|
|
 |
|
50.0%ANMag Issue 24 Global Awareness
Mystic Peoples from Our Past: The Hashshashin
By Ghassan Teffaha, Staff Writer
Beirut, Lebanon − The Hashshashin, also known as Hashishin, Hashashiyyin or Assassins were an offshoot of the Ismaili sect of Shiite Islam. Driven out of Egypt after a quarrel over the succession of leadership in the ruling Fatimide dynasty around the year 1090, they established a number of fortified settlements in present day Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon under the charismatic leader Hassan Il-Sabbah. The Hashshashin were persecuted as infidels by the dominant Sunni sect in the Muslim world. In retaliation, they sent dedicated suicide murderers to eliminate prominent Sunni and Christian leaders whom they considered “impious usurpers”. The sect was decimated by a double blow from the Mongols and the Mamluks.
It is said that the birth place that started their elite group was in Iran, and they later traveled to other countries in the region. The group transformed the act of murder into a system directed largely against Seljuk Muslim rulers who had been persecuting their sect. They were thorough in killing their targets, seeking to do so with the least amount of risks to other civilian lives. However, they were careful to cultivate their terrifying reputation by slaying their victims in public, often in mosques and markets and other crowded areas. Typically, they approached using a disguise, their weapon of choice being a dagger or a small blade. They rejected poison, bows and other weapons that did not guarantee a kill. For unarmed combat, the Hashshashin practiced a fighting style called “Janna” which incorporates striking techniques, grappling and low kicks. However, under no circumstances did they commit suicide, preferring to be killed by their captors.
There are also stories that they used their well-known deadliness for political goals without necessarily killing. For example, a victim, usually high-placed, might one morning find a Hashshashin dagger lying on their pillow upon awakening. This was a plain hint to the targeted individual that he was safe nowhere, that maybe even his inner group of servants had been infiltrated by the sect, and that whatever course of action had brought him into conflict with them would have to be stopped if he wanted to live. This was most famously used against Saladin where they managed to sneak into his tent in the heart of his camp and left a poisoned cake and a note saying "You are in our power" on Saladin's chest as he slept. This tactic worked and the Great Saladin lifted his siege the following days from their Syrian stronghold of Masyaf.
The origin of their name is widely disputed till this day. Some scholars believe the term Hashshashin, a name given to them by their enemies, was derived from the Arabic "haššāšīn" which translates into “Hashish User”, which they are alleged to have ingested prior to their attacks. The Hashashin referred to themselves as “al-da'wa al-jadīda” which translates to “the new doctrine”. Others argue that Hashashin simply means followers of Al-Hassan; their founder. Some suggest that since hashish-eaters were generally ostracized in the Middle Ages the word "Hashshashin" had become a common synonym for all outlaws which was what the Hashshashin basically were in the eyes of many in those times.
Some common accounts of their connection with hashish are that they would take hashish before missions in order to calm themselves. Others say that it helped to boost their strength, and turned them into mad men in battles. Yet, other accounts state it was used in their initiation rites in order to show the neophyte the sensual pleasures awaiting him in the afterlife. The word Hashish (of probable Arabic origin) refers to resin collected from cannabis flowers. This could be the true drug of the Assassins as described by Marco Polo. Important to remember, however, is that both alcohol and narcotics such as cannabis are Haram, or strictly prohibited, by most schools of Islam. Therefore, it is possible that the label or attribution of Hashshashin to drug use was to portray them negatively. As they conceived of themselves as political and religious revolutionaries, and were considered a danger to the status quo of Crusader Age Persia and Arabia, it would make sense that many would attempt to discredit them.
The Hashshashin where destroyed by the Mongol warlord Hulagu Khan. During the Mongol assault of Alamut on December 15, 1256, the library of the sect was destroyed, along with much of their power base, and thus much of the sect's own records were lost; most accounts of them stem from the highly reputable Arab historians of the period. The Syrian branch of the Hashshashin was destroyed in 1273 by Mamluk Sultan Baibars.