نشریه تاریخ و فرهنگ
سال چهل و دوم شماره 2 (پیاپی 85، پاییز و زمستان 1389)

Bayhaq is one of the earliest origins of Shī‘ism in Iran, which had become well-known for Shī‘ism before the Mongol invasion. In researches concerning the history of Shī‘ism in Iran, the background and the expansion of this school of thought in the above-mentioned area has not received the required attention. The present research examines the causes of the prevalence of Shī‘ism in Bayhaq; the findings of which indicate that the prevalence of Shī‘ism in Bayhaq, apart from its ideological attractions, has been the outcome of the functions of various forces, among which the policy of the rulers in Khurāsān and Bayhaq’s politico-economic circumstances has played a pivotal role.

Al-Ghallābī is rated as among the Shī‘ī authors of the third/eighth century, through whom many historical traditions have been related in Shī‘ī and Sunnī sources. Examining the status of al-Ghallābī’s traditions in the two major sects (of Shī‘a and Sunnī), this writing is intended to find the reason for the permeation of his traditions into the sources belonging to the Sunnīs – who are very cautious in using the traditions of the Shī‘ī writers. The great number of his students, who were varied in their religious inclinations and were from various geographical regions such as Shām and Iraq, and the content of some of the traditions transmitted by him, which strengthen the convergence between the Shī‘as and Sunnīs, have been greatly influential in the prevalence of al-Ghallābī’s statements. In this article, the reasons for the permeation of his traditions into Sunnī sources and the number of these traditions found their way into those sources are examined and delved into.

Some Shī‘īs believe that the ninth of Rabī‘ al-Awwal is the day when ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, the second caliph, was murdered by the Iranian Abū Lu’ Lu’. Therefore, for several centuries certain ceremonies variously called ‘aid al-Zahrā, farḥat al-Zahrā, ‘Umar kushān, and Ghadīr-i duwwum, have been held that would have naturally displeased the Sunnī community, which includes the majority of Muslims. The present research is intended to find an answer to the question as to whether such ceremonies are based on historical realities concerning the date of the second caliph’s murder and his murderer. It also seeks to answer how these ceremonies became prevalent by some Shī‘as, particularly in Iran – being centered around the mausoleum of Bābā Shujā‘ al-Dīn in Kāshān; and that, to what extent can these ceremonies be religiously and legally justified?

Muḥyī al-Dīn Maghribī is among the few astronomers of the middle ages whose astronomical system is entirely based on new measures of planetary parameters and whose measurement of the observational data and calculation processes for determining their amount have been carried out in Maragha Observatory. He has explained the details of his observations and calculations in a volume called Talkhīṣ al-Majasṭī. In the present research, Muḥyī al-Dīn’s data, calculations, and final measure for the structural parameters of Saturn’s orbit (eccentricity and the position of the zenith of the vector circle) are examined through the application of two A. numeral analysis with respect to new amounts, and B. critical study in the course of history.

Contrary to other Jewish communities of Iran, Kashan’s Jewish community has undergone positive social and political developments during Qajar period. Although they could never enjoy equal social privileges as citizens, in comparison to other Iranian Jews and comparing the Safavid period, they made considerable achievements in social relationships and political experience. The present research first addresses the Jewish population in this period and the reasons for their reduction in comparison to the Safavid period, and then goes on to show how economical transactions with Muslims, establishment of Alliance School, widespread position-taking against Bahā’ism, and the presence of elite rulers and intellectual scholars in this period have helped improve their social condition and relationships. Besides written historical reports, oral sources have also been employed in this research.

Plundering by Mu‘āwiya’s commanders in Imam ‘Alī’s (A.S.) jurisdiction began with the Ẓaḥḥāk b. Qays’s invasion and ended with the Busr b. Arṭāt’s massacre. The evidence and the analyses of the letter 36 of Nahj al-Balāgha suggest that this letter may not have been related to the event of Busr b. Arṭāt’s pillage in Yemen in the year 20/640. Analyzing the words of the Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) in this letter and referring to the earlier sources, we can find out that this letter has been written in reply to ‘Aqīl’s letter in relation to Ẓaḥḥāk b. Qays al-Fahrī’s plundering of the Imam’s jurisdiction in the year 38/658