of the Egyptian army, placing over it his brother, al-Malik al-ʿĀdil Sayf al-Dīn Abū Bakr al-Kurdī. (1) When the two forces met, Abū Bakr—the namesake of the Companion who was given the pledge at al-Saqīfa—routed the rebel, scattered his host, captured his family, and slew him, just as befell the chieftain of Banū Ḥanīfa. (2) For this Allah made the house of Ayyūb lofty and eminent.
Section
When Egypt had been pacified and no leader of the remnants of the ʿUbaydid regime remained, the Sultan, al-Malik al-Nāṣir Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn, marched out with the Turkish armies toward the Syrian domains. This occurred after the death of their ruler, Nūr al-Dīn Maḥmūd ibn Zankī, a time when the inhabitants were fearful, the pillars of the realm had been shaken, its governors were at odds (3), and its affairs—whether annulled or confirmed—lay in ruin. His aim—may Allah have mercy on him—(4) was to reunite its scattered parts, show kindness to its people, secure its plains and mountains, give victory to Islam, drive back the rabble, make the Quran manifest, suppress all other religions, lower the crosses (5), win the pleasure of the Most Merciful, and humiliate Satan.
He set out (6) from Egypt for al-Birkah (7) on the first of Ṣafar, remaining there until the army had gathered around him. Over Egypt he appointed his brother Sayf al-Dīn Abū Bakr as deputy; then he marched to Bilbays (8) on the thirteenth of Rabīʿ al-Awwal. Continuing onward, he passed the town of Busra, whose lord, Ṣiddīq ibn Jawālī, joined his entourage.
He entered Damascus on Monday, the last day of Rabīʿ al-Awwal. Not even two goats butted heads over the matter, nor did two swords clash against him. (9) Its deputy, Shams al-Dīn ibn Muqaddam, had at first written him a harsh letter; but when he saw that the Sultan’s advance was inevitable, he began sending missives urging him to hasten to Damascus and promising to surrender the city. Realizing the seriousness of the affair, he could not oppose it; he handed over the city (10) without resistance. The Sultan first lodged in his father’s residence, the Dār al-ʿAqīqī, (11)