The Islam Quintet

by Tariq Ali

  At one stage the two men had almost come to blows. They would have fought each other there and then had not the King grabbed a wooden cross and put his own person between them. He had compelled the two knights to swear an oath that they would cease quarrelling and fight together to defeat the Saracen infidels.

  Taki al-Din questioned the two spies in detail. He asked them about the exact size of Guy’s army, the amount of supplies they would need to survive outside their city, the names of the men who would command the Templars and Hospitallers, and the length of time it would take us to receive information about the exact whereabouts of the Franj army, if, that is, they were foolish enough to abandon the Holy City and come out to meet the Sultan on his own ground. The merchants looked at each other and laughed. It was the older one who spoke.

  “The Emir need not worry on that count. My own brother is responsible for maintaining the supplies needed by Guy and Reynald. He will inform us the moment he has the necessary information. The pigeons are prepared.”

  Taki al-Din smiled.

  “My uncle always complimented me on being a good judge of character. You have never supplied me with false information or disappointed the trust I have placed in you. For this the Sultan will reward you generously. Your tent is prepared. You have had a long journey. Please rest and recover your strength till the evening meal.”

  Two days later the news we had been waiting for reached us. Reynald of Châtillon had won the battle for Guy’s ear. The Franj were even now preparing to march out of the Holy City, to fight on our terrain. The Sultan’s face lit up when he heard the news. He insisted that it be checked and double-checked. We had to wait another day before confirmation arrived from another source. Only then did Salah al-Din order a review of all his troops to be held the next morning, six miles north of Ashtara at Tell Tasil, situated on the main road to the valley of the Jordan river.

  “I want to stand on a mound and observe the whole army, Ibn Yakub,” he said. “‘Radishes come like men, in different shapes and sizes,’ our friend Shadhi used to say. Apart from my own squadrons, most of these men are new. They are radishes from fields I have not ploughed. Let us see how they compare to our variety.”

  News that the Franj had moved out of the Holy City to give us battle swept through the entire camp within half-an-hour. News of this nature can never be kept secret for long. The effect was a complete change in the mood of the men. If they had, till now, been relaxed and slightly over-confident, the information that they might now be engaged in real combat within a few days made them nervous, somewhat edgy, and yes, even fearful.

  The Sultan was well aware of how fluctuating morale can dampen the ardour of even the best army on the eve of battle. He ordered the camp to be dismantled. I had never seen him like this before. He appeared to be everywhere at the same time. One minute I could see him and his emirs rushing to inspect the storage and alert the supply-masters of the decision. With their gowns flying in the wind, they looked from a distance like giant ravens. They gave orders for the camels, supply mules and wagons to be made ready, for tent-pegs to be loosened that night, to be rolled and packed at the crack of dawn. The next minute the Sultan himself, to my amazement, clambered up on a newly constructed siege tower to test its solidity. I was alarmed at the needless risk, but young al-Afdal, who stood by my side watching his father, laughed away my worries.

  “We are used to him behaving like this before a battle. He insists on taking risks. He says it inspires confidence in the men. If the Sultan can die then so can they.”

  “And will he let you risk your life, my young prince?”

  The neatly bearded face changed colour.

  “No. He says I have to stay alive in case he falls. So my task in the battle is to convey his orders, and to stand by his tent and his banner at all times. I went to my cousin Taki and asked to fight by his side, but he too has his orders. It is not fair. I have already fought in two battles, but this will be the most important.”

  “Patience, Ibn Yusuf. Your time, too, will come. You, too, will live without misfortune. You will govern and judge and raise your sons as you have been raised. The Sultan acts in your best interests. A sapling has to be protected from hot winds so that it too can grow and bear fruit.”

  The heir to the Sultanate became petulant.

  “Ibn Yakub, please don’t try and act like Shadhi. There was only one of him.”

