THIS is apropos of Masood Ali Khan Hanzai's rejoinder (Dec 28) to Khalid A's 'Paradise revisited', wherein rejecting his version about Hassan bin Sabbah's role in fabricating 'Paradise', he has claimed the latter to be an Islamic scholar and man of extraordinary intelligence.

Hassan bin Sabbah (1034-1124) undoubtedly was a man of extraordinary intelligence and enormous capacity. This is proved by the part he played in creating a niche in Persia for Nizari Imamt, basically a breakaway faction of Fatmids followers of Nizar, the 19th Ismaili Imam who was overthrown by his brother Mustaali, who was later proclaimed as 20th Fatmid Imam.

After Imam Nizar's murder, Hassan bin Sabbah, a staunch adherent, did not accept suzerainty of his brother, and escaped to Persia, making Persian Ismailis autonomous of Fatimids. He became chief proponent (Dai) for the cause of Imam Nizar's Imamat and established the latter's successors as overlords of the sect in Persia.

Subsequently, Ismaili influence extended up to Syria Nusayriyya Mountains where they held many hill forts. The Syrian part under the leadership of the legendry Rashiduddin alias Sinan, 'Shaikhul Jabal' (For Crusaders 'Old man of the Mountain'), later on became independent of Alamut overlordship.

These Fidayeens moved freely in the adjacent territories targeting their adversaries at will. Their targets were not only Seljuks and Abbasid generals and statesmen or prominent persons opposing them in achieving their objective, even Fatimid Caliph Amir b. Mustaali could not save himself from the dagger of an assassin. Sultan Saladin escaped their attack twice just by a hair's breadth.

The marquis Conrad of Montserrat, King of Jerusalem, also succumbed to Syrian Fidayeen.

The powerful grand vazir of Saljuk Nizam-ul-Mulk was assassinated in 1092 by an assassin disguised as a dervish. Thus the role of Fidayeen of B. Sabbah known as assassins in eliminating their enemies is now a part of history.

Bin Sabbah was, however never considered or acknowledged to be a scholar of Islam.

I agree with Mr Hanzai that Halaku in 1262 besieged and destroyed the fortification of Alamut (not Almut) and also burnt a large collection of books kept there. Their Syrian counterparts were eliminated by Mamluk Sultan Baybrus in 1265.

I would also like to correct Mr Khalid A that Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant and traveller, joined his father and uncle to travel east in 1271 and visited Persia around 1273-74, i.e. 150 years after the death of Bin Sabbah and 12 years after the destruction of Alamut. Therefore, when Marco Polo visited Persia, Alamut was not in the same position but in ruins

The story of paradise and damsels etc narrated by him is, therefore, not an eyewitness account but was related to him by the people living in the vicinity. While narrating the story of assassins, Marco Polo says “I will tell you the story just as I ... have heard it told by many people”.

The legend of Bin Sabbah (1034-1124) and Omar Khayyam's (1048-1137) friendship in youth is also not established from any authentic material.

Besides, as at the time of the latter's birth, Bin Sabbah was already a lad of 14. The same is the case of Nizamul Mulik Tusi (1018-1092) who was more than 16 years older than Bin Sabbah.

MANZOOR H. KURESHI
Karachi