Palestine is not a pressing issue…we are not Arabs. We are not Sunnis.
- Thread starter Farsi
- Start date
Why did Salah ad-Din an ash'ari, fight the shia Fatimid Caliphate before waging jihad against the Crusaders?
Garaad Awal
Zubeyri aka Targaryen of the Awalid Kingdom.
You are wrong and definitely never read about Salahudeen Al-Ayubi. He did not invade Egypt; rather, he entered the country as part of an alliance with the Fatimid Caliphate.
In 1164, Salahudeen was a subordinate of his uncle, Shirkuh, a general under the Zengid ruler Nur al-Din. At that time, Egypt was under the Fatimid Caliphate but was politically unstable and threatened by both internal factions and external forces like the Crusaders.
In response to the Crusaders’ attempts to invade Egypt, the Fatimids sought help from Nur al-Din. Shirkuh and Salahudeen were sent to support the Fatimids in repelling the Crusaders.
After successfully defending Egypt against the Crusaders, Shirkuh was appointed vizier (prime minister) of the Fatimid Caliphate in 1169. However, he died shortly after, and Salahudeen succeeded him as vizier.
Over time, Salahudeen consolidated his power in Egypt. While serving as vizier, he gradually replaced the Fatimid administration with his loyalists and worked to align Egypt with the Sunni Abbasid Caliphate rather than the Shi’a Fatimid Caliphate.
In 1171, Salahudeen formally ended the Fatimid Caliphate by declaring allegiance to the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad. This transition marked the beginning of his rule in Egypt and the establishment of the Ayyubid dynasty.
Salahudeen’s entry into Egypt was initially as an ally and defender of the Fatimids, but he later established his own authority, leading to the unification of Egypt and Syria under his rule. This unification was critical in his subsequent campaigns against the Crusaders.
Modern Takfiris would takfir a modern Salahudeen for fighting alongside Ismaa3iili Shii3a
I've read about salahudeen in volume 12 and 13 of Al Bidaya Wan Nihaya and where did I claim that he invaded Egypt, I simply stated that he fought against the the fatimid caliphate but what I meant to say is that Saladin fought his political opponents.
The statement that Saladin was a subordinate to his uncle shirkuh, who served as a general under the Zengid ruler Nur al-Din, is accurate. In 1164, shirkuh was leading military campaigns on behalf of nur al din in Egypt, and Saladin was involved in these campaigns. The fatimid caliphate was indeed politically unstable at the time, facing internal strife and external threats, especially from the Crusaders. However, it is important to note that while the Fatimids sought help from Nur-al din, they had already been interacting with him in a more complicated political dynamic than a simple request for help.
The Fatimids were indeed under siege from the Crusaders, but Nur al din had previously been aligned with the fatmids in fighting the Crusaders in the Levant. Nur al-Din had ambitions in Egypt, and Saladin's ultimate goal was not merely to defend Egypt but to establish his own authority there.Ibn kathir notes that while Saladin and Shirkuh fought on behalf of the Fatimids against the Crusaders, their loyalty was primarily to Nur al din, and their position in Egypt was part of a broader political agenda. Ibn Kathir describes how Saladin entered Egypt under the banner of the Fatimids but was already positioning himself to secure his own rule, aligning more with sunni islam and Nur al din rather than the Shia Fatimid regime.
During Salahudeen's time as vizier of the Fatimids, was strategically preparing to eliminate the Fatimid Caliphate’s power base, using his position to assert his own leadership. His ambitions extended far beyond simply serving the Fatimid caliphs; he was focused on establishing his own Sunni-based authority.
Saladin's declaration of allegiance to the Abbasids in 1171 was symbolic and politically significant, signaling his complete rejection of the Fatimid Caliphate's Shia Islam in favor of aligning with the Sunni Abbasids.
From the very beginning, Saladin's loyalty was primarily to Nur al din and Sunni Islam, and he used his position in Egypt to systematically weaken the Fatimids and eventually replace them with his own Sunni administration.