  With these haughty words, the young man left me to my own devices, though not for long. Amjad the eunuch, uncharacteristically long-faced, whispered in my ear that Ibn Said, the mute, was awaiting my presence. As we walked to her tent, Amjad warned me that the Sultana was in a foul mood and he would leave me alone with her. The reasons for Jamila’s ill-humour soon became clear.

  “Salah al-Din has ordered that I am not to be permitted to march with the army. He says the danger is too great and my presence is unjustifiable. I explained to him patiently that he was talking like a man whose brains had been replaced by the anus of a camel. This annoyed him greatly, and he pushed me aside. He has even instructed Amjad to prepare my return to Damascus. So while all of you are marching to take al-Kuds, the eunuchs and one woman will be heading towards Damascus.

  “I am warning you in advance, Ibn Yakub. I will not obey him this time. Amjad, poor fool, is frightened out of his wits. He dare not disobey Salah al-Din. I’ve told him I am quite capable of looking after myself. I ride better than most of you, and I have often shot at the mark with an arrow. What is your opinion?”

  She was in a rage, and I followed Ibn Maymun’s advice in these situations and offered her some water. She sipped slowly from a glass, which calmed her a little.

  “Sultana, I feel honoured and privileged to be your friend, but I beg of you not to resist the Sultan’s will on this occasion. He has enough to think about without worrying about your safety. I know it is not in your nature to accept orders blindly. Your first response is always to resist his command, but I know how much he loves you and how seriously he always considers your advice. I have often heard him say that you, not he, are in possession of a powerful brain. Indulge him just this once.”

  She smiled.

  “So, you can be sly as well. That is a revelation. I am prepared to accept your advice provided you answer one question truthfully. Do we have a deal?”

  I was so taken aback by this odd request that, without further thought, I eagerly nodded my agreement.

  “When Amjad walked with you into the desert night a few days ago, did he tell you how many times he let Halima fuck him?”

  I had been led neatly into a giant trap. She had taken me by surprise, and she did not need me to utter a single word. My guilt-ridden features told her all she wished to know.

  “Amjad!” I heard her shout. “You disgusting whore. They should have cut it all off when they had the chance. Come here!”

  I thought this might be an opportune moment to slip out of her tent unobserved.

  Early next morning, in the light of a rosy hue which is the desert dawn, we rode out to Tell Tasil. Spirits were high, but the odd note of laughter, a shade too loud and over-enthusiastic, testified to the nervousness felt by some of the emirs, for it was they who laughed in this fashion. It did not take us long to reach Tell Tasil. Usually, Salah al-Din reviewed his army when stationed on a mound, and always on horseback. This time he broke with tradition. He instructed the foot-soldiers to push a siege tower to where he stood. He invited me to climb up with him, but the look on my face made him laugh and withdraw the invitation. Instead he took al-Afdal up with him. I stood at the base of the large wooden construction which would usually be deployed to scale the walls of enemy citadels.

  Once he was in position, he raised his arm. The trumpeters blared out their message, and a drumroll began the proceedings. Then, preceded by the black banners of the Abbasid Caliphs and by the Sultan’s own standard, Taki al-Din and Keukburi, looking fierce in their armour and with swords raised, led the troops past the tower. It was a
remarkable sight. The 10,000 horsemen were followed by archers on camels, and then by the long line of foot-soldiers.

  Even the Kurdish fighters had managed to curb their unruly instincts. They rode past the Sultan in exemplary formation. It took over an hour for everyone to march past, and the dust became a thick cloud. Salah al-Din looked pleased as he came down from the tower. For once he was deeply affected by the sight of what we had witnessed. The experience seemed to have dispelled his customary caution.

  “With this army, Allah permitting, I can defeat anyone. Within a month, Ibn Yakub, your synagogue, in what you call Jerusalem, and our mosque, in what for us will always be al-Kuds, will be filled once again. Of this I have no doubt.”

  That same day, a Friday, the day usually favoured by the Sultan to launch a jihad, we marched in the direction of the Lake of Galilee. We reached al-Ukhuwana just after sunset. Here we set up camp for the night.

