Ibn 'Asakir of Damascus : Champion of Sunni Islam in the Time of the Crusades

Author: Mourad, Suleiman A. (Associate Professor of Religion, Smith College.)

Biography & True Stories

Published on 5 August 2021 by Oneworld Publications in the United Kingdom as part of 'the Makers of the Muslim World' series.

Hardback | 160 pages
141 x 224 x 18 | 256g

'Ali ibn 'Asakir (1105-1176) was one of the most renowned experts on Hadith and Islamic history in the medieval era. His was a tumultuous time: centuries of Shi'i rule had not long ended in central Syria, rival warlords sought control of the capital, and Crusaders had captured Jerusalem.

Seeking the unification of Syria and Egypt, and the revival of Sunnism in both, Ibn 'Asakir served successive Muslim rulers, including Nur al-Din and Saladin, and produced propaganda against both the Christian invaders and the Shi'is. This, together with his influential writings and his advocacy of major texts, helped to lay the foundations for the eventual Sunni domination of the Levant - a domination which continues to this day.