This new biography should certainly not be viewed as merely another scholarly attempt to shed new light on Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi, known in the West as Saladin. Its timely release is an open invitation to look back on the life of one of the world's greatest statesmen. For today's politicians — especially in the Arab world — there are many lessons to be learned from the way he ruled. And one still wonders why Muslims have neglected Saladin for so many centuries? During a visit to Damascus in 1898, Kaiser Wilhelm II asked to visit Saladin's tomb. He was so upset by its derelict condition that he paid for its immediate restoration. Two months after this historic visit, the great Egyptian poet, Ahmad Shawqi, published a poem praising Saladin's achievements. A.R. Azzam, the author of Saladin's biography, in this book rightly points out that during all the centuries when Jerusalem was in Muslim hands, Saladin was forgotten and the Arab world's rediscovery of him coincided with Europe's intervention in the region. From there on, Arabs saw him as a "longed-for liberator "and his victorious fight for Jerusalem, 88 years after its capture by the crusaders, "the blueprint for modern Arab and Islamic struggles for independence." Azzam, however, does not believe that Saladin's greatest legacy is the recapture of Jerusalem. One of the aims of this book, the first biography of Saladin for 20 years, is to discover the nature of his other goal. While searching for the real Saladin, one has to confront both the legend, nurtured by false stories and anecdotes, and his fame which overshadowed the pivotal role played by his advisers and generals. The second aim of this book is to familiarize us with Saladin's close aides, the "giants whose personalities and abilities certainly matched his." No one was more important than Al-Qadi Al-Fadil. Saladin acknowledged that the lands of Egypt were not conquered by his armies but by the pen of Al-Qadi Al-Fadil. The real Saladin, the ruler of a vast empire, was a poor administrator and despite his awesome victory at Hattin, he was not a great general. So where lies his greatness? In everything else he did. He had no desire for material things and "cultivated an elevation of the spirit and its perfection" which was apparent in all his actions and thoughts. Saladin was so generous that his treasurers had to keep certain reserves hidden from him in case of an emergency, for fear he would give everything away. He never kept anything for himself and effectively died penniless. The most powerful man in the Islamic world did not even leave money to cover the cost of his own funeral. His death was mourned by Muslims and unbelievers alike for he had the unique ability to win people over. His compassion, chivalry, honesty, sense of justice, extreme piety and magnanimous spirit was even praised by his enemies such as Renaud de Sagette of Tyre who said, "There is no adversary as generous and loyal to his word as Saladin." After each battle, he would go to the field and ensure that the injured were treated for their wounds by his medical team, regardless of religion or race. His adversaries were surprised to discover that he did not share their motives and was in fact remarkably simple and humble. Saladin's virtuous conduct attracted a number of followers loyal to the ideals and vision he believed in. He considered the restoration of Sunni orthodoxy across the Islamic world more important than the recapture of Jerusalem. "Certainly it can be argued that Saladin's greatest achievement was his defeat of the Franks and his conquest of Jerusalem, and it can truly be argued that a greater achievement was his defense of the same city and his holding together of his demoralized army. But in truth his greatest achievements lay elsewhere, and that was in his restoration of Sunnism in Egypt," says Azzam. The struggle to reinstate Sunni Islam at a time, when half of the Islamic world was under Fatimid control, is very well documented in the book. The main architects of this resurgent Sunnism were Nizamul-Mulk, the Persian vizier of the Seljuk sultans and Al-Ghazali, the great theologian, mystic and thinker. According to Azzam, Nizamul-Mulk can be seen as its political manifestation and Al-Ghazali as its spiritual one. "The theological genius of Al-Ghazali was that he understood the urgent need for an inwardly ecumenical Islam which allowed Muslims from different schools of law and from different spiritual inclinations ...to adhere to the same orthodoxy, "says Azzam. This was achieved thanks to an auspicious program of madrasa building. The rapid proliferation of madrasas across the Islamic world is truly an amazing feature of that period. Everyone willingly participated in building madrasas and a significant number of patrons were women. Madrasas, charitable institutions funded through endowments (waqf), offered anyone, regardless of wealth, origin or language, a chance to receive a free education. This meant that a farmer's son could attend a madrasa or college and be trained as a judge or a government official. The madrasa could also serve as a hostel for travelers which meant that merchants could benefit from free teaching and receive legal advice regarding their business. The madrasas not only became centers of community activity, but also international centers of learning, welcoming students from all over the Islamic world. "Scholars in Iran and Spain read books written in Egypt and law professorships in Baghdad were filled by scholars born in Damascus. It was not uncommon for a scholar to be born in Alexandria and die in China," explains Azzam. This brought Muslims together, kept them informed of religious and political problems and reinforced the "ijma" (consensus) regarding the basic principles of Islam. The madrasa gave birth to a cosmopolitan and intellectual elite and created the very concept of the Muslim world "ummah"; it formed the minds of those who fought the crusader and Mongol and it has been said that politically, the madrasa saved Islam. At the end of the book, one is left with a yearning for more details on Saladin's character. After all that has been said and written about Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi and his legacy, what stands out is the spirit in which he ruled. One of the gravest problems plaguing politics is widespread corruption. Saladin's total disregard for material things set a noble example, and sent a positive signal not only to those who served him but also to those he ruled. Finally, at a time of renewed tension between religions as well as sects, Muslims should remember the righteous and honorable manner in which he dealt with his adversaries. | 
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