The Crusades:
Still Relevant?
By Dr Syed Amir
US
On July 4, 1187, the armies
of Sultan Salah al-Din achieved a decisive victory
over the European crusaders at the plains of Hattin,
some sixty-five miles north of Jerusalem, near
the Sea of Galilee. The battle has gone down in
history as one of the most momentous battles of
the Middle Ages, one that had far reaching consequences.
Ever after the lapse of nearly a millennium, the
long shadow of the crusades continues to encroach
upon the thoughts and perceptions of those in
the West as well as Muslims.
Two recent events have led to a renewed interest
in the crusades, the bloody, ferocious battles
that lasted for two long centuries. The first
was the publication several years ago of a highly
acclaimed book, Warriors of God, by James Reston,
an American author, and published by Doubleday.
It became an instant success and was later translated
into a number of languages. The other is a more
recent occurrence, and was the release of Ridley
Scott’s epic film “Kingdom of Heaven”
for public viewing in May 2005 in the United States.
The film, focusing on the period just before the
third crusade (1189-92), provoked a stream of
publicity and controversy in the media.
James Reston’s book is a serious work of
history that narrates in fascinating detail the
story of the first, second and third crusades,
powerfully capturing the fervor and religious
passions of the time, as well as the contrasting
lifestyles of Europeans and Muslims as they battled
for the possession of Jerusalem, holy to both
Islam and Christianity. The book especially illuminates
the character of Sultan Salah al-Din, the Kurdish
Muslim hero, his humanity, generosity, and tolerance
of people of other faiths. Many transcendent qualities
of the Sultan’s character have traditionally
been underplayed by Muslim historians, but they
made him a legendary figure in European medieval
literature, his name becoming synonymous with
chivalry and nobility.
The story of the crusades started around the eleventh
century AD, when, at the urging of Pope Urban
II, four different armies of Europeans crusaders
numbering around 40,000 besieged the weak Egyptian
garrison of Jerusalem, supposedly to protect the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and to restore it
to Christian control. The city was lightly defended
and was captured on June 7, 1099, in what has
since become known as the first crusade. The inhabitants
of the city suffered a terrible massacre at the
hands of their conquerors; Muslims and Jews and
even some Eastern Christians were mercilessly
slaughtered, the city sacked, and holy places
of worship, mosques and synagogues, desecrated.
So was laid the foundation of what was to be named
as the Latin Kingdom of Heaven in Jerusalem. The
Kingdom, however, was to have only a brief lifespan.
Reston describes the state of disarray in which
the Muslim world found itself at the time of the
first crusade. The Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad
was in its last throes, weakened and enfeebled
by corruption and internal decay, the Fatimid
rulers in Egypt and Seljuks in the east were engaged
in an internecine struggle for dominance. Nonetheless,
the success of the Seljuk Turks in capturing several
small parts of the Palestine precipitated the
second crusade (1147-49). The endeavor proved
fruitless and the crusaders returned to Europe
without making any gains.
Soon, the Middle East was to witness the birth
of a star, the emergence of Sultan Salah al-Din
as the most powerful leader. His greatest accomplishment
was the unification of Egypt and Syria under a
single rule. Having achieved this goal, the Sultan
integrated the disorganized Muslim armies into
a cohesive fighting force, capable of challenging
the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. After winning
a series of battles, the Sultan was ready to meet
the main force of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The
two armies eventually faced each other for a final
showdown at Hattin. The battle has remained a
classic of military strategy. Led personally by
the Sultan, the Muslim army was equipped with
up-to-date weapons and guided by the best generals.
The outcome was never in doubt and by the day’s
end the Christian forces, demoralized and exhausted
by thirst, were defeated, essentially terminating
the grip of Europeans on the Holy Land. On October
2, 1187, the city of Jerusalem capitulated quickly
to the Sultan’s forces. In preference to
lavish palaces, the Sultan chose to stay in a
small mosque in Jerusalem for one month to oversee
the reconstruction of the city.
