How was Sunni Muslim Iran converted to Shiasm?
From the Islamic conquest to the rise of the Safavid dynasty Before the Safavid dynasty, from 21 AH to 907 AH (642 CE to 1501 CE), Islam entered Persia during the reign of Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab raḍiyallāhu ‘anhu, and Iran became part of the Islamic state. For the next nine centuries, most of Iran's population adhered to Sunni Islam, and Shafi'i and Hanafi schools of thought were widespread in most cities, while limited Shi'a communities existed in certain areas. The most prominent Shi'a centres before the Safavids were Qom, Kashan, Rayy (at certain times), Tabaristan (parts of it), and parts of Khorasan. Despite the existence of these centres, most of Iran's major cities, such as Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Hamadan, Qazvin, Nishapur, Yazd, and Kerman, remained predominantly Sunni until the beginning of the 16th century. Shia States Preceding the Safavids · The Buyid State (334...