Customer Reviews

The Book of Saladin: A Novel (Islam Quintet 2)

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This is a satisfying novel, told, despite its exotic settings, in sparse prose carrying a ring of authenticity reminiscent at times of Naguib Mahfouz. The book deals in complex and subtle people who question the nature of the relationship between body and soul and ponder the purposes of war, not in easy steretypes or generalisations, even in an area which has been traditionally replete with them. It is illuminationg to have the Saladin story told by a writer who has immersed himself in the 'other side'. Tariq Ali's novel creates an authentic-seeming court, full of intrigue, dominated by a man who is charismatic yet not a hero of romance, a rather hesitant, limping figure, a Sultan whose preferred diet is soup and beans. In Saladin's entourage are strong and intelligent women, the Sultana Jamila and her female lover, and their story is interwoven with that of the Sultan's public life. It may be controversial to assign such dominance to the women in a harem, but these are characters in a convincing story with a reality beyond that of historical cliche.

I'd heard of Tariq Ali as a political animal and didnt know what to expect. I was surprised. This book is written in style, almost like a story your mother might have told you when putting you to pbed, except of course no mother would read a child this particular story so full of life, sex and death.

The story of how a man through sheer force of will united the squabbling emirs to re-take Jerusalem (Al-Kuds) is breath-taking. I kept on putting off my job, my family until I could finish this book.

It is not a history book. It is a heroic tale - one which deserves to be told over and over again. Highly recommended.

This is a very human novel. Its a simple story of peoples lives, their day to day problems and concerns, their loves and losses. It is so easy to read like a soap opera where you are drawn into wanting to know what happens next. The fact that the concerns of the characters include a jealous lesbian whose lover has been sleeping with a eunuch, planning the strategy of the crusade against the infidels or political letter writing are made to seem matter of fact. The easy style of writing however hides an eternal truth which is that human nature doesn't change over time and one can always learn from the experience of human interaction.

An excellent evocation of a slice of human life and an easy and enjoyable read. My only critisism is that the novel is relatively expensive - and therefore doesn't have the wide distribution accorded to other far less worthy tomes.

It is difficult to put this book down once started. After some time the characters become a part of the reader’s own life. Ali, with his genius in play writing, knows how to keep the reader glued to the pages while finishing each chapter— in the Arabian Nights tradition—there is more to come. This novel is historical fiction at its best!

The Book of Saladin is Mr Tariq Ali’s second in his series of Islamic fiction and by par the most historical. The other two titles are “Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree” and “The Stone Woman”.

“The Book of Saladin”, as the title suggests, is the life of Salah-Al-Din, Saladin to the Western ear, the Great Muslim leader whose name and legend goes parallel with the Crusades after he re-conquered Jerusalem in 1187. The principal characters of the novel, Saladin, his father, sons and nephews, and Ibn Maymun (Maimonides to the Western ear), the Jewish historian are all historical characters. The narrator, Ibn Yakub, Shadi, Jamila and Halima, Amjad the eunuch et al are fictional characters.

The book is divided into three main sections depicting Salah-Al-Din’s life in Cairo, Damascus and Jerusalem. The last section is personal letters of Ibn Yakub to Ibn Maymun. Each chapter describes events like old chronicles with the grace of fairy tales from the Arabian Nights. At the same time, the book describes life of the time.

The book starts with the narrator, Isaac ibn Yakub, sharing a light meal and deep conversation with his friend, Ibn Maymun. They are interrupted by a knock at the door. Salah-Al-Din, whom Ibn Yakub does not recognise, has come with an extraordinary request to ask Ibn Yakub to be his personal chronicler. Salah-Al-Din does not trust his court chroniclers as they are known for writing what they think will please the Sultan.

Thus starts the remarkable story of Ibn Yakub, the Jewish Chronicler’s amazing journey into the life of one of the greatest Muslim Rulers ever. Ibn Yakub is granted the wish to ask the Sultan any question although the Sultan reserves the right to answer! He is also granted permission to every sphere of the Sultan’s daily life, including access to his Harem, but not to any war counselling for his own safety.

Saladin is depicted as a wise and careful leader. Although ruthless in battle, lenient and generous in every day life and in his legal rulings. This was a time in the Muslim world when Jews and Muslims lived in peace. Animosity between the two faiths was virtually unknown. Even the Christians, although political enemies of Muslims received their fair share of life under Salah-Al-Din. This is further shown by the Sultan’s choice of Maimonides, a Jew, as his personal physician and his decision to choose a Jew as his personal chronicler.

Ali does proper justice by showing Salah-Al-Din as human. Salah-Al-Din’s fondness for women, art, music, intellectual debates characterises many Muslim Rulers of the day.

The Christians holding Jerusalem are shown as cruel leaders. Upon conquering the city, they massacred all the Jewish and Muslim inhabitants, sparing neither women nor children in their quest to establish the Authority of the Holy Trinity. Their leaders are unwilling and unable to recognise Muslims as anything but an inferior cult. Ali reminds us that even the military power of the Crusaders’ was overrated, and that Richard the Lion Heart was much despised—and his military skills questioned—by even Christians of the day.

Written in the metaphor of the Arabian nights, The Book of Saladin immediately transforms the reader into a fairy tale world. Salah-Al-Din is the force of just against evil. Ali has researched facts very well and done proper justice towards providing an alternative interpretation to Middle Eastern history. The novel does further justice by providing a description of the court life of Muslim rulers where many taboos, unthinkable even in today’s western democracy and freedom of speech, are beautifully narrated...

This book deserves more than five stars!

Asrar Chowdhury
Girton College
Cambridge
May 2002

Saladin, a Kurd by birth, led the Muslim reconquest of Jerusalem from the Crusaders.

Tariq Ali tells the story of the reconquest from the Muslim side. His narrator is Ibn Yakub, a Jews and friend of Ibn Maimum (Maimonides). Intertwined with the history is much court intrigue, including sexual intrigue reflecting divers appetites.

Interesting history and a good read.

It was on time in good condition and there were no problem I recommend it to all my friends thank you very much

I bought this book to read about Saladin and how he managed his empire. I was warned beforehand that this is a work of fiction but did not realise it is nothing but a work of fiction with almost no statement of facts.

If anything, the writer Tariq Ali wants to tell his own version of history of how it must have been back then. Fornication, homosexuality and how people might have amused themselves then seem to be the main theme. Saladin himself comes across as soneone who is most troubled and very one dimensional character. More space is given to the various characters around him and how they go about trying to satisfy their sexual appetite than Saladin himself.

If you want to find out about Saladin, I very much doubt you could do worse than this.

Please make no mistake this is a work of ‘FICTION’. The title is very disingenuous (to be polite); the book is mostly based around the fictional characters thought up by Tariq Ali. I was very disappointed as one is never certain where the fiction ends and reality begins.
Tariq Ali has tried to mix fiction with reality and has got it very wrong; his portrayal of Saladin as a sexually charged individual is scandalous.
I think Tariq Ali has done the greatest disservice to one of Islam’s greatest sultan and military leader.