ABSTRACT
The early success of the Ismaili da'wa culminated in the foundation of the Ismaili state or dawla in North Africa in 297/907, under the leadership of the Ismaili imam who now ruled as the Fatimid caliph over an expanding empire. Hasan-i Sabbah had already established himself in 483/1090 at the fortress of Alamut in northern Persia, signalling the foundation of what was to become the Nizari Ismaili state of Persia and Syria. The only Ismaili work on Rashid al-Din Sinan is the Fasl min al-lafz al-sharif, a hagiographic text containing various anecdotes based on the oral traditions of the Syrian Nizaris, attributed to the Syrian da'i-author Abu Firas Shihab al-Din b. al-Qadi Nasr al-Maynaqi. Initially, Sinan concentrated his efforts in reorganising the Nizari da'wa and community in Syria, also strengthening the defensive and offensive capabilities of his community. Sinan did proclaim the spiritual resurrection for the Nizaris of Syria.
