-Caveat Lector- --- Agent Smiley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 15:17:37 -0700 (PDT) > From: Agent Smiley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: hasan bin sabbah and the secret order of > hashishins > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://www.disinfo.com/pages/dossier/id985/pg1/ > > hasan bin sabbah and the secret order of hashishins > by Wes Moore ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) - March 22, > 2001 > > > Hassan-I-Sabbah . . . the only spiritual leader with > anything to say in the Space Age. > ~~ William S. Burroughs > > Nothing is True, Everything is Permissible. > ~~ Hasan bin Sabbah > > > The story of Hasan bin Sabbah is a tale of sex, > drugs, > myth, and murder. A secluded mountain fortress, a > paradisial garden, poison dipped daggers, and covert > political maneuverings are the ingredients of this > alchemical mixture, which is undoubtedly one of the > most intriguing true stories ever told. > > Hasan bin Sabbah - businessman, scholar, heresiarch, > mystic, murderer, ascetic, and political > revolutionary > - was born in Persia (Iran) around 1034. As a child, > the man who would one day claim to be the > incarnation > of God on earth (probably just another way of saying > he was Enlightened) was a diligent student of > theology. > > Supposedly, Hasan was schoolmates with Nizamul Mulk > (the future vizier to the sultan of Persia) and Omar > Khayyam (the great poet/astronomer/mathematician). > These three future luminaries made a pact whereas, > if > one of them reached a position of power and > influence, > he would assist his companions. > > As a young man, Hasan traveled to Egypt, where he > remained for a year and a half. Here he was taught > at > the illustrious Abode of Learning in Cairo, which > was > a Shiite training center (the Shiites are a branch > within the Islamic community, they broke off from > the > mainstream Sunnis after a dispute over who should > succeed the prophet Muhammad). > > At the Abode, students were taught to question > Islamic > dogma, to the point where their only source of the > truth lied in the teachings of their all-powerful > instructors. The students had to ascend through nine > degrees, until finally they were taught the Ultimate > Truth: that the world is created through actions, > and > beliefs are powerless distractions used to enslave > the > masses. This system would later serve as the model > for > the organizational structure of the Hashishins . . . > > Hasan ran into trouble in Egypt, however, after a > controversy arose over who should succeed the > Fatimid > caliph. The Fatimids, who ruled Egypt at the time, > were the heads of the Ismailis, a sect of Islam that > separated from the mainstream Shiites. Before the > Fatimid caliph died, he appointed his youngest son > to > take over the dynasty, because his oldest son died > before he did. This infuriated Sabbah, who believed > the descendant of the caliph's oldest son, Nizar, > was > the rightful heir to the throne. > > Sabbah was imprisoned in Egypt for supporting Nizar, > but, as luck would have it, the prison wall > collapsed > and he fled to Persia. While searching for a > permanent > residence, Hasan found a secluded fortress high in > the > mountains of Qazwin. This castle, called Alamut > ("the > eagle's nest") was the ideal stronghold for Hasan's > new sect, the Nizari Ismailites (who later called > themselves the "Hashishins"). Alamut was positioned > in > a central location, and so was an excellent hub from > which Hasan could spread Ismaili propaganda. > > Hasan went about securing Alamut using subtle > trickery > and persuasion. Whilst bargaining with the owner of > Alamut, he requested only a portion of land that > could > be covered by the skin of a cow. The owner agreed, > not > realizing how clever and resourceful Hasan could be. > Hasan proceeded to divide a cow's hide into such > thin > layers that he was able to cover the entire surface > area of the fortress. The owner was forced to live > up > to his end of the bargain, and Hasan now had a > stronghold from which he could extend his influence > throughout the Mideast and, indeed, the history of > Western civilization. > > When word reached Nizamul Mulk (the childhood > friend) > of Hasan's securing of Alamut, he grew so inflamed > with jealousy and rage that he sent an army to siege > the fortress, a plot that failed miserably. For > this, > Hasan had Mulk killed by a dagger into the heart. So > much for the pact. > > Within Alamut, Hasan built the legendary "Garden of > Earthly Delights", which would play an important > role > in the initiatic rites of the Hashishins (also > called > the "Assassins"). > > The garden lay in a beautiful valley nestled between > two high mountains. Here he had imported exotic > plants, birds, and animals from all over the world. > Surrounding the garden were luxurious palaces of > marble and gold, decorated with beautiful paintings > and fine silk furniture. Streams of milk, wine, and > honey flowed throughout this earthly paradise, while > fountains gushed with wine and pure spring water. > > The initiate, after being knocked out by a powerful > potion mixed with hashish, would be carried into the > garden. When he awoke from his slumber, he would be > greeted by a host beautiful teenage girls (houris), > who sang and danced and played lovely instruments > for > him. As he drifted into an ecstatic daze, the girls > would go to work on the initiate, giving him a > full-body tongue massage, while one girl performed > oral sex on him. Eventually, the bedazzled young man > would climax into the girl's mouth "as softly and > slowly and blissfully as a single snowflake > falling." > (Robert Anton Wilson, from Prometheus Rising) No > wonder Hasan could demand absolute loyalty from his > followers, no questions asked . . . > > This was only a small part of Hasan's system, which > was divided into seven degrees. The Hashishins > combined both the exoteric (communicated, "God's > Law") > and esoteric (subjective, mystical) doctrines of > Islam. Sabbah was a noted alchemist, and a student > of > Sufism, so part of the initiatic curriculum for the > future Hashishins involved mastering occult methods > for reaching higher planes of consciousness. Of > course, they were also taught how to properly kill a > man using poison or a dagger. Initiates were trained > to learn multiple languages, as well as the dress > and > manners of merchants, monks and soldiers. Moreover, > they were taught to fake beliefs and devotion to > every > major religion of that era. In this way, an Assassin > could pretend to be anyone from a well-to-do > merchant > to a Sufi mystic, a Christian, or a common soldier. > > The Hashishin Order was set up much like your > traditional bureaucratic organization. At the top of > the hierarchy sat Hasan, the Old Man of the > Mountain, > who preached absolute devotion to a transcendental > God. Below him were the grand priories (enlightened > mystics), the propagandists, and finally the fidais, > who were the lowest ranking Hashishins. The fidais > were self-sacrificers (called "the destroying > angels") > who were willing to commit any atrocity their master > demanded of them, including suicide. They dressed in > white tunics with red sashes: colours that > represented > innocence and blood. > > As the Hashishins gained power and influence, the > sultan of Persia grew agitated. He decided to send > troops to storm Alamut, which, like the similar > attack > attempted by his vizier, was a pathetic failure. > Hasan > had the sultan poisoned, and after his death the > kingdom of Persia split into warring factions, which > made the Assassins the most cohesive and powerful > group in Persia for many years. > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute > with Yahoo! Messenger > http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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