Ḥasan ʿAlā Zikrihi's-Salām (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

حسن على ذكره السلام) or Hassan II was the hereditary

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

of the Nizari Isma'ilis of the Alamut Period from 1162 until 1166. From his capital 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 ...

he ruled parts of

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. His chief subordinate in Syria was

Rashid ad-Din Sinan Rashid al-Din Sinan ( ; 1131/1135 – 1193) also known as the Old Man of the Mountain ( ; ), was an Arab Muslim missionary () who served as the leader of the Nizari Ismaili state and the Order of Assassins from 1162 until his death in 1193. ...

, the Old Man of the Mountain.

Biography

Controversy over descent

There are conflicting reports of Hassan's origin. One of the only historical reference extant, Juwayni (who was hostile to Ismailis), claims that Hassan was the son of Muhammad ibn Buzurg-Ummid, Fatimid dai and lord of Alamut. According to Juwayni's reports, Hassan first implicitly claimed the imamate and then claimed to be the caliph himself. However, Nizari sources generally claim an Alid descent for Hassan, and believe that Hassan ibn Muhammad ibn Buzurg-Ummid is distinct from Hassan II of Alamut.

Leadership

In 1164 Hassan, leading the

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

sect of

Ismaili Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept ...

Islam, proclaimed the '' Qiyamat'', the abrogation of

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

law. The concept of ''Qiyamah'' in exoteric Islam means the End of the World and the Day of Judgment. But in the esoteric interpretations of Ismaili Islam, Qiyamah is the beginning of an era of spiritual renaissance where the spiritual dimensions of Islam will be practiced openly, spiritual truths will become widely known, and certain ritualistic aspects of Islam will be abrogated. Fatimid Ismaili texts from the 10th-11th century describe the anticipated arrival of the ''Qiyamah'' era by a future Fatimid Ismaili Imam. These expectations were fulfilled by the declaration of ''Qiyamah'' by Imam Hasan.

Declaration of the ''Qiyama''

Only two years after his accession, the Imām Hasan ‘Alā Zikrihi's Salām conducted a ceremony known as ''qiyama'' (resurrection) at the grounds of the

Alamut Castle Alamut (, meaning "eagle's nest") is a ruined mountain fortress located in the Alamut region in the South Caspian Sea, Caspian, near the village of Gazor Khan in Qazvin Province in Iran, approximately 200 km (130 mi) from present-day Teh ...

, whereby the Imām would once again become visible to his community of followers in and outside of the

Nizārī Ismā'īlī 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 ...

. Given Juwayni's polemical aims, and the fact that he burned the

Ismā'īlī Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept ...

libraries which may have offered much more reliable testimony about the history, scholars have been dubious about his narrative but are forced to rely on it given the absence of alternative sources. Fortunately, descriptions of this event are also preserved in Rashid al-Din’s narrative and recounted in the Haft Bab Baba-yi Sayyidna, written 60 years after the event, and the later Haft Bab-i Abi Ishaq, an Ismaili book of the 15th century AD. However, Rashid al-Din's narrative is based on Juwayni, and the Nizari sources do not go into specific details. Since very few contemporary Nizari Ismaili accounts of the events has survived, and it is likely that scholars will never know the exact details of this event. However, there was no total abrogation of all law - only certain exoteric rituals like the Salah/Namaz, Fasting in Ramadan, Hajj to Makkah and facing Makkah in prayer were abrogated; however the Nizaris continued to perform rituals of worship, except these rituals were more esoteric and spiritually oriented. For example, the true prayer is to remember God at every moment; the true fasting is to keep all of the body's organs away from whatever is unethical and forbidden. Ethical conduct is enjoined at all times.Lewis, Bernard (2003). ''The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam''. New York: Perseus Books Group, pgs. 71-75

Death

The Imām Hasan died a violent death in 1166, only a year and a half after the declaration of the ''qiyama''. According to Juwayni, he was stabbed in the Ismaili castle of Lambsar by his brother-in-law, Hasan Namwar. He was succeeded by his son Imām Nūr al-Dīn Muhammad, who refined and explained Hasan's doctrine of ''qiyamah'' in greater detail.

References

External links

Hassan II
at the

Encyclopædia Iranica ''Encyclopædia Iranica'' is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English-language encyclopedia about the history, culture, and civilization of Iranian peoples from prehistory to modern times. Scope The ''Encyc ...

HASAN ALA ZIKRIHI'S SALAM (557-561/1162-1166)The Qā’im and Qiyāma Doctrines in the Thought of Fāṭimid and Alamūt Ismāʿīlism, the Evolution of a Doctrine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassan 02 of Alamut Nizari imams People from Alamut Iranian Ismailis 1166 deaths Year of birth missing People of the Nizari–Seljuk wars 12th-century Ismailis 12th-century Islamic religious leaders