The selection from Usama Ibn Munqidh's Kitab al-l'tibar otherwise known in English as the Book of Contemplation is a book in which Usama provides a series of short vignettes as a testimony of his experiences in the medieval Middle East and in the Crusades. Through his writings the reader can get a Muslim account of the Crusades. This is largely a personal account, so many details are left out and a lot of background knowledge is assumed. It is also not the most impartial source, as supported by Usama's frequent statement that "Allah makes them [the Christian Crusaders] defenseless" (Ibn Munqidh 197). Usama also makes no attempt at analysis or understanding and simply writes exactly what he has observed without asking questions or delving into the myriad of differences he describes. Overall, however, it provides a great insight into the experience of many Muslims (especially the upper class, of which Usama was a part) during this volatile period of invasion and political fragmentation in the Islamic world. narrative; instead he recounts short events from his life usually to extol a certain virtue or to prove a point (this type of Arabic literature is called adab) (Cobb xxxi). It should also be said that this book was not intended by Usama to be read as a history manual or as an autobiography; in fact, as Paul Cobb explains in his introduction to his translation of this work, that Usama understands “God [as] the hero,” Usama is not the focus of the work, but simply acts as a witness to God's work. This fact largely explains the language and structure of “memoirs”. It is important to keep this fact in mind. This particular excerpt focuses primarily on the interaction between…half of the card…the villains who claimed the caliphate). All in all, this brief selection of Usama's writings does much to further understanding of the effects of the Crusades on many Muslims during this period, although because it was written by a wealthy elite it does not describe much of the experience of the general population. It also provides a good overview of interactions among Muslims themselves. It was a time full of danger and division, but Usama's work shows that a common thread held many together and preserved a civilization that still exists today. Works Cited Cobb, Paul. "Introduction." Ibn Munqidh, Usama. Contemplation book Islam and the Crusades. New York: Penguin Books, 2008. xv-xlii.Ibn Munqidh, Usama. "From Memoirs." McNeill, William and Marilyn Robinson Waldman. The Islamic world. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973. 184-206.