When was Iran Sunni?

Islam in Iran can be categorised into two periods – Sunni Islam from the 7th century to the 15th century and then Shia Islam post 16th century. The Safavid dynasty made Shia Islam the official state religion in the early sixteenth century and aggressively proselytized the faith by forced conversion.

Did the Safavids believe in Sunni?

To promote Shi’ism the Safavids brought in scholars from Shi’ite countries to form a new religious elite. In specifically religious terms the Safavids not only persecuted Sunni Muslims, but Shi’ites with different views, and all other religions. Alien shrines were vandalised, and Sufi mystic groups forbidden.

Who led Iran before the Islamic revolution?

One of the most dramatic changes in government in Iran’s history was seen with the 1979 Iranian Revolution where Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown and replaced by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

What was before Iran?

Before Iran was called Iran, and before Iranians lived there, a different group of people lived in Iran. These people were called the Elamites. Around 500 BC, present-day Iran was the center of the Persian Empire. Then, Alexander the Great took the country by fighting and the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia later ruled.

What empire came before the Safavids?

Almost simultaneously with the emergence of the Safavid Empire, the Mughal Empire, founded by the Timurid heir Babur, was developing in South-Asia. The Mughals adhered (for the most part) to a tolerant Sunni Islam while ruling a largely Hindu population.

What was the Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam?

The Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam was a process that took place roughly over the 16th through 18th centuries and turned Iran, which previously had a Sunni majority, into the spiritual bastion of Shia Islam.

What was the relationship between the Safavid dynasty and the Sunni?

The Sunni Iranians had always held the family of Muhammad in high esteem. In contrast, before the Safavid period, a minority of Iranians were Shia and there had been relatively few Shia Ulama in Iran.

What steps did the Safavid rulers take against the ulama of Iran?

The early Safavid rulers took a number of steps against the Sunni Ulama of Iran. These steps included giving the Ulama the choice of conversion, death, or exile and massacring the Sunni clerics who resisted the Shia transformation of Iran, as witnessed in Herat.

How did Iran become a Shia Muslim country?

Shia Islam portal. The Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam was a process that took place roughly over the 16th through 18th centuries and turned Iran, which previously had a Sunni majority, into the spiritual bastion of Shia Islam.