Ya Ali Madad everyone,
I watched part of a documentary on TV that my dad recorded on the DVR, which mentioned the Aga Khan being part of the Illuminati. The documentary is called "Angels and Demons Revealed". It aired on a local channel, but I am sure one can find it online.
Would anyone have an input on this? I have heard about the Illuminati and that they are an "evil" secret society which wants to take over the world.
Faisal
Illuminati and the Aga Khan
According to one review of the movie 'Angels and Demons' the illuminati phenomenon is a fantasy. It existed for a very short time and then was gone. Below is an excerpt:
"My first response upon reading the book earlier this year was to wonder if any part of this history could be true. I was disappointed but not particularly surprised to find that the short answer is no. Mr. Brown is so successful at spinning his fables that a whole industry has grown up around debunking him.
There was indeed an organization called the Illuminati formed in Bavaria in 1776 — too late for Galileo or Bernini — but according to historians it died out a decade or so later. Nevertheless the Illuminati have lived on in the imaginations of conspiracy theorists."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/scien ... nted=print
"My first response upon reading the book earlier this year was to wonder if any part of this history could be true. I was disappointed but not particularly surprised to find that the short answer is no. Mr. Brown is so successful at spinning his fables that a whole industry has grown up around debunking him.
There was indeed an organization called the Illuminati formed in Bavaria in 1776 — too late for Galileo or Bernini — but according to historians it died out a decade or so later. Nevertheless the Illuminati have lived on in the imaginations of conspiracy theorists."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/scien ... nted=print
There has been lot of material available on the internet on this kind of (secret) organizations…like Free Masonry, Bilderberg group, CFR (Council of Foreign Relations), illuminati, Bohemian Club. Most of them are like conspiracy theories and such…
Secrecy is the main theme here…and as far as Aga khan’s name involved here, it is understood so because His family’s close connections with British Monarchy and other European royals and politicians and may be due to a controversial figure in Ismaili history named Hassan Ben Sabbah, who, they say, was the illuminati leader in the 11th century…or something like that.
To me, sometimes, it all makes sense because I think humanity needs some ‘illuminaties’ for its survival as humanity or else it might be like a big farm with animals or an ocean with billions of fishes with no vision and broader intellect. And sometimes it all does not make sense because the people who, they say, are these so called ‘illuminaties’ are from wide range of backgrounds and interests and there has to be conflict of interests between them to the point that such organization can not sustain itself in the long run… I inclined to believe more in their favor though…that’s just me.
Secrecy is the main theme here…and as far as Aga khan’s name involved here, it is understood so because His family’s close connections with British Monarchy and other European royals and politicians and may be due to a controversial figure in Ismaili history named Hassan Ben Sabbah, who, they say, was the illuminati leader in the 11th century…or something like that.
To me, sometimes, it all makes sense because I think humanity needs some ‘illuminaties’ for its survival as humanity or else it might be like a big farm with animals or an ocean with billions of fishes with no vision and broader intellect. And sometimes it all does not make sense because the people who, they say, are these so called ‘illuminaties’ are from wide range of backgrounds and interests and there has to be conflict of interests between them to the point that such organization can not sustain itself in the long run… I inclined to believe more in their favor though…that’s just me.
Last edited by Biryani on Tue Jun 23, 2009 1:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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hussainkhan55
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shiraz.virani
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“For thus the Lord spoke to me with a mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, ‘You are not to say, “It is a conspiracy!” in regard to all that this people call a conspiracy. And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear. And He shall be your dread’” (Isaiah 8:11-13).
Some who have never heard the term Illuminati may wonder, “What in the world is it?” The literal definition of the word Illuminati means “the enlightened ones.” It has been a term designating various groups since the mid-1700s. In this century some parts of the fundamental, evangelical and Charismatic Church have become interested in, and occasionally obsessed with, the Illuminati idea.
It is best to speak of the Illuminati as an idea because there are dozens of conflicting theories as to just whom the group is and what it is doing today. People who become heavily involved in the elusive pursuit of the Illuminati seem to fall under a deep persuasion of an “imminent takeover” and a “secret worldwide conspiracy” underlying everything happening today. Of course, the predetermined dates come and go and the takeover never takes!
Sometimes in the scheme presented there is an attempt to match the Antichrist to a specific person or movement. In short, the Illuminati has been credited with everything from the triggering of the French and American revolutions, being the brains behind communism, controlling all the banks and money of the world, to plotting to take over the world at any moment
Some years ago, the Illuminati was blamed for the energy crisis and the Watergate affair of the 1970s. They are described as being a secret underground, worshiping the devil, and have been variously traced back to the Knights Templar, gnostic cults, and Egyptian sun worshipers.
Though no two students of Illuminology agree totally on the details (and there is room for much speculation), one generally finds in the current Illuminati literature of the anti-Semitic far right, the idea of international communism and international banking interacting with Masonry, witchcraft and Satanism. Even the fall of communism does not dampen the commitment of true “believers.” They insist that international communism will rise again or just take on a new and more insidious form.
This article cannot even attempt to deal with the many nuances and differences that exist in each of the Illuminati theories. The difficulty exists because the Illuminati is variously identified and the contenders change with each passing year. However, many of the following speculations are covered and discussed in Neal Wilgus’s book, The Illuminoids — Secret Societies and Political Paranoia.
1. French sociologist Jacques Ellul said the Illuminati was founded in the eleventh century by disciples of Joachim of Floris. It was vanquished in 1507.
2. National Review has stated Joachim’s followers still exist.
3. French cabalist Eliphas Levi claimed the Illuminati was founded by Zoroaster in Persia and introduced to Europe by the Knights Templar in the twelfth century.
4. Levi also states in his History of Magic that the Holy Vehn (medieval Catholic version of the Ku Klux Klan) was the enforcer for the Illuminati.
5. Arkin Darual, in History of Secret Societies, identifies Hassan Sabbah as the founder of the Illuminati in 1092.
6. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Illuminati was founded by Adam Weishaupt in 1776 and suppressed by the Bavarian government in 1785.
7. Magazines in the 1970s, such as Teenset and others, suggested that the Illuminati controlled the rock music business and were responsible for masterminding all the assassinations of recent decades.
8. American Opinion magazine said that American Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) was the current manifestation of the one-world conspiracy. The CFR is a top contender in much of the conspiracy literature.
9. A Chicago newspaper, in 1968, pinpointed then Mayor Daley as a member of the Illuminati and said George Washington and Weishaupt were the same man.
10. In 1969, East Village Other magazine named Richard Nixon, Aga Khan, Lord Omar, and Kennedy assassination theorist Mark Lane (perhaps meant to be a joke) as members of the organization.
Some who have never heard the term Illuminati may wonder, “What in the world is it?” The literal definition of the word Illuminati means “the enlightened ones.” It has been a term designating various groups since the mid-1700s. In this century some parts of the fundamental, evangelical and Charismatic Church have become interested in, and occasionally obsessed with, the Illuminati idea.
It is best to speak of the Illuminati as an idea because there are dozens of conflicting theories as to just whom the group is and what it is doing today. People who become heavily involved in the elusive pursuit of the Illuminati seem to fall under a deep persuasion of an “imminent takeover” and a “secret worldwide conspiracy” underlying everything happening today. Of course, the predetermined dates come and go and the takeover never takes!
Sometimes in the scheme presented there is an attempt to match the Antichrist to a specific person or movement. In short, the Illuminati has been credited with everything from the triggering of the French and American revolutions, being the brains behind communism, controlling all the banks and money of the world, to plotting to take over the world at any moment
Some years ago, the Illuminati was blamed for the energy crisis and the Watergate affair of the 1970s. They are described as being a secret underground, worshiping the devil, and have been variously traced back to the Knights Templar, gnostic cults, and Egyptian sun worshipers.
