SOURCE: “The Sources” in Saladin in Egypt, Constable London, 1976, pp. xii-xv.

In the following essay, Lev reviews the main contemporary sources for Saladin's biography and examines the influence of the contemporary politics (as well as the biographers' attitudes and perceptions) on the biographers' assessments of Saladin.

1. Setting the Stage: the Twelfth Century

A. Cultural and Religious Trends

I. The abundance of sources for Saladin's rise to power in Egypt should not mislead us as to our ability to fathom the deeper motives and aspirations of the main players on the political scene. We must be always aware that most of our information is derived from the writings of a small and well-defined group of Saladin's associates and admirers notably Qadi al-Fadil, ‘Imad al-Din al-Isfahani and Ibn Shaddad. On the other hand stands Ibn al-Athir, who is mostly hostile to Saladin. To make things worse, only part of the...