Saad al-Din bin Ghurab

Al-Qadi al-Amir Saad al-Din Ibrahim bin Abd al-Razzaq bin Ghurab al-Qibti al-Iskandarani al-Masry, Saad al-Din bin Alam al-Din bin Shams al-Din (Egyptian Arabic: القاضي الأمير سعد الدين إبراهيم بن عبد الرزاق بن غراب القبطي الاسكندراني المصري، سعد الدين بن علم الدين بن شمس الدين, Coptic: Ⲡⲓⲣⲉϥϯϩⲁⲡ ⲡⲓϫⲱϫ Ⲥⲁⲇ Ⲉⲗⲇⲓⲛ Ⲉⲃⲣⲏϩⲓⲙ ⲥⲉⲛⲀⲃⲧ Ⲉⲗⲣⲍⲏⲕ ⲥⲉⲛⲄⲟⲣⲏⲃ ⲡⲣⲉⲙⲛⲕⲩⲡⲧⲓ ⲡⲣⲉⲙⲛⲣⲁⲕⲱϯ ⲡⲣⲉⲙⲛⲭⲏⲙⲓ, Ⲥⲁⲇ Ⲉⲗⲇⲓⲛ ⲥⲉⲛⲀⲗⲙ Ⲉⲗⲇⲓⲛ ⲥⲉⲛϢⲉⲙⲥ Ⲉⲗⲇⲓⲛ) (1378 AD – 10 March 1406 AD | 780 AH – 19 Ramadan 808 AH) or commonly known as Saad al-Din bin Ghurab was Amir al-Umara (the prince of princes) in the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and its de facto ruler starting from 1399, that is, since the death of Sultan al-Zahir Barquq. Ibn Ghurab was able to combine the functions of Arbab al-Aqlam (masters of the pen) and Arbab al-Syouf (masters of swords). He also played a commendable role in overcoming the effects of the famine that struck Egypt (during the era of Sultan an-Nasir Faraj) by clothing the needy, distributing bread and food to the poor, and spending money in charitable ways.

Emir Saad al-Din bin Ghurab
سعد الدين بن غراب (Egyptian Arabic) Ⲥⲁⲇ Ⲉⲗⲇⲓⲛ ⲥⲉⲛⲄⲟⲣⲏⲃ (Coptic)
Rank of Saad al-Din bin Ghurab
Ustadar (Majordomo)
In office 1400/1–1406
Monarch	An-Nasir Faraj
Preceded by	Jamal al-Din Mahmoud
Succeeded by	unknown
Regent to the throne of the Sultanate
In office 20 September 1405 – November 1405
Monarch	Izz al-Din Abd al-Aziz
De facto ruler of the Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate
In office 1399–1406
Monarchs	An-Nasir Faraj Izz al-Din Abd al-Aziz
Personal details
Born	1378 Alexandria, Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate
Died	10 March 1406 (aged 27–28) Cairo, Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate
Resting place	Bab al-Mahrouq, Cairo
Relations	Ghurab (grandfather) Abd al-Razzaq bin Ghurab (father) Majid bin Ghurab (older brother)
Occupation	Qadi (Judge), Nazir al-Khas, Nazir al-Guyush, Kaitb al-Sir, Ustadar
Languages	Coptic, Arabic, Mamluk-Kipchak
Nickname	السلطان الغير متوج (The uncrowned Sultan)
Military service
Allegiance	Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate
Branch/service	Egyptian army
Rank	Nazir al-Guyush Amir Mi'a Muqadam Alaf
Battles/wars	Capture of Baghdad (1394)

Life

Lineage

Ibrahim bin Abd al-Razzaq bin Ghurab, Saad al-Din bin Alam al-Din bin Shams al-Din, his grandfather Ghurab was of Egyptian origin and one of the Christians of Alexandria who converted to Islam and began writing. He rose through the ranks of diwaniyah positions (royal court/office) until he took over the governorship of Alexandria before the year 767 AH / 1365 AD. Then he was unjustly accused of colluding with the Cypriots during their invasion of the city in the aforementioned year, so its governor, Ibn Aram, arrested him and killed him, leaving his son Abd al-Razzaq, who held a job similar to his father's. He died in the year 784 AH / 1382 AD, leaving two young sons, the eldest of whom was Majid and the youngest Ibrahim, who was four years old.

