ÿAlÃÂþ al-Dën Muḥammad III (; 1211âÂÂ1255), more commonly known as ÿAlÃÂþ al-Dën (), son of JalÃÂl al-Dën Ḥasan III, was the 26th NizÃÂri Isma'ilism ImÃÂm. He ruled the Nizari Ismaili state from 1221 to 1255. By some accounts, he was considered a respected scholar and the spiritual and worldly leader of the Nisari Ismailis. The intellectual life of Persia has been described as having flourished during his 34-year reign. Allegedly, he was known for his tolerance and . His reign witnessed the beginnings of the Mongol conquests of Persia and the eastern Muslim world. He was assassinated by an unknown perpetrator on 1 December 1255, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Rukn al-Din Khurshah, in 1255.
Alauddin Muhammad, also known as Muhammad III, was born in 1213. At the age of nine, upon the death of his father, he became the ruler of the Alamut. However, his mother took over the administration of state affairs and governed Alamut for the next six years (1221âÂÂ1227), making her the first woman to do so in Alamut's history. This period was a time of relative peace in Alamut, during which the Imam's mother seems to have deposed many incapable governors in Rudhbar and Kohistan, possibly due to suspicions that they had misused their powers.
When Alauddin Muhammad's mother died in 1227, he took full control of the Alamut at the age of 15 or 16. He dealt with the misusers of power strongly and firmly, causing most of them to turn against him and flee to Qazvin. In an attempt to cover up their wrongdoings, possibly including defalcation, some of the governors spread rumors against the Imam, claiming that a physician's operation a few months before the death of his mother had damaged his brain and caused excessive blood loss. However, this opposition was quickly surmounted.
Under Muhammad III's reign, the Sunni conformity that had been initiated by his father was gradually and quietly reversed. As a result, his community increasingly regarded itself openly as Ismaili Shi'ite.
He was assassinated by an unknown perpetrator on 1 December 1255, and was succeeded by his eldest son Rukn al-Din Khurshah in 1255.
AlÃÂþ ad-Dën Muḥammad was an esteemed scholar who studied spiritual, philosophical, and jurisprudence sciences. He was well known for his mystical statements, which reflected his profound knowledge. He established a special school to train da'is in the correct principles of inviting people to Nizari Isma'ili Islam.
He authored a seminal constitution for the Nizari Ismailis, entitled Murids. One of the daâÂÂis, Shams al-Den ibn Ahmad ibn Yaqoub al-Taibi (ôàó çÃÂïÃÂàèàãÃÂàï èàÃÂùÃÂÃÂè çÃÂ÷ÃÂèÃÂ), documented that the treatise named The Constitution and the Call to the Believers to Attendance (çÃÂïóêÃÂñ àïùÃÂé çÃÂàäàÃÂÃÂàÃÂ¥ÃÂàçÃÂÃÂöÃÂñ) was delivered to him by DaâÂÂi Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, who obtained it directly from Alaâ al-Din Muhammad. This treatise also mentioned that Alaâ al-Din Muhammad dictated to his hujja, Shams al-Den ibn Ahmad ibn Yaqoub al-Taibi, a document called The Constitution of Mawlana Ala'audeen, which displayed his high intellectual and scientific capacities.
AlÃÂþ ad-Dën Muḥammad offered special attention to the learned discussions and debates that took place in Alamut. He assigned one day per week to philosophical and doctrinal debates between da'is, guiding them to polish their skills for dialectical debating and offering pedagogical and argumentation techniques that made them proficient in dialectical discussions and arguments.
The Syrian NizÃÂrë author (1201âÂÂ1257) was his da'i to Syria. He had important philosophical treatises as RisÃÂlat al-AsÃÂbëÿ, ed., ÿÃÂrif TÃÂmir, in his Khams RasÃÂþil IsmÃÂÿëliyya (pp. 057âÂÂ079), which discussed esoteric exegesis (taþwël) of certain Quranic verses and Ismaili theology related to the number seven. All-DÃÂdëkhë was a talented poet; in the presence of AlÃÂþ ad-Dën Muḥammad and his son Imam Rukn al-Din Khurshah, he expressed a poem titled "Degree of the Fatimid Imam is Glorified" (ÃÂïñ çÃÂÃ¥àçàçÃÂÃÂç÷àààùøà), the verses of which affirm the Fatimid origin of AlÃÂþ ad-Dën Muḥammad.
More recent studies have revealed that intellectual life flourished during the long reign of AlÃÂþ al-Din Muhammad and was bolstered by an influx of outside scholars who fled the first waves of Mongol invasions and found refuge in the Nizari fortress communities of Persia. Foremost among such scholars who availed themselves of the Nizari libraries and patronage was Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, a polymath who made major contributions to Nizari Ismaili thought of the late Alamut period during his three decades of residency. As elaborated in his spiritual autobiography, Sayr wa Suluk, al-Tusi converted to Ismailism sometime during his prolonged association with the Nizari Ismailis.
AlÃÂþ al-Din Muhammad was very inclusive and pluralistic in his outlook. He granted patronage and shelter to various scholars from surrounding countries destroyed by the Mongol invasion. He granted access to libraries and offered all kinds of support. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi was one of his prominent da'is who contributed to Ismaili theology.
AlÃÂþ al-Din Muhammad's alliance with the larger Muslim community enlarged Nizari's political boundaries. The grand vision of world domination returned for a time. Purely local squabbles were replaced by ambitious diplomatic activities in lands as far away as Europe and Mongolia, while a Nizari religious mission was firmly established in India. Financial tribute for their safety was received from political leaders as distant as Germany, Aragon, and Yemen.
Besides his missions to create a ChristianâÂÂMuslim coalition in anticipation of the Mongols' invasion, AlÃÂþ al-Din Muhammad was among the first to send peaceful messages to the Great Khan Guyuk in Mongolia in full collaboration with the Sunni Abbasid Caliphate. The relationship with Abbasid Caliphate during his leadership was friendly and cordial. Additionally, he sent da'is to Sind to establish NizÃÂri IsmÃÂÿilë Islam in the Indian subcontinent.
Maymà «n-Diz () was a major castle with a unique construction style built during the reign of AlÃÂþ ad-Dën Muḥammad on a high rock with a sharp cliff. It played an important role for the Nizari Ismailis of the Alamut period, which is well-captured historical records.
Silver coins were used in Seljuk Iran for the first time in 618 AH (1221 CE), in the early period of AlÃÂþ ad-Dën Muḥammad's rule.
Many accounts about AlÃÂþ ad-Dën Muḥammad might reflect the religious bias of Atâ-Malek Juvayni, who alleged that his rule was described as "cruel, imperious, sadistic, alcoholic, and unpredictable". Juvayni was an important Sunni official of the Mongol empire which invaded and destroyed the Ismaili state.
Marco Polo's description of AlÃÂþ al-Din Muhammad III, the penultimate Lord of the Alamut, was copied by other European writers and caught the imagination of many readers. However, the contemporary historian al-Juwayni â an avowed enemy of the Nizaris who accompanied the Mongol leader Hulagu to Alamut in 1256 and carefully inspected the fortress before its destruction â does not report discovering any "secret gardens of paradise" as claimed in Marco Polo's popular account. Even though al-Juwayni mentions that he selected many "choice books" from the famous Alamut library for his purposes, he burned the books that he did not like.