Biography of Salah al-Din ibn Shaddad

About the author of the book The Biography of Saladin

“Do you know Baha al-Din ibn Shaddad? He was a Muslim historian, jurist and judge who lived in the era of Saladin (Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi) and chronicled his period. He was born in Mosul on the tenth of Ramadan 539 AH, corresponding to 7 March 1145 CE, and studied the Quran and hadith in his home city before moving to Baghdad to pursue further learning. In 1173 CE he returned to Mosul. In 1188 CE, after he returned from Hajj, Saladin summoned him and appointed him judge of the army. His history of Saladin's era, which he published under the title “Al-Nawadir al-Sultaniyya wal-Mahasin al-Yusufiyya” (The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin), is considered one of his most famous works”

Description of the book The Biography of Saladin

“Judge Ibn Shaddad wrote this book as a record of the life of Saladin, wishing to repay the kindness of this noble man and to reveal the facts and clarify the obscure aspects of his life. Ibn Shaddad was tasked with brokering peace between Saladin and the government of Mosul, but he later became one of Saladin's closest confidants and witnessed many important events in his life

He divided the book into two parts: the first covers Saladin's life from his birth until Ibn Shaddad joined his court, and the second begins with Ibn Shaddad taking up his post and ends with the Sultan's death. In the first part, Ibn Shaddad relies on the accounts available to him to document events, while in the second he is a direct witness, recording what he saw and experienced. He affirms his scholarly integrity by stating that he writes only what he witnessed himself or what he was told by those he trusts, and he openly notes the occasions when he was absent from the Sultan's court”

Key topics of the book The Biography of Saladin

Adherence to Religious Principles / An Account of the Changes in His Fortunes and His Conquests / The Battles He Fought / Index to the Supplement from the Selections of History by the Lord of Hama / The Battle of Hattin / The Frankish Siege of Acre