The Effective Role of Religion Scholars in Samanid Government Structure

Communities in which religion plays a pivotal role, the relationship between the government and religion scholars affect politics deeply. During the Samanid government, religion scholars had a special status in the political structure as well as in the society. Their presence could be seen not only in religious positions, but also in state and political positions. Governmental policy of the Samanid rulers needed to use the religion scholars in political affairs. This paper studies the interaction between religion scholars and Samanid rulers, their devotion to establish a durable relationship, and the results taken from political positions of the religion scholars. As is known by the paper, religion scholars have had an effective role in Samanids’ power, consolidation, and also in their decline.