The function and position of Sheikh al-Islami in the Qajar period with reference to the Rasnad

The position of "Sheikh al-Islam" was used for the first time at the end of the fourth century of Hijri in Khorasan. In the following periods, this position was continued, but the height of its fame and authority was during the Safavid period, when it had the highest religious position. In addition to the government center, there was a counterpart of "Sheikh al-Islam" as the highest religious authority in other important cities. Although this post lost its former importance and status during the Zandiya and Afshariya periods, but with the rise of the Qajar dynasty, it became important again and played an important role in the government and society. "The role and position of Sheikh al-Islam in the structure of the Qajar government as well as its position and function in society" is considered as the ambiguity and problem of this research. The upcoming research aims to answer the question of the researcher with a descriptive-explanatory method and using unpublished documents such as decrees, envelopes, etc. The topic of this research is one of the new and original topics that have been less discussed so far and an attempt has been made to get a direct and immediate knowledge of the title and position of Shaykh al-Islami, which was one of the defining positions not so long ago, by using documents. In the social and religious hierarchy of Iran, it was considered to be given.