Author: Obaidullah Nimruzi
The Biography of Sultan Salah al-Din Ayubi ‘May Allah Have Mercy on Him’ (Part 12)
A Dervish Sultan
While describing the moral characteristics of the Sultan, Qazi Ibn Shaddad wrote: Sultan Salah al-Din Ayubi was a Muslim with an extremely sound and firm faith. In terms of beliefs, he followed the Ahl-sunnah wa-al Jama’ah sect. He was committed to prayer and other religious obligations. He once said that several years had passed, and he had not prayed a single prayer without congregation. Even when he was ill, he would call the imam of the mosque to himself, stand behind him, and pray with the congregation, adhering to the Sunnah of Muakkadah. At night, he would pray as much as he could, and if he did not have time to pray Tahajjud, according to the view of Shafe’i (may Allah have mercy on him), since he was a Shafe’i, he would pray the night prayer again before the next prayer. During his recent illness, he would also pray while standing. Only during the three days that he was unconscious did his prayers lapse.
Throughout his life, his money did not reach the zakat limit because he never allowed it to accumulate; instead, he spent more than that, and most of his income was given to charity. At the time of his death, he left behind forty dirhams of Naseri and one gold coin. Apart from this amount, he had neither a house nor a farm.
He was extremely eager to fast during Ramadan. There were a few days he missed, which he had recorded in the notebook of the judge Fazel. Before his death, he made up all those fasts with great importance, even though his doctor had forbidden him from fasting. In response, he said, “What if tomorrow is the day when I must embark on my eternal journey?”
He had a strong desire to perform Hajj to the House of Allah, but he was unable to fulfill this wish. His love and affection for the House of Allah intensified during the last year of his life. He was very interested in listening to the recitation of the Quran. Sometimes, he would order the guards of his castle to recite two, three, or four parts of the Holy Quran while he listened. He displayed great humility, submissiveness, and compassion. When listening to the recitation of the Quran, tears flowed from his eyes, and he greatly enjoyed listening to Hadith. His respect for Hadith was so profound that when a Hadith was being narrated, he would strictly instruct everyone present to sit properly and respectfully. If the Hadith teacher held significant status and importance, he would personally participate in the Hadith session. He was also keen on reading and reciting Hadith. If he noticed instructive words while listening to a Hadith, tears would flow from his eyes. Even during battles, he would sometimes pause to listen to Hadith while standing among the ranks of his troops, which was a remarkable attribute for a leader at that time. He honored and revered religious rituals greatly.
The Sultan possessed complete trust in Allah and had great faith. He often turned to Allah, engaging in prayer and supplication during critical and dangerous times. Once Bayt Al-Muqaddas was threatened by the Crusader army that had gathered near it. The Sultan was extremely distressed about Beyt Al-Moqaddas and refused to abandon it under any circumstances. It was a Friday night, a winter night, and I was the only one at his service. We both spent the entire night in remembrance and prayer. The Sultan’s temperament was mostly dry (constipated), and since he had stayed awake all night, I was very concerned about him falling ill. I suggested that we rest for a while, but he replied, “Perhaps you are sleepy and would like to advise me to rest?” Having said this, he stood up, but before long, the muezzin called the morning prayer. I generally accompanied him for the morning prayer. When I came to check on him, I saw that water was pouring down his hands and feet. He said, “I couldn’t sleep for a moment.” Then we began the morning prayer. I mentioned that a thought occurred to me that could be beneficial: to turn to Allah and pray with tears and supplications, and to trust that Allah would resolve the matter. He asked, “What is the procedure?” I replied, “Today is Friday. Take a bath and pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque, where the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) visited during his night journey (Isra and Mi’raj). Before entering the mosque, secretly give a small amount of charity. Then, pray two rak’ahs between the call to prayer and the Iqamah, since a Hadith states the virtue and acceptance of prayer at this time. Prostrate, saying, ‘O Allah, all hope and expectation from material means have been severed. Now, at this critical stage, the only means left to conquer and protect our religion is to prostrate at Your doorstep and hold onto Your rope.’ Thus, my trust is in You, and You are my supporter and helper. I have strong hope that Allah Almighty will accept your prayer.”
The Sultan followed my advice, and while I prayed beside him, I noticed that during his prostration, his beard had become wet with tears, and drops of tears were dripping onto the prayer mat. While I couldn’t hear the words of his prayer, I could see the effects of his supplication soon afterwards; division and conflict arose within the Crusader army, and encouraging news began to arrive one after another. By Monday morning, the battlefield was largely cleared, and the invading army had retreated toward Ramallah, abandoning their desire to capture Bayt Al-Muqaddas.
Continues…
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