He was a Turk, and his epithet was Sayf al-Din. He was among the elite mamluks of Muʿizz al-Turkmānī and Ṣāliḥ Ayyūb b. Kāmil. When his master Muʿizz was killed, he strove to have his son Nūr al-Dīn Manṣūr ʿAlī installed in his place. When he heard of the Tatars’ situation, he feared that, due to Nūr al-Dīn’s young age, the soldiers would not obey him. For this reason, he deposed Nūr al-Dīn Manṣūr and called upon the emirs to pledge allegiance to himself. In the month of Dhū al-Qaʿda in the year 657 of the Hijra, allegiance was pledged to him. Indeed, this matter has been recounted on previous pages as well. After receiving the pledge of allegiance, he marched against the Tatars. Allah, the Exalted, granted victory to Islam through him. He was courageous, valiant, performed much good, and worked for the benefit of Islam and the Muslims. The people loved him greatly and prayed much for him. It is reported that during the Battle of ʿAyn Jālūt, his horse was killed. At that moment, when none of those responsible for the spare horses could be found near him, he dismounted and remained motionless for a while. The battle was ongoing. He was standing at the center of the army, the place of the sultan. When one of the emirs saw him in this state, he dismounted and insisted by oath that Qutuz mount his own horse. However, Qutuz did not mount, and said to that emir, “I will not deprive the Muslims of your benefit.” Eventually, the person responsible for the spare horses arrived and gave him a horse, and he mounted. One of the emirs reproached him, saying:
“O khan, why did you not mount that emir’s horse? If one of the enemies had seen you in that state, he would have killed you. Because of your death, Islam would have perished!”
He replied, “If I had been killed, I would have gone to Paradise. As for Islam, it has its Owner. Such-and-such, such-and-such, such-and-such, and such-and-such rulers died or were killed; but others arose to protect Islam after them. Thus, Islam was not lost!”
May Allah have mercy on him, he set out from Egypt with many naval commanders and soldiers in his retinue. With him were the emir of Ḥamāh, Manṣūr, and the sons of rulers. He sent word to the emir of Ḥamāh, saying, “In these days, do not waste your time setting up banquets; be with the soldiers. Let there be a piece of meat for the soldiers to eat. Hurry, hurry.” As we have recounted on previous pages, in the last ten days of the month of Ramaḍān of this year, he confronted the enemy and fought them, defeating them. This was a great glad tiding, for the Battle of Badr also took place on a Friday in the month of Ramaḍān, and in that battle the Muslims were victorious.
Malik al-Muzaffar Qutuz arrived in Damascus in the month of Shawwāl and ruled there with justice. He put affairs in order. He also sent Baybars in pursuit of the Tatars to drive him out of Aleppo. He promised Baybars the deputyship of Aleppo, but for the sake of expediency did not grant him this office. Because of this, enmity arose between them. On his return to Egypt, Baybars and some emirs conspired against him and killed him at a place between Karābiyya and Ṣāliḥiyya. His body was buried at the Qasr. His grave was a place visited by people. When Malik al-Ẓāhir Baybars ascended the throne, he caused the location of his grave to be lost. Its location is no longer known. Malik al-Muzaffar Qutuz was killed on Saturday, the sixteenth of Dhū al-Qaʿda of this year. May Allah have mercy on him.
Shaykh Quṭb al-Dīn al-Yūnīnī, in the book Zayl written as a supplement to al-Mirʾāt, relates through Shaykh ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn b. Ghānim, from Mawlā Tāj al-Dīn Aḥmad b. Asīr, who served as confidential secretary in the time of Nāṣir, lord of Damascus, as follows: While we were with Nāṣir in the open fields of Barza, a messenger brought news that al-Muzaffar Qutuz had taken control of Egypt. I conveyed this news to the sultan. The sultan Nāṣir said to me, “Go to so-and-so and so-and-so, and convey this news to them as well.” When I left the sultan’s presence, I encountered one of the soldiers. The soldier said to me, “According to news I have received from Egypt, al-Muzaffar Qutuz has become ruler.” I asked him, “I have no knowledge of this; where did you hear it?” The soldier replied, “Yes, by Allah, he will become ruler of the land of Egypt and will rout the Tatars.” When I asked, “How do you know this?” he answered:
“When he was a small child, I used to serve him. He had many lice and fleas on him. While picking out his lice and fleas, I would belittle and reproach him. One day, he said to me, ‘Hey, look at me, what would you like me to give you when I become ruler of the land of Egypt?’ I said to him, ‘Are you mad?’ He replied, ‘I saw the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) in my dream. He said to me, “You will become ruler of the land of Egypt and will crush the Tatars!” The word of the Messenger of God is true and certain; there is no doubt in it.’ At that time, I conveyed my request to him: ‘I want you to appoint me as commander over fifty cavalrymen.’ He said, ‘Very well, I give you the glad tidings of this commandership from now.’”
Ibn al-Asīr said: When the soldier told me these things, I said to him, “Here is the letter from the Egyptians; in this letter it is said that al-Muzaffar Qutuz has ascended the throne of sovereignty.” The soldier said, “By Allah, he will also crush the Tatars,” and so it happened as he said.
