Imam Ruknuddin Khairshah reigned as Imam of the Time for a period of one to two years before being murdered by the Mongols. This event marks the end of the Alamut period. The Mongols not only managed to destroy the entire Ismaili State (the scientific instruments, observatories, libraries, and thousands of houses and buildings), but were also responsible for the death of 80,000 Ismailis (Aziz, 1974).

Imam Ruknuddin Khairshah's Imamate would mark the last period of glory of the Ismaili state in Alamut. Thereafter, and until the rise of the lineage of the Aga Khans, there appears in Ismaili history a stretch of obscurity and uncertainty in terms of historic detail, most likely related to the practice of taqiya by the Imams and the Ismaili community. Nevertheless, despite the ambiguity, there remained the tradition of an unbroken chain of succession of one Imam after another by rule of nass (Sadik Ali, 1997).

Notable figures that lived during the rule of Imam Alaiddeen Muhammed include Jalaluddin Rumi, Ibn al-Arabi, and Naseeruddin Tusi, who served as the Prime Minister of the Alamut State (Aziz, 1974). Threatened by the Mongol empire, the Imam of the Time sent a message of peace to these imminent invaders, which was promptly dismissed by them in great contempt (Daftary & Hirji, 2008). Despite these uncertain times, due to the Imam's patronage of science and learning, intellectual activity flourished immensely, and attracted many scholars from outside the Fort of Alamut (Sadik Ali, 1997).

Mowlana Imam Alaiddeen Muhammed was born in 1212AD and became the Imam of the Time at the age of 9 years.

The orthodox Muslims had responded to the doctrine of qiyama by propagating that the Ismailis had violated the Islamic Shariah. In order to avoid secular marginalization and subsequently suffer from isolation and economic hardship, Imam Jalaluddin Hassan restricted his followers in preaching the doctrine of qiyama and encouraged them instead to adopt such esoteric practices in solitude, as was common with many Sufi traditions in the past.

Imam Jalaluddin Hassan was born in Lamasar in the year 1185AD. He would play a significant role in articulating the concept of qiyama, first declared by his grandfather Mowlana Ala Zikrihis Salaam in 1164AD.