  TWENTY-NINE

  The eve of the battle

  THE SULTAN HAD RECEIVED word from his advance scouts that the Franj were assembling their knights and soldiers at Saffuriya. Some of his emirs wanted to draw them out a bit further, but Salah al-Din shook his head.

  “Let them stay there for the moment. You shall cross the river and wait for them on the hills, near Kafar Sebt. They will come running when I take Teveriya. They will be enraged, and anger on this terrain can be fatal. Once you receive news that Allah has rewarded us with a shining victory, you will move through this area and place guards near every well, stream and river. Then, wait where you are with your lances poised like the claws of a lion. Taki al-Din will come with me. Keukburi will command the army here. Remember that the lands of the Franj are covered in forests. The shade is never far away. Allah will show them the strength of the sun. Let them bake inside their mail till they cannot bear its touch.”

  The emirs could not conceal their admiration. They sighed with delight and began to hum praises in his honour.

  “Those who place their hopes in you are never disappointed. You are the only one who protects all his subjects against the Franj. In you we have...”

  The Sultan silenced them with an irritated gesture.

  News spread quickly that the Sultan had decided to take Teveriya, the city that the Romans called Tiberias. There was no shortage of volunteers to take this Franj stronghold. Situated on the southern tip of the Lake of Galilee, it had been left alone in the past because of the truce agreed between Salah al-Din and Count Raymond of Tripoli. Now that Raymond had joined the Franj forces in Saffuriya, we were free to take the city.

  The eagerness of the men to fight was motivated not so much by the greater cause, the need to combat error and defend truth, the desire to crush the infidel and to strengthen the Believers, as by the hope of a quick victory. They hoped above all that some of the riches of this perishable world might fall into their hands. Salah al-Din did not accept volunteers. He picked his own tried and tested soldiers.

  “They are the burning coals of our faith. With them I will take Teveriya by surprise.”

  While he marched to take the old Roman fortress, Keukburi crossed the river. After a few hours he set up camp, ten miles to the east of the Franj encampment, on a small plateau, south of a village which bore the name of Hattin. To my considerable annoyance, I had been instructed by the Sultan to stay with the main army. I can only assume that he did not want any unnecessary baggage and wished to limit his strike force to seasoned warriors. I could appreciate the logic, but it did not deaden my disappointment.

  The decision to camp here had been taken two days earlier following reports received from the advance scouts. They spoke of two large streams bubbling with cool fresh water and surrounded by fruit and olive orchards. We arrived here with the sun at the zenith. The heat had exhausted man and animal alike. Sweat poured off the Emir Keukburi’s face and merged with the lather of his steed.

  As soon as we had reached the site, Keukburi stripped bare, drinking some water before entering the stream. He shut his eyes as the water travelled over his body. We watched, desperate to follow his example, but whereas the Sultan would have gestured to the whole army to join him, his favoured commander maintained his reserve. After a long time, or so it seemed on that day, he put his head under the water and then quickly re-emerged and clambered up the bank. Two retainers draped his body in white cloth and dried him from head to foot. He retired to his tent, which had been pitched in the fragrant shade of orange trees.

  The minute he disappeared from sight there was a muffled cry of relief. We did not wait for permission. Everyone headed towards the water, to soothe their parched throats, to lie in the path of the flowing stream, and to recover from the rigours of the journey. A fair proportion of the new soldiers had not yet lived to mark their sixteenth or seventeenth year. It was reassuring to observe their carefree frolicking. Sounds of laughter mingled with the comforting noise of the water.

  The more experienced veterans of the jihad bathed silently, keeping their thoughts to themselves, trying, no doubt, to avoid too many thoughts of the future. Many were not yet thirty years of age, but they had seen enough horrors to last them in this life, and beyond. Some had seen the destitute inhabitants of town and village, ruined and driven out of their homes by the Franj knights. They had experienced battles whose final memory was the bodies of their companions piled high upon each other before the mass burial. They had seen a close friend struck down by an arrow, his liver torn in two. Many had lost brothers and cousins and uncles. Others had witnessed sons crying for their fathers and fathers weeping for their sons.