Though no two students of Illuminology agree totally on the details (and there is room for much speculation), one generally finds in the current Illuminati literature of the anti-Semitic far right, the idea of international communism and international banking interacting with Masonry, witchcraft and Satanism. Even the fall of communism does not dampen the commitment of true “believers.” They insist that international communism will rise again or just take on a new and more insidious form.
This article cannot even attempt to deal with the many nuances and differences that exist in each of the Illuminati theories. The difficulty exists because the Illuminati is variously identified and the contenders change with each passing year. However, many of the following speculations are covered and discussed in Neal Wilgus’s book, The Illuminoids — Secret Societies and Political Paranoia.
1. French sociologist Jacques Ellul said the Illuminati was founded in the eleventh century by disciples of Joachim of Floris. It was vanquished in 1507.
2. National Review has stated Joachim’s followers still exist.
3. French cabalist Eliphas Levi claimed the Illuminati was founded by Zoroaster in Persia and introduced to Europe by the Knights Templar in the twelfth century.
4. Levi also states in his History of Magic that the Holy Vehn (medieval Catholic version of the Ku Klux Klan) was the enforcer for the Illuminati.
5. Arkin Darual, in History of Secret Societies, identifies Hassan Sabbah as the founder of the Illuminati in 1092.
6. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Illuminati was founded by Adam Weishaupt in 1776 and suppressed by the Bavarian government in 1785.
7. Magazines in the 1970s, such as Teenset and others, suggested that the Illuminati controlled the rock music business and were responsible for masterminding all the assassinations of recent decades.
8. American Opinion magazine said that American Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) was the current manifestation of the one-world conspiracy. The CFR is a top contender in much of the conspiracy literature.
9. A Chicago newspaper, in 1968, pinpointed then Mayor Daley as a member of the Illuminati and said George Washington and Weishaupt were the same man.
10. In 1969, East Village Other magazine named Richard Nixon, Aga Khan, Lord Omar, and Kennedy assassination theorist Mark Lane (perhaps meant to be a joke) as members of the organization.
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shiraz.virani
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The Ismailis succeeded in establishing the Fatimid dynasty, in 973, with their capital at Cairo . The founder of the dynasty was Ubeidullah, known as the Mahdi, who claimed descent through a line of "hidden imams", from Muhammad, son of Ismail, and through him, to Fatimah, daughter of the Prophet. He was accused of Jewish ancestry by his adversaries the Abbasids, the Sunni rulers of Baghad, who declared him the son or grandson of Ahmed, son of Abdullah ibn Maymun, an original member of the Brethren of Sincerity, by a Jewess.
The Fatimids operated from the Dar ul Hikmat, or the "House of Wisdom", a wing of Al Azhar, the oldest university in the world, and the most prestigious educational institution in Islam, though now under the orthodox Sunnis., which they established in 988. The process of Ismaili indoctrination offered by the Fatimids involved through nine progression through nine degree, culminating in a denial of Islam and the acceptance of the Gnostic Sabian doctrine. At first, the initiate was persuaded that all his former teachers were wrong, and that he must place his confidence solely in the Imams of the Ismailis, as opposed to the twelve Imams of the Shiah. Eventually, he was taught to disregard the prescriptions set out by the Prophet Mohammed, and taught the doctrines of dualism. Finally, in the ninth degree, the adept was shown that all religious teaching was allegorical, and that religious laws need be observed only to maintain order, while he who understands the truth may disregard all such constraints
THE ASSASINS
A fatal schism split the Ismailis in 1094, resulting in two branches of Fatimids, one of which was the Nizaris, led by Hasan Sabbah. After enlisting recruits in a number of cities, Hassan Sabbah succeeded in obtaining the fortress of Alamut in Persia, on the Caspian Sea. There he completed the plans for his great society, the infamous Assassins, deriving their name from the Arabic hashishim, or "eaters of hashish," referring to the marijuana they consumed for ritual purposes.
The Assassins waged an international war of terrorism against anyone that opposed them, but eventually turned on each other. The Old Man of the Mountain was murdered by his brother-in-law and his son Mohammed. Mohammed, in his turn, while aiming to take the life of his son Jalal ud-Din, was instead anticipated by him with poison, though his son was again avenged by poison, so that from Hassan the Illuminator, down to the last of his line of Grand Masters, all fell by the hands of their next-of-kin.
Finally in 1250 AD, the conquering Mongols, lead by Mangu Khan, swept over Alamut an annihilated the Assassins. Nevertheless, Nizaris survived, though in two rival lines. The minor line died out by the eighteenth century, while the major line, led by an imam called Aga Khan, moved from Iran to India in 1840. His followers, who are estimated to number in the millions, are still found in Syria, Iran, and Central and South Asia, the largest group being in India and Pakistan, where they are known as Khojas.
Aga Khan II, came to be one of the founders of the Muslim League, which was sponsored by the British in 1858. The 48th Imam, Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah Aga Khan III, was very close to the British royal family during his 72-year reign, and held the post of chairman of the League of Nation's General Assembly for a year. The 49th Imam, Prince Karim Agha Khan IV, was given the British title "His Highness" by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957, and continues to this day to be closely allied to the Illuminati.[/b]
The Fatimids operated from the Dar ul Hikmat, or the "House of Wisdom", a wing of Al Azhar, the oldest university in the world, and the most prestigious educational institution in Islam, though now under the orthodox Sunnis., which they established in 988. The process of Ismaili indoctrination offered by the Fatimids involved through nine progression through nine degree, culminating in a denial of Islam and the acceptance of the Gnostic Sabian doctrine. At first, the initiate was persuaded that all his former teachers were wrong, and that he must place his confidence solely in the Imams of the Ismailis, as opposed to the twelve Imams of the Shiah. Eventually, he was taught to disregard the prescriptions set out by the Prophet Mohammed, and taught the doctrines of dualism. Finally, in the ninth degree, the adept was shown that all religious teaching was allegorical, and that religious laws need be observed only to maintain order, while he who understands the truth may disregard all such constraints
THE ASSASINS
A fatal schism split the Ismailis in 1094, resulting in two branches of Fatimids, one of which was the Nizaris, led by Hasan Sabbah. After enlisting recruits in a number of cities, Hassan Sabbah succeeded in obtaining the fortress of Alamut in Persia, on the Caspian Sea. There he completed the plans for his great society, the infamous Assassins, deriving their name from the Arabic hashishim, or "eaters of hashish," referring to the marijuana they consumed for ritual purposes.
The Assassins waged an international war of terrorism against anyone that opposed them, but eventually turned on each other. The Old Man of the Mountain was murdered by his brother-in-law and his son Mohammed. Mohammed, in his turn, while aiming to take the life of his son Jalal ud-Din, was instead anticipated by him with poison, though his son was again avenged by poison, so that from Hassan the Illuminator, down to the last of his line of Grand Masters, all fell by the hands of their next-of-kin.
Finally in 1250 AD, the conquering Mongols, lead by Mangu Khan, swept over Alamut an annihilated the Assassins. Nevertheless, Nizaris survived, though in two rival lines. The minor line died out by the eighteenth century, while the major line, led by an imam called Aga Khan, moved from Iran to India in 1840. His followers, who are estimated to number in the millions, are still found in Syria, Iran, and Central and South Asia, the largest group being in India and Pakistan, where they are known as Khojas.
