After the Crusaders had held Jerusalem in their hands for ninety-two years, in this year the Muslims took it from them and conquered it.
After Sultan Saladin had conquered the places mentioned in the previous sections, he ordered his soldiers to assemble. Once the soldiers had gathered, he set out towards Jerusalem. On the fifteenth of the month of Rajab of this year, he established his camp to the west of Jerusalem. He saw that the city had been made extremely fortified and that precautions had been taken. The number of Crusader warriors—excluding those in Jerusalem—was 60,000 or more. The governor of Jerusalem at that time was Balban b. Bazran. Among those with him were knights who had survived the Battle of Hattin. Among them were also members of the Templar and Hospitaller orders, called the disciples of Satan. All the worshippers of the cross had gathered together. Sultan Saladin remained at the aforementioned place for five days. He assigned each group of his soldiers a side and a tower of the walls. Then he turned towards the Shani side, because he saw that it was wider and more suitable for maneuvering.
The Crusaders fought fiercely not to leave Jerusalem to the Muslims. They sacrificed their lives and wealth for themselves and for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. During the siege, one of the Muslim emirs was martyred. At that moment, the Muslim commanders and righteous men became very angry with the enemy. They intensified the battle even more. They set up mangonels and battering rams against Jerusalem. Swords and spears took their share. Eyes were fixed on the crosses erected atop the walls. There was a great cross on the Dome of the Rock. This further spurred the Muslims on. That day was a very difficult day for the unbelievers. Sultan Saladin directed his soldiers to the northeast corner of the walls. He tried to breach it. He set it on fire, and that part of the walls collapsed. The tower fell. When the Crusaders saw this, they realized that they had encountered a terrible situation and had fallen into a painful calamity.
Upon this, their leaders came to Sultan Saladin and begged him to grant them amān (safe conduct). However, the sultan did not accept these requests, saying: "Just as you previously took it by force, so now I will conquer it in the same way. Just as you previously killed the Muslims in Jerusalem, so now I will not leave a single Christian alive in Jerusalem."
After this, the governor of Jerusalem, Balban b. Bazran, requested amān from Sultan Saladin so that he might come to him. Sultan Saladin granted him amān. When he came into the sultan's presence, he pleaded for mercy. He submitted. He showed humiliation. He humbled himself to the utmost. He used every word that could serve as a means to mercy. However, the sultan informed them that he would not grant them amān. They then said: "If you do not grant us amān, we will turn back. We will kill all the Muslim captives in our hands—there were about 4,000 Muslim captives in the hands of the Crusaders in Jerusalem. We will kill our children and women. We will destroy our houses and beautiful places. We will burn our belongings. We will destroy the goods in our hands. We will demolish the Dome of the Rock and burn everything we can seize. After that, we will come out and fight you fiercely, throwing ourselves into death. After this, there is no good left in our living. None of us will die without killing a few of our enemies. What good can we hope for after this anyway?"
After listening to these words, Sultan Saladin announced that he was agreeable to peace. He abandoned his previous view. However, he put forward the following conditions:
Men would pay ten dinars each, women five dinars each, and small children two dinars each as ransom. Those who could not pay these would become captives of the Muslims. In addition, crops, produce, weapons, and houses would belong to the Muslims. The Crusaders would be able to move to a place where they could find safety, that is, the city of Tyre.
Thus, the peace treaty was written. Those who could not pay these ransoms would be given a period of forty days. Anyone unable to pay the ransom within this period would become a captive. The number of those who became captives under this condition, including men, women, and children, was 16,000.
The sultan and the Muslims entered the city a short time before the Friday prayer. It was the twenty-seventh day of the month of Rajab.
Katib Imad said: "That night was the night of Isra, when the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) was taken from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque." Abu Shama said: "This is one of the opinions put forward regarding the Isra."
Contrary to the claim of those who said, "I myself performed it," it was not granted to the Muslims to perform the Friday prayer in Jerusalem on that day. According to those who said that the Friday prayer was performed, Sultan Saladin himself delivered the sermon in Sawad on that day. According to the sound view, due to lack of time, the Muslims were unable to perform the Friday prayer in Jerusalem that day, but performed it a week later. The preacher, as will be explained later, was Muhyiddin b. Muhammad b. Ali al-Qurashi Ibn al-Zaki.
However, on the first Friday they entered the city, they removed the crosses, priests, and pigs from the al-Aqsa Mosque and cleansed the mosque. The Templars had built rooms for themselves in the western part of the great mihrab. They had used the mihrab as a storehouse for themselves. May Allah curse them. All these places were cleaned and restored to their former state as in the period of Islam. The Sakhra was washed with pure water. Then rosewater and musk were sprinkled upon it. It was shown to those who wished to see it. Previously, it had been closed to visitors and covered. The cross on its dome was taken down and it was restored to its former dignity. Previously, the Crusaders had removed a piece from there and sold it to sailors for its weight in gold. It was not possible to retrieve this piece.
Then, ransoms were collected from the Crusaders. The sultan released some of them. Among those released were the daughters of kings and counts, as well as women, children, and men from their retinues. Many were pardoned and released without compensation. Sultan Saladin distributed the ransoms he collected from them to his soldiers. He took nothing for himself. He did not covet or store anything to be hidden or accumulated. May Allah have mercy on him. He was extremely gentle, generous, bold, courageous, and merciful.