And it is indeed astonishing that I should be standing beside the sea—
yet complain of thirst, while the ocean teems with marvels!

Nor can any man be blamed who sets out purposely for you,
for the loftiness of his aims and the grandeur of his pursuits justify the journey.

The verses pleased the Caliph greatly. Al-Nāṣir was admitted to him by night; the Caliph kept him company, conversed with him, and then had him escorted out in secret so as not to offend al-Kāmil.

Later al-Nāṣir attended a lesson in the al-Mustanṣiriyya college. He took part in questions and debates while the Caliph watched from his balcony. Then al-Wajīh al-Qayrawānī rose and praised the Caliph with lines that included:

Had you been present on the day of the Saqīfa,
you would have been the foremost, the most God-fearing Imām.

Al-Nāṣir said, “You are mistaken. Al-ʿAbbās, the ancestor of the Commander of the Faithful, was present, yet the only one put forward was Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq.”

Al-Wajīh was therefore ordered into exile. He traveled and was later appointed to a teaching post in Egypt. Robes of honor were then bestowed upon al-Nāṣir and his retinue; a messenger from the Dīwān accompanied him and invested him with the robe at al-Karak. He rode under the Caliphal standard, and an additional title was conferred upon him: “al-Walī al-Muhājir.”

When disagreement arose between al-Kāmil and al-Ashraf, each wrote to al-Nāṣir seeking his support. The envoy who came to him from Egypt was the judge al-Ashraf. Al-Nāṣir inclined toward al-Kāmil, set out to join him, showered him with honors, restored to his wedlock his daughter ʿĀshūrāʾ, seated him upon the throne of sovereignty, and al-Kāmil’s son al-Malik al-ʿĀdil carried the canopy before him. Al-Kāmil also promised that he would wrest Damascus from al-Ashraf and return it to al-Nāṣir.

When al-Kāmil died in Damascus, everyone assumed that al-Nāṣir would take the city; had he spent gold to secure it, he would have obtained it. Instead they enthroned al-Jawād. Al-Nāṣir left the city, went to ʿAjlūn, and, regretful, gathered forces, seizing much of the coastal region. Al-Jawād confronted him near Jenin; al-Nāṣir was defeated, lost his treasuries, and withdrew to al-Karak.

Al-Jawād then grew negligent and handed Damascus over to al-Ṣāliḥ. Events followed in quick succession: al-Nāṣir captured al-Ṣāliḥ and held him for several months, then released him on solemn oaths and covenants, installing him over Egypt. Yet al-Ṣāliḥ failed to honor his pledges, being unable to fulfill them.