Aga Khan II, came to be one of the founders of the Muslim League, which was sponsored by the British in 1858. The 48th Imam, Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah Aga Khan III, was very close to the British royal family during his 72-year reign, and held the post of chairman of the League of Nation's General Assembly for a year. The 49th Imam, Prince Karim Agha Khan IV, was given the British title "His Highness" by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957, and continues to this day to be closely allied to the Illuminati.[/b]
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salimlalani
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One must also evaluate closely the origin of the "old man of the mountain" phrase and it's history - it's inclusion into iconic culture came post Alamut by about 70+ years, by Marco Polo who passed about a 100+ miles away from where Alamut actually was - Marco Polo could also have been referring to the Druze Shaykh - who is also referred to as an "Elder" i.e Old Man at the time and lived in the mountains of Lebanon.
Shams
Shams
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From_Alamut
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APPENDIX III ....Page:162..." BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ISMAILI IMAMS" By: MUMTAZ ALI TAJDDIN SADIK ALI...Date of publication: 2009
ORIGIN OF THE WORD “ASSASSINS”
The Nizari Ismailis were designated with a misnomer, Assassins in mediaeval Europe. This is an abusive term that had been given a wide currency by the Crusaders and their occidental chroniclers, who had first come into contact with the Syrian Ismailis in the Near East during the early decades of the 12th century. Charles E. Nowell writes in The Old Man of the Mountain that, "In the early years of the twelfth century, as the Christians spread their conquests in the holy land and Syria, they made the acquaintance of the Ismailis. Many of their historians had something to say about the sect, and what they gave was usually a mixture of information and misinformation" (cf. Speculum, 12:4, 1947, p. 503).
The Ismailis were not a band of terrorists, but their fighting against their oppressors was a struggle for survival. Mediaeval Europeans, who remained absolutely ignorant of Muslim beliefs and practices, had transmitted a number of tales, and produced a perverted image of the Ismailis. Rene Dussaud writes in Histoire et Religion des Nosaires (Paris, 1900) that, "One of the very few Europeans who have appreciated the good points of this remarkable sect and who is of opinion that the judgments pronounced by western scholars are marked by an excessive severity. It is certainly wrong to confound as do the Musulman doctors, in one common reprobation. And the Old Man of the Mountain himself was not so black as it is custom to paint him." In more recent times, too, many western scholars have continued to apply the ill-conceived term Assassins to the Nizari Ismailis without being aware of its etymology or dubious origin. Paul E. Walker makes his comments in his Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani: Intellectual Missionary (London, 1996, p. 1) that, "Until recently, however, the Ismailis were studied and judged almost exclusively on the basis of the evidence collected or fabricated by their enemies, including the bulk of the medieval Sunni heresiographers and polemicists who were hostile towards the Shi’is in general and the Ismailis among them in particular. These Sunni authors in fact treated Shi’ite interpretations of Islam as expressions of heterodoxy or even heresy. As a result, a ‘black legend’ was gradually developed and put into circulation in the Muslim world to discredit the Ismailis and their interpretations of Islam. The Christian Crusaders and their occidental chroniclers who remained almost completely ignorant of Islam and its internal divisions, disseminated their own myths of the Ismailis, which came to be accepted in the West as true descriptions of Ismaili teachings and practices. Modern orientalists, too, have studied the Ismailis on the basis of hostile Sunni sources and the fanciful occidental accounts of medieval times. Thus, legends and misconceptions have continued to surround the Ismailis through the twentieth century."
Benjamin of Tudela, the Spanish Rabbi of 12th century, who was the first European traveller to approach the frontiers of China (between 1159 and 1173). He is one of the early Europeans to have written about the Ismailis. He visited Syria in 562/1167, and described in his The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela (tr. by Marcus N. Adler, London, 1907) the Syrian Ismailis under the term of Hashishin. Next extant description is found in a diplomatic report of 570/1175 of Burchard, an envoy sent to Egypt and Syria by the Roman emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (1152-1190), in which he has used the word Heyssessini (in Roman, segnors de montana) for the Ismailis of Syria. William (1130-1185), archbishop of Tyre, is the first historian of the Crusades to have described the Ismailis of Syria in 581/1186 with the name Assissini in his History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea (tr. by Babcock and Krey, New York, 1943, 2:390), but also admits that he does not know the origin of this name, and by no means states that it was unknown to the Muslims. The German historian, Arnold of Lubeck (d. 610/1212) used for the Ismailis of Syria the term Heissessin in his Chronica Slavorum (1869, 21:240). James of Vitry, the Bishop of Acre (from 1216 to 1228), was perhaps the best informed occidental observer of Muslim affairs after William of Tyre. He produced his Secret Societies of the Middle Ages (London, 1846), wherein he applied the term Assasini for the Syrian Ismailis. William of Rubruck (1215-1295), who had completed his visit of China in 653/1255, seems to have been amongst the first Europeans to have designated the Iranian Ismailis as Axasins and Hacsasins, hitherto used only for the Syrian Ismailis. The eminent French chronicler, Jean de Joinville (1224-1317) produced a most valuable Histoire de Saint Louis, (comp. 1305) relates the Syrian Ismaili ambassadors, who had come to see King Louis IX (1226-1270) at Acre. Joinville referred to the term Assacis for the Ismailis. Marco Polo (1254-1324) has also used the word Ashishin in his travelogue.
Different etymologies of the modern word Assassins are given in the occidental sources, such as Accini, Arsasini, Assassi, Assassini, Assessini, Assessini, Assissini, Heyssessini etc. Thomas Hyde in Veterum Persasrum Religionis Historia (Oxford, 1700, p. 493) opines that the word Assassin must be the word hassas, derived from the root hassa, meaning to kill or exterminate. This opinion was followed by Menage and Falconet. De Volney also adopted this etymology in his Voyage en Egypte et en Syrie (1:404) without citing any evidence. Historian Abul Fida (d. 732/1331) writes that Masiyaf, a town that was the headquarters of the Syrian Ismailis, is situated on a mountain, called Jabal Assikkin (Jabal al-Sikkin). The word sikkin means knife or dagger, and the name of this mountain may thus mean, the mountain of the knife. This seems to be some analogy of the coinage of the above westerners, reflecting the view in Falconet’s Memoires de l’Academie des Inscriptions (17:163); who called it, la montagne du Poigard (mountain of the dagger). Silvestre de Sacy (1758-1838) however suggests that sekkin in this case is the name of a man, so that we should translate it the Sekkin’s Mountain (la montagne de Sekkin). Michel Sabbagh of Acre suggests the origin of al-Sisani. Instead of al-Sisani, the word often used is al-Sasani means the family of Sasan. This term is used by the Arabs to indicate an adventurer. Simon Assemani (1752-1821), the professor of oriental languages in Padua, used the word Assissana in his Giornale dell’ Italiana Letteratura (1806, pp. 241-262), and according to him, it is a corrupt form of Assissani in connection with the Arabic word assissath (al-sisa), meaning rock or fortress, and as such, Assissani (al-sisani) refers to one who dwells in a rocky fortress.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Assassin received a good deal of attention from western scholars, who threw a flood of theories to explain its origin and significance. The mystery was finally seems to have solved by Silvestre de Sacy, who discovered that the word Assassin was Hashishiyya, i.e., the users of hashish.
The Muslims, having exhausted all their resources of condemnation, now restored to designate the Syrian Ismailis by different religious terms, such as Batiniyya and the Talimiyya. The Ismailis were also branded as malahida (or mulhidun) by their sworn enemies. Much less frequently, the Ismailis of Syria were called by other abusive term, such as Hashishiyya, i.e., the users of hashish. It seems that the oppressors had foiled in their attempt to extirpate the Ismailis and eventually made a last vehement strike upon them.
