Ahmad ibn Musa

"How shameful it is that knowledge always ends up in the wrong hands."

―Ahmad to Basim Ibn Ishaq, 860s.^[src]^-[m]

Abū al‐Qāsim, Aḥmad ibn Mūsā ibn Shākir (fl. 9th century) was a Persian scholar and engineer who lived in Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age. Alongside his brothers Abu Jafar and Al-Hasan, he was also a member of the Hidden Ones and aided the brotherhood with his inventions and tools.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Ahmad was born in the early 9th century to Mūsā ibn Shākir, a famous astronomer who served as governor of Khurasan. Thanks to their father's position, Ahmad and his brothers received an elite education and went on to serve the Abbasid court as mathematicians, inventors and scholars,^[2] becoming quite close to the caliph Al-Mutawakkil, according to Tabid Al-Nubi.^[3]

Around 830, the Banū Mūsā brothers participated in Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi's calculation of the circumference of the Earth. They also paid for manuscript-buying trips to the Byzantine Empire, and published 20 books on various subjects, the most important of which was the Book of Ingenious Devices (Arabic: Kitab al-Hiyal). Thanks to their friendship with the caliph, the brothers were also able to secure important and wealthy positions as architects and city planners responsible for canal construction.^[2]

However, Ahmad and his brothers eventually grew disgusted with the Caliphate for reasons they refused to disclose, and joined the Hidden Ones of Alamut to fight against the corruption and injustice that were running rampant in Baghdad.^[3]

Life as a Hidden One[]

ACMir A New Beginning 10 — Ahmad with Fuladh Al Haami at Alamut

In 862, Ahmad became acquainted with Basim Ibn Ishaq, a new recruit to the brotherhood, who would occasionally mistake him for one of his brothers due to their identical appearances. One day, while working on a grab-dredge device, Ahmad was approached by Basim, who mistook him for Abu Jafar and inquired about his work. However, the inventor was too preoccupied with his device to pay him much attention.^[4]

Later that night, Ahmad announced to his fellow Hidden Ones that he would be leaving for Baghdad the following day, as he had projects to work on at the House of Wisdom. However, he claimed that he would not be abandoning his Hidden One duties and that he could serve as the brotherhood's eyes and ears among the scholars.^[4]

Following his arrival in Baghdad, Ahmad set up a workshop at the House of Wisdom, where he was eventually approached by Doctor Hassan. Telling Ahmad about advanced technology found in the desert, the doctor asked for his help to build a machine that would allow people to experience visions of an ancient world. Unaware that Hassan was a member of the Order of the Ancients, Ahmad accepted and became so preoccupied with his work that he failed to report back to the Hidden Ones for weeks.^[5]

ACMir Find the Missing Brother 25 — Basim questioning Ahmad about his work with the Order

When Tabid sent Ahmad a letter requesing his help to set up a Hidden One bureau in Abbasiyah and received no response, he asked Basim to investigate Ahmad's disappearance.^[3] During his search, Basim learned about the inventor's work with Hassan and ultimately assassinated the doctor at The Great Bimaristan. Ahmad walked into the room moments later and, seeing Hassan's corpse, asked Basim what had happened. After Basim revealed the doctor's Order affiliations, Ahmad was surprised and told him about the machine he had been working on.^[5]

In the end, Basim believed Ahmad when the latter claimed that he knew nothing of the Order's involvement, and agreed not to inform the Hidden Ones of his activities if Ahmad returned to the Abbasiyah bureau. The inventor did so, after sorrowly remarking that knowledge always ended up in the wrong hands.^[5] Following Basim's assassination of the Ancient Fazil Fahim al-Kemsa, Ahmad greeted him upon his return to the Abbasiyah bureau and thanked him for keeping his secret before returning to work.^[6]

Personality and traits[]

"I never ask questions when it comes to work. Do you?"

―Ahmad to Basim, 860s.^[src]^-[m]

Ahmad was described as more aloof than his brothers Abu Jafar, who was more grounded, and Al-Hasan, who was fascinated by spirituality. Like most siblings, the three were prone to arguments, but when they put their minds together, they were able to create marvels.^[7]

As an inventor, Ahmad was easily bored, constantly dividing his attention between multiple projects at once.^[6] He could also get carried away by his work, so much that he failed to report back to the Hidden Ones for weeks while working on his machine for Doctor Hassan. Ahmad did not find the project suspicious and was completely unaware of Hassan's affiliation with the Order of the Ancients until Basim revealed it to him. Realizing the consequences he would face if the Hidden Ones learned about his activities, Ahmad was grateful to Basim when the latter agreed to keep his secret.^[5]