In the original 2007 Assassin's Creed game, Altaïr serves under Al Mualim, the Assassin mentor of Masyaf. Al Mualim is presented as the order’s leader and as Altaïr’s teacher after Altaïr’s reckless failure during the opening mission.
The name is derived from the historical Arabic honorific al-muʿallim, meaning “the teacher.” The game’s Al Mualim is loosely inspired by Rashid ad-Din Sinan, the historical leader of the Syrian Nizari Ismaili community, but the fictional character is not identical to him.
Al Mualim assigns Altaïr a sequence of assassination targets across the Holy Land. The story later reveals that his guidance conceals a personal plan involving the Apple of Eden. This makes him both mentor and final antagonist, a reversal that distinguishes the first game’s plot from later Assassin leaders.