An Analysis of the Critical Views of Pahlavi-Era Clerics toward the Religious Approaches of the Safavids

Document Type : Research/Original/Reqular Article

Authors

1 Master’s student, Department of Comparative Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Comparative Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

3 Professor, Department of Comparative Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22059/jhic.2025.394550.654576

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze the critiques made by Pahlavi-era clerics of the Safavid government's religious approaches. As the first comprehensive Shia state in Iran, the Safavids had a profound impact on shaping the religious and cultural identity of Iranians, and a critical reassessment of their religious policies can contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of religious thought in Iran. By examining the works and perspectives of clerics such as Ebrahim Zanjani, Shariat Sangalaji, Khomeini, Taleqani, Motahhari, Beheshti, Abolfazl Borqe'i, and Salehi Najafabadi, who belong to different intellectual currents, this research has identified three main axes of critique concerning the Safavids' religious approaches. First, religious despotism and the instrumental use of religion to consolidate political power were primarily raised by revolutionary clerics who emphasized the contradiction between religious despotism and authentic Islamic teachings. Second, the departure from rationality and the prevalence of innovation and superstition, which was the most frequently repeated axis of critique and was raised by a diverse spectrum of clerics with Salafi, philosophical, and reformist tendencies. Third, sectarian division and the weakening of Islamic unity, which was influenced by the discourse of Islamic awakening and the unity of the Islamic world against Western colonialism. The research findings indicate that contemporary clerics' critiques of the Safavids' religious approaches were influenced by their intellectual origins, epistemological concerns, and political orientations, reflecting the transformations of religious thought in contemporary Iran

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References

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Iranian Journal for the History of Islamic Civilization
Volume 58, Issue 2
(Autumn & Winter 2025 / 2026)
March 2026
Pages 90-115

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History

  • Receive Date: 03 May 2025
  • Revise Date: 14 November 2025
  • Accept Date: 18 November 2025

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