Relations of Religion and State during Shiite Kings of “Awadh” in India

Concurrent with collapse of the Safavid monarchy, the Shiite government of Awadh formally came into existence in India. Ulema and government interacted with each other under circumstances where the India’s Shiite community was faced with three challenges of foreign colonialism, inter-religious disputes (in the shape of theory of Imamate-caliphate) and the way the Shiite ulemas interacted with the Shiite government of Awadh. In confrontation with colonialism, both Sunni and Shiite tendencies of Muslim World holding a revolutionary approach took actions to regenerate religious identity; in contrast of the Shiite Imamate thinking with Sunni caliphate, they followed analysis of content and argument of Sunni sources in line with stability of the Shiite Imamate. The Shiite political model was Imamate and Velayat in the field of government and Shiite ulemas relations and practical policy of ulema with the Shiite sultans happened with an emphasis on convergence and cooperation and with a focus of reformist political approach in politico-social relations.