The earliest reported application of the term Hashishiyya to the Ismailis occurs in the anti-Ismaili polemical epistle issued in 517/1123 by the then Fatimid regime in Cairo on behalf of the caliph al-Amir (d. 524/1130), entitled Iqa Sawa’iqa al-irgham. This epistle contains the term Hashishiyya for the Syrian Nizari Ismailis for two times, vide pp. 27 and 32. It must be known that the well-known event of qiyamah celebrated at Alamut in 559/1164 became a main tool of the enemies of the Ismailis to discredit them. The orthodox Muslims waged a bitter propaganda, and uttered all the prevalent abusive terms for them. The dead term Hashishiyya once again was given a life, and it came to be used almost for the first time in the Seljuqid literatures. The earliest known Seljuqid chronicle is Nusratu’l Fatrah wa Usratu’l Fatrah (comp. 578/1183) by Imadudin Muhammad al-Katib Ispahani (d. 597/1201), which is now extant only in an abridged version compiled by Fateh Ali bin Muhammad al-Bundari in 623/1226, entitled Zubdatu’n Nasrah wa Nakhbatu’l Usrah (pp. 169, 195). Imadudin begins his chronicle from 485/1092, and did not put his work into its final form until 578/1183 when he had already been in Syria for 15 years. He seems first Seljuqid writer to have used the term, Hashishiyya for the Syrian Ismailis. Ibn Muyassar (d. 677/1278) simply states in his Tarikh-i Misr (p. 102) that in Syria, the Ismailis are called Hashishiyya, in Alamut; they are known as Batiniyya and Malahida; in Khorasan as Talimiyya. Abu Shama (d. 665/1267) also used Hashishiyya for the Syrian Ismailis in his Kitab al-Rawdatayn fi Akhbar al-Dawlatayn (1:240 and 258). Ibn Khaldun (d. 808/1406) writing after 13th century, mentions in Muqaddima (1:143) that the Ismailis of Syria, once called as al-Hashishiyya al-Ismailiyya, were known in his time as the Fidawiyya. All this sounds from the extant sources that the term Hashishiyya was commonly applied for the Syrian Ismailis between 11th and 12th centuries by the Muslims, and were ceased to be used since 13th century.
It is to be noted however that Juvaini and Rashiduddin do not use the term Hashishiyya for the Ismailis of Iran, as the term was not prevalent during their time in Iran. W. Madelung has however recently discovered in his Arabic Texts concerning the History of the Zaydi Imams of Tabaristan, Daylaman and Gilan (Beirut, 1987, pp. 146 & 329) that the Ismailis of Iran too were named Hashishiyya in some contemporary Zaidi sources compiled in the Arabic language at the Caspian region during the first half of the 13th century. The Zaidi Shi’ites were the closest rivals of the Ismailis in northern Iran and had prolonged military confrontations with them in the Caspian region, had launched their own anti-Ismaili literary campaign. This tends to reveal that these Arabian sources had referred to the Iranian Ismailis under the misnomer prevalent in their region for the Syrian Ismailis.
Hashish or Hashisha is the Arabic word for hemp, which is latinized cannabis sativa. Its variety is Indian hemp or Cannabis Indica, have been known and used in the Near East since ancient times as a drug with intoxicating effects. The earliest express mention of the word hashish contained in at-Tadhkirah fi’l Khilaf by Abu Ishaq ash-Shirazi (d. 476/1083). The use of hashish grew in Syria, Egypt and other Muslim countries during 12th and 13th centuries among the inferior strata of society. Numerous tracts were compiled by Muslim authors, describing that the use of hashish would effect on the users’ morality and religion. Consequently, the users of hashish qualified for a inferior social and moral status, similarly to that of a mulhida, or heretic in religion. Neither the Ismailis of Syria nor the contemporary non-Ismaili Muslim texts, which were rigorous towards the Ismailis, ever attested to the use of hashish among the Nizari Ismailis.
Hashish, a narcotic drug was a common usage in the Sufic orbits in Damascus since 11th century, and they were subjected to the hatred of the theologians. Franz Rosenthal writes in The Herb: Hashish versus Medieval Muslim Society (Leiden, 1971, p. 53) that, "The use of hashish by Sufi fraternities and their presumably large role in the spread of hashish use can be accepted as a fact in view of all the later evidence pointing in this direction." The Sufi initiates were called Hashishiyya, and it was commonly known among them as Hashish al-Fuqara (the herb of the fakirs). Among them, the other titles for hashish were "digester of food" (hadim al-aqwat), "rouser of thought" (baithat al-fikr), "queen of insanity" (sultanat al-junun), "the green one" (al-akhdar), "daughter of cannabis" (ibnat al-qunbus) etc.
Nuruddin Ali bin al-Jazzar writes in his Qam al-Washin fi dhamm al-barrashin (comp. before 991/1583) that the accursed hashish "was originated by some group around the five hundreds" (ahdathaha ba'd fi'ah fi nahw qarn al-khams mi'ah). According to Franz Rosenthal, "The word fi'ah (group) is used here for the sake of the rhyme and thus may very well mean Sufis, rather than sectarians or soldiers."(Ibid. pp. 53-4) Thus, it seems possible that hashish had been discovered around 500/1106 by the wandering Sufis, who qualified the title of mulhida, or heretic in religion, and the term Hashishiyya became a common abuse in the society. Az-Zarkashi (745-794/1344-1392) in Zahr al-arish fi ahkam al-hashish and al-Ukbari (d. 690/1291) in Kitab as-Sawanih however write that it was believed that a Sufi Shaikh Hyder (d. 618/1221), the founder of Hyderi Sufi Order, discovered hashish in the province of Nishabur around the year 550/1155. This seems almost imponderable version. Franz Rosenthal writes in this context that, "The use of the drug became common among Haydar’s followers only years after his death. Therefore, the Khurasanians ascribed the introduction of the drug to him who was completely innocent of it." (Ibid. p. 45) Others also connected the introduction of hashish with a certain Sufi Ahmad as-Sawaja. In sum, hashish seems to have been discovered by the Sufis around 500/1106, but its propaganda to use and the special way of preparing it to use was introduced by the followers of Shaikh Hyder after his death. The Turkish poet, Fuzuli (885-963/1480-1556) writes in his poem, Layla Megnun (p. 167) that, "Hashish can claim to be the friend of dervishes and to be available in the corner of every mosque and among all kinds of scholars." Hashish also enjoyed particular favour in the Sufic poems, such as Ibn Kathir (13:314) quotes the following verses:-
Hashish contains the meaning of my desire.
You dear people of intelligence and understanding.
They have declared it forbidden without any justification on the basis of reason and tradition.
Declaring forbidden what is not forbidden is forbidden.
Al-Badri quotes a poem of a certain Muhammad bin Makki bin Ali bin al-Hussain al-Mashhadi, which reads:-
The use of hashish is censured by all silly persons, weak of mind, insensitive,
To the censure coming from stupid and envious individuals.
Share hashish with a goodly young man firm.
In the preservation of friendship and appointments.
Is it not a relaxation for the mind? Thus enjoy
It, all you sensible men!
Consequently, the Sufis using hashish had been rigorously condemned. Ibn ash-Shihnah (d. 815/1412) composed a couple of verses that:-
I am surprised to find a Shaikh who commands people to be pious.
But himself never heeds the Merciful One or shows piety towards Him.
He considers it permissible to eat hashish as well as usury. And (says that) he who studies truly the Sahih (Bukhari) is a heretic.
The Muslim jurists also condemned the use of hashish and demanded severe punishment, declaring it dangerous to Islam and society. Gradually, the word Hashishiyya became an abusive term mostly in Syria. One who was hated, he was branded as Hashishiyya in the society, and thus, the Syrian Ismailis were also lebelled with the same misnomer by their enemies.
