Muhammad III
26th Ismaili Nizari Imam Ala al-Din Muhammad
26th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili Shias
Tenure1221 – 1 December 1255
PredecessorJalal al-Din Hasan
SuccessorRukn al-Dīn al-Hasan ibn Muhammad Khurshāh
Born608 AH/1211 AD
Died653 AH/1255 AD
Ala al-Din Muhammad drugging his disciples. Manuscript from The Travels of Marco Polo

ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn Muḥammad III (علاءالدین محمد; 1211–1255), more commonly known as ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn (علاءالدین), son of Jalāl al-Dīn Ḥasan III, was the 26th Nizāri Ismāʿilī Imām. He ruled the Nizari Ismaili state from 1221 to 1255.[1] By some accounts, he was considered a respected scholar and the spiritual and worldly leader of the Nizari Ismailis.[2] The intellectual life of Persia has been described as having flourished during his 34-year reign.[3] Allegedly, he was known for his tolerance and pluralism.[4]His reign witnessed the beginnings of the Mongol conquests of Persia and the eastern Muslim world.[5] He was assassinated by an unknown perpetrator on 1 December 1255,[6] and was succeeded by his eldest son Rukn al-Din Khurshah in 1255.[5]

Life

Alauddin Muhammad, also known as Muhammad III, was born in 1213. At the age of nine, upon the death of his father, he became the ruler of the Alamut. However, his mother took over the administration of state affairs and governed Alamut for the next six years (1221 to 1227), making her the first woman to do so in Alamut's history.

The period of 1221 to 1227 was a time of relative peace in Alamut. During this time the Imam's mother seems to have deposed many incapable governors in Rudhbar and Kohistan, possibly due to suspicions that they had misused their powers.

When Alauddin Muhammad's mother died in 1227, he took full control of the Alamut at the age of 15 or 16. He dealt with the misusers of power strongly and firmly, causing most of them to turn against him and flee to Qazvin. And In an attempt to cover up their wrongdoings, possibly including defalcation, some of the governors spread rumors against the Imam, claiming that a physician's operation a few months before the death of his mother had damaged his brain and caused excessive blood loss. However, this opposition was quickly surmounted.

He was assassinated by an unknown perpetrator on 1 December 1255,[6] and was succeeded by his eldest son Rukn al-Din Khurshah in 1255.[5]

Under Muhammad III's reign, the Sunni conformity that had been initiated by his father was gradually and quietly reversed.[7] As a result, his community increasingly regarded itself openly as Ismaili Shi'ite.[8][9]

Education and intellectual leadership

Alāʾ ad-Dīn Muḥamma was an esteemed scholar who studied spiritual, philosophical, and jurisprudence sciences. He was well known for his mystical statements, which reflected his profound knowledge. He established a special school to train da'is in the correct principles of inviting people to Nizari Isma'ili Islam.

He authored a seminal constitution for the Nizari Ismailis, entitled ‘Murids’. One of the da’is, Shams Alden Ibn Ahmad Ibn Yaqoub Altaibi (شمس الدين بن أحمد بن يعقوب الطيبي) has documented that the treatise named "The Constitution and the Call to the Believers to attendance" ("الدستور و دعوة المؤمنين إلى الحضور") was delivered to him by Da’i Nasir al Din al Tusi, who obtained it directly from Ala’ ad-Din Muhammad.[10] This treatise also mentioned that Ala’ ad-Din Muhammad dictated to his Hujja, Shams Alden Ibn Ahmad Ibn Yaqoub Altaibi, a Constitution called “The Constitution of Mawlana Ala'audeen " which displayed the high intellectual and scientific capacities of the Nizari Ismaili Imam.[11]

Alāʾ ad-Dīn Muḥammad offered special attention to the learned discussions and debates that took place in Alamut. He assigned one day per week to philosophical and doctrinal debates between da'is guiding them to polish their skills for dialectical debating, offering pedagogical and argumentation techniques that made them very proficient in dialectical discussions and arguments.[2]

