Ali ibn Tahir al-Sulami
Encyclopedia
Ali ibn Tahir al-Sulami was a Damascene
jurist
and philologist who was the first to preach jihad
against the crusaders in the aftermath of the First Crusade
.
In 1105 al-Sulami published his treatise, Kitab al-Jihad ("Book of the Holy War"), and preached his ideas from the Great Mosque in Damascus. He recognized the danger from the Christian invaders and saw their connection to the ongoing Christian reconquests of Sicily
and Spain
. He believed that Muslims had abandoned jihad and other religious duties, and argued that the caliphs were supposed to make war on the infidels once a year, something they had not done for many years. God
, he claimed, was now punishing Muslims for their sins. In order to defeat the crusaders, al-Sulami argued that Muslims must practise the inner jihad so that they could successfully undertake the jihad against the enemy. His message was mostly ignored, as Muslim rulers would not merge the concept of jihad with military expeditions until later in the 12th century under Nur ad-Din Zangi and Saladin
.
Only two manuscripts of the Kitab survive, both incomplete, and both in Damascus.
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and philologist who was the first to preach jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
against the crusaders in the aftermath of the First Crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
.
In 1105 al-Sulami published his treatise, Kitab al-Jihad ("Book of the Holy War"), and preached his ideas from the Great Mosque in Damascus. He recognized the danger from the Christian invaders and saw their connection to the ongoing Christian reconquests of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He believed that Muslims had abandoned jihad and other religious duties, and argued that the caliphs were supposed to make war on the infidels once a year, something they had not done for many years. God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, he claimed, was now punishing Muslims for their sins. In order to defeat the crusaders, al-Sulami argued that Muslims must practise the inner jihad so that they could successfully undertake the jihad against the enemy. His message was mostly ignored, as Muslim rulers would not merge the concept of jihad with military expeditions until later in the 12th century under Nur ad-Din Zangi and Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
.
Only two manuscripts of the Kitab survive, both incomplete, and both in Damascus.