Running parallel with this, it is worth keeping in mind that the Syrian Ismailis too called themselves as al-sufat (the pure, or sincere), resembling the term sufi. According to Bustan al-Jami (comp. 561/1165), the Ismailis in Syria called themselves as al-Sufat. Ibn al-Azim (d. 660/1262) however writes in his Zubdat al-Halab (comp. 641/1243) that a faction of the Syrian Ismailis at Jabal as-Summuq called themselves al-Sufat. Ismailism and Sufism are similar in their esoteric practice, but it should be known that, every Ismaili is a Sufi, but no every Sufi is an Ismaili. Ismailism is an esoteric tariqah as well as a social system with its own rules and characteristics, while Sufism is an individual concern. The Ismailis however never allowed themselves to be submerged totally into the general esoteric medley, and their form of Sufism remained quite distinctive from other mystical orders of Islam. The Ismailis were the main target of the Sunni Muslims, who used all misnomers and abusive words to discredit them. Incorporating the Ismailis with the Sufis due to their potential affinity, the Sunni Muslims and others had designated the Ismailis too with the same term. Franz Rosenthal writes, "It is worthy of note that attacks on the Ismailiyah accusing them of being hashish eaters were apparently not made very often, although this would have been an effective verbal slur." (op. cit., p. 43) Paul Johnson writes in his Civilizations of the Holy Land (London, 1979, p. 211) that, "Much nonsense has been written about this sect, which had nothing to do with hashish." Curiously enough, the term seems to have become so specific for the Syrian Ismailis that the Sufi circles using hashish had been ignored to be designated alike. After the schism of Nizari and Musta’lian, the influence of the Musta’lians in Syria was less than the Nizaris, and therefore, the Musta’lian faction also shifted this misnomer on the rival group. It is not surprising that when people cannot find the solution of a difficulty in the natural manner, they concoct a supernatural explanation, just as when they like or dislike a thing, they go to extremes, invent and contrive superstitious tales and give vent to credulous stories tinged with different misnomers.
The Musta’lian group was designated by the Nizari Ismailis in Syria as Jamat al-Amiriyya, and the latter were lebelled by the former as Jamat al-Hashishiyya as the Musta’lian group did not like that the rival group be known as Jamat al-Nizaria. Soon afterwards, the Musta’lian group disappeared almost from Syria in 524/1130, but they left behind the name Hashishiyya in their sources, and thus, it became a general usage for the Nizari Ismailis in Syria since 517/1123.
The occidental chroniclers, travellers and envoys to the Latin East borrowed the term Hashishiyya for the Ismailis of Syria, whom they pronounced as Hashishin, Heyssessini or Haisasins. Silvestre de Sacy delivered a lecture entitled Memoirs on the Dynasty of the Assassins and the origin of their Name on May 19, 1809 in the Institute of France, which was a landmark in the relative study. In addition to the few oriental sources published or referred by previous scholars, de Sacy was able to draw on the rich Paris collection of Arabic manuscripts, and states that, "Nor should there be any doubt, in my opinion, that the word hashishi, plural hashishin, is the origin of the corruption heissessini, assassini, and assissini. It should not surprise us that the Arabic shin was transcribed by all our writers who used the Latin language by an s, and in the Greek historians by a sigma. They had no choice. It should, moreover be observed that the shin is pronounced less strongly than ch in French. What can rightly be asked is the reason why the Ismailis or Batinis were called Hashishis."
After picking up the word Hashishiyya for the Syrian Ismailis, the Crusaders attested further fabrications. The daring behavior of the Ismaili fidais, who usually carried their mission - a struggle for survival, had exceedingly impressed the Crusaders, who would rarely endanger their own lives for other than worldly rewards. The Crusaders failed to compete with the valour of the Ismaili fidais, therefore, they propagated that they were using hashish before fighting, but they forgot to understand that the drunkenness caused by hashish merely consists of a kind of quiet ecstasy, rather than a vehemence apt to fire the courage to undertake and carry out daring and dangerous missions. Franz Rosenthal writes in The Herb: Hashish versus Medieval Muslim Society (Leiden, 1971, pp. 42-3) that, "It has been pointed out that hashish does not have the properties that would ordinarily make it a serviceable stimulant for anyone being sent on a dangerous mission of assassination." The editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (New York, 1978, p. 94) write that, "Stories of the terrorists’ use of hashish before setting out to commit murder and face martyrdom are doubtful." Neal Robinson writes in Islam – A Concise Introduction (Surrey, 1999, p. 169) that, “Although there is no evidence that the Nizaris used narcotics, their Sunni opponents gave them the abusive nickname, Hashishiyyin (hashish users), which passed into English as Assassins.” Bosworth also writes in The Islamic Dynasties (cf. Islamic Survey, series no. 5, Edinburgh, 1967, p. 128) that, "The story related by Marco Polo and others, that hallucinatory drugs were used to stimulate the assassins to bolder efforts is unconfirmed in any of the genuine Ismaili sources." The Muslim authors, unlike the western authors, did not fantasize about the real spirit of sacrifice of the fidais in defending their faith around aggressive milieu. Instead of knowing their struggle, they branded them with the then prevalent abusive term, Hashishiyya. Hence, the misnomer Hashishiyya, picked up by the Crusaders in the beginning of the second half of the 12th century, mainly through oral channels, came to be pronounced as Hashishin, Heyssessini or Haisasins. It further underwent corruptions, and evolved as Axasin, Accini, Assassini, Assacis, Ashishin, Assassini, and finally resulted the modern genesis of the English word, Assassin. It later was coloured by spurious and extravagant fables, smacking exaggeration in western popular lore and literature.
It deserves notice, however, that Henry, Count of Champagne (d. 593/1197) had visited the Syrian Ismaili territories in 590/1194, where he had personally alleged to have witnessed the falling down of the two Ismaili fidais from a lofty turret upon the signal of the Ismaili leader to demonstrate an example of obedience. This event became famous in the occidental sources bluntly by the end of 13th century without perception of the spirit of sacrifice of the fidais. Thus, in the West, the Ismailis have been the subjects of several hotchpotch of legends, and were portrayed in different terms, so as to designate them ultimately as Assassins.
ORIGIN OF THE WORD “ASSASSINS”
The Nizari Ismailis were designated with a misnomer, Assassins in mediaeval Europe. This is an abusive term that had been given a wide currency by the Crusaders and their occidental chroniclers, who had first come into contact with the Syrian Ismailis in the Near East during the early decades of the 12th century. Charles E. Nowell writes in The Old Man of the Mountain that, "In the early years of the twelfth century, as the Christians spread their conquests in the holy land and Syria, they made the acquaintance of the Ismailis. Many of their historians had something to say about the sect, and what they gave was usually a mixture of information and misinformation" (cf. Speculum, 12:4, 1947, p. 503).
The Ismailis were not a band of terrorists, but their fighting against their oppressors was a struggle for survival. Mediaeval Europeans, who remained absolutely ignorant of Muslim beliefs and practices, had transmitted a number of tales, and produced a perverted image of the Ismailis. Rene Dussaud writes in Histoire et Religion des Nosaires (Paris, 1900) that, "One of the very few Europeans who have appreciated the good points of this remarkable sect and who is of opinion that the judgments pronounced by western scholars are marked by an excessive severity. It is certainly wrong to confound as do the Musulman doctors, in one common reprobation. And the Old Man of the Mountain himself was not so black as it is custom to paint him." In more recent times, too, many western scholars have continued to apply the ill-conceived term Assassins to the Nizari Ismailis without being aware of its etymology or dubious origin. Paul E. Walker makes his comments in his Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani: Intellectual Missionary (London, 1996, p. 1) that, "Until recently, however, the Ismailis were studied and judged almost exclusively on the basis of the evidence collected or fabricated by their enemies, including the bulk of the medieval Sunni heresiographers and polemicists who were hostile towards the Shi’is in general and the Ismailis among them in particular. These Sunni authors in fact treated Shi’ite interpretations of Islam as expressions of heterodoxy or even heresy. As a result, a ‘black legend’ was gradually developed and put into circulation in the Muslim world to discredit the Ismailis and their interpretations of Islam. The Christian Crusaders and their occidental chroniclers who remained almost completely ignorant of Islam and its internal divisions, disseminated their own myths of the Ismailis, which came to be accepted in the West as true descriptions of Ismaili teachings and practices. Modern orientalists, too, have studied the Ismailis on the basis of hostile Sunni sources and the fanciful occidental accounts of medieval times. Thus, legends and misconceptions have continued to surround the Ismailis through the twentieth century."
