Mu’in ad-Din had allied himself with the Crusaders when Nooruddin’s father had attempted to attack Damascus. Nooruddin had not forgotten the wazir’s treachery, but was in favour of uniting with him to present a united front against the Crusaders. As a result, he had signed a treaty with Mu’in ad-Din in 1147.

Once the incredulous news reached Mu’in-ad-Din that the Crusaders were preparing to attack his city, he realized that his only chance of salvation was with the assistance of Nooruddin. This joint alliance meant that the Crusaders were faced with the daunting prospect of fighting on two fronts: the army of Nooruddin on one side and the inhabitants of the city on the other. As a result, they were forced to make a hasty retreat from Damascus. After only 4 days, the Second Crusade was over.

Following the defeat of the Second Crusade, the fickle wazir reneged on his treaty with Nooruddin and renewed his allegiance to the Crusaders. When the wazir died in 1149, his successor Mujir-ad-Din followed the same policy. Nooruddin besieged the city twice in 1150 and 1151, but was forced each time to retreat without success. Determined not to use force, the city was showered with letters stipulating that he would take up the fight for the Muslims who had been expelled from Jerusalem and settled in Damascus, and regain their possessions. After three years, Nooruddin’s tactics eventually won the hearts and minds of the citizens of Damascus, as there was no love lost between them and their rulers who had previously asked the Franks for protections against Zenghi senior.

The defence of Damascus gave Nooruddin the opportunity to enter the city peacefully and bring it under his control. The inhabitants of the city (many of whom were in dire poverty) threw open the gates of the city to Nooruddin. He was chosen as ruler of Damascus in 1154 and honoured by them, whereas the betraying Mujir-ad-Din was rejected. Nooruddin made Damascus the capital from where he ruled for approximately twenty years, until his death in 567AH (1174 CE).

Conquest of Egypt

The Crusaders, being powerless to capture Syria, turned their attention towards Egypt. Nooruddin was also interested in conquering Egypt since his army was in dire need of funds. Egypt was a great source of revenue due to its trade and its advances in the fields of medicine and science. Egypt was problematic for Nooruddin in that it was ruled by the heretical Ismaeli Shia, whist he was an orthodox Sunni Muslim. Nooruddin recognised that the deviant ideology promoted by Egypt’s Fatimid dynasty was just as much a threat to Muslim unity as the physical onslaught by the Crusaders. The Fatimids tried to push forward many innovations in the deen to the Sunni Muslims of Egypt. Many ulemaa of ahlus sunnah wal jamaat were slaughtered by them.

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