Following their rise to power in Iran in the 16th century, the Safavid dynasty initiated a campaign of forced conversion against the Iranian populace, seeking to replace Sunni Islam, whose Shafi'i sch
Shah Ismail I started the conversion of Iran to Shia Islam
Miniature of Shah Ismail I declaring Shia Islam as the official religion of his kingdom. Stored in the British Library, London.
Persian miniature of Ismail II
Abbas the Great
Sufism
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Sufism or Sufi Islam whose practitioners are known as "Sufis", is a mystic body of religious practices within Islam that is characterized by a focus on purification, spirituality, ritualism, and ascet
Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam
…disagreements were insufficient to cause a significant breach between the monarchy and the ulama. The ulama opposed other beliefs such as Agnosticism, Sufi orders like the Qalandariyya, mystics, philosophers, Sunni Islam, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity. The ulama considered deviation from religious…
Man holding the hem of his beloved, an expression of a Sufi's agony of longing for the divine union
The works of Al-Ghazali firmly defended the concepts of Sufism within the Islamic faith.
Tomb of Salim Chishti, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
The Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam (built 1324 A.D) is located in Multan, Pakistan. Known for its multitude of Sufi shrines, Multan is nicknamed The City of Saints.