“I will not be under the shade of a tree, not will I hide behind a barrier until I avenge that which they did to us. Confer upon me one thousand heroic men and I will not let anything stand in front of me.” Nooruddin Zenghi

The mention of the Crusades evokes one name from the Islamic world: Salahuddin Ayyubi — the liberator of Jerusalem. However, the foundations for Salahuddin’s great conquests were laid-down by a lesser-known hero: his mentor and commander, Sultan Nooruddin Mahmud ibn Zenghi (RH). Born in Damascus in 511 AH (1117 CE), of Turkish descent, the Zenghi dynasty were the first rulers to defeat the Crusaders. During Nooruddin’s 28 year reign, he assigned himself two lofty goals: to bring together a disunited Muslim Ummah and liberate their occupied lands from the clutches of the Crusaders.

Family Background

In order to appreciate the upbringing of Nooruddin, it is necessary to be acquainted with the persona of his father. Im’aduddin Zenghi was a simple and just man who was renowned for his military genius. It was Nooruddin’s father who initially had the noble intention of ousting the European invaders from the lands of the Muslims and liberating al-Quds. In 521 AH (1127 CE) Zenghi rose to become the Sultan of al-Mosul (present-day Syria) and Halab (present-day Iraq). Gathering his army, he attacked the Crusaders at Ar-Ruha (Edessa) in 1144 CE. For the first time in 45 years, a city in the hands of the crusaders was liberated by the Muslims. This small but significant step sent shockwaves throughout Europe and succeeded in raising the morale of the Muslims. However, shortly after this great victory, Im’aduddin Zenghi fell at the hands of assassins. He was killed by some of his own slaves from among the munafiqeen (hypocrites).

Assuming Leadership

Nooruddin was only 29 years old when his father was killed. Im’aduddin Zenghi had employed Arabic-speaking scholars to nurture his son, and it was their company that he preferred to keep. Subsequently the ulemaa (scholars) were paid a salary for educating the masses. He was well-known for his strong love for the Sunnah (way) of Rasoolullah (SAW).

Along with the governorship of Halab, Nooruddin also inherited many of his father’s natural leadership skills and shared his long-term ambition to liberate Falastine (Palestine). As Nooruddin came to terms with his new responsibilities, the ummah was in a very precarious state — a potential onslaught was building up on two fronts: physical attacks from the Crusaders, and ideological attacks from the Shia. Quickly grasping the situation, Nooruddin acted and dealt a decisive blow to both groups of enemies. He fought the Crusaders for 28 consecutive years, driving them out of almost every town in Palestine except Jerusalem. He also thwarted their efforts to conquer Egypt and Damascus, instead successfully conquering both lands under the banner of Islam. With the Shia, he prohibited the public propogation of their deviant practices, to ensure that the Sunnah was not corrupted.

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