The Religious and Political Approach of Shah Abbas I Safavid in Dealing with Sunnis
Keywords:
Shah Abbas I, Sunnis, Shiites, Tabaraites, MusamahAbstract
The rise of the Safavid dynasty, founded on Shiite ideology, posed a direct challenge to the Sunni Ottoman Empire, which found the presence of this emerging power intolerable. Consequently, the Ottomans launched full-scale opposition against it. The issuance of fatwas declaring Shiites as deserving of death by Ottoman jurists and sultans, in response to the cursing of Sunni sanctities and the ensuing violence by Qizilbash Sufis and Safavid kings, significantly hindered the establishment of a stable and unifying government in Iran. Sunni neighbors, through repeated attacks on border regions and by enlisting discontented Sunnis within the country, frequently invaded Iran and contributed to internal instability. In this context, the emergence of Abbas I—a powerful monarch intent on reclaiming lost Iranian territories—marked a pivotal turn. With a policy of religious tolerance amid sensitive sectarian circumstances, he sought to utilize the potential of various ethnic and religious groups within the country to ensure national security and development. To this end, he not only curtailed the influence of Tabarra’iyan alongside the Qalandariyya and Qizilbash, who were notorious for incitement and sectarian discord, but also incorporated Sunnis into the military and assigned them official responsibilities. Furthermore, he drew upon the expertise of moderate Shiite scholars, thus employing a strategy of balance and moderation in national governance.
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