  Having bathed and dried myself, I was sitting in the shade of an olive grove thinking stray thoughts. My daughter was expecting a child. Would it be a boy? Jamila must be safe in the citadel in Damascus. Had she become embittered with Amjad the eunuch, and how was she punishing him? As always, Shadhi occupied my mind, and we were about to commence an imaginary discussion when a retainer coughed politely. My master demanded my presence.

  Before separating from us earlier that afternoon Salah al-Din had given his soldiers a brief period to prepare themselves for the journey. As he drank water and half-heartedly chewed some dried dates, he appeared thoughtful. I also detected a touch of sadness in his eyes. He had told me on previous occasions that after Shadhi’s death a loneliness would often grip his soul, a loneliness that remained even when he was in the company of men who stimulated his mind. I knew this mood.

  “What does Allah have in store for us, Ibn Yakub? Battles are rarely won by the superiority of arms or men. It is the motivation, a sense of belief in being engaged in Allah’s mission, that is decisive. Do you think the soldiers realise the importance of the next few weeks?”

  I nodded.

  “Commander of the Victorious, let me tell you what Shadhi would have told you. He always wanted to be with you on this day. He knew it would come, and what you would ask, and this was his reply: ‘I know our soldiers,’ he said. ‘They understand only too well what it means to retake al-Kuds. They are prepared to die for this cause.’ I have listened to them talking to each other, and Shadhi would not wish me to change a word.”

  The Sultan smiled and stroked his beard.

  “That is the impression that I, too, have gained. Let us hope that their belief in the righteousness of our cause will be sufficient. Let us pray that the cruelties of fate and random misfortunes do not unite to aid the Unbelievers. Tell Keukburi to make sure that the men are fed well tonight.”

  There had been no need to pass on this message to the Emir Keukburi. Unlike his commander, he loved eating. He was capable after a single mouthful, or so it was faithfully reported, of discerning every herb and spice that had been used to flavour the meat. He had already instructed the cooks, and just before sunset the scent of cooked meat wafted through the camp, inflaming our appetites. Even the Sultan, whose aversion to meat was well-known, remarked on the unusual fragrance of the aroma.

  The cooks had prepared a beef sikbaj, a stew mu
ch favoured by the boatmen on the Euphrates. It was sweet and sour, cooked with fresh herbs soaked in vinegar and honey. Its effects were soporific. Even the Kurds with their addiction to grilled meat were forced to admit that the sikbaj they ate that night had been prepared in heaven.

  A drumroll awoke us next morning. The exhaustion had disappeared and the soldiers seemed relaxed. Keukburi, to the great relief of most of the men, did not insist on morning prayers. He wanted to join the Sultan in Tiberias. He refused to wait for the supplies to be loaded, and left the camp with a thousand horsemen and myself in attendance.

  We had been riding for under half an hour when a cloud of dust moving towards us made everyone tense. Keukburi sent two of his scouts to ride out, to ascertain the number and strength and the banners of the approaching horsemen. If they were Franj knights, we would have to give battle and send out another scout to inform Salah al-Din. We waited, but the scouts did not return. The dust moved steadily in our direction.

  Keukburi and three of the emirs who rode at his side conferred with each other, and divided our force into three wedges. Suddenly we heard loud cries of “Allah o Akbar”. Everyone smiled and began to breathe again. Those approaching were friends. Then our scouts galloped back, to inform the Emir that Salah al-Din had taken Tiberias and was riding back to join us.

  Keukburi roared with delight, and we rode forward to meet the conqueror of the city that had just fallen. The dust subsided. Keukburi jumped off his horse and rushed to the Sultan to kiss his robe. Salah al-Din, moved by the gesture, dismounted and embraced the young Emir with a fierce tenderness. The triumphant chants of the Believers rent the air around the two men.