Persianization of Shaykhīsm:

Abstract: The juridico-theological school, shaped around the teachings and charismatic personality of Shaykh Aḥmad al-Aḥsāʾī (d. 1241 H/1826), has been the subject of lively debate since its emergence in the nineteenth century. Scholars were particularly interested in the question of authority and spiritual leadership in Shaykhīsm and its culmination in the doctrine of the Fourth Pillar (rukn-i rābiʿ), which has been elaborated upon mostly by Aḥsāʾī’s disciple and the last influential leader of the school, Muḥammad Karīm Khān Kirmānī (d. 1288 H/1871). While there is abundant information about the doctrine of the Fourth Pillar in the writings of Kirmānī, our knowledge about the nature of leadership as well as of the identity of the holder of the office of rukn-i rābiʿ in the writings of the preceding Shaykhī leaders is lacking. Although they touched briefly upon the issue, none contributed to it as Kirmānī did. In fact, he turned rukn-i rābiʿ into the cornerstone of his school. Moreover, he played an important role in the Persianization of Shaykhīsm in different ways, from writing in Persian to engaging in the political vicissitudes of the Qajar era. In this paper, I will first discuss the conception of leadership in the key texts of the Shaykhī leaders including Aḥsāʾī, Sayyid Kāẓim Rashtī (d. 1259 H/1843) and Mullā Mīrzā Ḥassan Gawhar (d. 1266 H/1850). Second, I will analyze the doctrine of rukn-i rābiʿ in Kirmānī’s texts to examine how it relates to tradition with regard to new questions and the quest for establishing a separate school with clear boundaries. Third, I will contextualize Kirmānī’s attempts to Persianize the Shaykhī creeds and argue that they should be understood in the broader perspective of the nationalistic aspirations of mid-nineteenth century Persia. (from academia.edu)