Hasan al-Qahir

Ḥasan al-Qāhir: حسن القاهر
22nd Ismaili Nizari Imam Ḥasan al-Qahir
Born520 AH/1126 AD
Died557 AH/1162 AD
Resting placeUnknown
Other namesAl-Qahir (the Almighty)
Term520 AH/1126 AD - 557 AH/1162 AD
PredecessorAl-Muhtadi
SuccessorHasan 'Ala Zikrihi's-Salam

Al-Qāhir ibn al-Muhtadī bi-Quwwat Allāh (Arabic: القاهر بن المهتدي بقوة الله) or Ḥasan al-Qāhir was the 22nd Imam of the Shia Nizari Ismailis. He is believed to have lived in occultation in the Nizari Ismaili state centrered around Alamut Castle. He is believed to have been represented externally by Kiya Buzurg-Ummid, and later on by Muhammad ibn Buzurg-Ummid.[1]

There is not a great deal known about al-Qahir except that which is recorded traditional doctrine of the Nizari Isma'ili; he was the father of their 23rd Imam, Hasan 'Ala Zikrihi's-Salam,[2] and according to tradition, revealed himself to his followers in 1164 as the son of "Muhammad al-Muhtadi". However, the existence of al-Qahir and his two predecessors is considered obscure. On the one hand, because they are said to have lived in secrecy and, on the other hand, because contemporary historiographical works by the Ismailis were destroyed in the Middle Ages. The oldest genealogies of the imams following Nizar date from the 15th and 16th centuries. Sunni chroniclers like Ata-Malik Juvayni consider this story to be a untrue. According to him, Hasan II was actually a biological son of Muhammad ibn Buzurg-Umid, and therefore a false imam. He and his followers had constructed his descent from Nizar († 1095) in order to preserve the right to exist for their branch of Isma'ilism.[3][4]

  1. ^ Daftary, Farhad (2020). The Ismaili Imams : a biographical history. Institute of Ismaili Studies. London. ISBN 978-0-7556-1798-2. OCLC 1192446705.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Farhad Daftary, Encyclopaedia Iranica, Volume II, Fascicle 1, pgs. 24-25. "ḤASAN II".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Farhad Daftary, Encyclopaedia Iranica, Volume II, Fascicle 1. "ISMAʿILISM iii. ISMAʿILI HISTORY".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Ismaili History 618 - HASAN ALA ZIKRIHI'S SALAM (557-561/1162-1166)".