Nur al-Din Zengi: The Just Leader who Rescued the Prophet ﷺ
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious the Most Merciful
In every age there is a time of immense trial and calamity, where the Muslims are far from the Quran and Sunnah, plunging into a period of darkness. But with every hardship there is ease, as Allah Almighty appoints righteous Muslims to become the revivers of Islam. These heroes strive tirelessly to restore the ummah to the path of the Prophet ﷺ and his righteous salaf. They rally the Muslims to unite and resist the enemy. They sacrifice their lives in service of Allah, and leave a legacy engrained into the history of the Islamic world. One of these heroes was Sultan Nur Al-Din Mahmud Zengi, an 11th century ruler who fought the Crusaders.
He was not a companion of the Prophet ﷺ but a just and devout leader who united the Muslims in the Levant. To understand his place in Islamic history, one must turn to his achievements during his reign.
A Time of Trial
In the early 11th century the Muslim world had disintegrated into a lawless realm where different Islamic caliphates wrestled for legitimacy. The Abassid Caliphate, founded in 750 was now in decline, often beset with internal strife and conflict with neighbouring powers like the Seljuk Turks and Byzantines. The Shia Fatimids ruled Cairo, who regularly conspired with the Byzantines and Crusaders against Sunni Muslims. In Andalusia, internal wars caused its territories to split between feuding warlords. Rogue Ismaili assassins slaughtered any leaders who attempted to unite the Muslims under one banner. Political intrigue, backstabbing, assassinations and political coups were common in this age.
The absence of unity opened the doors to the Franks from Europe, who absorbed Edessa, Antioch, Ma’ara, Jerusalem and much of Ash Sham into Crusader states.
The ummah was suffering from internal infighting and Crusader invasions. No assistance arrived and condemnations dried into silence. It is a state the world feels today, where Muslim leaders’ desire for wealth and political dominance has caused them to abandon the suffering of ordinary Muslims.
Expanding on a Legacy
Beneath the chaos, righteous leaders sprung forth to defend the Muslim heartlands. One such figure was the founder of the Zengid dynasty and ruler of Mosul Imad Al Din Zengi. He fought the Crusaders, with the goal to unite the Muslim world. He captured key Crusader territories from the Franks such as Aleppo, Edessa, and expanded into Holms and Hama.
This set the stage for his son Nur Al-Din Zengi to carry on his father’s legacy. After Imad Al Din Zengi was killed in 1146, Nur Al Din became the ruler of Halab (Syria) and defended existing Muslim territories. He thwarted a Crusader attempt to recapture Edessa (Ar-Ruha), striking a decisive blow against the last remnants of their principalities in Syria.
Sultan Nur Al-Din was also a formidable diplomat. He had good relationships with many emirs who joined his armies against the Franks. Zengi was especially diplomatic with the ruler of Damascus Mu'in ad-Din Unur, and cooperated with him to prevent him from allying with Crusaders. He was even forbearing when Mu'in ad-Din eventually did betray the Muslims to submit to the Crusaders, causing a revolt in the city.
Nur al-Din’s approach was to gain the support of more Emirs in Damascus, and later entered the land by force. He removed Mu'in ad-Din Unur from power and gained control of Damascus in 1154 (549 AH). He united Aleppo and Damascus to reunite the lands of Ash Sham. His goal was to ensure no further Muslim lands fell to the Crusaders. (Al-Omary, 2021, 288-293)
Piety and Worship
Nur al-Din was more than a military commander. His conquests were grounded in a deeply pious upbringing. From an early age, his father entrusted his education to scholars, ensuring that his character was shaped by knowledge. Nur al-Din was a follower of the Prophet’s sunnah, and loved the recitation of the Quran and regularly attended Islamic lectures.
He studied Aqīdah, Ḥadīth, the Qur’an, and Fiqh, and devoted himself to fasting and prayer. He would always be seen surrounded by scholars who he sought advice from constantly. In Aleppo, he restored the Prophetic call to prayer, corrected religious deviations, and prohibited Shiites from cursing the Companions. He was seen in his gatherings listening to hadiths and was always keen to hear something good. He detested gossiping or backbiting.
He also prayed Tahajjud and followed the Sunnah when it came to his night time routine. He went to bed after Isha and avoided speaking to anyone unless it was urgent. He would sleep briefly, rise, and go to the masjid to pray until Fajr, then offer two rak‘ahs after sunrise before leaving to attend to the ummah. He’d wake up the people and make sure they prayed.
He was never late for salah in the masjid. In Ramadan, he never missed taraweeh. This is the foundation the Muslims must begin with to emulate Sultan Nur al-Din Zengi.
