Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research

The Rise of the Assassins | Ep. 1 | The Salahuddin Generation

Before Salahuddin could unite the Muslim world, earlier leaders had to address deep internal divisions.

When radical groups like the Qarmatians stole the Black Stone and extremist factions terrorized scholars, visionaries like Nizam al-Mulk responded by building institutions—the Nizamiyya schools—that would educate the generation of scholars who would guide leaders like Nur al-Din and Salahuddin.

This episode draws on leading historical works about Salahuddin and the revival that reshaped the Muslim world. If you’d like to explore the era more deeply, we recommend:

  • How the Generation of Salahuddin Appeared — Dr. Majid Irsan Al-Kailani
  • The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin — Ibn Shaddad
  • Salahuddin al-Ayyubi — Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi
  • Saladin: The Triumph of the Sunni Revival — A.R. Azzam
  • For young readers: Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam — Diane Stanley

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Dr. Hassan Elwan

Dr. Hassan Elwan

Senior Fellow | Dr. Hassan Elwan holds a doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the Ohio State University. He holds numerous patents and has extensively published in the field of microelectronics. He is currently a Distinguished Engineer at Marvell technology. Dr. Elwan also has a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology and is currently leading the counseling department at the Rahma Center in Lake Forest, California. He regularly lectures about Islam and spirituality in Southern California and provides professional counseling services to the community that are grounded in both psychology and spirituality.