Muhammad (I) al-Muhtadi (), was the 21st Imam of the

Nizari Ismailis Nizari Isma'ilism () are the largest segment of the Ismailis, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasise independent reasoning or ''ijtihad''; pluralism—the acceptance of racial, ethnic, cu ...

. He was a concealed Imam. According to Ismaili historiography, al-Muhtadi (the Rightly Guided) was the elder son of the 20th Nizari Imam,

al-Hadi Abū Muḥammad Mūsā ibn al-Mahdī al-Hādī (; 26 April 764 CE 14 September 786 CE) better known by his laqab al-Hādī () was the fourth Arab Abbasid caliph who succeeded his father al-Mahdi and ruled from 169 AH (785 CE) until his death in 1 ...

, who moved around 1094 from Egypt to Northern Persia close to the region around Alamut. Here he was under the protection of the Nizari leaders

Hassan-i Sabbah Hasan al-Sabbah also known as Hasan I of Alamut, was an Iranian religious and military leader, founder of the Nizari Ismai'li sect widely known as the '' Hashshashin'' or the Order of Assassins, as well as the Nizari Ismaili state, ruling fro ...

(d 1124) and

Kiya Buzurg-Ummid Kiyā Buzurg-UmmīdTransliteration based on Classical Persian, as the subject of the article lived in the 1100's. In modern Iranian Persian, this would be transliterated as some variation of Kiyâ Bozorg-Omid. (; died 1138) was a '' dāʿī'' and ...

(d 1138).

Life

Muhammad bin Ali, surnamed al-Muhtadi is reported to have been born in 502/1109 at the castle of Lambsar. He was the first Ismaili Nizari Imam to be born in Persia. He is also known as Muhtadi and Muhammad I. He became the Imam of the Nizari Ismailis after the death of his father, Imam al Hadi, in the year 530 AH. His first move was to shift his headquarter to the fortress of

Alamut Alamut () or Rudbar () is a region in Iran including western and eastern parts on the western edge of the Alborz (Elburz) range, between the dry and barren plain of Qazvin in the south and the densely forested slopes of the Mazandaran provin ...

and he focused on developing the Ismaili Army (Fidai) to be able to defend the Ismaili fortresses from the invaders. He also paid attention to the organization of the da'is and to introducing them to the core principles of the Shia Ismaili Islamic beliefs. He also trained them to develop skills in articulating and debating issues dealing with philosophy, Islamic jurisprudence and Islamic beliefs. He also created an innovative coding system where numbers were used instead of letters, for safe internal and external communications to protect them from their enemies. Imam al Muhtadi used to live a life of asceticism and austerity. The commander Kiya Buzrug Ummid laid a firm foundation of the

Nizari Ismaili state The Nizari state (the Alamut state) was a Nizari Isma'ili Shia state founded by Hassan-i Sabbah after he took control of the Alamut Castle in 1090 AD, which marked the beginning of an era of Ismailism known as the "Alamut period". Their people ...

as an independent territory in Persia and Syria. It is documented that he also minted some Nizari coin. He died in 532/1138 after ruling for 14 years. Imam al-Mhtadi appointed his son Muhammad bin Kiya Ummid as the third hujjat and ruler. Muhammad bin Kiya Buzurg was the commander of his armies and directed the affairs of the state. The Abbasid Caliph (

Al-Rashid Billah Abu Ja'far al-Mansur ibn al-Faḍl al-Mustarshid bi'llah (; 1109 – 6 June 1138) usually known by his regnal name Al-Rashid bi'llah () was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 1135 to 1136. He succeeded his father al-Mustarshid in the year 1135. ...

) came to attack the Ismaili fortresses in June 1138 and was intercepted by the Ismaili Fidais and was assassinated. There is a well documented letter with the Syrian Ismaili Nizari community and published by Mustafa Ghalib in 1953 coming from the Imam al Muhtadi to his followers where he confirms that he is the grandson of Imam Nizar bin Mustansirbillah and where he also appoints Zen ibn Abi Ilfargin as the head Dai for Syria and recommended the followers to abandon hate and to live with unity and solidarity. In 1966, the American Numismatic Society, New York acquired a coin from this time, minted in 553/1158. It was illustrated in the American Numismatic Society's Annual Report for 1966 (pl.III,2). George C. Miles gave its detail of the Alamut Coins (Orientalia Lovaniensa Periodica, 3–5, 1972–74, pp. 155–162). Its size is 14 mm., weighing 0.635 gm. Its obverse side bears the name, "Muhammad bin (Kiya) Buzrug Ummid" and in the marginal legend, the name of the mint, kursi al-Daylam and the date 553 A.H. (1158 A.D.) has been clearly inscribed. The reverse area begins with the Shi’ite formula: "Ali is the friend of God" and the next three lines read: al-Mustafa li dinillah, Nizar (Nizar, the chosen for the religion of God). These three lines are followed by the marginal legend: amir al-mo’minin, salwat Allah alayhi wa-ala aba’ihi al-tahirin wa-abna’hi al-akramin (the blessings of God be upon him and upon his ancestors, the pure ones; and upon his descendants, the most honourable ones). George C. Miles reproduced the photographs of the six coins: There are few other coins minted at kursi al-Daylam with the same legends, differing only in dates. It implies that the six coins from above had been struck during the period of Imam al-Muhtadi (530-552/1136-1157), and the two coins during the period of Imam al-Qahir (552-557/1157-1162). Imam al-Muhtadi was also taking care of the horses bred by his father in the fortress of Lamasar. He is also reported to have taken several visits of surrounding castles in Rudhbar. He died in 552/1157 at the age of 52 years. He vested the office of Imamate to his elder son, al-Qahir.

References

Nizari imams Nizari Ismaili state 1109 births 1158 deaths 12th-century Islamic religious leaders {{Shia Imams