Spreading Justice to the People
He gave scholars salaries so they could teach the people. He built guesthouses along the roadsides to protect the lives and property of travellers. He also constructed orphanages and spent a lot of money taking care of the widows.
He created a Justice Ministry where he used to ‘sit for two days each month and examine the claims of injustice made by its citizens.’ This led to the emirs and leaders fearing him, and they avoided committing injustice against the people. This increased the unity among the Muslims.
Nur Al-Din was once told to finance the army that was getting bigger by taxing the salaries of widows and orphans.
He replied: ‘By Allah, I hope for help [from Allah] through these people….How can I be deprived of the prayers of the people who fight on my behalf while I am sleeping on my bed with the arrows of prayers that do not miss?’
Nur Al-Din knew that duas of the oppressed goes straight to Allah. The widows, the poor and knowledgable would pray for him. This is what gave him victory in battle. (Al-Omary, 2021, 293-4)
Rescuing the Prophet ﷺ
In 1162 (557 AH) a group of Christians planned to steal the body of the Prophet ﷺ in Medina. One night Nur al-Din dreamt that the Prophet pointed at two people of ‘red colour hair’ and said ‘Mahmud, save me from them.’
Zengi woke up, prayed and slept again. But saw the same dream. When he rose and prayed once more, he was met with the same dream for the third time. He called his advisor Shaikh Jamal ud Din who told him to go to Medina immediately. He left with his advisor and a caravan of expensive gifts. Upon arrival he summoned the people of Medina and gave out the gifts as charity.
He asked if all the residents received the gifts and they agreed, but he hadn’t seen the red haired men from his dream.
When he asked again, he was told of two men who refused all charity. In fact, they gave charity in abundance, worshipped all night long and gave water to thirsty people. When they were presented before him, he recognised the men from his dream. When questioned, they said they came to live in the neighbourhood of the Prophet ﷺ. But after the interrogation continued, they went quiet.
Their house was searched, which was positioned near the Sacred Chamber where the Prophet ﷺ was buried. Nur Al Din lifted a rug in the men’s home and saw a tunnel leading to the Prophet’s grave. Both the accursed men would dig the tunnel at night and ‘would fill the waterskins of soil and throw it in the graveyard.’
Terrified, the men confessed they were Christians from Iberia and were paid to steal the body of the Prophet ﷺ. They had rented the nearest home to the grave to carry out the task.
With this Nur Al Din ordered their execution and filled the sacred Chamber with molten lead so no one could attempt this again. This was how he was honoured with defending the Prophet ﷺ from this heinous plot.
Death and Legacy
Sultan Nur al-Din Mahmud Zengi, like all men, faced death, yet it fled from him. Everytime he wanted to die in the battlefield Allah preserved him.
He used to make dua that the birds shred the meat of his flesh for the sake of Allah. He didn’t want a monument or burial.
He was described by William of Tyre as a ‘just prince, valiant and wise, and according to the traditions of his race, a religious man.’
He died in 1174, at the age of 56, devoting over 20 years to fighting jihad for the sake of Allah. He is known for his piety, victories against the Crusaders and uniting the Muslims in the Levant. It was Nur Al-Din Zengi who set the stage for the eventual re-capture of Jerusalem—that his student Salahuddin Ayoubi would later achieve. Without the sacrifices of Nur-Al Din Zengi, the Muslims would not have captured the Holy Land.
Ibn al-Atheer describes in his book al-Kamil the remarkable life of Nur al-Din Zengi.
“I have studied the careers of the precedent kings and Caliphs, and I did not see, after the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs and Umar Ibn Abdul-Aziz, better than Nur al-Din’s career, and his way in committing justice to his people”.
What can We learn Today
The legacy of Nur al-Din Zengi, may Allah have mercy on him, proves that piety and religious knowledge are the keys to Islamic victory. Nur al-Din was raised by a father who set a righteous example in fighting the enemies of Allah and ensured he was nurtured under the guidance of scholars.
Nur al-Din lived what he learnt, devoting his life to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. He carried the concerns of the ummah in his heart and turned to the night prayer to seek Allah’s victory. We must follow his example by guarding our prayers, reviving Qiyam al-Layl, and deepening our Islamic knowledge so that it transforms our lives. When our youth grow to love knowledge and embody it in practice, Allah will bless this ummah with victory and raise heroes who will break the power of our oppressors.
May Allah have mercy on Nur al-Din Zengi and inspire leaders like him to restore the ummah, defend Islam, and reclaim our lands. Ameen.
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Jazakallah khair for reading. Please benefit the ummah by sharing this knowledge and downloading a transcript below. Feel free to use it for your own research or personal study.
Bibliography
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