Ways of Identifying Istishhadnameh

Documentology (forensic document examination) is analyzing historical recording of documents thought time as well as their different structures. Experts of documentology believe that historical documents must be explained and organized by means of the knowledge and the methods of documentology. Then analyzing structures of documents and application of all the historical documents are certainly regarded as true examples of documentology. A large number of documents and writings related to religious rules (Shari’a) from Qajar era are remained, including Istishhadnameh (religious affidavit) which are the result of the works of jurisprudential (fiqh related) and judiciary system of the time. Istishhadnameh, just like other documents related to religious rules, have special structures which can be figured out through a concise documentology. These documents have often a simpler structure, comparing to documents of religious rules; they also have a shorter text. Although they have a different documentation structure, comparing to other documents, an especial and fixed method and structure cannot be found in writing of these documents. The writers and scribers of these documents were not obligated to follow a certain method in writing and they wrote the documents just for the purpose of writing them. The present paper has applied a descriptive methodology and it collected the required data by means of analyzing sources, documents and evidences. Therefore, at first the criterions of identifying Istishhadnameh are explained and then they are followed by hypothetical examples in battles and collections of letters in order to bring more light on the subject. As a result literature of documentation and principles of writing Istishhadnameh are explained.