Letter from Sultan Salah
ad-Din to the Muslim Ummah
Following is a letter written by Sultan Salah
ad-Din Ayyubi when he started his Jihad against the
crusaders more than 9 centuries ago:
"We hope in Allah most high, to whom be
praise, who leads the hearts of Muslims to calm what
torments them and ruins their prosperity.
Where is the sense of honor of Muslims? The pride of
Believers? The Zeal of the Faithful?
We shall never cease to be amazed at how the
disbelievers for their part have shown trusts, and it is
the Muslims who have been lacking in zeal. Not one of
them has responded to the call. Not one intervenes to
straighten what is distorted; but observe how far the
Franks have gone what unity they have achieved. What
aims they pursue. What help they have given. What sums
of money they have borrowed and spent. What wealth they
have collected and distributed and divided amongst them.
There is not a King left in their lands or islands, not
a lord or a rich man who has not competed with his
neighbors to produce more support and rival his peers in
strenuous military efforts. In defense of their religion
they consider it a small thing to spend life and soul;
and they have kept their infidel brothers supplied with
arms and champions of war; and all they have done and
all their generosity has been purely out of zeal for him
they worship in jealous defense of their faith.
The Muslims on the other hand are weak and demoralized;
they have become negligent and lazy, the victims of
unproductive stupefaction and completely lacking in
enthusiasm. If , Allah forbid, Islam should draw rein,
obscure her splendor, blunt her sword, there would be no
one, east or west, far or near who would blaze the zeal
for Allah's religion, or choose to come to the aid of
truth against error.
This is the moment to cast off laziness, to summon from
far and near all those men who have blood in their
veins; but we are confident (he speaks about himself and
the small party of believers who began with him and then
became a large party); but we are confident, thanks to
Allah -Alhamdulillah- in the Help that will come from
him and entrust ourselves to him in sincerity of purpose
and deepest devotion.
In sha Allah, the disbelievers shall perish and the
faithful have a sure deliverance."
— Salahuddin Ayyubi 12 CE