51勛圖厙

Hasan II, ���Ala Dhikrihi���l泭Salam, Nizari Isma���ili泭Imam泭and the fourth ruler of泭Alamut泭(557-61 AH/1162-66 CE). Born in 520AH /1126 CE,泭Imam泭Hasan II, whom the泭Nizaris泭address as ���ala Dhikrihi���l泭Salam泭(on his mention be peace), succeeded to the leadership of the Nizari Isma���ili泭da���wa泭and state on the death of the third ruler of泭AlamutFortress of the Nizari Ismailis in northern Iran, which fell to the Mongols in 654 AH/1256 CE., Muhammad b. Buzurg-Umid on 4 Rabi��� I 557 AH/ 21 February 1162 CE.

Imam泭Hasan is said to have developed an early interest in learning Isma���ili doctrines as well as studying philosophical and Sufi writings. In particular, he became well-versed in泭喧硃���w勳梭, or esoteric exegesis, which had been applied by the泭Isma���ilis泭to Qur���anic passages as well as the commandments and prohibitions of the泭shari���a泭(Islamic law).

Declaration of the Qiyama

Already in the time of Muhammad b. Buzurg -Umid (532-57 AH/1138-62 CE),泭Imam泭Hasan II had acquired followers who regarded him as the泭Imam泭promised by Hasan al-Sabbah, the first ruler of泭Alamut. Left without a manifest泭Imam泭since泭Imam泭Nizar b. al-Mustansir���s death in 488 AH/1095 CE, the泭Nizaris泭had acknowledged Muhammad b. Buzurg-Umid and his predecessors at泭Alamut泭merely as泭餃硃���i莽泭硃紳餃泭hujjas, or chief representatives, of their hidden Imams.

The most important event of泭Imam泭Hasan II���s brief reign was his declaration of the泭qiyama泭(the Resurrection), which initiated a new phase in the history of the泭Nizaris泭of the泭Alamut泭period (483-654 AH/1090-1256 CE). After making careful preparations, in a solemn ceremony at泭Alamut泭on 17 Ramadan 559 AH/ 8 August 1164 CE, in the presence of representatives from different Nizari territories who had been summoned there,泭Imam泭Hasan II delivered a泭域堯喝喧莉硃泭and passed on new instructions from the Nizari Imam; according to these instructions the泭Nizaris泭had now been brought to the泭qiyama���the Resurrection was upon them. Soon afterwards, on 28 Dhu���l-qi���da 559 AH/ 18 October 1164 CE, a similar ceremony was held at the castle of Mu���min-Abad to the east of泭BirjandA city in Quhistan, in southern Khurasan in Iran., the local headquarters of the泭Nizaris泭in Quhistan. On that occasion泭Imam泭Hasan II���s new declarations were read out to the representatives of the泭Nizaris泭of that region by Ra���is Muzaffar, the泭muhtasham,泭or chief, of the Quhistani泭NizarisAdherents of a branch of the Ismailis who gave allegiance to Nizar, the eldest son of the Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Mustansir (d. 1094) as his successor.. The ruler of泭Alamut泭had now also announced that, just as previously the Fatimid泭Imam泭al-Mustansir had been God���s泭khalifa泭on earth, so now泭Imam泭Hasan II himself was that泭khalifa. In other words,泭Imam泭Hasan II had now also claimed the Nizari泭Imamate泭for himself, at least implicitly. Subsequently,泭Imam泭Hasan II in his epistles (fusul) implied more clearly that he was the泭Imam, the son of an泭Imam泭from the progeny of泭Imam泭Nizar b. al- Mustansir, even though he had been considered to be the son of Muhammad b. Buzurg-Umid. The contemporary泭Nizaris泭accepted this claim, which was reiterated more explicitly by泭Imam泭Hasan II���s son and successor泭Imam泭Nur泭al-Din泭Muhammad. It fell to Rashid泭al-Din泭Sinan (d. 589 AH/ 1193 CE), the most famous of the Nizari泭餃硃���is in Syria and the original ���Old Man of the Mountain��� of the泭CrusadersA term applied to Christian invaders who carried out numerous campaigns to capture Jerusalem and Palestine from the Muslims in the 11th and 14th centuries CE., to declare the泭qiyama泭to the Syrian泭Nizaris泭soon after 559 AH/ 1164 CE.

The Last Day announcement

By declaring the泭qiyama,泭Imam泭Hasan II had in effect announced the Last Day, which was eventually interpreted to mean the manifestation of the unveiled truth (haqiqa)泭that had hitherto been hidden in the泭batin泭or esoteric dimension of the Islamic message.

This was made manifest in the person of the Nizari泭Imam, who, as the enunciator of the泭qiyama, the ���qa���im泭al-qiyama,��� held a rank even higher than that of an ordinary泭Imam. As a result, the members of the Nizari community who acknowledged the Nizari泭Imam泭were now capable of understanding the true esoteric meaning of the religious laws, and as such, Paradise was actualised for them in this world.

Joveyni, Rashid泭al-Din, and Kashani, who are the main authorities on the history of the Persian Nizari state, relate that, in line with the circumstances expected in the泭qiyama, the final eschatological泭dawr泭(era of human history),泭Imam泭Hasan II also announced the abrogation of [blind observance of] the泭shari���a, which had been enforced rigorously by his predecessors at泭Alamut.

Hasan II’s death and succession

In view of the absence of contemporary Nizari sources from the泭qiyama泭times and the negative bias of the non-Isma���ili sources on the subject, it is difficult to know for certain how the declaration of the泭qiyama泭was actually perceived by the泭Nizaris, who continued to regard themselves as Ismaili Shi���i.

At any rate, Joveyni and other anti-Ismaili authorities, despite their hostile stances, do not report any instances of libertine and permissivist behavior amongst the Persian泭Nizaris泭immediately after the泭qiyama, even though the Nizari leadership had now begun to stress the spiritual inner-interpretation of the law in preference to the blind observance of its literal meaning.

On Sunday 6 Rabi��� I 561 AH/ 9 January 1166 CE, Hasan II泭���ala Dhikrihi���l泭Salam泭was stabbed to death in the castle of Lammasar (Lanbasar; west of Alamut) by Hasan b. Namavar, a brother-in-law who opposed his new policies.

Imam泭Hasan���s son and successor,泭Imam泭Nur泭al-Din泭Muhammad, devoted his own long reign (561-607 AH/ 1166-1210 CE) to a systematic elaboration of the doctrine of the泭qiyama.