The success at the battle of Hattin and the capture
of Jerusalem, brilliant and epoch-making achievements
as they were, were surpassed in their allure by
the supreme examples of humanity and generosity
that the Sultan set following his victory. Tired,
dirty and exhausted, Guy of Lusignan, King of
Jerusalem and an implacable opponent, was presented
to him; the Sultan offered him a seat next to
himself and a bowl of cold rose sherbet to drink.
His life was spared, and ultimately he was set
free.
Following the capture of Jerusalem, a great debate
ensued about what to do with the Church of the
Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Some extremists at
the court passionately argued for its destruction
to remove the reason for Christians to threaten
the city again. The Sultan listened patiently
and then finally gave his decision. The holy church
would not be harmed and would be returned to the
Christians. He is quoted by Reston as saying,
“To be a good Muslim is to venerate the
site of all religions.”
As was the custom at the time, the Sultan was
faced with the problem of what to do with thousand
of prisoners of war, many with no means to pay
a ransom for their freedom. He abhorred the business
of trading human beings, and was looking for reasons
to free them all. Thousands were set free on the
appeal of his brother, Melek al-Adel. Then, all
widows of dead or imprisoned soldiers were set
free and lavished with gifts. Greek Orthodox Christians
petitioned to remain in the city, and were granted
the request as well as the custody of the Church
of the Holy Sepulcher. The Jews were allowed to
return to the city in honor. Even after all this
generosity, many prisoners were left with no money
or place to go. Finally, the Sultan proclaimed
that now was his turn to follow the example of
his brother and earn some heavenly credit for
a charitable deed. Many of the remaining captives
- men, women and children - were freed on his
behalf.
The capture of Jerusalem by Sultan Salah al-Din,
brought a third wave of Christian warriors from
Europe. They failed to recapture Jerusalem, and
a peace treaty was signed in September 1192 by
the Sultan and King Richard I of England. Soon
afterwards, the Sultan returned to Damascus, welcomed
amidst much jubilations. He loved the city, its
citadel, its magnificent Omyaid mosque and its
lush, beautiful gardens. However, he did not have
much time left to enjoy a well-deserved rest.
Years of hardship and perpetual warfare had worn
him out. As he fell terminally ill, his thoughts
turned to fulfilling his religious obligations.
He inquired from his aides how many days of fasting
he had missed due to wars. He wanted to perform
his last Hajj. But there was no time left for
completing any of these obligations. His supreme
mission having been accomplished, Sultan Salah
al-Din died on March 4, 1193, at the age of fifty-five.
His total assets at the time of his death amounted
to barely forty-seven dirhams, a sum not even
enough to cover his funeral expenses.
Early this year, with interest in the crusades
already aroused, the media in this country started
to cover the controversy related to a new film
“Kingdom of Heaven.” Costing $100
million and filmed in Morocco, the story is partly
fiction and partly based on facts. That aside,
the film is spectacular in its recreation of 12th-century
medieval costumes, the splendor of vast vistas,
the awesome scenes of mighty armies, shining armors,
and magnificent horses. Much of the imagery is
computer generated, but the overall effect is
simply breathtaking. Although Sultan Salah al-Din,
played by the Syrian actor, Ghassan Masoud, is
portrayed as a wise and chivalrous leader, the
hero of the film is a Christian knight from France,
Balian of Ibelin, who promotes peaceful coexistence
and interfaith harmony. Much of the controversy
about the film was provoked by the depiction of
the Europeans crusaders as unsophisticated and
culturally unrefined, compared to the Muslims
of that era. Such protestations are easy to appreciate.
In the present-day climate, when we are inundated
with news of terrorists bombers killing innocent
victims, it is difficult for most people to accept
that at some period of history the Muslim world
was, indeed, technologically as well as morally
superior to Europe.
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