Benjamin of Tudela, the Spanish Rabbi of 12th century, who was the first European traveller to approach the frontiers of China (between 1159 and 1173). He is one of the early Europeans to have written about the Ismailis. He visited Syria in 562/1167, and described in his The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela (tr. by Marcus N. Adler, London, 1907) the Syrian Ismailis under the term of Hashishin. Next extant description is found in a diplomatic report of 570/1175 of Burchard, an envoy sent to Egypt and Syria by the Roman emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (1152-1190), in which he has used the word Heyssessini (in Roman, segnors de montana) for the Ismailis of Syria. William (1130-1185), archbishop of Tyre, is the first historian of the Crusades to have described the Ismailis of Syria in 581/1186 with the name Assissini in his History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea (tr. by Babcock and Krey, New York, 1943, 2:390), but also admits that he does not know the origin of this name, and by no means states that it was unknown to the Muslims. The German historian, Arnold of Lubeck (d. 610/1212) used for the Ismailis of Syria the term Heissessin in his Chronica Slavorum (1869, 21:240). James of Vitry, the Bishop of Acre (from 1216 to 1228), was perhaps the best informed occidental observer of Muslim affairs after William of Tyre. He produced his Secret Societies of the Middle Ages (London, 1846), wherein he applied the term Assasini for the Syrian Ismailis. William of Rubruck (1215-1295), who had completed his visit of China in 653/1255, seems to have been amongst the first Europeans to have designated the Iranian Ismailis as Axasins and Hacsasins, hitherto used only for the Syrian Ismailis. The eminent French chronicler, Jean de Joinville (1224-1317) produced a most valuable Histoire de Saint Louis, (comp. 1305) relates the Syrian Ismaili ambassadors, who had come to see King Louis IX (1226-1270) at Acre. Joinville referred to the term Assacis for the Ismailis. Marco Polo (1254-1324) has also used the word Ashishin in his travelogue.
Different etymologies of the modern word Assassins are given in the occidental sources, such as Accini, Arsasini, Assassi, Assassini, Assessini, Assessini, Assissini, Heyssessini etc. Thomas Hyde in Veterum Persasrum Religionis Historia (Oxford, 1700, p. 493) opines that the word Assassin must be the word hassas, derived from the root hassa, meaning to kill or exterminate. This opinion was followed by Menage and Falconet. De Volney also adopted this etymology in his Voyage en Egypte et en Syrie (1:404) without citing any evidence. Historian Abul Fida (d. 732/1331) writes that Masiyaf, a town that was the headquarters of the Syrian Ismailis, is situated on a mountain, called Jabal Assikkin (Jabal al-Sikkin). The word sikkin means knife or dagger, and the name of this mountain may thus mean, the mountain of the knife. This seems to be some analogy of the coinage of the above westerners, reflecting the view in Falconet’s Memoires de l’Academie des Inscriptions (17:163); who called it, la montagne du Poigard (mountain of the dagger). Silvestre de Sacy (1758-1838) however suggests that sekkin in this case is the name of a man, so that we should translate it the Sekkin’s Mountain (la montagne de Sekkin). Michel Sabbagh of Acre suggests the origin of al-Sisani. Instead of al-Sisani, the word often used is al-Sasani means the family of Sasan. This term is used by the Arabs to indicate an adventurer. Simon Assemani (1752-1821), the professor of oriental languages in Padua, used the word Assissana in his Giornale dell’ Italiana Letteratura (1806, pp. 241-262), and according to him, it is a corrupt form of Assissani in connection with the Arabic word assissath (al-sisa), meaning rock or fortress, and as such, Assissani (al-sisani) refers to one who dwells in a rocky fortress.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Assassin received a good deal of attention from western scholars, who threw a flood of theories to explain its origin and significance. The mystery was finally seems to have solved by Silvestre de Sacy, who discovered that the word Assassin was Hashishiyya, i.e., the users of hashish.
The Muslims, having exhausted all their resources of condemnation, now restored to designate the Syrian Ismailis by different religious terms, such as Batiniyya and the Talimiyya. The Ismailis were also branded as malahida (or mulhidun) by their sworn enemies. Much less frequently, the Ismailis of Syria were called by other abusive term, such as Hashishiyya, i.e., the users of hashish. It seems that the oppressors had foiled in their attempt to extirpate the Ismailis and eventually made a last vehement strike upon them.
The earliest reported application of the term Hashishiyya to the Ismailis occurs in the anti-Ismaili polemical epistle issued in 517/1123 by the then Fatimid regime in Cairo on behalf of the caliph al-Amir (d. 524/1130), entitled Iqa Sawa’iqa al-irgham. This epistle contains the term Hashishiyya for the Syrian Nizari Ismailis for two times, vide pp. 27 and 32. It must be known that the well-known event of qiyamah celebrated at Alamut in 559/1164 became a main tool of the enemies of the Ismailis to discredit them. The orthodox Muslims waged a bitter propaganda, and uttered all the prevalent abusive terms for them. The dead term Hashishiyya once again was given a life, and it came to be used almost for the first time in the Seljuqid literatures. The earliest known Seljuqid chronicle is Nusratu’l Fatrah wa Usratu’l Fatrah (comp. 578/1183) by Imadudin Muhammad al-Katib Ispahani (d. 597/1201), which is now extant only in an abridged version compiled by Fateh Ali bin Muhammad al-Bundari in 623/1226, entitled Zubdatu’n Nasrah wa Nakhbatu’l Usrah (pp. 169, 195). Imadudin begins his chronicle from 485/1092, and did not put his work into its final form until 578/1183 when he had already been in Syria for 15 years. He seems first Seljuqid writer to have used the term, Hashishiyya for the Syrian Ismailis. Ibn Muyassar (d. 677/1278) simply states in his Tarikh-i Misr (p. 102) that in Syria, the Ismailis are called Hashishiyya, in Alamut; they are known as Batiniyya and Malahida; in Khorasan as Talimiyya. Abu Shama (d. 665/1267) also used Hashishiyya for the Syrian Ismailis in his Kitab al-Rawdatayn fi Akhbar al-Dawlatayn (1:240 and 258). Ibn Khaldun (d. 808/1406) writing after 13th century, mentions in Muqaddima (1:143) that the Ismailis of Syria, once called as al-Hashishiyya al-Ismailiyya, were known in his time as the Fidawiyya. All this sounds from the extant sources that the term Hashishiyya was commonly applied for the Syrian Ismailis between 11th and 12th centuries by the Muslims, and were ceased to be used since 13th century.
It is to be noted however that Juvaini and Rashiduddin do not use the term Hashishiyya for the Ismailis of Iran, as the term was not prevalent during their time in Iran. W. Madelung has however recently discovered in his Arabic Texts concerning the History of the Zaydi Imams of Tabaristan, Daylaman and Gilan (Beirut, 1987, pp. 146 & 329) that the Ismailis of Iran too were named Hashishiyya in some contemporary Zaidi sources compiled in the Arabic language at the Caspian region during the first half of the 13th century. The Zaidi Shi’ites were the closest rivals of the Ismailis in northern Iran and had prolonged military confrontations with them in the Caspian region, had launched their own anti-Ismaili literary campaign. This tends to reveal that these Arabian sources had referred to the Iranian Ismailis under the misnomer prevalent in their region for the Syrian Ismailis.
