Al Mualim is the Assassin mentor who leads the order in the original Assassin's Creed.
Al Mualim is based in Masyaf, the mountain fortress that serves as the Assassins' headquarters during Altaïr's story. He sends Altaïr on missions against important targets during the Third Crusade and oversees the order's training and discipline.
The name Al Mualim means “the teacher” or “the master” in Arabic usage. His authority makes him one of the most important figures in the first game's historical storyline, alongside Altaïr and the leaders of the Templars.
Players may confuse him with later Assassin mentors such as Achilles Davenport in Assassin's Creed III or Niccolò Machiavelli in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Those characters belong to different eras and games. William Miles, meanwhile, is a modern-day Assassin and Desmond's father.