When Nāṣir returned to the land of Egypt, he wanted to enter the city, but then turned back. However, most of the soldiers of Syria entered Egypt. The commander who recounted this event was among those who entered Egypt. Malik al-Muzaffar Qutuz granted him the authority to command fifty cavalrymen, thus fulfilling his promise. The name of this commander was Emir Jamāl al-Dīn al-Turkmānī.
Ibn al-Asīr said: After this commander took charge of fifty cavalrymen in Egypt, he met me and repeated to me the news he had given about al-Muzaffar Qutuz, and I told him the same things. After this, the event of the Tatars occurred. Al-Muzaffar Qutuz crushed them and expelled them from the land.
It is reported that when al-Muzaffar Qutuz saw the Tatars, he gave the following instructions to his emirs and soldiers: “Do not fight them until the sun passes the zenith and the wind begins to blow. Let the preachers and the people supplicate for us in their prayers.” May Allah have mercy on him.
This year, Qutbūgha Noyan, whom Hülagü had appointed as deputy of Damascus, was killed. May Allah curse him. The word Noyan means ‘commander of 10,000 soldiers.’ This vile commander, on behalf of his master Hülagü, had made conquests from one end of the land of Persia to Damascus. He had also lived during the lifetime of Hülagü’s grandfather, Chinggis Khan. In the wars he waged against the Muslims, Qutbūgha employed methods that no one had used before. That is: When Qutbūgha conquered a Muslim city, he would send the Muslim warriors from that city to the next Muslim city he intended to conquer. These Muslim warriors would request the people of that city to host them. If they did, Qutbūgha’s aim was achieved. Thus, the food and drink of the people of the second Muslim city would be diminished. When he then besieged them, the siege would end quickly. If they did not host these Muslim warriors, he would send his own Tatar warriors to that city. If the conquest was achieved, the matter was settled; if not, the Muslim warriors he had sent would remain there until they perished, and thus the provisions of the city’s people would be depleted. If the conquest was then achieved, so be it; if not, he would attack them with his own rested soldiers, fight them, exhaust the people of the city, and quickly achieve the conquest. To the people of the city he intended to conquer, he would first send the following message:
“Your water has diminished. I fear that we may seize your city by force and kill you all from beginning to end. We will take your women and children captive. After your water is gone and you are destroyed, how will you survive? At least, before we take your city by force, take advantage of the opportunity and open your gates to us in peace.”
The people of the city would reply to him, “We have plenty of water; we have no need of water.” Qutbūgha Noyan would say, “No, I do not believe your words. I will send my men to check the water. If you have plenty of water, I will leave you and return.” They would say, “Send them.” Thereupon, he would send a few of his soldiers, who carried hollowed-out spears filled with poison, supposedly to check the water in the fortress. When these men, who had become weary and found the conquest difficult, entered the fortress, they would, under the pretext of checking the water with their spears, dip their spears into the water and release the poison inside. When this poison mixed with the water, it would become poisoned, and thus, without the people realizing it, would cause their deaths. May Allah curse Qutbūgha Noyan. Qutbūgha Noyan was an old man. He was inclined toward Christianity. However, he could not find the opportunity to act outside the laws of Chinggis Khan.
Shaykh Quṭb al-Dīn al-Yūnīnī said: “I saw Qutbūgha Noyan when he besieged the fortress of Baalbek. He was a handsome old man. He had a long beard, which he would braid like a plait. Sometimes he would throw the braid of his beard behind his ear. He was a person of great awe and formidable presence.
He entered the mosque and ascended the minaret to observe the fortress and assess the situation. Then, exiting through the western gate, he entered a ruined shop, and there, in front of everyone, relieved himself with his private parts exposed. After finishing, one of his men wiped his place of ablution with a piece of cotton. When he received news that al-Muzaffar Qutuz had set out from Egypt with his soldiers, he did not know what to do. He was bewildered. Then he decided to confront him, and as usual, thought he would be victorious this time as well. On that day, he attacked the left wing of al-Muzaffar Qutuz’s army and broke it. Then Allah, the Exalted, gave strength to the Muslims and made them steadfast in battle. This time, the Muslims launched a powerful attack against the Tatars and inflicted upon them such a defeat that their wounds would never heal. Their commander, Qutbūgha Noyan, was killed in this battle, and his son was taken captive. His son was a young and handsome man. He was captured and brought before al-Muzaffar Qutuz. Qutuz asked him, “Did your father flee?” His son replied, “My father does not flee!” Thereupon, they searched for Qutbūgha and found his corpse among the dead. When his son saw his father’s body, he wept bitterly and began to wail and lament. When al-Muzaffar Qutuz was certain that the corpse belonged to Qutbūgha, he performed a prostration of gratitude to Allah. Then he said, “Now that my heart is at ease, I will sleep a little,” and continued, “Qutbūgha was the happiness of the Tatars. With his death, the happiness of the Tatars is gone.”
And so it was. After this, the Tatars never prospered again. Qutbūgha was killed on Friday, the twenty-fifth of Ramaḍān of this year. The one who killed him was Emir Akkuş al-Shamsī. May Allah have mercy on Akkuş.