Hashish or Hashisha is the Arabic word for hemp, which is latinized cannabis sativa. Its variety is Indian hemp or Cannabis Indica, have been known and used in the Near East since ancient times as a drug with intoxicating effects. The earliest express mention of the word hashish contained in at-Tadhkirah fi’l Khilaf by Abu Ishaq ash-Shirazi (d. 476/1083). The use of hashish grew in Syria, Egypt and other Muslim countries during 12th and 13th centuries among the inferior strata of society. Numerous tracts were compiled by Muslim authors, describing that the use of hashish would effect on the users’ morality and religion. Consequently, the users of hashish qualified for a inferior social and moral status, similarly to that of a mulhida, or heretic in religion. Neither the Ismailis of Syria nor the contemporary non-Ismaili Muslim texts, which were rigorous towards the Ismailis, ever attested to the use of hashish among the Nizari Ismailis.
Hashish, a narcotic drug was a common usage in the Sufic orbits in Damascus since 11th century, and they were subjected to the hatred of the theologians. Franz Rosenthal writes in The Herb: Hashish versus Medieval Muslim Society (Leiden, 1971, p. 53) that, "The use of hashish by Sufi fraternities and their presumably large role in the spread of hashish use can be accepted as a fact in view of all the later evidence pointing in this direction." The Sufi initiates were called Hashishiyya, and it was commonly known among them as Hashish al-Fuqara (the herb of the fakirs). Among them, the other titles for hashish were "digester of food" (hadim al-aqwat), "rouser of thought" (baithat al-fikr), "queen of insanity" (sultanat al-junun), "the green one" (al-akhdar), "daughter of cannabis" (ibnat al-qunbus) etc.
Nuruddin Ali bin al-Jazzar writes in his Qam al-Washin fi dhamm al-barrashin (comp. before 991/1583) that the accursed hashish "was originated by some group around the five hundreds" (ahdathaha ba'd fi'ah fi nahw qarn al-khams mi'ah). According to Franz Rosenthal, "The word fi'ah (group) is used here for the sake of the rhyme and thus may very well mean Sufis, rather than sectarians or soldiers."(Ibid. pp. 53-4) Thus, it seems possible that hashish had been discovered around 500/1106 by the wandering Sufis, who qualified the title of mulhida, or heretic in religion, and the term Hashishiyya became a common abuse in the society. Az-Zarkashi (745-794/1344-1392) in Zahr al-arish fi ahkam al-hashish and al-Ukbari (d. 690/1291) in Kitab as-Sawanih however write that it was believed that a Sufi Shaikh Hyder (d. 618/1221), the founder of Hyderi Sufi Order, discovered hashish in the province of Nishabur around the year 550/1155. This seems almost imponderable version. Franz Rosenthal writes in this context that, "The use of the drug became common among Haydar’s followers only years after his death. Therefore, the Khurasanians ascribed the introduction of the drug to him who was completely innocent of it." (Ibid. p. 45) Others also connected the introduction of hashish with a certain Sufi Ahmad as-Sawaja. In sum, hashish seems to have been discovered by the Sufis around 500/1106, but its propaganda to use and the special way of preparing it to use was introduced by the followers of Shaikh Hyder after his death. The Turkish poet, Fuzuli (885-963/1480-1556) writes in his poem, Layla Megnun (p. 167) that, "Hashish can claim to be the friend of dervishes and to be available in the corner of every mosque and among all kinds of scholars." Hashish also enjoyed particular favour in the Sufic poems, such as Ibn Kathir (13:314) quotes the following verses:-
Hashish contains the meaning of my desire.
You dear people of intelligence and understanding.
They have declared it forbidden without any justification on the basis of reason and tradition.
Declaring forbidden what is not forbidden is forbidden.
Al-Badri quotes a poem of a certain Muhammad bin Makki bin Ali bin al-Hussain al-Mashhadi, which reads:-
The use of hashish is censured by all silly persons, weak of mind, insensitive,
To the censure coming from stupid and envious individuals.
Share hashish with a goodly young man firm.
In the preservation of friendship and appointments.
Is it not a relaxation for the mind? Thus enjoy
It, all you sensible men!
Consequently, the Sufis using hashish had been rigorously condemned. Ibn ash-Shihnah (d. 815/1412) composed a couple of verses that:-
I am surprised to find a Shaikh who commands people to be pious.
But himself never heeds the Merciful One or shows piety towards Him.
He considers it permissible to eat hashish as well as usury. And (says that) he who studies truly the Sahih (Bukhari) is a heretic.
The Muslim jurists also condemned the use of hashish and demanded severe punishment, declaring it dangerous to Islam and society. Gradually, the word Hashishiyya became an abusive term mostly in Syria. One who was hated, he was branded as Hashishiyya in the society, and thus, the Syrian Ismailis were also lebelled with the same misnomer by their enemies.
Running parallel with this, it is worth keeping in mind that the Syrian Ismailis too called themselves as al-sufat (the pure, or sincere), resembling the term sufi. According to Bustan al-Jami (comp. 561/1165), the Ismailis in Syria called themselves as al-Sufat. Ibn al-Azim (d. 660/1262) however writes in his Zubdat al-Halab (comp. 641/1243) that a faction of the Syrian Ismailis at Jabal as-Summuq called themselves al-Sufat. Ismailism and Sufism are similar in their esoteric practice, but it should be known that, every Ismaili is a Sufi, but no every Sufi is an Ismaili. Ismailism is an esoteric tariqah as well as a social system with its own rules and characteristics, while Sufism is an individual concern. The Ismailis however never allowed themselves to be submerged totally into the general esoteric medley, and their form of Sufism remained quite distinctive from other mystical orders of Islam. The Ismailis were the main target of the Sunni Muslims, who used all misnomers and abusive words to discredit them. Incorporating the Ismailis with the Sufis due to their potential affinity, the Sunni Muslims and others had designated the Ismailis too with the same term. Franz Rosenthal writes, "It is worthy of note that attacks on the Ismailiyah accusing them of being hashish eaters were apparently not made very often, although this would have been an effective verbal slur." (op. cit., p. 43) Paul Johnson writes in his Civilizations of the Holy Land (London, 1979, p. 211) that, "Much nonsense has been written about this sect, which had nothing to do with hashish." Curiously enough, the term seems to have become so specific for the Syrian Ismailis that the Sufi circles using hashish had been ignored to be designated alike. After the schism of Nizari and Musta’lian, the influence of the Musta’lians in Syria was less than the Nizaris, and therefore, the Musta’lian faction also shifted this misnomer on the rival group. It is not surprising that when people cannot find the solution of a difficulty in the natural manner, they concoct a supernatural explanation, just as when they like or dislike a thing, they go to extremes, invent and contrive superstitious tales and give vent to credulous stories tinged with different misnomers.
The Musta’lian group was designated by the Nizari Ismailis in Syria as Jamat al-Amiriyya, and the latter were lebelled by the former as Jamat al-Hashishiyya as the Musta’lian group did not like that the rival group be known as Jamat al-Nizaria. Soon afterwards, the Musta’lian group disappeared almost from Syria in 524/1130, but they left behind the name Hashishiyya in their sources, and thus, it became a general usage for the Nizari Ismailis in Syria since 517/1123.
