On another occasion, one of Nooruddin’s soldiers had a dream that Rasoolullah (SAW) was assuring him that they would be victorious by nightfall. One of the most remarkable aspects of this dream was that he saw Nooruddin making du’a to Allah to grant them victory. When the dream was related to Nooruddin, it was discovered that he had made the exact dua as seen in the dream.

Brave commander

Nooruddin was a legendary commander, who has earned the praise of Muslim and Orientalist historians alike. His valour struck fear into the hearts of the Crusaders, succeeding in demoralising their ranks whilst boosting the morale of his army. Morale was boosted by acts such as him carrying double the load of any of his men. Nooruddin was also renowned for his speed on horseback; it is said that he was faster than a sword swinging in his direction. His men urged him not to fight alongside them, lest he be killed and the Muslims defeated. Nooruddin humbly said: “Who is Mahmud? Allah saved Islam before Mahmud and He will save it without him. Who is this dog Mahmud to merit victory?”

Nooruddin led by example and always from the front. On one occasion, he was repelled three times whilst struggling to capture one of the Crusaders’ fortresses. Some of his men deemed that they should fight from behind some shelter rather than be left vulnerable to attack. Nooruddin vehemently refused and declared: “I will not be under the shade of a tree, not will I hide behind a barrier until I reach 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’s bravery raised the army’s morale and the fortress was subsequently overpowered.

Dynamic Statesman

One of the virtues of Nooruddin was his astuteness in utilising propaganda in times of war. He had letters sent to the Arab rulers, urging them to unite with him and fight the Crusaders — their common enemy. Similar to the lamentable situation today, the majority of those rulers had no qualms about permitting the Crusaders to utilise their lands as a base from which to attack Muslim lands. If a ruler refused to join Nooruddin, he would have them denounced in Jumaah khutbahs. Many of these rulers, propelled by self-interest, eventually withdrew their support for the Crusaders and joined forces with Nooruddin. Their concern was not uniting the ummah and fighting the Crusaders, but purely to ensure that their people did not revolt against them!

The Conquest of Damascus

In 1148 CE the Christian forces, enraged at having been defeated by the 'heathen Saracens', prepared for the Second Crusade. Seeing as Jerusalem was already in their hands, the Crusaders made the irrational decision to attack Damascus, in spite of the former alliance that the wazir (chief minister) of Damascus, Mu’in ad-Din had made with them.

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