Transformations of Safavid Political Discourse; Moving between the Lines of Sufism, Monarchy and Jurisprudence

The prevailing assumption about the discourse of the Safavids is the predominance of the Shiite religion and jurisprudence. However, the Safavid monarchy had Sufi roots and character, which were connected with Shiite jurisprudence after the establishment of their dynasty. Therefore, the Safavid Kings had three qualities: Sufi mentor, Iranian king, and Shia promoter, who invited Shia scholars to Iran and cooperated with them. The present research focuses on the interaction of those three elements and the nature of the Safavid discourse. The question is, what effects did the historical changes in the political and social position of the Safavids have on their political discourse? The main findings show that the discourse of the Safavids, from the very first days of its existence to the end of its era, was a multifaceted discourse that changed from a purely Sufi face to a royal discourse that kept the sub-discourse of Sufism in its heart and included the sub-discourse of jurisprudence in its established intellectual and political apparatus. Therefore, it seems that the prevailing notion of the dominance of jurisprudence discourse does not have full historical evidence.