How did Iran convert to Shia?

In 1500 the Safavid Shah Ismail I undertook the conquering of Iran and Azerbaijan and commenced a policy of forced conversion of Sunni Muslims to Shia Islam. Many Sunnis were murdered. According to Mortaza Motahhari, the majority of Iranians turned to Shi’a Islam from the Safavid period onwards.

Why did the Safavid Empire become Shia?

It was a process that involved forced conversion and resulted in hostility with Iran’s Sunni neighbours, particularly the Ottoman Empire. As a direct result, the population of the territory of present-day Iran and neighbouring Azerbaijan were converted to Shia Islam at the same time in history.

How do I convert to Shi ism?

When asked about the procedure involved in converting to Shi’ism, the human rights activist indicated that usually conversion is made official “by obtaining a letter from a senior cleric of the said sect confirming conversion.

Was the Safavid Empire Shia?

Like most Iranians the Safavids (1501-1722) were Sunni, although like many outside Shi’ism they venerated Imam Ali (601-661), the first of the 12 Shia imams. Making Shi’ism the state religion served to distinguish Iranians from subjects of the rival Sunni-ruled Ottoman Empire.

Was Safavid Iran an empire?

Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (/ˈsæfəvɪd, ˈsɑː-/), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty.

How was the Safavid Empire created?

The Empire was founded by the Safavids, a Sufi order that goes back to Safi al-Din (1252-1334). In 1501, the Safavid Shahs declared independence when the Ottomans outlawed Shi’a Islam in their territory. The Safavid Empire was strengthened by important Shi’a soldiers from the Ottoman army who had fled from persecution.

What was the Safavid Empire known for?

Safavid dynasty, (1501–1736), ruling dynasty of Iran whose establishment of Twelver Shiʿism as the state religion of Iran was a major factor in the emergence of a unified national consciousness among the various ethnic and linguistic elements of the country.

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.

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.

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.