The Role of the Educational Institutions of Persia in the Development of Islamic Sciences during the Reign of the Buyids

The Buyids with three branches, i.e. the Buyids of Persia, the Buyids of Rey, and the Buyids of Iraq, reigned over widespread parts of the territory of the eastern caliphate in the center and west of Iran in the 4th and 5th centuries AH (324-447). This era is the golden age of the Iranian-Islamic culture and civilization, and it witnessed the growth and development of various sciences, including the Islamic sciences. The golden age of the Islamic-Iranian civilization is the product of the material and spiritual support of the emirs and ministers of the Buyids and their gentle behavior, coupled with their indulgence and tolerance toward the followers of various religions and religious schools, in addition to the Islamic teachings and the dedication and perseverance of the scholars and learners. The contributing factors can be summarized as follows: the learned emirs and the support and encouragement of the scholars and students, the religious indulgence and tolerance of the Buyids, the appointment of such learned, well-educated ministers as the family of ibn Amid and Sahib bin Ebad, and the establishment of worthwhile infrastructures, centers, and educational institutions for scholars and students in different regions, especially in Baghdad, Rey, and Shiraz, which is indicative of the great ambition of these emirs in the field of culture and civilization. Mosques, hospitals, libraries, monasteries, and ribats (centers for Sufi fraternities) were the most important academic and educational centers of Iran in this period, great scholars, orators, physicians, and mystics were educated in them, and they made the sciences of the day reach an unexampled level of flourishment and brilliance. These men of knowledge contributed to the prosperity and progress of the Islamic-Iranian civilization in various fields, including Islamic sciences, especially the Quranic and hadith sciences. The present study is aimed at investigating the transformation of the educational institutions during the reign of the Buyids of Persia and their role in the prosperity and expansion of the Islamic culture and science, especially the Quranic and hadith sciences