Saladin 1st Edition

This is a scholarly book, which I found rewarding for its lucidity and evenness in tone. The author's thesis is that Saladin's greatest achievement took place before 1185-- before Jerusalem and the Third Crusade. "It was Saladin's restoration of Sunni Islam into Fatimid Shiite Egypt that proved to be his greatest legacy," he states in the Prologue.In the first ten chapters of the book, we learn about Saladin's political rise, his consolidation of power in Egypt with the support of the inestimable al Qadil al Fadil, and the solid group of advisers and military men that Saladin relied on. The effect of this focus on the men around Saladin-- the various roles they played, religious, military, and administrative--is that it gives a three-dimensional quality to the man himself.The remaining five chapters of the book deal with Saladin's victory at Hattin and the ensuing Third Crusade, and ending with Saladin's death in Damascus. In the final chapter the author gives an insightful assessment of Saladin, bringing the book full circle to the opening Prologue.The author has focused his lense on Saladin from a different angle, and from this angle I have learned to appreciate Saladin's achievement off the battle fields and in the realm of religion, namely, Sunni ascendancy.

This is history at its best! Dr Azzam gives a fascinating insight into the life of a man who has been misunderstood and misinterpreted for centuries, and he debunks a lot of the "legend". By putting Saladin into the context of his time, the author gives a thorough insight of the currents, struggles and attitudes of Muslims of today: not a lot of the spiritual struggle has changed, and if we want to comprehend what is going on in the Arab world, today, this book explains a lot of it.The fascination of the Western world with the crusades is shown in perspective to the Muslim world, which, according to the author has always been far more concerned with the devastation caused by the Mongols than with the struggle with the Christians. This book explains,without specifically saying so, the Arab world's attitude towards the West, especially towards the crass materialism that is trying to force its rule unt6o every other civilization.A great read!

nicely done