Title
The great soldier of Islam Salah Al din ayubi

Early Life and Background :

Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, widely know as Saladin, was born in 1137 in Tikrit, Iraq. According to the official biography, Masri’s family had a long military and political history and came down from the Kurdish ancestral group. Imad al-Din Zengi was a Turkish atabeg of Mosul for which Najm al-Din Ayyub, the father of Salah al-Din, had been serving as a soldier. Biographies declare that from a tender age Saladin was able to go through the various troupes of military experiences together with the maneuvers of politics. Saladin’s early education was thorough in terms of sympathetic education and, as a result, he studied Islamic jurisprudence, theology and the Quran. This base in Islamic principles can be seen to have affected his leadership style in a very historic way as well as his faith in the holistic theory of Jihad – not only as war or fight but as striving or struggle in for the greater good of humanity at large.

Rise to Power:

Leadership encouragement was instigated by his uncle, Asad al-Din Shirkuh, a towering figure, who introduced Saladin into a position as a formidable leader of the forces under the auspices of Nur al-Din, the son of Zengi. For the course of the military expedition that Shirkuh performed in Egypt against the Crusaders and within the territory of the Fatimid Caliphate assist in shaping Saladin as a great and powerful military man. The statement that introduce Saladin was when he was appointed the vizier of Egypt in 1169 after the death of Shirkuh. Some of his peers just laughed at him when he first proposed intents for reformation of the administration and the army; but Saladin was a wise player. He managed the affairs of Egypt domestically to the crack of revising the Fatimid caliphate in 1171 and subjugating Egypt to the rule of the Baghdad caliph. This action was not only useful to establish the authority in regions of Muslims but also had a useful purpose in order to join all the Muslims against Crusaders. Of course, everyone can somewhat picture out what motives were behind the desire of Saladin – it was beyond the desire to free Egypt – he wanted to unite all the Muslim people into one whole. He wanted the states of the Muslim world Levant, and Mesopotamia; so that he would be able to exercise his rights and do as he was expected to do like the crusader states established in the stipulated region. This was with a view to fulfilling some religious duty of call on one hand and, the most basic, Call for socio-political reasons on the other with a view to protecting the survival of government if any. It is why Saladin began a number of offensives, formed military & political alliances with other Muslim leaders and requested them surrender such regions as Damascus willingly while applying pressure to them.

Leadership & Legacy

Leading in the Age of the Crusades Saladin’s leadership style was a vehicle of justice and charity that he supported as a devout Muslim, chivalry. He was God fearing and a humble man who periodically shared or given his riches to the needy, religious and learning institutions. In interacting with prisoners and subjects, he was rather forgiving analogized to many other leaders of the time, with an focus on mercy over punishment. However, one of the captivating factors in the reign of Saladin was an ability to appeal for union and support among people no matter their background. Other skills such as his leadership, charm and good character were essential in keeping the entire empire together all extended from Egypt to Syria and parts of Mesopotamia. He established social cohesion regarding the Muslim people to channel them in the fight or the preservation and acquisition of lands from the outside world.

Contributions to Islamic culture and learning:

If Saladin were to be preoccupied with the overall Islamic culture of attaining knowledge as well, he would also be able to influence those areas in a significant manner as well. He supported humanists, poets, painters, musicians, scholars, and so, he contributed to the increase of Rennaissance humanist spirit at the court. They also substantiated facts that in Cairo alone, he established an educational court for this purpose of learning to gain knowledge among the Islamic jurists, who came from all corners of the Islamic world were present there. However, for this, the institutions of Saladin were grand patronisers of educational institutions and also active participants in establishing madrasas which had a very important role in helping younger generation of Muslims imbibe the Islamic knowledge and also to keep abreast them regarding their religious side and the sciences. This was done by supporting scholars and providing the means to encourage learning thereby making the ‘Irfan possible for the Muslims in that region as well as the future generations.

Saladin in Western and Islamic Historiography:

Still, to reiterate the answer to the initial question, this paper makes it possible to state that Saladin was described in two traditions of historiographical narratives, which are in the tradition of Western and Islamic histories. In numerous historiographies of Western origin, he is painted not as the sign of the pure spirit of the Knightly, as he may have been. William of Tyre was among the many other contemporaries and later European historians who not only justified but also praised the Crusades conduct and considered them highly advantageous in comparison to the monarchs of Europe. If one takes the information and data from the Islamic historians, then it would be quite evident that Saladin was also one of the crusader knights who fought against the crusaders and fought for the rights of Muslims in Jerusalem. Lauding his life, hagiography and historical documents that depict him posit him as a man of God who was pious, a man of wealth who was liberal and charitable, a selfless man who was a fighter for justice and a man whose input to society was immense.

His Death and Its Consequence:

Saladin passed on at 6. 00 A. M. , on the 4th of March in 1193 and he died in Damascus. In his final years, it was said that he died a very poor man with very little to be passed down to his heirs – most of his riches he had donated to charity. He passed on years later, and although a generation had been successfully achieved, his style and his work remained with us. Saladin was equally praised in the East and in the West, where he became the personification of all that was honorable in a knight, a commander, a just man, and a honorable Muslim. The culture of the Islamic countries is full with references to Saladin as a knight, a hero, a patriot, and a integrator of the Muslim states. His political and military successes against crusaders and his kindness as a ruler made him a good example. In the west his gentlemanship and righteous fighting spree even won him some level of respect form his enemies. As portrayed in European literature and chronical, he was a model knight, a worthy opponent.

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