The Convergence between Imamiyah Shia and Seljuqi Dynasty

With the fall of the Buyid rule (334-447 AH) and rise of the Seljuqis (429-590 AH), the caliph of Baghdad, Tugrul Seljuqi (455 AH) rose to power. The Sunnis’ old hidden grudges which they bore from the Buyid era and the competition and religious fanaticism of some of the figures of that era led to ​​conflicts between the different Islamic denominations, especially between the Shi’ah and Sunnis. The sectarian squabbles were so bitter that people refer to that era as “the sectarian and polemical era ". However, as the saying goes, “people follow kings’ religion”, accordingly, there were some interactions and a kind of convergence between the Imamiyah Shi’ah and Sunni rulers. The internal disputes among the Seljuqis, shortage of technical skills for maintaining power and the pressure placed on the Shi’ah caused the Shi’ah to follow the policy of indulgence and tolerance and play a central role in preserving and developing the Shiite school of thought to reduce the opponents’ pressure. The present paper studies and explains the type, goals and reasons behind the convergence between the Imamiyah Shi’ah and the Seljuqi rulers.