Shams al-Din Muhammad (; before 1256 – ) was the 28th

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'ili community. Little is known about his life. He was the first imam to rule after the

destruction Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger * Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism * Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kin ...

of the Nizari state by the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

, and spent his life hiding his true identity. Following his death, the line of succession split into two, the Qasim-Shahi line, which survives to this day in the form of mainstream Nizari Isma'ilism, led by the

Aga Khan Aga Khan (; ; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imamate in Nizari doctrine, Imām of the Nizari Isma'ilism, Nizari Isma'ilism, Ismāʿīli Shia Islam, Shias. The current holder of the title is the ...

s, and the Muhammad-Shahi or Mu'mini line, which has diminished today to a few thousand followers in

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 ...

Life

His life is obscure, as few details are recorded about him. He was the youngest son of Rukn al-Din Khurshah, the last ruler of

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 ...

, the centre of a

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 ...

until it was captured by the

in November 1256. Nizari tradition records that he had been designated () as heir by his father, and brought to safety in the last months before the Mongol siege of Alamut and his father's surrender. The rest of his family were executed by the Mongols, leaving Shams al-Din the only survivor. With his father's execution, sometime in late spring 1257, Shams al-Din automatically succeeded him as

. He spent the rest of his life in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

, in or around

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

. He kept his identity hidden, instead assuming the guise of a

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

mystic (a common practice among the Nizaris at the time) and embroiderer, whence he is known traditionally by the nickname Zarduz. In Nizari tradition, Shams al-Din is sometimes confused with the earlier mystic Shams Tabrizi (1185–1248). The fall of Alamut deprived the widespread Nizari movement of its centre, but Shams al-Din appears to have established contact with at least some Nizari groups. In his travelogue ''Safar-nama'', the contemporary Ismaili poet Nizari Quhistani alludes to have seen him in person in 1280, calling him by the names Shams-i Din Shah Nimruz Ali and Shah Shams. During his imamate, the Nizari community managed to regroup in Rudbar in northern Persia and even temporarily reoccupied Alamut, but the Syrian Nizaris fell under the sway of the

Mamluk Sultanate The Mamluk Sultanate (), also known as Mamluk Egypt or the Mamluk Empire, was a state that ruled Egypt, the Levant and the Hejaz from the mid-13th to early 16th centuries, with Cairo as its capital. It was ruled by a military caste of mamluks ...

Death and succession disputes

Shams al-Din died , inaugurating an obscure period in Nizari history that lasted until the late 15th century. The imams of the time are known as little less than names in lists of succession dating to much later periods, with few reliable dates or information about their lives. It is known however that after Shams al-Din's death, his oldest son, Ala al-Din Mu'min Shah, disputed the succession with the youngest, Qasim Shah. This split the Nizari imamate into two rival lines, the Qasim-Shahis, and the Mu'mini or Muhammad-Shahi line, although the schism itself is almost unmentioned in Nizari literature. The middle son, Kiya Shah, did not lay a similar claim. The Mu'mini line, originally the more prominent of the two, has diminished today to a few thousand followers in Syria, while the Qasim-Shahi line has ended up representing most modern Nizaris, and is led today by the

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shams al-Din Muhammad 13th-century Iranian people 14th-century Iranian people 13th-century Ismailis 14th-century Ismailis 13th-century Islamic religious leaders 14th-century Islamic religious leaders 13th-century births 1310 deaths Iranian Ismailis Nizari imams Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain