Analysis of Three Theological-Jurisprudential Approaches of Safavid Historians in Legitimizing the Wars of Shah Ismail I to Establish the Safavid State

Contrary to the view that evaluates how Shah Ismail Safavid gained power and established a state solely through the mechanism of military power, the study of the war narratives to found this state shows the opposite trend. In other words, the leaders of the Safavid movement, as well as the historiographical sources of the Safavid era, emphasizes the acquisition of legal and legitimate power by Shah Ismail I in the wars to establish the Safavid state. This article explained why and how this was the case with a historical approach and through resource analysis. The results showed that in the wars he waged to establish the Safavid state, Shah Ismail I demonstrated military actions against his rivals and opponents, in addition to using the sword power of the Ghezelbas, based on Shari’a law. This attitude was reflected in the historiography of the Safavid period in the form of three theological-jurisprudential approaches. The first and second approaches were based on the establishment of the Safavid state based on the philosophy of Jihad in Dar al-Kufr and the struggle against the heretics and hypocrites. The introduction of such a view in historical narratives gave the necessary religious and political legitimacy to Shah Ismail’s wars and also justified the establishment and longevity of the Safavid state. Relying on such an attitude also legitimized elimination of non-Muslim and Muslim rivals. The third approach was to fight the Baghiyan and Taghiyan. This view was a precise justification for recreating King Ismail's wars in Muslim lands.