Transformation in the Political Thought of Ruzbehan Khunji Regarding Caliphate and Zandiqeh in Comparison with 5th Century Hijri Scholars

Subject Areas : Journal of History (Tarikh)

shahnaz yazdanpanah ¹ , Reza Dehghani ² , Nemat Ahmadi Nasab ³

1 - Department of History and Archaeology,,, Central Tehran branch,,islamic Azad University Tehran, Iran
2 - Department of West Asian and African Studies, Faculty of World Studies, Tehran University
3 - professor Assistant in History, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2023-07-30 Accepted : 2023-09-06 Published : 2025-07-21

Keywords: Khunji, Caliphate, Sunni, Shia, Agha Qoyunlu,

Abstract :

In the ninth century Hijri, some Sunni scholars, such as Khunji, presented theories to counter Shia governments and to legitimize Sunni rule. Although influenced by the ideas of Ma'wardi and Ghazali, Khunji believed that certain modifications were necessary to revive the institution of caliphate. The question is why did Khunji, in the ninth century Hijri, considered the theories of the scholars of the past centuries ineffective in reviving the caliphate. The hypothesis of this research is that the widespread discourse of Shiism and the absence of caliphate led the ninth-century scholars to reconsider the beliefs of their predecessors to prevent the spread of Shiism in the Islamic world. This article employs library research and analytical methods for data collection. It aims to demonstrate how some scholars interpreted religious traditions and rulings based on their own beliefs to legitimize their desired government. One of Khunji’s main goals to revive the caliphate, according to the findings, was to fight the Safavid dynasty who were establishing a strong government with Shiite tendencies since the time of Sheikh Janid.