, the King of Kurdistan, the Armenian ruler, the Sultan of Konya, and the Emperor of Constantinople sought to align themselves with Salah ad-Din. However, the Sultan refused to rely on any of them as they had not assisted him during the war. Only after his victories did they come to offer congratulations, yet all of this had been achieved by Salah ad-Din himself, with his brother Al-Adil joining him in the final stages.
Salah ad-Din established a council known as the “War Assembly,” tasked with making critical military decisions. At times, incorrect opinions from the council overridden the Sultan’s sound judgment, as happened in Tyre and Acre. However, it cannot be proven that the influence of any council member outweighed the Sultan’s authority. His brothers, nephews, old comrades, subordinate rulers, astute judges, devoted ministers, zealous preachers, and regional clerics were all united in believing that jihad was necessary, and they supported the Muslim leader with full sincerity and dedication. Yet, no one forgot who the leader was.
In these critical moments of sacrifice and overcoming obstacles, there was only one mastermind and skilled decision-maker who managed all affairs, and that person was Sultan Salah Ad-Din.
