Rashiq Awan (1142-1217) was an imam of the Ayyubid Caliphate. Rashiq Awan was the wali of a mosque in the poor district of Damascus not far from the eastern gate to the countryside (the "Kingdom").
Biography[]
Rashiq Awan was born in 1142 in Damascus, and became an imam. He was a strong supporter of Saladin, the Sultan of the Ayyubid Caliphate, and gave inspiring speeches to the people of Damascus during the Third Crusade.
Speeches[]
- Be wary friends. The shaitan is everywhere. Watching, waiting! He tempts us always. Be strong, strong like Salah ad-Din, and take up arms against our enemies in what ever way you can.
- Curse them! Curse the Christian king and his army of infidels. They go against the will of God and must be made to pay. Everywhere they ride, they leave only suffering in their wake. They say it is a crusade. A crusade for what? Ignorance? Violence? Madness? We must resist. We must fight them in any way we can.
- The fires of war consume the land, and thousands of lives are lost in its defense. It seems a tragedy, but I say this is an honor. To die in service to God, fighting for what we believe in. There is no greater glory than this.
- Praise be Salah ad-Din! He has found the strength to stand in defense of our great civilization. Make no mistake, this is our very existence we our fighting for. The infidel king would have see us all wiped from the world. We must resist, we must push back!
- I stand before you to deliver a warning. Should Richard take Jaffa, there will be no stopping him. He will march on Jerusalem next. We must end this before it has a chance to begin. That city has been ours, has always been ours, and it is our duty to defend it until death. The crusaders must be destroyed!
- South comes the English king and his infidel army. They leave horrors in their wake. Salah ad-Din rides to meet him, that these barbarous acts may be brought to an end. Pray that God, glorious and exalted is He, finds favor with us, that he may grant us victory.