‘Alā’ ad-Dīn Muḥammad III

‘Alā’ ad-Dīn Muḥammad III (1211–1255), also known as Aladdin,^[1] son of Jalālu-d-Dīn Ḥassan III, was the 26th Nizāri Ismā‘ilī Imām. He ruled from 1221-55.^[2] His reign witnessed the beginnings of the Mongol devastations of Persia and the eastern Muslim world, and he tried unsuccessfully to establish friendly ties with the Mongols and to prevent their destruction of the Nizari state, which was already underway.^[3]

He was succeeded by his eldest son Rukn al-Din Khurshah in 1255.^[3]

Life

He was the only surviving son of Jalaluddin Hasan,^[4] whom he succeeded at the age of 9 years old,^[5] in 1221.^[6] However, upon succession he was initially too young, so Ḥassan III's vizier controlled the state.^[7] His mother was a Sunni women^[8] and a daughter of one of the princes of Gilan.^[9][8]

Under Muhammad III's reign, the Sunni conformity initiated by his father was gradually and quietly^[10] reversed^[11] and his community increasingly regarded itself openly as Ismaili Shi'ite.^[5][12]

His rule was described as "cruel, imperious, sadistic, alcoholic, and unpredictable."^[13]

Muhammad III was murdered in 1255 by Hasan Mazandarani. Mazandarani and three of his children were later executed by the succeeding Imam, Khurshah, as retribution. Muhammad III's murder prevented the need to implement a plan, which was hatched by Nizari leaders (concerned about the Imam's alarming mental deterioration), to replace him with Khurshah.^[14][15]

References

1. Dan Burstein (11 Nov 2010). Secrets Of Angels And Demons. Hachette UK. ISBN 9780297864905. Muhammad III, also known as Aladdin (ca. 1221-1255)
2. Meriem Pages (2007). The Image of the Assassins in Medieval European Texts. ProQuest. p. 25. ISBN 9780549171683.
3. Farhad Daftary (15 May 1994). The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Isma'ilis (illustrated, reprint ed.). I.B.Tauris. p. 43. ISBN 9781850437055.
4. Jestice, Phyllis G., ed. (2004). Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia, Volume 1 (illustrated ed.). ABC-CLIO. p. 421. ISBN 9781576073551.
5. Jestice, Phyllis G., ed. (2004). Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia, Volume 1 (illustrated ed.). ABC-CLIO. p. 349. ISBN 9781576073551.
6. The Muslim Review, Volumes 3-4. University of Minnesota. 1928. p. 17.
7. W B Bartlett (1 May 2013). "Nemesis". Assassins: The Story of Medieval Islam's Secret Sect. The History Press. ISBN 9780752496146. Hasan's vizier took control of the government at Alamut till Muhammad should be old enough to take over from him.
8. James Wasserman (1 Apr 2001). The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. p. 123. ISBN 9781594778735.
9. Delia Cortese; Simonetta Calderini (2006). Women and the Fatimids in the World of Islam (illustrated, reprint ed.). Edinburgh University Press. pp. 61–2. ISBN 9780748617333.
10. David Hatcher Childress (2003). Pirates and the Lost Templar Fleet: The Secret Naval War Between the Knights Templar and the Vatican (illustrated ed.). Adventures Unlimited Press. p. 83. ISBN 9781931882187.
11. Farhad Daftary (2012). Historical Dictionary of the Ismailis (illustrated ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. liv. ISBN 9780810861640.
12. Daryoush Mohammad Poor (18 Sep 2014). Authority Without Territory: The Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili Imamate. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 234. ISBN 9781137428806.
13. James Wasserman (1 Apr 2001). The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. pp. 124–5. ISBN 9781594778735.
14. David Hatcher Childress (2003). Pirates and the Lost Templar Fleet: The Secret Naval War Between the Knights Templar and the Vatican (illustrated ed.). Adventures Unlimited Press. p. 95. ISBN 9781931882187.
15. James Wasserman (1 Apr 2001). The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. p. 126. ISBN 9781594778735.

External links

• Alauddin Muhammad (618-653/1221-1255)

Succession - Imām Nizārī Ismā'īlīs & the commander of Alamut Castle