The occidental chroniclers, travellers and envoys to the Latin East borrowed the term Hashishiyya for the Ismailis of Syria, whom they pronounced as Hashishin, Heyssessini or Haisasins. Silvestre de Sacy delivered a lecture entitled Memoirs on the Dynasty of the Assassins and the origin of their Name on May 19, 1809 in the Institute of France, which was a landmark in the relative study. In addition to the few oriental sources published or referred by previous scholars, de Sacy was able to draw on the rich Paris collection of Arabic manuscripts, and states that, "Nor should there be any doubt, in my opinion, that the word hashishi, plural hashishin, is the origin of the corruption heissessini, assassini, and assissini. It should not surprise us that the Arabic shin was transcribed by all our writers who used the Latin language by an s, and in the Greek historians by a sigma. They had no choice. It should, moreover be observed that the shin is pronounced less strongly than ch in French. What can rightly be asked is the reason why the Ismailis or Batinis were called Hashishis."
After picking up the word Hashishiyya for the Syrian Ismailis, the Crusaders attested further fabrications. The daring behavior of the Ismaili fidais, who usually carried their mission - a struggle for survival, had exceedingly impressed the Crusaders, who would rarely endanger their own lives for other than worldly rewards. The Crusaders failed to compete with the valour of the Ismaili fidais, therefore, they propagated that they were using hashish before fighting, but they forgot to understand that the drunkenness caused by hashish merely consists of a kind of quiet ecstasy, rather than a vehemence apt to fire the courage to undertake and carry out daring and dangerous missions. Franz Rosenthal writes in The Herb: Hashish versus Medieval Muslim Society (Leiden, 1971, pp. 42-3) that, "It has been pointed out that hashish does not have the properties that would ordinarily make it a serviceable stimulant for anyone being sent on a dangerous mission of assassination." The editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (New York, 1978, p. 94) write that, "Stories of the terrorists’ use of hashish before setting out to commit murder and face martyrdom are doubtful." Neal Robinson writes in Islam – A Concise Introduction (Surrey, 1999, p. 169) that, “Although there is no evidence that the Nizaris used narcotics, their Sunni opponents gave them the abusive nickname, Hashishiyyin (hashish users), which passed into English as Assassins.” Bosworth also writes in The Islamic Dynasties (cf. Islamic Survey, series no. 5, Edinburgh, 1967, p. 128) that, "The story related by Marco Polo and others, that hallucinatory drugs were used to stimulate the assassins to bolder efforts is unconfirmed in any of the genuine Ismaili sources." The Muslim authors, unlike the western authors, did not fantasize about the real spirit of sacrifice of the fidais in defending their faith around aggressive milieu. Instead of knowing their struggle, they branded them with the then prevalent abusive term, Hashishiyya. Hence, the misnomer Hashishiyya, picked up by the Crusaders in the beginning of the second half of the 12th century, mainly through oral channels, came to be pronounced as Hashishin, Heyssessini or Haisasins. It further underwent corruptions, and evolved as Axasin, Accini, Assassini, Assacis, Ashishin, Assassini, and finally resulted the modern genesis of the English word, Assassin. It later was coloured by spurious and extravagant fables, smacking exaggeration in western popular lore and literature.
It deserves notice, however, that Henry, Count of Champagne (d. 593/1197) had visited the Syrian Ismaili territories in 590/1194, where he had personally alleged to have witnessed the falling down of the two Ismaili fidais from a lofty turret upon the signal of the Ismaili leader to demonstrate an example of obedience. This event became famous in the occidental sources bluntly by the end of 13th century without perception of the spirit of sacrifice of the fidais. Thus, in the West, the Ismailis have been the subjects of several hotchpotch of legends, and were portrayed in different terms, so as to designate them ultimately as Assassins.
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TheeAloneWeWorship
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2014 10:01 pm
Hazar Imam is Illuminati but so what?
NOORANI family = illuminati family quite literally
Theres too many Ismaili's yhat unfortunately don't take the time to understand our faith and history but jump at conspiracy theories, written by "outsiders" who have thirr own agenda and coveniently call what Hazar Imam does along with the other globsl elite as evil.
Research our faith our history and that of traditional secret societies and you will learn they are deeply intertwined and our roots are the same. If you are Ismaili you are part of the "secret society" how far you wish to climb the ranks and how much knowlegde you wish to gain is your own choice.
Similarly in masonic lodges a member becomes a master mason after only the 3rd degree yet there are 33 degrees. I know many masons who are members simply because thier parents were just like how many ismailis are ismaili, and they go to the logde meetings barbeques and charity functions just like 99% of Ismailis go to khane like robots but take no interest in the faith beyond dogmatic ritual.
Our faith is based on and encourages intellect but it cannot be imposed thats why even in mission class you only learn basics. Beyond that is your personal journey
NOORANI family = illuminati family quite literally
Theres too many Ismaili's yhat unfortunately don't take the time to understand our faith and history but jump at conspiracy theories, written by "outsiders" who have thirr own agenda and coveniently call what Hazar Imam does along with the other globsl elite as evil.
Research our faith our history and that of traditional secret societies and you will learn they are deeply intertwined and our roots are the same. If you are Ismaili you are part of the "secret society" how far you wish to climb the ranks and how much knowlegde you wish to gain is your own choice.
Similarly in masonic lodges a member becomes a master mason after only the 3rd degree yet there are 33 degrees. I know many masons who are members simply because thier parents were just like how many ismailis are ismaili, and they go to the logde meetings barbeques and charity functions just like 99% of Ismailis go to khane like robots but take no interest in the faith beyond dogmatic ritual.
Our faith is based on and encourages intellect but it cannot be imposed thats why even in mission class you only learn basics. Beyond that is your personal journey
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alameenkmerali
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2022 3:08 pm
- Location: PPF Street, AGM Area. Next to Don Kassim Residence. Arusha, Tanzania
- Contact:
Re: Illuminati and the Aga Khan
I don’t think Hazar Imam is part of Illuminati because many have a misconception of what the Illuminati actually is. The Illuminati actually existed long time ago as a secret society but currently no longer exists at all. In fact, most of these Illuminati Members are actually fraudsters who fraud peoples money. A recent cybercrime investigation I conducted on one of these individuals during an attempt to join their so called “Cult” had actually led me to lose some money over the entire thing. Nonetheless, I didn’t stop there but further decided to investigation and conduct a trace of their actual locations after noticing majority of the phone numbers they use in their websites are actually VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) which is basically the same way how WhatsApp, Viber and other services operate to give Free Calls, SMS and Send free Multimedia. These VoIPs was what made them seem believable, just because they had an American Number, however, the numbers weren’t registered to anyone and reverse engineering the numbers revealed “Sales Only” which is common in most VoIPs when attempting to reverse engineer them; I went ahead and Social Engineered (Psychological Manipulation that divulges a person to reveal confidential information) these scammers to send me their locations and they were dumb enough to fall into my hacking attempt on their systems to actually get their devices locations before I sent it to their local police. Tracing multiple of them, I managed to get their locations to Nigeria, Cameroon and Kenya; I managed to send an Anonymous Tip to these countries local polices with evidence gotten against these scammers as well but as far as I know, I don’t know if they’ve responded to the incident or not. Nonetheless, the Nigerian EFCC don’t even respond to their emails often and I’ve managed to report the issue to the Cameroonian Police as well but later own found out that fraud is actually legal in Cameroon as long as it’s not done against the Government, the Government doesn’t bother with citizens committing fraud and this was after supposedly speaking to a friend of mine from the Military whose close to that country and knows how their Law Enforcement functions. So, I decided to make a dox on Doxbin as well on these scammers which you can see here in the link below (The dox contains evidence as well of the committed fraud that was done by the Illuminati Scammers which you can see, even for some, I got their coordinates as well as you can see in the dox for yourself): https://doxbin.com/upload/IlluminatiScammersDox, this is to totally prove that the Illuminati is just a bunch of scammers at this age of time and they don’t actually exist the way people think they should exist according to my investigations.