Ibrahim had a great cultural education, such that he was a student of the great scholar Ibn Khaldun and was raised by him. He was the closest person to Ibn Khaldun in Egypt, and because of Ibn Khaldun's closeness to Ibrahim, Ibn Khaldun was respected by the state and had a status.

Upbringing and advancement in positions

The upbringing and fame of Ibrahim bin Abd al-Razzaq bin Ghurab in the Egyptian state was associated with a man who was one of the most senior officials in the royal court/office at that time. That is his teacher, Jamal al-Din Mahmoud, who rose through the ranks until he attained the position of ustadar, so he handled it with skill and shrewdness, just as the reins of the state' finance were given to him. He controlled the royal funds of Sultan al-Zahir Barquq, and his wealth increased to the point that the common people became scarce about it, saying: “God has given iron to Dawud and gold to Mahmoud.”

When he began working in Alexandria, his eyes fell on Ibrahim bin Abd al-Razzaq when he was a young child under the age of ten, and he was writing under the care of his older brother Majid. He caught his eye and looked at him, and Jamal al-Din Mahmoud noticed signs of virtue from Ibrahim. He was a handsome boy with signs of happiness on his face. The acceptance was apparent, so he approached him and nicknamed him Saad al-Din, and he took him with him to Cairo in the year (790 AH / 1388 AD) while he was still a ten-year-old boy, and he trained him in writing until he mastered arithmetic and his writing became good, and Ibn Ghurab learned Mamluk-Kipchak language, which made his master impressed, so he made him the clerk of his funds, so Ibn Ghurab began performing his work tasks. He counted his teacher's money, and excelled in carrying out his work tasks until he was able to defeat Jamal al-Din al-Ustadar and became more knowledgeable about his money matters than him.

Later, he overthrew Jamal al-Din Mahmoud by supporting the governor of Cairo, Alaa al-Din bin al-Tablawi, and he also overthrew Ibn Tablawi at a later time, and in this way he overthrew the senior statesmen until he became the most prominent man of Sultan al-Zahir Barquq and was appointed as Supervisor of Special (Nazir al-Khas) in 798 AH and as ustadar in 803 AH, and participated with him in several military campaigns, most notably the liberation of Baghdad from Timur in 1394, and upon the death of al-Zahir Barquq, Ibn Ghurab became one of an-Nasir Faraj's guardians and was able to convince an-Nasir Faraj to isolate himself, disappear in Cairo, and install his brother Izz al-Din Abd al-Aziz as Sultan in his place. At this moment, Ibn Ghurab became the de facto ruler of the state and the de facto Sultan.

Role in overcoming the famine

He played a commendable role in overcoming the effects of the famine that struck Egypt (during the era of an-Nasir Faraj) by clothing the needy, distributing bread and food to the poor, and spending money on charitable causes. When the epidemic continued for months and the senior emirs were unable to continue their efforts in burying the dead, Ibn Ghurab insisted on doing it even if he spent all his money, and he exerted praiseworthy diligence in the matter, until he began to set an example in overcoming this ordeal, so it was said: “Ibn Ghurab has cut (فصل ابن غراب),” as he opened a washbasin in his house, and the porters would bring him someone who had passed away in the streets and place him at his door, so he would take care of their affairs until the number of those who laid to rest reached 12,700 people from Rajab to Shawwal of the aforementioned year 806 AH / 1403 AD.

Control over the state

"He does not like anyone to share the rule with him." -The description of the historian, Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi, of Ibn Ghurab.

There is no doubt that Ibn Ghurab was the one who had the first credit for hiding an-Nasir Faraj and then returning him to the Sultanate, and thus he gained favor and a high rank with the Sultan, who granted him the rank of Amir Mia Muqadam Alaf (أمير مائة مقدم ألف). He also delegated to him what was behind his royal authority, and entrusted him with all the reins of the state. Managing all its affairs without consulting him, and Saad al-Din wore the kalfatah (كلفتاه, very luxurious and ornate kaftan) and girded himself with a sword and left the uniform of a writer. Ibn Ghurab asked someone from his entourage if his appearance as an emir was better than his appearance as a judge in the diwan (royal court), and the man replied: “No, by God, that appearance (his appearance as a prince) is better, more beautiful, and more worthy of you.” But he did not answer. As after that incident, Ibn Ghurab became a favored servant for both the Sultan and all the emirs, and he allowed his enemies to keep their positions after an-Nasir's return, and he reminds his allies that he restored to them all that was stolen from them of their position, influence, and jobs, and that he provided them with his money and wealth at the time of their need for him and their flight to the Levant and their poverty, just as he used to declare and be proud in front of everyone that he established the sultanate of Izz al-Din Abd al-Aziz and removed the sultanate of an-Nasir Faraj. Then he undid what he had established and restored an-Nasir Faraj without any need or necessity forcing him to do what he did, and it was as al-Maqrizi said: "How many times he mutilated a throne, gored a ram, leveled lofty mountains, and uprooted countries from their solid foundations."

