His messengers in general and Muhammad in particular, signs by which He has strengthened His religion and humbled the unbelievers and hypocrites.

When the Mongol leader Ghāzān and his followers came to Damascus, he had already professed Islam. Yet Allah, His Messenger, and the believers did not approve of their deeds, for they did not adhere to Allah’s religion. I met with him and his commanders, and various exchanges took place between us that would take too long to recount; they must have reached the king’s ears. Allah humbled him and his soldiers before us, until we were striking them with our own hands and shouting at them. The ruler of Sīs, who was with them, seemed no more than the lowliest servant: one of the muezzins accompanying us shouted at him and insulted him, while he dared not answer. Indeed, Ghāzān’s ministers spoke of things that revealed his ill intentions towards him.

I was present when your envoys came to the coastal region. The Tatars told me about the matter in which the ruler of Sīs sought to mediate between you and him, holding out false hopes to you. The Tatars were among those who most reviled and humiliated the ruler of Sīs. Despite this, we treated the people of your faith kindly and defended them.

All the Christians know that I spoke to the Tatars about releasing the prisoners, and Ghāzān and Qutlū Shāh released them. I also spoke to Mūlāy about them, and he agreed to release the Muslims. He said to me:

“But we have Christians whom we captured in Jerusalem; they will not be released.”

I told him:

“No—all the Jews and Christians you hold who are under our covenant of protection must also be released. We shall secure their release and leave no prisoner behind, whether of our own faith