All-Dādīkhī, Qays b. Manṣūr (d.655/1257), the Syrian Nizārī author قيس بن منصور الداديخي was his da'i to Syria, He had important philosophical treatises as Risālat al-asābīʿ, ed., ʿĀrif Tāmir, in his Khams rasāʾil Ismāʿīliyya, (pp. 057–079) which discussed esoteric exegesis (taʾwīl) of certain Qurʾanic verses and Ismaili theology related to the number seven.[12][13] All-Dādīkhī, Qays b. Manṣūr was a talented poet, who was expressed in the presence of Alāʾ ad-Dīn Muḥammad and his son Imam Rukn al-Din Khurshah verses to affirm the Fatimid origin of the Nizari Imam Alāʾ ad-Dīn Muḥammad. The title of that poem is "Degree of the Fatimid Imam is glorified" قدر الإمام الفاطمي معظم[13]

More recent studies in the last decade have revealed that intellectual life flourished during the long reign of Ala al-Din Muhammad and received a special impetus from the influx of outside scholars who now fled the first waves of the Mongol invasions and found refuge in the Nizari fortress communities of Persia. Foremost among such scholars who availed themselves of the Nizari libraries and patronage of learning, was Nasir al Din al Tusi (d 672/1274) who made major contributions to Nizari Ismaili thought of the late Alamut period during his three decades of stay among them. As elaborated in his spiritual autobiography, entitled ‘Sayr va suluk’, al Tusi converted to Ismailism sometime during his prolonged association with the Nizari Ismailis.[3]

Tolerance and pluralism

Ala al-Din Muhammad was very inclusive and pluralistic in his outlook. He granted patronage and shelter to various scholars from surrounding countries destroyed by the Mongol invasion.[7] He granted access to libraries and offered all kinds of support. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (d, 1274) was one of his prominent da'is who developed precious contributions to Ismaili theology.[7]

Ala al-Din Muhammad's alliance with the larger Muslim community enlarged the boundaries of Nizari's political aspirations. The grand vision of world domination returned for a time. Purely local squabbles were replaced by ambitious diplomatic activities in lands as far away as Europe and Mongolia, while a Nizari religious mission was firmly established in India. Financial tribute for their safety was received from political leaders as distant as Germany, Aragon, and Yemen.[14]

Besides his missions to create a Christian-Muslim coalition in anticipation of the Mongols' invasion, he was among the first to send peaceful messages to the Great Khan Guyuk in Mongolia in full collaboration with the Sunni Abbasid Caliphate.[15] The relationship with Abbasid Caliphate during his leadership was friendly and cordial.[16]

During his 34-year imamate, he sent da'is to Sind to establish Nizāri Ismāʿilī Islam in the Indian subcontinent.[14]

Maymun-Diz fortress

Maymūn-Diz (Persian: میمون دز‎) was a major castle with a unique construction style built during the reign of Alāʾ ad-Dīn Muḥammad on a high rock with a sharp cliff, it played a very important role for the Nizari Ismailis of the Alamut period, which is well captured historical records.[15]

Silver coins

Silver coins were used in Saljuq Iran for the first time in 618 AH, in the early period of Nizari Ismāʿilī Imām Alāʾ ad-Dīn Muḥammad's rule.[15]

Publication bias

There is academic evidence that many citations about Alāʾ ad-Dīn Muḥammad reflect the religious bias of Atâ-Malek Juvayni,[17] who alleged that his rule was described as "cruel, imperious, sadistic, alcoholic, and unpredictable."[18] Atâ-Malek Juvayni was an important Sunni official of the Mongol empire which invaded and destroyed the Ismaili state.[19]

