Invasion of the Safavids

BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents   Foreword All praise is for Allah, we glorify Him, seek His assistance, and His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Him from the evil of ourselves and actions. Whoever is guided by Allah, cannot be led astray and whoever is led astray cannot be guided. I testify that there is no God but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. […]

BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents   Safavid Origins   The Safavid name is credited to al Sheikh Safi al Din al Ardabili [650 – 735 AH]. He was initially from amongst the followers of al Sheikh Taj al Din al Zahid al Kilani; a sufi preacher of the Shafi’i school of thought at Ardabil.[1] He established a sufi order called al Ikhwan which spread much in the regions of […]

BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents   Shah Ismail, first King of the Safavid Dynasty [907 AH, 1501 CE]   As explained, Shah Ismail killed the leader of Aq Qoyunlu and established the Safavid Dynasty. He nominated the city of Tabriz as its capital. One of his first actions, was the proclamation of the Twelver sect of Shi’ism to be the official religion of his newly formed state, the Safavid […]

BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents   Innovations of the Safavid Era Shah Ismail introduced a number of innovations within the Shia faith that became a standard of the Shia thereafter. Amongst these are:    Blasphemy coupled with sectarian persecution He had adopted cursing the three Rightly Guided Khalifas as a method of testing the Iranians. He instructed such curses be broadcasted along the roads, in the market places, and […]

BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents   The Era of Shah Tahmasp After the death of his father, Shah Tahmasp took to the throne of the Safavid dynasty at the age of 11. This was in the year 930 AH/1524 CE. Though he was leader in name, he was in fact a stooge for the Qizilbash who actually controlled the dynasty. Taking advantage of this, the Sunni Uzbeks attacked Khorasan […]