The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Isma'ilis

There's no question that Daftary's work -- like Bernard Lewis' -- is essential reading for anyone studying the Ismailis, or the various legends surrounding the so-called hasheeshians, or assassins. I came across Daftary's work and his Institutue of Ismaili Studies in London as I was preparing the first English translation of ALAMUT, Vladimir Bartol's novel of Hasan ibn Sabbah, the original so-called "assassin."If Daftary's tone appears to be defensive, he's got several centuries of reasons behind him: since Marco Polo swept through Persia and returned to Italy with fantastic and horrific tales of how "no person, however powerful...could escape assassination" at the hands of the "Old Man of the Mountain" and his band of hashish-eating followers, Ismailis have had their work cut out for them. (Bartol's work certainly doesn't help, largely relying as it does on those myths and fabrications.) Taken together with Lewis' work on the subject, Daftary's study offers a compelling argument against Marco Polo and the bread crumbs of myths that followed him back to Italy.

Excellent addition to my collection

Farhad Daftary's The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Ismâîlîs is a text focused on the emergence of legends that have been perpetuated about the Assassins since the medieval times. Daftary commences his work by providing detailed information in the initial chapter about the formative period of Islam. Herein, he recounts the events surrounding Muhammad and his early followers. From this point, Daftary, like other Islamic scholars, examines the schism, which resulted in the partitioning of Islam in two competing sects: Sunnî and Shîa. The most interesting aspect gleaned from the reading of this initial chapter pertains to a group of Shîa Muslims, known as the Abbasids, obtaining power in Baghdad. Under this group the Abbasid Caliphate was established and remained in power until their demise in 1258 C.E. by the invading Mongols. Daftary evinces that this group eventually redefined themselves, in terms of Shîa Islam, and eventually lost most of their power to the invading Seljûq Turks. The Abbasid Caliphate became more of a ceremonial figurehead than the wielder of supreme power in Islamic lands. Daftary elucidates how the Abbasid Caliphate succumbed to dilution in their religious practices, which render them more Sunnî in practice.Nizârî Ismâîlîs' viewpoints of religion posed such a viable threat to the power structure of the Abbasids, that they organized extensive propaganda operation against the Assassins. Daftary examines the primary texts used by modern orientalist scholars and demonstrates that most of the information disseminated about Ismâîlîs was in fact legendary tales to create a hatred toward this sect. Nevertheless, these myths did not pertain to fictional accounts of assassinations, but rather what was their guiding philosophy that drove them to do such. Medieval Islamic polemicists created the image of a sect that jettisoned all Islamic beliefs in acceptance of militant atheism. Thus, the very origins of the Assassins' religious beliefs needed to be attacked to discount any validity to their claims. The Nizârîs actually commenced proselytizing efforts in the regions they lived in: Persia and Syria. These tales, coupled with the allegations of hallucinogenic drug use, fueled the fires of persecution against this sect and against all those who sympathized with them.Daftary does not solely implicate the Sunnî faction in the total propagation of these tales, but also the Crusaders, who enter the realms of the Middle East in the late 11th century. Daftary asserts that once the Crusaders enter the Islamic lands, many Muslims began to learn the language and culture of their enemies. However, it was not the same for the Crusaders. Some Crusaders did learn Arabic, but when it came to the religion, not much progress was made in this field. Daftary uses primary source material from Crusader scribes to evince this. This resulted in further disinformation about the Nizârîs and their beliefs. These tales eventually made it into Europe, hindering future scholarship on Islam in generations to come. These tales became the representative outlook of most of Europe during the Early Modern Period of Europe.Daftary is an economist by training, but, after further disenchantment with the orientalist style of scholarship, he commenced scholarship focusing on obscure topics in Islamic culture and history. Daftary's work seeks to bridge the gap of misunderstanding that has permeated the scholarship of the past. This book presents a different perspective on the Nizârî Ismâîlîs. His methodical undertaking of explaining this viewpoint, coupled with excellent endnotes for each chapter, provides for an alluring account of the Assassins. The arrangement of the argument is persuasive and evocative, where one is left with more questions pertaining to the sect and what they really stood for. This scholarship provides an entrance into Daftary's more in-depth analysis of the sect found in Ismâîlîs: Their History and Doctrines. This is a text that must be read in order to see some of the advances that have been procured in Ismâîlî scholarship.An honest scholar will recognize that there are always two sides to the story. Failing to examine Daftary's work would be an injustice to this field of scholarship. The motives of the enemies of the Ismâîlîs should always be taken into consideration, when tackling this complex group of people. However, that is not to say that the motives of the Ismâîlîs should not be taken into account, but rather all sources should be scrutinized and examined. This book is a short introduction into the world of Assassins that provides a solid examination of the problems surrounding the scholarship of the past. It is a book that tries to pioneer a different perspective, inviting others to join in on the conversation.

As the Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications at the Institute of Islamic studies it is safe to say that Daftary is the foremost expert and scholar in Ismailism today. What makes this book so compelling is that it dares to defy the age old myths of the so called "Assassins". Few books, if any, have provided readers with this perspective, and Daftary pulls it off exceptionally. While the book may be heavy in names, dates and facts they serve to provide credibility and work to dispel the myths that many have worked hard to create. Finally, a piece that gives competing works a run for their money. Anyone who has read other, older and perhaps more popular works about the "Assassin Terrorist" are highly recommended to read Daftary's works as they make a much more convincing argument. The book also elucidates the origins of myth and folklore and how they develop into acceptable facts with time. With all the negativity surrounding Islam and Ismailism today The Assassin Legends gives an opportunity to step back and look the entire picture. Any real scholar would admit that there are two sides to every story, and to study the Assassins without consulting Daftary's works would be committing a sincere injustice.

This is a very interesting and well researched look at the history of the Isma'ilis, and compliments your Middle-Eastern history shelf nicely. It is essentially a history text, though, and heavy on the names/dates/primary sources, and isn't quite so useful if you're looking for actual legends. It is also clearly biased in favor of the Isma'ilis, which is fair considering most Islamic histories are biases against them. Still, this book is a nice addition to the sect's history, but maybe not the best introduction.

By this detailed book Daftary submerges into 12th century politics. He carefully retells the history of islam and all of its various sects. The Assassins legends are carefully explained and the truth behind the slanders has been brought to light. The middle-age politics were made under the veil of islam in the middle-east back then. The sect's political ambition is to rise against foregin invasion(that is Selcuk rulers)No credit to tales about drugging men into sacrificing their lives for the promise of heaven. This group were made out of then-persian patriots defending their culture as a way of life.All in all a well-written book worth reading several times all over

This book should be required reading for anyone associated with Ismailism ! Negative propoganda and lack of original but unbiased research on Ismailism have portrayed a very negative image on Ismailis - this book provides a basis in remeyding that problem. You will not regret reading this book !