Bahā' ad-Dīn Yusuf ibn Rafi ibn Shaddād was a 12th-century Muslim jurist and scholar, a Kurdishhistorian of great note, notable for writing a biography of Saladin whom he knew well. historian of great note, notable for writing a biography of Saladin whom he knew well.
Life
Ibn Shaddād was born in Mosul on 10 Ramadan 539 AH, where he studied the Qur'an, hadith, and Muslim law before moving to the Nizamiyyamadrasa in Baghdad where he rapidly became mu'id. About 1173, he returned to Mosul as mudarris. In 1188, returning from Hajj, ibn Shaddād was summoned by Saladin who had read and been impressed by his writings. He was "permanently enrolled" in the service of Saladin, who appointed him qadi al-'askar. In this capacity, he was an eyewitness at the Siege of Acre and the Battle of Arsuf and provided "a vivid chronicle of the Third Crusade". Saladin and ibn Shaddād soon became close friends and the sultan appointed him to several high administrative and judicial offices. Ibn Shaddād remained an intimate and trusted friend of Saladin, "seldom absent for any length of time", as well as one of his main advisers, for the rest of the sultan's life. After Saladin's death, ibn Shaddād was appointed qadi of Aleppo. He died there on 14 Safar 632 AH, aged 89 years.
Works
Ibn Shaddād's best-known work is his biography of Saladin, which is "based for the most part on personal observation" and provides a complete portrait as "Muslims saw him". Published in English as The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin, the Arab title translates as "Sultany Anecdotes and Josephly Virtues". The text has survived intact and is still in print. Ibn Shaddād also wrote several works on the practical application of Islamic law, The Refuge of Judges from the Ambiguity of Judgements, The Proofs of Judgments and The Epitome as well as a monograph entitled The Virtues of the Jihad. Much of the information known about Ibn Shaddād derives from Ibn Khallikan's contemporary Biographical Dictionary. Ibn Shaddād was contemporary to the events he writes and it makes his history particularly valuable. Bohadin's account of "The Life of Saladin" was a well written, detailed, factual, and believable account of the period. The work "The Life of Saladin" was published by Schultens in 1732 in Leiden. It is still one of the most important sources for the Crusade of Richard I.
