Fist

In Assassin's Creed the fists are the weakest form of fighting available to the player. Guards will not intervene with a fistfight, unless the player is attacking a guard. However, if the player draws a weapon they will attack.

Altaïr's fists are also the only weapon he can use to interrogate a target without killing or causing them to run, even though the target is always assassinated anyway once Altaïr has his information. When attempting to pickpocket a thug for throwing knives, if he notices Altaïr stealing from him, he may start a fist fight. You can choose to punch back, or you can draw one of your swords and he will immediately flee. The latter will attract the attention of nearby guards if you don't put it away immediately. As weak as fists are they are your only weapon as a novice but don't get used to them because you are only a novice for one mission.