Typology of Readings and Approaches of ʿĀshūrā in Mashrūtih and Pahlavi Age

Attitude towards ʿĀshūrā, as one of the most important events in Shiʿite history in contemporary times, has taken different forms. In the meantime, the Mashrūṭih and Pahlavī eras have presented the most frequent inter-Imāmian discourses in the field. The present study seeks to answer the reason why for the formation of different types of readings and approaches of ʿĀshūrā based on the descriptive method of ritual studies and analysis of sociological readings of texts. According to the hypothesis of this research, Shiʿites in preserving the messages and consequences of this event after a period of chronology, gradually distancing themselves from the style of historiography and influenced by currents of thought, have had a tremendous impact on the type of maqtal writing with specific readings and approaches in later periods. The findings show that the evolution of religious discourse in the Shiʿite community influenced by modern developments and emerging currents, from the Mashrūṭih era to that of Pahlavī and gradually until the Islamic Revolution, has provided the basis for the formation of new readings and approaches. Multiple approaches derived from these newly discovered elements in various models such as martyrdom-seeking, political-revolutionary tendencies, etc. have been studied in this research.