Hassan ibn Al-Sabbah

Hasan-i Sabbâh (1036? - 1124), was the founder of the State of Alamût and the initiator of a new preaching ( Al-da `wa Al-jadîda ), it was a Ismaélien which attended the Dar Al-Hikma (Maison of wisdom) of the Cairo to acquire religious knowledge on the Chiisme ismaélien.

Its life

Sometimes its name is transcribed Hasan-i Sabbâh حسنصباح|Hassan Sabbāh , RTL F) or Al-Hassan B. Al-Sabbâh (Arab: Al-ḥasan Ben aṣ-ṣabbāḥ, rear RTL الحسنبنالصباح). Hasan-i Sabbâh was born towards 1036 in a family Shiite with Qom (in Perse). His/her father, `Ali B. Muhammad B. Ja `far B. Al-Husayn B. Muhammad B. Al-Sabbâh Al-Himyarî, was a scholar of Yemeni Kûfa of origin . When he was child, he received a conventional education of his father who moved later with Rayy, close to the current town of Teheran. It was there that Hasan-i Sabbâh continued its religious education. The historian Rachid AD-DIN Tabîb wrote a biography on Hasan-i Sabbâh entitled Sargudhasht-i Sayyidnâ ( incidents in the life of our Sayyid ), in which he tells that Hassan was Duodécimain like her father and that as of the seven age, he was attracted by the study of various branches and wished to become a scientist in the Islam.

Its birth date is unknown, but he was still an young man when he went to return visit to the Caliph Fâtimide Al-Mustansir Billâh. Hasan-i Sabbâh was intelligent and qualified in Géométrie and Astronomie. Towards the 17 years age, it met for the first time a preacher ( dâ `I ) Fâtimide, Amîra Darrâb, which initiated it with the Théosophie. Despite everything its efforts, it does not succeed in convincing Hassan of the veracity of the Ismaélisme. Later, it went to visit a dâ `I ismaélien to have more clarification on this abtruse Gnose. Convinced that the ismaelism is the way to be followed, it becomes Ismaélien towards the 35 years age in 1071 and thereafter, it comes into contact with the dâ `I `Abd Al-Malik B. Attâsh with Isfahan.

In the biography Rashîd tells that into 464/1071 `Abd Al-Malik B. Attâsh, the preacher ( dâ `I ) in Iraq, had come in Rayy. Thanks to its Hassan assistance dâ `I then it became a went in Egypt to perfect its knowledge and to return visit to the Imâm. At the beginning of its voyage in 469/1077, it passed by Isfahan before going to Egypt. It finally arrived to Egypt into 471/1078 where it was likely to meet Imâm Al-Mustansir Billah. It is reported that there remained 18 months in Cairo, appreciating this prestigious religious center. It also followed courses to the Dar Al-Hikma which was the greatest center of study of the Islam of the Muslim world. Hassan benefitted much from her voyage in Egypt. As Laurence Lockhart indicated it, Hasan-i Sabbâh was received in Cairo, and was treated with much favor by the caliph Fâtimide Mustansir Billâh. While turning over to Isfahân, he visited several cities where he studied the economic conditions, social and religious. He reached Ispahân into 473/1081 and started to propagate the faith ismaélienne in the area of Yazd and Kerman during some time. He spent three months to the Khûzistân before going in Dâmghân, where there remained approximately three years.

Work did not fail to help the dâ `I `Abd Al-Malik B. Attâsh which dealt with diffusing the ismaelism in Perse. Towards 480/1088, Hasan-i Sabbâh chooses a castle with Alamût in the Daylam like sits of the da `wa (convocation). It sent to Dâmghân, and later, in Shahriyârkûh (Mâzandarân), of Ismaéliens qualified in various places around the valley of Alamût to convert the local inhabitants. Hassan was a long time the dâ `principal I of the Daylam.

Meanwhile, the Vizier Nizâm Al-Mulk (408-485/1018 - 1092), an enemy relentless, had required of Abû Muslim the governor of the Rayy to stop Hassan. This last however succeeded in hiding with the Daylam. Thereafter it took possession of the fortress of Alamût into 483/1090 and established a independent State ismaélien nizârien.

When Hasan-i Sabbâh returned from Egypt, the fortress of Alamût was in possession of a chief shî `ite called Mahdî, who had had it like stronghold of the Sultan Malikshâh. Mahdî was downward of Hassan B. `Ali Al-Utrûsh (Mr. 304/916), one of the chiefs of the Tabaristân, also known under the name of Al-Nâsir Li' l-Haqq, which had established a community zaydite of Nâsiriyya on the edges of the Caspian Sea.

Hasan-i Sabbâh, on September 4th, 483 /1090, entered the castle of Alamût. It placed there during a moment like a foreigner without being identified with the chief zaydite Mahdî, but after a few days, this last noticed that it was not obeyed any more, that there was another Master with Alamût. The part of the garrison of Alamût and a great number of inhabitants had embraced the ismaelism, making Mahdî impotent and thereafter this last left the fortress. Thus, Alamût was occupied without massacre and became Dar Al-Hijra (place of refuge) for Ismaéliens. Hassan died of disease in 1124 with Alamut.

Alamût