Who was Noor Ad-Deen Zangi?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallAllaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger. 

Al-Haafith Ath-Thahabi wrote about the leader Noor Ad-Deen Mahmood Zangi, the Kurdish martyr, “He is the ruler of Ash-Sham (the Levant), the just king, Noor Ad-Deen Naasir, the Commander of the Believers, the most pious king, the brave defender of Islam, Abu Al-Qaasim Muhammad.” [Siyar Aʻlaam An-Nubalaa']

He was born in Shawwaal, 511 AH. Ibn Al-Atheer wrote, “I have read the biographies of the Muslim commanders and I have not found any of them, after the rightly-guided Caliphs and ʻUmar ibn ʻAbd Al-ʻAzeez, who had a better history and was keener to uphold justice than Noor Ad-Deen Mahmood Zangi.”

The biography of Noor Ad-Deen Zangi is great and rich; it is worth reading. You can read his full biography in Islamic history books such as Siyar Aʻlaam An-Nubalaa' by Al-Haafith Ath-Thahabi, Al-Bidaayah wa An-Nihaayah by Al-Haafith Ibn Katheer, Al-Kaamil by Ibn Al-Atheer, and other books in this field.

Allaah knows best.