Hasan-i-Sabbah and Seljuk Sultan – Exchange of Letters, by Dr. A. M. Rajput
Posted: 18 Feb 2011 06:57 AM PST
Hasan-i-Sabbah and Seljuk Sultan - Exchange of Letters, by Dr. A. M. RajputSUMMARY: In his MA thesis on the Ismaili dai, Hasan-i-Sabbah, Dr. A. M. Rajput has translated into English an exchange of letters that took place between the Seljuk ruler, Sultan Malik Shah, and Hasan-i- Sabbah. A dispute over the authenticity of the documents, notwithstanding, the letters are indicative of the attack on Ismailis during that time, and Sabbah’s defence of the ideals of the Ismaili faith.
Seljuk Sultan, Malik Shah, to Hasan-i-Sabbah:
O, you Hasan-bin-Sabbah, you have invented a new religion and faith and have enticed people into it by various means. You have been a traitor to the rulers of the land. You make accusations against the Abbasid Caliphs who are the (rightful) Caliphs of Islam and who are responsible for the maintenance of peace and order and are the protectors of the faith of Islam. Consider well and have mercy on your self and on your followers and do not unnecessarily precipitate them towards disaster. Indeed, even if your castle ‘Alamut was a fortress of heaven, I would level it to the ground by the grace of Allah.
Hasan-i-Sabbah’s reply:
I left Rayy for Baghdad where I remained for sometime…It became apparent to me that the activities of these Abbasid Caliphs, the so-called pontiffs of the Islamic faith, were far removed from the Islamic ideals of justice and truth. I became convinced that if the foundations of the edifice of Islam and its faith were those embodied in these Caliphs then heresy and atheism would be superior to such a faith….It is my sincere belief that the children of the Prophet have a more legitimate claim to the Caliphate as the successors of the Prophet than the children of Abbas.
Read the detailed exchange at:
http://simerg.com/literary-readings/exc ... -i-sabbah/