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Turning Points in the History of Iran
Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
“Ad-Da’i as-Sagheer”, the Alawid Emir of Tabaristan
On 27th of the Islamic month of Zil-Qa’dah in 900 AD, the Alawid Emir of Tabaristan, Mohammad Ibn Zayd, known as “ad-Da’i as-Sagheer” (the Younger Missionary), attained martyrdom, a day after he was mortally wounded in battle near Gorgan, while defending his realm of the Caspian Sea coast of Iran against the Samanid invaders.
He was 6th in line of descent from Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), the elder grandson and 2nd Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). The Samanid army decapitated his corpse and took his head to Bukhara, while the body was buried at the gate of Gorgan and soon became a centre of pilgrimage.
His death ended the 36-year rule of the First Alawid state established in what are now the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan by his elder brother Hassan Ibn Zayd, known as “ad-Da’i al-Kabeer” (the Elder Missionary), who was invited by the people of northern Iran to lead them against the Abbasid regime. Mohammad, who ruled for 16 years, had served as governor and commander during the 20-year rule of his elder brother when the Alawid realm was constantly invaded by the Abbasids and their local agents.
A cultured figure, who appreciated good poetry and composed poems of his own, his welfare policies increased popularity of his rule amongst the Iranians, whom he enlightened with the teachings of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt. He rebuilt the holy shrines of Najaf and Karbala – of Imam Ali (AS) and Imam Husain (AS) – that were destroyed some forty years earlier by the Godless Abbasid tyrant Mutawakkel.
In 914 AD, the Alawid state of Tabaristan was revived by Seyyed Hassan al-Utrush (5th in line of descent from Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), the Prophet’s 4th Infallible Heir), who inflicted a crushing defeat upon the Samanid occupiers at Burdidah on the River Burroud, west of Chalous. He had survived Mohammad Ibn Zayd’s defeat and martyrdom in the Battle of Gorgan 14 years earlier. Although he passed away three years later in 917, the Alawid State lasted till 931 AD.
\"Majma\' al-Bayan\", the monumental exegesis of the Holy Qur’an
On 10th of the Islamic month of Zil-Hijjah in 548 AH, the prominent Iranian scholar, Amin od-Din Abu Ali Fazl bin Hassan Tabarsi, passed away in the city of Sabzevar, Khorasan, where he had settled in the last years of his life to complete his monumental exegesis of the holy Qur’an, titled \"Majma\' al-Bayan\". His body was taken to the holy city of Mashhad for burial near the shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
In the preface to this work, he gives the reasons for his writing it and for his choice of title. He also describes the methodology used in his exegesis on every ayah of the holy Qur’an. He divides his exegesis on every passage into five sections: introductory discourse, reading guide, language discourse, revelation and circumstances surrounding it, and meaning.
When a passage relates to a theological, jurisprudential or philosophical issue, he gives the views of all sides, whether Sunni or Shi’ite, and then his own judgement. The originality of his exegesis is that he gives the readers an opportunity to see the varying opinions on different issues mentioned in the Qur\'an before discussing these views and declaring his own stand. “Majma’ al-Bayan” covers historical facts, as well as the opinions of philologists, traditionists, exegetes, and poets. Tabarsi’s exegesis focuses on many theological issues, including the divinely-decreed Imamate of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), the infallibility of the Imams, God\'s Justice, etc.
He also discusses the issue of Imam Mahdi (AS), his advent in the end times, the purpose of his coming and his global rule. Tabarsi\'s son and grandson were also noted scholars and author of books.
Mohaqqeq Karaki, the Great Jurispudent during Shah Tahmasp Safavi\'s reign
On 12th of the Islamic month of Zil-Hijjah in 940 AH, the great religious scholar, Shaikh Ali ibn Abdul-Aal al-Ameli, known as Mohaqqeq Karaki, passed away. He was born in the Jabal Amel region of Lebanon, where after completing studies, he moved to the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf in Iraq for higher studies.
He was invited to Iran for his wisdom and erudite knowledge, and handed over affairs of state by Shah Tahmasp Safavi. He, however, declined to assume direct political authority and asked the Shah to carry on state affairs as his representative, while he himself handled all jurisprudential and theological matters.
He established seminaries in the then Iranian capital, Qazvin, and other cities of Iran, earning the title of Mohaqqeq, which means authoritative researcher. He groomed many great scholars both in Iran and his homeland Lebanon, including the celebrated Zain ad-Din al-Ameli, who was persecuted and cruelly killed, thereby earning the title of Shaheed Thani (Second Martyr). Mohaqqeq Karaki played a leading role in enlightening Iranians with the legacy of the Prophet\'s Ahl al-Bayt, and wrote several books that are taught to this day, including “Jame\' al-Maqased”, and “Resala-e Edalat”.
Shah Abbas I the great ruler of Safavid dynasty in Iran
On October 1, 1587 AD, Shah Abbas I was crowned the 5th Safavid Emperor of Iran at the age of 16 years in Qazvin by a faction of the powerful Qizilbash guards led by Murshid Qoli Khan who deposed his father, the weak-willed and almost blind Mohammad Khodabandah after a reign of 9 years.
He became ruler during troubled times, when discord was rife between factions of the Qizilbash army that had earlier killed his elder brother Hamza Mirza and mother Queen Khair un-Nisa Begum. Meanwhile, the Ottomans and the Uzbeks, exploiting the political chaos, had seized Iranian territory in the west and northeast respectively. Abbas soon reduced the influence of the Qizilbash in the administrative and military affairs, executed the killers of his mother and brother, and reformed the army, enabling him to fight the Ottomans and Uzbeks and retake Iran\'s lost provinces.
He decisively defeated the Ottomans in several battles in the Caucasus, in Anatolia and in Iraq, where he rebuilt on a grand scale the shrines of the Infallible Imams in Najaf, Karbala, and Kazemain. He drove back the Uzbeks from Khorasan and rebuilt the shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
During his 42-year reign, he also liberated Iranian territories from the Portuguese invaders in the Persian Gulf and from the Mughals of India in what is now Afghanistan. Shah Abbas I was a great builder and moved his capital to Isfahan, which he adorned with beautiful mosques, palaces, bazaars, caravanserais, gardens, and the famous Naqsh-e Jahan Square, to the extent that Isfahan came to be known as Nisf-e Jahan (Half the World).
He patronized poets and painters, resulting in the birth of the Isfahan School that created some of the finest arts in Iranian history. He respected religious figures, and during his era some of the greatest ulema and philosophers, such as Shaikh Baha od-Din Ameli, Mir Baqer Damad and Mullah Sadra Shirazi flourished.
Shah Abbas also promoted commerce, trade and diplomacy, establishing relations with European powers to keep the Ottomans in check, and strengthening ties with the Shi\'ite Muslim sultanates of Haiderabad-Deccan and Bijapur in Southern India, where the name of the Safavid Emperor was recited in the Friday Prayer sermons. At the same time he maintained friendly relations with the Mughal Emperor Jahangir of Northern India.
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