Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (22/213)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

A caliphal army, under the command of Najāḥ, marched out to Daqūqā to fight Tughrīl. After a few days Tughrīl’s son—a perceptive youth—arrived to plead for his father’s pardon.

Year 587 AH: The enemy tightened their grip on ʿAkkā, with reinforcements pouring in one after another. The King of England (1) reached them; on his way he had passed through Cyprus (2), betrayed its ruler, and seized the whole island. He then sailed for ʿAkkā with twenty-five vessels and was famed for cunning, craftiness, and courage. The strength of the Muslims inside the city faltered and they lost heart when two of their emirs slipped out aboard two shīnī warships (3), and anxiety spread among them. The sultan sent word: “All of you are to leave the town in full force, march along the seashore, and charge them, while I attack from the rear and relieve you.” They set about doing this, but it never materialised. The governor of ʿAkkā, Ibn al-Mashṭūb, then went out to the Frankish king and asked for safe-conduct; he refused, whereupon Ibn al-Mashṭūb declared (4): “We will not surrender ʿAkkā until every one of us is killed,” and he returned.

The enemy pressed the assault and were on the brink of taking the city. The Muslims therefore asked for terms, offering to hand over ʿAkkā along with two hundred thousand dinars, five hundred captives, and the True Cross. The offer was accepted, and the enemy occupied ʿAkkā in the month of Rajab; lamentation and sorrow fell upon the Muslims.

The Franks then marched on Ascalon, while the sultan shadowed their flanks, and the yazak (5) skirmishers fought incessantly. There followed the battle of Nahr al-Qasab and then the battle of Arsuf, in both of which the Muslims prevailed (6). Salāḥ al-Dīn came to Ascalon, evacuated it, and began demolishing its fortifications (7); he likewise demolished Ramla and Lydda, and the Franks began—

(1) The word should be read as “al-Inklitir,” referring to King Richard the Lion-Heart of England. (2) The manuscript spells the name with the letter sad, whereas the standard form is “Qubrus” (Cyprus) with sin. (3) A kind of small ship. (4) That is, the son of al-Mashtub. (5) The manuscript reads “al-Turk”; this has been corrected on the basis of al-Nawadir al-Sultaniyya (p. 172, Shayyal ed.) and other sources. The amended word is Persian and means “the army’s vanguard,” as noted in Dozy’s dictionary and elsewhere. (6) See the account of Saladin’s campaign in al-Nawadir al-Sultaniyya, p. 175 ff. (7) Al-Nawadir al-Sultaniyya, pp. 187–189.

وَخَرَجَ جَيْشُ الخَلِيْفَةِ عَلَيْهِم نَجَاحٌ إِلَى دقوقَا؛ لِحَرْبِ طُغْرِلَ، فَقَدِمَ بَعْدَ أَيَّامٍ وَلدُ طُغْرِلَ صَبِيٌّ مُمَيِّزٌ يَطلبُ العفوَ عَنْ أَبِيْهِ. سَنَة سَبْعٍ وَثَمَانِيْن: اشتدَّتْ مُضَايقَةُ العَدُوِّ عَكَّا، وَأَمْدَادُهُم مُتَوَاتِرَةٌ، فَوَصَلَ مَلِكُ الإِنْكِيْتَرِ (١) ، وَقَدْ مرَّ بقُبْرُصَ (٢) ، وَغدرَ بِصَاحِبهَا، وَتَملَّكَهَا كُلَّهَا، ثُمَّ سَارَ إِلَى عَكَّا فِي خَمْسٍ وَعِشْرِيْنَ قطعَةً، وَكَانَ مَاكراً، دَاهِيَةً، شُجَاعاً، فَخَارت قُوَى مَنْ بِهَا مِنَ المُسْلِمِيْنَ، وَضَعُفُوا بِخُرُوْجِ أَمِيْرَيْنِ مِنْهَا فِي شينِي (٣) ، وَقَلقُوا، فَبَعَثَ إِلَيْهِم السُّلْطَانُ: أَنِ اخْرُجُوا كُلُّكُم مِنَ البَلَدِ عَلَى حَمِيَّةٍ، وَسيرُوا مَعَ البَحْرِ، وَاحْمِلُوا عَلَيْهِم، وَأَنَا أَجيئُهُم مِنْ وَرَائِهِم، وَأَكشِفُ عَنْكُم. فَشرعُوا فِي هَذَا، فَمَا تَهَيَّأَ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ أَمِيْرُ عَكَّا ابْنُ المَشْطُوْب إِلَى مَلِكِ الفِرَنْجِ، وَطلبَ الأَمَانَ، فَأَبَى، قَالَ (٤) : فَنَحْنُ لاَ نُسلِّمُ عَكَّا حَتَّى نُقتَلَ جَمِيْعاً، وَرَجِعَ. فَزحفَ العَدُوُّ عَلَيْهَا، وَأَشرفُوا عَلَى أَخْذِهَا، فَطَلبَ المُسْلِمُوْنَ الأَمَانَ عَلَى أَنْ يُسلّمُوا عَكَّا وَمائَتَيْ أَلْفِ دِيْنَارٍ وَخَمْسَ مائَةِ أَسيرٍ وَصَليبَ الصَّلبوتِ، فَأُجِيبُوا، وَتَمَلَّكَ العَدُوُّ عَكَّا فِي رَجَبٍ، وَوَقَعَ البُكَاءُ وَالأَسفُ عَلَى المُسْلِمِيْنَ. ثُمَّ سَارَتِ الفِرَنْجُ تَقصدُ عَسْقَلاَنَ، فَسَارَ السُّلْطَانُ فِي عرَاضهِم، وَبَقِيَ اليَزَكُ (٥) يَقْتَتِلُوْنَ كُلَّ وَقتٍ، ثُمَّ كَانَتْ وَقْعَةُ نَهْرِ القَصَبِ، ثُمَّ وَقْعَةُ أَرْسُوْفَ، فَانْتصرَ المُسْلِمُوْنَ (٦) ، وَأَتَى صَلاَحُ الدِّيْنِ عَسْقَلاَنَ، فَأَخلاَهَا، وَشرعَ فِي هَدمِهَا (٧) ، وَهَدمَ الرَّمْلَةَ وَلُدَّ، وَشرعتِ الفِرَنْجُ

(١) وتكتب: " الانكلتير "، وهو ملك أنكلترا ريتشارد قلب الاسد. (٢) هكذا بالصاد، والمشهور: " قبرس " بالسين المهملة. (٣) نوع من السفن الصغيرة. (٤) يعني ابن المشطوب. (٥) في الأصل: " الترك " والتصحيح من النوادر السلطانية (ص: ١٧٢ ط. الشيال) وغيرها. وهو لفظ فارسي معناه: طلائع الجيش، كما في معجم دوزي وغيره. (٦) انظر مسير صلاح الدين في النوادر السلطانية: ١٧٥ فما بعدها. (٧) النوادر السلطانية: ١٨٧ - ١٨٩.