That same year (1) al-Nāṣir underwent futuwwa initiation at the hands of ʿAbd al-Jabbār (2), the very exemplar of that chivalric order. He had once been a famed warrior whom men feared, then devoted himself to worship and became celebrated for piety. Al-Nāṣir summoned him, received the futuwwa from him, and made him the authoritative reference for its code, while the caliph himself continued to gird the rulers of the various realms with the futuwwa trousers.

In 579 AH a letter from the Sultan, drafted by al-Qāḍī al-Fāḍil, arrived, in which he wrote (3):
“The Franks have undertaken a monstrous deed: they violated the virgin sea, loaded their ships and struck the coasts of the Ḥijāz. People thought the very Hour had come, and the Muslims awaited Allah’s wrath on behalf of His House, the Station of His Friend, and the grave of His Prophet. Our brother Sayf al-Din therefore fitted out vessels …,” until he said:

“Our men fell upon them; every ship was taken, and the Franks fled, threading the mountain ravines of destruction and the pathways of ruin. Our troops—the Arab cavalry—pursued them, killing and capturing until no bearer of news was left: ‘Those who disbelieve will be driven to Hell in throngs.’ (4)”

That same year (5) Saladin took possession of Aleppo.

In that year as well, Shihāb al-Din the Ghurid consolidated his authority, extending his rule as far as Lahawar. With those forces he besieged Khusraw-Shāh, a descendant of Maḥmūd ibn Subuktigin; Khusraw-Shāh came down to him, and he honored him—only to betray him afterward.

Saladin also dispatched in advance to the dīwān part of the booty, among it a shamsa, that is, the royal parasol (6), made of