They then entered(1) the Church of Mary, which at that time was flourishing; yet this very act—praise be to Allah—became the cause of its destruction. Shaykh Qutb al-Din relates in the supplement(2) to his Mirʾāt that they rang the bell inside the Church of Mary—Allah knows best. He also reports that they brought wine into the congregational mosque, and that it was(3) their intention, had the Mongols’ occupation continued, to raze many of the mosques and other sites(4).

When this befell the city, the Muslim judges, notaries, and jurists assembled, entered the citadel, and voiced their complaint to its commander, Ibl Siyan(5). They were insulted and expelled, while the words of the Christian leaders were preferred over theirs—indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we return.

All this occurred at the beginning of the year, while the ruler of Syria, al-Nasir ibn al-ʿAziz, was encamped in the lowlands of Barza with numerous forces drawn from the emirs(6) and the sons of kings, ready to confront the Mongols should they advance. Among those(7) with him was Emir [Rukn al-Din] Baybars al-Bunduqdari leading a contingent of the Bahriyya, yet the word(8) among the armies was divided and discordant, as Allah—exalted be He—willed.

A faction of the emirs had resolved to depose al-Malik al-Nasir, imprison him, and pledge allegiance to his full brother al-Malik al-Zahir ʿAli. When al-Nasir(9) learned of this he fled to the citadel(10); the troops scattered in all directions(11), and Emir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari marched with his men toward Gaza. Al-Malik al-Muzaffar Qutuz summoned him, brought him into his service, granted him the fief of Qalyub, lodged him in the House of the Vizier, and held him in great esteem—yet it was ultimately by his hand that Qutuz would meet his end.

[The Battle of ʿAyn Jalut] All of this took place during the last ten days of Ramadan of that year; no more than three days(12) had passed before—