ASSASSINS, THE. A sect which arose in Persia after the death of al-Mustansir (A.D. 1094), the supreme head of the Isma'ilis (q.v.), through the rivalry of his two sons, Musta'li and Nazir. Al-Mustansir is said to have 4 been asked by Hasan-i-Sabbah in whose name the Isma`ili propaganda should be conducted after his death, and to have received the reply, " In the name of my elder son, Nizar." He therefore carried on his propaganda in favour of this son, and his followers became known as " Assassins." The Crusaders called them Assassini, Assessini, Assisslni, or Heissessini. It was once thought that the name was a corruption of Hasaniyyln, " followers of Hamm" Sylvestre de Sacy, however, has shown that the Greek chroniclers and Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela have preserved a form of the name (Xao-w-IoL; Hashishin) more nearly resembling the original. Benjamin of Tudela's designation, Hashishin represents, it is thought, the Arabic Hashishilyen, a name which would have been given to the sect " because of the use which they made of the drug Hashish, otherwise known to us as Indian hemp.' "
At this period the properties of the drug seem to have been known to only a few people In Persia. Its use by the Assassins seems to have been confined to one of the Degrees or Grades of Initiation into which the Order was divided. The head of the order was called the Chief-Propagandist or Grand Master (known in popular speech as " the Mountain Chief "). Immediately under him were the Grand Priors or Superior Propagandists. Then came the ordinary propagandists. The lower grades who received a lesser and varying kind of initia tion, comprised Companions, Adherents, and Self-devoted Ones. The latter were the " ministers of vengeance of the Order " (the " Destroying Angels "), and were trained not only in the use of arms, but sometimes also in the use of foreign languages. To die on one of the Grand Master's errands of assassination was considered by them an honour and a sure way to future happiness. See E. G. Browne, Literary Hist. of Persia, 1906.