Shiism and the Accusation of Zandaqa (The Factors leading to Ascribing Zandaqa to Shiites)

The Shiites, in spite of reasonable and regular defense of the Islamic law and commitment to its principles and values, have been variously accused by their opponents, especially some of the Sunnites. One of the important accusations was ascribing Zandaqa to them as a device used by the enemies to remove the Shiites. Zandaqa was one of the pre-Islamic movements in Iran, diffused in the first Abbasid period. Many were suppressed with this accusation, among them the Shiites.Sectary rivalries and the opponents’ disability before the Shiites was the most important reason for this accusation. However, one may mention the behaviors of some of the sects ascribed to Shiism such as extremists, Sufis and Qarmatis. Their beliefs and tenets, mostly opposed by the Shiites, were resorted by the opponents to accuse not only those sects but also all the Shiites to infidelity and Zandaqa. The present article seeks to investigate the reasons for this accusation and answer the question of why the Shiites were accused so.