Islam
Sultan in Damascus
But in theory he was still junior. Nuradin's son, al-Salih Ismail, was still only a boy. A court eunuch, Gumushtigin, spirited him away to Aleppo, and at first Saladin recognized al-Salih as his overlord. But he at once set about positioning himself to continue expanding his powers. When the emirs of Damascus asked his help, he went to that city and there proclaimed that he and not Gumushtigin was the boy's rightful guardian. This allowed him to open military operations against Aleppo. He spent the next few years fighting the Zangids in Syria. One milestone was reached in April 1176 when he married Nuradin's widow, thereby increasing the legitimacy of his claims over al-Salih.
Over the next few years, Aleppo decreased in importance (al-Salih himself died in 1181) while Mosul came to the forefront, again as the enemy of Saladin. The ruler of Mosul was Izz al-Din Masud, a former Zangid vassal. Saladin spent the first half of the 1180s trying to bring this city under his control, nearly dying in the attempt. Finally, in March 1186, he gained recognition there as overlord of the city, though Izz al-Din Masud continued as the direct ruler.
With Aleppo and Mosul under his control, Saladin could finally turn his attention to the Franks. He had not completely ignored them; he'd fought a few battles over the years with Baldwin IV (the "Leper King"), but to all appearances Saladin was much more concerned with securing his authority in Syria and bringing the Zangids under control, than with prosecuting the jihad against the Franks.
How long he would have left them alone is a matter for speculation, for in 1183 Reynald of Chatillon launched his infamous raid into the Red Sea. Because he threatened, or was believed to have threatened, to attack Medina and Mecca, he became one of the most hated men in Islam. Then, in 1185, he compounded his crimes by looting a pilgrim caravan. In response to this latest outrage, Saladin decided to move.