Authors : Toraj Ghadimi and Sadegh Abbasalipour
Abstract: The Safavid era (1501-1736) has been one of the most outstanding turning points in the history of Shia Islam and in particular in the history of Iran. This study aims to investigate the two major influencing factors which had crucial effects on the Safavids’ path to power, i.e., Shia Islam (a branch of Islam) and the Sayyadat claim (descent from the Holy Prophet). As a result, Safavids established the 1st central government in Persia after Sassanid’s collapse 7 centuries before. Furthermore, Safavids established Ithna Ashari (Twelver) school of Shia Islam as the official religion of their empire. Despite these great achievements, the religious tendencies of Safavid kings remains rather unclear. According to some historians, Sheikh Safi Ad-din, the founder of Safavid order was a sunni and a sufi religious leader. Contrary to this view, others regard him as a Shiite man. Following him, his descendants have openly claimed that they were Sayyeds. This simultaneous processes of conversion into Shia faith and Sayyadat claim was carried out so, adroitly that Safavid kings were proud to. Due to spiritual influence over their Murids (followers), this great cultural and political shift was easily embraced with enthusiasm at the time. Thus, the anti-Sunni Safavids started a new phase in Shiaism.
Toraj Ghadimi and Sadegh Abbasalipour, 2011. A Survey on the Origin of Safavids’ Religion from Iranian and Non-Iranian Researchers’ Points of View. The Social Sciences, 6: 177-180.