Shamsu-d-Dīn Muḥammad

Shamsu-d-Dīn Muḥammad (Arabic: شمس الدین محمد) almost (655-710/1257-1310,^[1] Azerbaijan) was the son of Rukn al-Din Khurshah. He was a Nizari Ismaili imam.

Early life

Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad was sent to Azerbaijan before the attack of the Mongols, where he lived and became the next imam of Nizari Ismailis.

He secretly lived there from the people of Azerbaijan and started working in a shop of embroidery.^[2] The Imam was so beautiful and a well personality, that's why he was called Shams (Sun). He was a pious and kind person and lived a simple life. Only few people, who were closely related to the imam, could know about the Imam. These were only his struggles that he spread the light spiritual education in Iran and Tabriz.^{[note 1]}

The Alamut era

Juvaini writes in his "Tarikh-i Jhangusha" ^{[note 2]} that, "Ruknu-d-Dīn now saw what he had to expect and realize that he could not resist. The next day, on November 16, 1256, he sent out his son, his only one, and another brother called Iran-Shah with a delegation of notables, officials and leaders of his people" (p. 717). This was the first narrative of Juvaini when Alamut was being reduced, but while describing the brutal massacre of the Ismailis after about a year, he writes, "And Qaraqai Bitikohi went to Qazwin with the order that Rukn-ad-Din's sons and daughters, brothers and sisters and all of his seed and family should be laid on the fire of annihilation" (p. 723).

Contemporary era

In 13th century, when Mongols started their journey from Mongolia and steadily possessed several parts of the world. For example, a part went towards China and the second towards Europe and the third one destructed all the Kingdoms and went towards Iran and Bughdad. In 1257, Hulagu Khan easily destroyed the Ismaili Castles, and the Assassins surrendered their impregnable fortress of Alamut without a fight, accepting a deal that spared the lives of their people, and after an interval of a year, Hulegu attacked on the Abbasid Caliphate and destroyed all their beings and gradually went towards Syria and Halab, Iran. But when Hulegu attacked on Cairo, he face a dreadful defeat from the Lord of Cairo. Hulegu, himself, went to Tabriz and died in Maragheh on 1265.^[3]

Notes

1. There is no account available about his childhood and youth nor about his marriage and family. In fact there is hardly and account available about any of the Imam's of the Post Alamut Period. There is only one Persian Source in manuscript (ms) form, available in the Ismaili Tariqa and Religious Education Board in Pakistan. from which this information is taken. See Athare-Muhammadi by Muhammad Taqi ZainulAbdin Kirmani, p. 56
2. Book was translated by J.A. Boyle, Cambridge, 1958)

References

1. "SHAMSUDDIN MUHAMMAD (655-710/1257-1310), 28TH IMAM". ismaili.net. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
2. "Ismailiyya" by W. Madelung, New Encyclopedia of Islam (NEI) Vol. IV, p. 201. "Ne Encyclopedia of Islam (NEI)".
3. "Hulagu Khan".

Succession - Imām Nizārī Ismā'īlīs