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 (334–447 AH / 945–1055 CE)
Ruled Iraq and parts of Persia.
While Shiasm inclined, it did not convert all of Iran to Shiasm, and most of the population remained Sunni.
·       The Alawite State in Tabaristan
3rd century AH
Its dominion was limited to parts of northern Iran.
·       The Rise of the Safavid State
907 AH / 1501 CE
Shah Ismail I founded the Safavid state and declared Twelver Shiasm the official state religion.

A comprehensive process of reshaping the state's religious identity then began, including:
 1.     Abolishing Sunni courts.
 2.     Establishing Shia courts.
 3.     Appointing Shia scholars in cities.
 4.     Building schools and seminaries.
 5.  Encouraging the population to adopt the official doctrine.

   6.    Using military force in some areas that refused conversion, as mentioned by numerous historical sources.

    The transformation didn't happen in a single year but rather continued throughout the 16th and early 17th centuries.

Where did the Shia scholars come from?
The Safavid state faced a shortage of scholars of the Twelver Shi'a school of thought, so it brought in scholars from:
 1. Jabal Amil (Lebanon), 

     2. Najaf and Hilla (Iraq), 

     3. Bahrain, 

     4. Qatif 

   The scholars of Jabal Amil played a prominent role in organising the judiciary, education, and jurisprudence within the Safavid state.

The most prominent scholars of Jabal Amil were:
1.     Ali al-Karaki (d. 940 AH)
2.     Husayn ibn Abd al-Samad al-Amili
3.     Baha' al-Din al-Amili (Shaykh Baha'i).

   These scholars contributed to the establishment of religious schools, the training of judges, the writing of books on jurisprudence, and the organisation of the religious establishment in the Safavid state.

  The most prominent rulers of the Safavid state were Shah Ismail I (907–930 AH / 1501–1524 CE), Shah Tahmasp I, and Shah Abbas I. During their reigns, Shiasm became firmly established throughout most of Iran.

    Have Sunnis disappeared?
No.

  Sunnis continued to exist in several regions even after the Safavid project was completed, and there are still areas with a Sunni majority or presence today, including:
·       Iranian Kurdistan
·       Sistan and Baluchestan
·       Turkmen Sahra
·       Parts of Khorasan
·       And some areas of Hormozgan

   Chronology
 
·       21 AH / 642 CE
Islam enters Persia.
·       334 AH / 945 CE
Rise of the Buyid dynasty.
·       447 AH / 1055 CE
End of the Buyid dynasty.
·       907 AH / 1501 CE
Rise of the Safavid dynasty and the declaration of Twelver Shi'ism as the official religion.
·       907–1000 AH
Beginning of institutional and religious transformation.
·       1000–1100 AH
Completion of the spread of Shiasm throughout most of Iran, with Sunni minorities continuing to exist in some regions.

In conclusion, Iran was not entirely Shia before the Safavid dynasty; it was predominantly Sunni with a limited number of long-established Shia centres. The rise of the Safavid state marked a major turning point, as Shi'ism transitioned from a sect present in certain regions to the official state religion, subsequently becoming entrenched through religious institutions, education, and the judiciary during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Key References:
1.     Encyclopaedia Iranica (Articles: Iran, Shi'ism, Jabal Amil).
2.     The Cambridge History of Iran.
3.     Roger Savory, Iran Under the Safavids.
4.     Rula Jurdi Abisaab, Converting Persia: Religion and Power in the Safavid Empire.
5.     Andrew J. Newman, Safavid Iran.

 

Prepared by: Wael Al-Daghfaq