Abu Bakr Muḥammad, son of the emir Najm al-Dīn Ayyūb ibn Shādhī ibn Marwān ibn Yaʿqūb—originally from Dvin, later of Tikrit, and finally born in Baalbek.
He was born there while his father was serving as the atabeg Zangī ibn Āq Sunqur’s deputy, in the year 534 AH. He was two years younger than his brother Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn; some, however, place his birth in 538 AH—and Allah knows best.
He grew up in the service of King Nūr al-Dīn, then took part in the campaigns alongside his brother. Endowed with intelligence, cunning, courage, deliberation, and a thorough grasp of affairs, he enjoyed his brother’s full confidence and respect. Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn first appointed him deputy in Egypt, then granted him Aleppo, later compensating him with al-Karak and Ḥarrān, while assigning Aleppo to his own son al-Ẓāhir.
It is related that when al-ʿĀdil set out with his brother (1) he said, “I have taken a ḥurmadān from Abū Ḥurmadān (2).” His brother replied, “Abu Bakr, when you take Egypt, fill it for me with gold.”
When he reached Egypt he asked, “Where is the ḥurmadān?” So I filled it with silver dirhams and covered the top with dinars. When he turned it over he remarked, “You have done the Egyptians’ zaghal (3)!”—that is, you have mixed base with precious.
While acting as deputy in Egypt, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn came to rely on him for transporting supplies, to the point that he said, “Shall the convoy set out at our expense or at his?” This distressed him, and he reported the matter to al-Qāḍī al-Fāḍil, who wrote back:
“As for the word the Sultan mentioned, it is merely a phrase; the intent was not to saddle the owner of the journey with the cost, but the scribe was simply chasing a rhyme. How often a harsh word or a rough expression has bridged an awkward silence…”