Establishing Shi‘ism as the State Religion

THE ISLAMIC WORLD HIST 1301 | History Establishing Shi‘ism as the State Religion In the early 1500s, the Safavids proclaimed Shia Islam the official religion of Iran, and it still is, with around 10% of all Muslims worldwide practicing Shia Islam. The disagreement about Muhammad's heir following his death in 632 served as the impetus for the Shia movement. One group, later dubbed the Sunnis, backed Muhammad's father-in-law, Abu Bakr al-Sadiq, in his bid for office. The other group supported Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad's cousin and son-inlaw, whom they felt the Prophet had designated as his heir, and wanted the leadership to stay in Muhammad's biological family. The Shia were the name given to this group. The Shia refer to Ali as their spiritual leader rather than a "caliph," believing that he was the first authentic imam when he eventually replaced Uthman in 656. They consider the line of Muhammad that comes from Ali and Muhammad's daughter Fatima as the only one with infallible religious teachings. This group is known as the Twelvers because around 95% of Shia also hold the belief that Ali was the first of God's twelve chosen infallible leaders. Twelvers believe that Muhammad al-Mahdi, the twelfth and last imam, entered a "mystical hiding" in the ninth century and would return with Jesus to usher in the Day of Judgement and vanquish evil on Earth. Five percent of Shia are Zaydis, also known as Seveners, a sect founded by Zayd, Ali's great-grandson, who dispute with Twelvers on who the seventh imam is. Although Sunnis hold Ali and the Twelve Imams in high regard, they do not think that the Twelve were the only ones selected by God to guide the Muslim world. They believed that any devout individual who emulated Muhammad might be the head of the Muslim society. Because Shi'ism was seen as a threat to the Sunni caliphs' authority, it was not formally accepted by the Umayyad and Abbasid Empires. Because of this, the majority of Shia groups emerged in regions like Morocco, Yemen, Iran, and central Asia, far from the caliphates' sphere of influence. Following Baghdad's capture by the Mongols in 1258, the Sunni caliphate was reduced to a meek position with nothing more than symbolic power. The difference between Sunni and Shia became less significant during the Mongol era of dominance over Iran and the Caucasus. The majority of people in Iran were Sunnis in 1501, the year Ismail anointed himself Shah. He intended to unite his Iranian subjects by imposing a version of Islam that gave them a distinct identity and set them apart from their Sunni rivals, the Ottomans and the Uzbeks, by declaring Twelver Shi'ism the official religion of Iran. Most historians concur that compulsion and force were used by the Safavids in their attempts to convert the Muslims in their dominion to Shi'ism. Encumbered with a deep sense of religious conviction and believing he had earned the Iranian crown, Shah Ismail utilised his political and military power to impose his philosophy on the nation. He commanded all Sunni Muslims in Iran to convert to Shi'ites. Theologians and Sunni clergy were offered the option of exile or conversion. Sunnis who refused to convert but stayed in Iran risked execution. Ismail invited Shia intellectuals to Iran from Syria and Lebanon in order to propagate the new views and gain adherents. He built shrines to Ali and his family members and schools where Shia beliefs were taught using state monies. In addition, Ismail extended an invitation to overseas Shi'ites who were subjected to persecution by the Sunni majority to relocate to Iran, guaranteeing them land and safety. In the Islamic world, the Safavids' conversion efforts have left enduring legacy. By the conclusion of the Safavid dynasty in 1736, most Muslims in Azerbaijan and Iran identified as Shia, but Nader Shah tried to bring Sunnism back to prominence. However, the public was unenthusiastic, and the majority of those who had professed to embrace Sunnism under his rule discreetly returned to Shi'ism upon his passing. However, at the same time, Sunni and Shia tensions increased to a degree not seen since the death of Muhammad as a result of the Safavids' conversion campaign. The Safavid dynasty's military struggle with the Ottomans, particularly when the sultan assumed the Sunni title of caliph in 1517, is typically blamed for the ongoing animosity between the religions. Compared to the Sunnis, the Safavids were typically more accepting of non-Muslim subjects. However, because they saw Armenians, Georgians, and other Christians in the Caucasus as possibly rebellious, the Safavid dynasty treated them aggressively. They regularly asked aristocrats to convert to Shi'ism in an effort to dominate these communities, and they often tried to enslave or expel their members. However, Christians in other parts of the Safavid empire enjoyed significant latitude in erecting churches and upholding their own traditions. Because they participated in the profitable production and export of silk, Abbas I was especially forgiving to the Armenian Christians living in Isfahan. In an attempt to recruit Iran as an ally against the Ottomans, Spain and the Vatican dispatched many envoys to Iran. In addition, the pope had anticipated that Abbas would permit the building of a cathedral in Isfahan, his new capital, but upon their arrival, his envoys discovered three Roman Catholic churches already existing there.