The fantastical description of Marco Polo regarding Ala al-Din Muhammad III, the penultimate Lord of the Alamut, was copied by other European writers without verification and has caught the imagination of many readers, but lacks historical authenticity. The contemporary historian Juwayni, an avowed enemy of the Nizaris who accompanied the Mongol leader Hulegu to Alamut in 1256 and carefully inspected the fortress before its destruction, does not report discovering any 'secret gardens of paradise' as claimed in Marco Polo's popular account.[20] Even though Juwayni mentions that he selected many 'choice books' from the famous Alamut library for his purposes, he unfortunately, burned those books that he did not like.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Meriem Pages (2007). The Image of the Assassins in Medieval European Texts. p. 25. ISBN 9780549171683.
  2. 1 2 Muṣṭafā, Ghālib (1953). History of Ismaili Da'wah from oldest ages to current generation. Damascus: Alyaqza. p. 221.
  3. 1 2 Daftary, Farhad (2012). Historical Dictionary of the Ismailis. Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-8108-6164-0.
  4. ↑ Willey, Peter (2012). Eagle's Nest: Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria. Bloomsbury I. B Tauris. pp. 135–141. ISBN 9781850434641.
  5. 1 2 3 Farhad Daftary (15 May 1994). The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Isma'ilis (illustrated, reprint ed.). I.B.Tauris. p. 43. ISBN 9781850437055.
  6. 1 2 Daftary, Farhad (2020). A short history of the Ismailis – Traditions of a Muslim community. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-7486-7922-5. OCLC 1201199386.
  7. 1 2 3 Farhad Daftary (2012). Historical Dictionary of the Ismailis (illustrated ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. liv. ISBN 9780810861640.
  8. ↑ Jestice, Phyllis G., ed. (2004). Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia, Volume 1 (illustrated ed.). ABC-CLIO. p. 349. ISBN 9781576073551.
  9. ↑ Daryoush Mohammad Poor (18 September 2014). Authority Without Territory: The Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili Imamate. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 234. ISBN 9781137428806.
  10. ↑ Tamir, Arif (1978). Arbaat Rasaeil Ismaileah, 2ed edition. Beirut: Dar Maktabat Alhayat. p. 49.
  11. ↑ Mustafa, Ghalib (1964). A'alaam Al Ismailiah. Beirut: Alyaqaza Alarabya. p. 397.
  12. ↑ Daftary, Farhad (2004). Ismaili literature: A Bibliography Of Sources And Studies. Institute of Ismaili Studies. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-850-43439-9.
  13. 1 2 Tamir, Arif (1956). Khams rasāʾil Ismāʿīliyya. Alinsaf. pp. 18–25.
  14. 1 2 Daftary, Farhad (2020). The Ismaili Imams: A Biographical History. London UK: Bloomsbury I.B. Tauris. pp. 135–141. ISBN 9780755617982.
  15. 1 2 3 Willey, Peter (2005). Eagle's Nest: Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 75–85, 289. ISBN 978-1-85043-464-1.
  16. ↑ Daftary, Farhad (1998). A short history of the Ismailis – Traditions of a Muslim community. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-7128-1. OCLC 820126490.
  17. ↑ Virani, Shafique N. (2003). "The Eagle Returns: Evidence of Continued Ismaili Activity at Alamut and in the South Caspian Region Following the Mongol Conquests". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 123 (2): 351–370. doi:10.2307/3217688. ISSN 0003-0279. JSTOR 3217688.
  18. ↑ James Wasserman (1 April 2001). The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. pp. 124–5. ISBN 9781594778735.
  19. ↑ Virani, Shafique N. (16 April 2018). "Alamūt, Ismailism and Khwāja Qāsim Tushtarī's Recognizing God". Shii Studies Review. 2 (1–2): 193–227. doi:10.1163/24682470-12340021. ISSN 2468-2470.
  20. ↑ Daftary, Farhad (2007). The Ismailis, Their History and Doctrine, 2nd Edition. New York, USA: Cambridge University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-521-61636-2.
  21. ↑ Daftary, Farhad (2007). The Ismailis, Their History and Doctrines. New York, USA: Cambridge University Press, 2nd Edition. p. 305. ISBN 978-0-521-61636-2.
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