Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

After the death of his father, Pir Qasim Shah bin Pir Alauddin, Pir Naseer Muhammed was appointed to Piratan by Imam Nooruddin Ali. He was the 33rd Pir of the Ismailis. During the Imamate of Imam Nooruddin Ali, the devout Ismaili poet, Khaki Khorasani was imprisoned by the Mogul king Humayoon of India, and died in prison (Aziz, 1974). The Imam passed away in Anjudan and consigned the office of Imamate to his son, Khalilillahi Aly.

Imam Nooriddeen Aly was born in 1513AD in Anjudan, and succeeded his father to the Throne of Imamate in the year 1518AD at the age of five years.

The Imamate of Imam Zilfiqar Ali lasted a short while, a period of two years alone. The Safavids lost their foothold in Iran during this time, allowing the Ismailis to enjoy a greater sense of religious freedom and expression (Aziz, 1974). A famous Ismaili poet, Khaki Khorasani became a devout follower of the Imam as early as age seven, with his poetry bearing testimony of the piety and devotion of the Ismailis to their Imam (Sadik Ali, 1997).

Because of his mother Sabra Khatoon, a Safawi princess, Imam Murad Meerza enjoyed cordial relations with the royal Safavid family. The Imam was extremely respected and loved, and as such, a world of opportunities were offered to the Ismailis in small trade, farming, military and civil services (Aziz, 1974). Imam Murad Meerza passed away in Anjudan and was succeeded by his son Zilfiqar Aly (Sadik Ali, 1997).

During the Imamate of Imam Abizzar Aly, the rise of the Safavid Empire in Iran posed significant risk to the lives of the Ismailis. Announcing Shiism as the state religion, the Safavids sought to set themselves apart from the neighboring Sunni Ottamans. However, this adoption was far from tolerant, and Sufis, Ismailis, and other smaller sects of the Muslim faith found themselves prey to execution by the Safavids. Hence, in these turbulent times too, the Ismailis practiced taqiyah, often assuming the cloak of Twelver Shiism (Sadik Ali, 1997).

Soon after the ascension of Imam Ghareeb Mirza, the headquarters of the Imamate shifted to Anjudan, a move that would prove to be beneficial to all Ismailis all over Iran. The Imam kept himself out of the sphere of politics, and lived a private life until his death in 1498 AD.

Sharing the authorship of the book Pandiyate Jawanmardi with his father, Imam Abdus Salaam continued to advise the Jamat to practice strict taqiya due to the preponderance of enmity towards the Ismailis in surrounding communities. The book given by the Imam to the Jamat of India as a blessing of pardon was given the title of Pir. The Imam passed away in Shahr Babak in the year 1494 AD.

Imam Abdus Salaam was born in Shahr Babak, and would spent most of his life here, succeeding to the Throne of Imamat at 21 years of age.

The period of Imamate of Imam Mustansirbillah saw the demise of Pir Hassan Kabirdeen and also that of Pir Tajuddin, the latter's death recorded as a consequence of assault by some unsrupulous followers in India. The literary text of Pandiyati Jawanmardi was written by Imam Mustansirbillah, during a time when many Ismailis had to once again observe the practice of taqiya.

Born in Kahek and residing mostly in Shahr-i Babak in Kirman, Imam Muhammed Ibni Islam Shah is believed to have been about the age of 17 when assuming the Throne of Imamate. Upon his passing in 1464 AD, his son Ali Shah, surnamed Mustansirbillah, became the next hereditary Imam of the Time.

During the lifetime of Imam Islam Shah the headquarters of the Ismaili Imamat shifted from Azerbhaijaan to Kahek. The Ismailis once again fell prey to the cruelty of the Mongols, this time at the hands of Tamerlane, a descendent of Genghis Khan (Aziz, 1974). At this historic time in Ismaili history, the Pirs, renowned of which were Pir Sadirdeen and Pir Hassan Kabirdeen, converted mass numbers of Hindus in Sind, Gujrat, and Kathiawar - converts who would come to be known as the Khojas. An important historical artifact of this time is the treatise of Das Avatara (Sadik Ali, 1997).

As his father had done, Imam Qassim Shah lived in Azerbhaijaan under an assumed identity (Daftary & Hirji, 2008). Under his 60-year rule, the Ismailis lived peaceful lives by continuing the practice of taqiya. Imam Qassim Shah sent Pir Shams to India, where he converted a significant number of inhabitants to the Ismaili tariqah of Islam. During this time also, even thousands of Mongols had embraced the faith (Aziz, 1974).

The Imamate of Imam Shamsiddeen Muhammed marks the beginning of the second period of taqiya in Ismaili history. The great Ismaili saint, Shams Tabriz, who was also the uncle of the Imam, played a vital role in the propagation of the faith despite the harsh conditions. He is well known due to the fact that one of his loyal disciples was the mystical poet Jalaluddin Rumi. The succession of Pirs during this time was Pir Salahuddin, followed by his son Sayyid Shamsuddin, more commonly known as Pir Shams. The Imam, when passing away, appointed his son Qassim Shah as his successor (Aziz, 1974).

Mowlana Shamsiddeen Muhammed was born in Lamasar. As his only son, he was sent away by his father during the Mongol invasion to ensure his safety. He was destined to succeed his father at the age of eight years.

Imam Ruknuddin Khairshah reigned as Imam of the Time for a period of one to two years before being murdered by the Mongols. This event marks the end of the Alamut period. The Mongols not only managed to destroy the entire Ismaili State (the scientific instruments, observatories, libraries, and thousands of houses and buildings), but were also responsible for the death of 80,000 Ismailis (Aziz, 1974).

Imam Ruknuddin Khairshah's Imamate would mark the last period of glory of the Ismaili state in Alamut. Thereafter, and until the rise of the lineage of the Aga Khans, there appears in Ismaili history a stretch of obscurity and uncertainty in terms of historic detail, most likely related to the practice of taqiya by the Imams and the Ismaili community. Nevertheless, despite the ambiguity, there remained the tradition of an unbroken chain of succession of one Imam after another by rule of nass (Sadik Ali, 1997).

Notable figures that lived during the rule of Imam Alaiddeen Muhammed include Jalaluddin Rumi, Ibn al-Arabi, and Naseeruddin Tusi, who served as the Prime Minister of the Alamut State (Aziz, 1974). Threatened by the Mongol empire, the Imam of the Time sent a message of peace to these imminent invaders, which was promptly dismissed by them in great contempt (Daftary & Hirji, 2008). Despite these uncertain times, due to the Imam's patronage of science and learning, intellectual activity flourished immensely, and attracted many scholars from outside the Fort of Alamut (Sadik Ali, 1997).

Mowlana Imam Alaiddeen Muhammed was born in 1212AD and became the Imam of the Time at the age of 9 years.

The orthodox Muslims had responded to the doctrine of qiyama by propagating that the Ismailis had violated the Islamic Shariah. In order to avoid secular marginalization and subsequently suffer from isolation and economic hardship, Imam Jalaluddin Hassan restricted his followers in preaching the doctrine of qiyama and encouraged them instead to adopt such esoteric practices in solitude, as was common with many Sufi traditions in the past.

Imam Jalaluddin Hassan was born in Lamasar in the year 1185AD. He would play a significant role in articulating the concept of qiyama, first declared by his grandfather Mowlana Ala Zikrihis Salaam in 1164AD.