Ibn Ghurab was unique from his predecessors and successors in the Egyptian state in that he held four of the major court positions of utmost importance in the Sultanate, which are the Supervisor of Special (Nazir al-Khas, ناظر الخاص), Supervisor of the Armies (Nazir al-Guyush, ناظر الجيوش), and Secret Writer (Katib al-Sir, كاتب السر), which are expressed as being the state itself, and considered the second person to combine the first three positions in the history of the Egyptian Mamluk state until the era of historian Ibn Taghribirdi, not to mention his skill and cunning, which enabled him to combine the Arbab al-Aqlam and Arbab al-Syouf functions that had a great impact on the state, most notably the Ustadaria (الأستادارية), the Imra (الإمرة), and then the Ishara (الإشارة), which is a unique matter, was rarely achieved by direct views, and Ibn Ghurab enjoyed a great deal of cunning and political acumen that enabled him to overcome obstacles that almost toppled him from his positions more than once and almost ended his life. He quickly regained his positions and jobs through various means and quickly returned to participate in the political affairs of the state. Which confirms his worth for what he has achieved, something that is only available to someone who spent many decades of his life doing similar works, despite his death at the age of twenty-eight.

Death

When Saad al-Din went down to his house, he did not ride on his kalfatah after the first time, and he fell ill and stayed in bed. The people saw how the emirs venerated him during the period of his illness, and among them were the most senior emirs of the state, such as emir Yashbak and others, and they came to him every day to visit him, and they were standing on their feet and quickly responded to what he commanded and forbade what he did not entrust. The like of him was known only to the most important kings and sultans until he died on the night of Thursday, the nineteenth of the month of Ramadan in the year 808 AH / 10 March 1406 AD, and he had not yet reached the age of thirty. An-Nasir Faraj himself came down to pray for him, along with most of the state's emirs. He carried his coffin on his shoulder and decided to carry it forward to his final resting place, had it not been for the emirs’ insistence on him to go up to the citadel due to the long distance from the prayer area under the citadel to his burial place on the outside of Bab al-Mahrouq. The emirs also took turns carrying his body until and after. An-Nasir distributed the livelihood to his children after him, and his estate was not subjected to any of the confiscations that usually happen to those who die among the direct members of the state, in recognition of his gratitude to him for returning him to the Sultanate.

He was a beautiful young man, generous, and he was inclined to do good and charity, especially during the epidemic that occurred in the year 806 AH, for he did good deeds during it that made him famous. It was said that from the time he assumed positions until he died, not one of the Sultan's Mamluks came to him in need - old or young - except that he gave them melted sugar to drink.

Historians did not mention any of Ibn Ghurab's faults other than his treachery towards his master, Jamal al-Din Mahmud, his prosecution before Sultan Barquq, his injustice over some of his money, and his love for ruling, which sometimes led him not to hesitate to attack his opponents and afflict them, as happened with Ibn al-Tablawi and Yalbugha al-Salmi. However, he did not shed blood throughout his life. It is enough of an advantage for someone who undertakes duties similar to his and engages in affairs of governance and politics such as he has delved into, Al-Maqrizi said about him at the conclusion of his writing:

"A boy who had something that pleased his friend. However, he had something worse for the enemies."

Senior historians such as al-Maqrizi, Ibn Hajar, and Al-Ayni mentioned that emir Saad al-Din Ibrahim bin Ghurab was about to become a sultan and not just the de facto ruler, but he died before he could achieve this.

Monuments

• Khanqah of Saad al-Din bin Ghurab - Cairo
• Dome of Saad al-Din bin Ghurab - Cairo