When The word “ HERO “ is meaningless

"Victory is changing the hearts of your opponents by gentleness and kindness."

Historical words said by the Muslim Hero Ṣalāḥad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb, better known in the western world as Saladin. The greatness of such hero comes exactly from the meaning of this quote. Saladin didn’t only make many achievements for his people but also he settled a new meaning of how a nation leader should be. The bright image Saladin left behind is kept in the memory of his opponents before his supporters.

In 1137,Saladin was born in Tikrite, Iraq. His personal name was Yusuf, the Arabic form of Joseph; Salah ad-Din is alaqab. Saladin, who lived in Damascus,was reported to have a particular fondness of the city. Saladin once wrote about childhood "children are brought up in the way in which their elders were brought up". According to Biographers, Saladin was able to answer questions on Euclid, the Almagest, arithmetic, and law, but this was an academic ideal and it was study of the Qur'an and the "sciences of religion".

An important factor which may have affected his interest in religion was that during the First Crusade, Jerusalem was taken in a surprise attack by the Christians. In addition to Islam, Saladin had knowledge of the genealogies, biographies, and histories of the Arabs, as well as the bloodlines of Arabian horses.

Saladin's military career began under the tutelage of his uncle Asad al-Din Shirkuh, an important military commander under Nur ad-Din. Saladin started his battles at the age of 26 when he was sent in a military backing from Nur ad-Din in one of his expeditions.

In the period 1152 – 1169,Saladinserves under the Syrian ruler Nur ad-Din fighting campaigns against crusaders in Palestine. Saladin then conquered theSaladin conquers the Fatimid rulers of Egypt. In 1174, Nur ad-Din died and Saladin started his conquers in the Middle East and established his kingdom.  In 1186, Saladin was able to conquer Damascus, the Syrian city of Aleppo and Mosul in Iraq. In 1187, Saladin captures the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem and the city of Jerusalem surrenders to the Muslims.

Having made himself sultan of Egypt, Saladin united the Muslims of Syria and then advanced against the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Christians met him in a great battle near the lake of Galilee. It ended in the defeat of their army and the capture of their king. Even the Holy Cross, which they had carried in the midst of the fight, became the spoil of Saladin the Muslim conqueror. Saladin quickly reaped the fruits of victory. The Christian cities of Syria surrendered to him, and at last Jerusalem itself surrendered after a short siege leaving few possessions which the crusaders had previously won in the East.

The news of the taking of Jerusalem led to the cry for another crusade (the 3^rd crusade). The three greatest rulers of Europe - King Philip Augustus of France, King Richard I of England, and the German emperor, Frederick Barbarossa assumed the cross and set out, each at the head of a large army, for the recovery of the Holy City of Jerusalem. During the period 1191 – 1192, the crusaders battle against Saladin continued for two years but fail to capture Jerusalem from the Muslims.

On the 2nd of September, 1192, King Richard and Saladin conclude a truce by the terms of which Christians are permitted to visit Jerusalem without paying tribute and that they should have free access to the holy places. King Richard the Lion heart then set sail for England, and with his departure from the Holy Land the 3^rd Crusade came to an end, leaving Jerusalem still in the possession of Saladin and the Muslims.

Saladin was known for his knightly virtues which matched those of Richard the Lion heart. Although Richard the Lion heart and Saladin were involved in almost daily combat in the crusaders attempts for two years to capture Jerusalem from the Muslim, Saladin made unexpected actions with his opponent. When Richard the Lion heart was sick with a fever, Saladin, knowing that he was poorly supplied with delicacies, sent him a gift of the choicest fruits of the land. On another occasion, when Richard's horse had been killed in battle, Saladin sent a fine Arabian steed as a present for his rival.

Thinking about the life story of such a hero, to Muslims, Saladin was more than just a warrior. He was a man of piety and true faith and vision; he was a builder, a patron of literature and chivalry. On the other side, some Christians thought that "Saladin had European blood in his veins, and was a Christian knight at heart."