In this year, a great battle took place near Zelake, close to Mercihadid north of Córdoba. As a result of this battle,
Allah Almighty granted victory to the Muslims. He caused those who worship the Cross to suffer defeat. Specifically: the Frankish ruler of al-Andalus, Alfonso VI—who was residing in the city of Toledo, his capital—wrote a letter to the Maghrib ruler Emir Yaʿqūb b. Yūsuf b. ʿAbd al-Muʾmin, insulting him and provoking him to war. Like other Islamic rulers, he wanted him to submit to his command and bow to him. Therefore, the letter was lengthy. It contained various reproaches, reprimands, and severe threats. Upon receiving the letter, Sultan Yaʿqūb b. Yūsuf sent a reply letter. At the beginning of his letter, he wrote the following āya:
“Return to them. And We will surely come upon them with a {force} they will not be able to withstand, and We will surely expel them, humiliating them and debasing them.” (an-Naml 27:37). After this, Emir Yaʿqūb set out with his army. He cut off the roads to al-Andalus. He confronted the Franks in the mentioned area. At first, the battle was unfavorable to the Muslims. Twenty thousand Muslims were martyred. But in the end, the battle turned in favor of the Muslims. The disbelievers suffered defeat. Emir Yaʿqūb slaughtered them from beginning to end. He devastated them. He killed 143,000 of them and took 13,000 prisoners. He seized a large amount of spoils. Among the spoils were 143,000 tents, 46,000 horses, 100,000 mules, as many camels, 70,000 full sets of arms, and a great quantity of equipment. Emir Yaʿqūb also captured many of their fortresses. He besieged the city of Toledo for a while but returned to his country without conquering it.
After suffering this calamity, King Alfonso shaved his hair and beard. He turned his cross upside down. He mounted his mule. He swore that if the Christians did not help him, he would neither ride nor eat delicious food nor sleep with women. Then he visited all the Crusader counts and rulers. He gathered a very large number of soldiers, a number known only to Allah, the Exalted and Majestic. Sultan Yaʿqūb b. Yūsuf also made the necessary preparations against him. The two sides faced each other again. An unprecedented great battle took place. The Crusaders suffered a more terrible defeat than before. More spoils fell into the hands of the Muslims. Sultan Yaʿqūb conquered many of their cities and fortresses. Praise and thanks be to Allah. It is even said that a Crusader prisoner was sold for one dirham, a horse captured from them for five dirhams, a tent for one dirham, and a sword was sold even cheaper.
Then Sultan Yaʿqūb distributed these spoils in accordance with Islamic law. The mujahids acquired wealth sufficient for them for eternity. Afterwards, the Crusaders sought peace from the Sultan. The Sultan signed a truce valid for five years. The reason that compelled him to sign this truce was the following: during the three years that Sultan Yaʿqūb was fighting the Crusaders and was not present in Ifriqiya, a man named ʿAlī b. Isḥāq al-Tūzī, nicknamed Mūqaltam, caused many troubles in the desert. This impious man committed many corruptions, killed many people, and seized some towns.
In this year and the previous year, the caliph’s army invaded Rayy, Isfahan, Hamadan, Khuzistan, and other cities. The caliph’s side grew stronger against the rulers and kings.
In this year, ʿAzīz, who was in Egypt, moved toward Damascus. He intended to take Damascus from his brother ʿIffāḍ. ʿIffāḍ, however, had abandoned his previous bad habits, repented, refrained from drinking, gambling, and entertainment, and turned to prayer and fasting. He had personally copied a mushaf sharīf. His condition and behavior had improved. Only his vizier, Ziyāʾ al-Dīn al-Jazrī, was disrupting his administration, spoiling affairs, and clouding its clarity. When Malik ʿIffāḍ heard that his brother was coming toward him, he hastened to his uncle ʿĀdil, who was in the city of Jābir, and asked for help. His uncle ʿĀdil immediately took action. He reached Damascus before ʿAzīz. Malik ʿIffāḍ then went to his brother Zāhir in Aleppo. Joining forces with Zāhir, they went together to Damascus. When ʿAzīz, who was approaching Damascus, heard of this, he hurriedly returned to Egypt.
ʿĀdil and ʿIffāḍ followed him to take Egypt. ʿĀdil and his nephew ʿIffāḍ agreed that one third of Egypt would belong to ʿĀdil and two thirds to ʿIffāḍ. Then ʿĀdil changed his mind and sent word to ʿAzīz to remain steadfast in his position. Then he turned to ʿIffāḍ, slowing him down and encouraging him to act cautiously. ʿĀdil and ʿIffāḍ stayed in Bilbays for a few days. Finally, Qāḍī Fāḍil, appointed by ʿAzīz, came to them. A truce was reached and peace was made. According to the peace treaty, Jerusalem and its dependent districts would be returned to ʿIffāḍ, and ʿĀdil would receive his former iqtāʿ lands. ʿĀdil settled in those iqtāʿ lands with pleasure. After ʿAzīz bade him farewell, ʿIffāḍ returned to Damascus.