Awdat al-Safawiyyin
- Author died
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- Editions
- Maktabat al-Imam al-Bukhari lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
Awdat al-Safawiyyin (The Return of the Safavids) is a historical treatise written by the Iraqi Sunni scholar Abd al-Aziz bin Salih al-Mahmud al-Shafi'i, examining the origins, expansion, and collapse of the Safavid Empire and drawing parallels between historical Safavid policies and contemporary sectarian and geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East.
Background and Publication
The work was published in Egypt in a single volume by Maktabat al-Imam al-Bukhari li-l-Nashr wa-l-Tawzi' in its first edition in 1428 AH (2007 CE). The author composed the book in the aftermath of the 2003 United States invasion of Iraq and the fall of Baghdad, prompted by the frequent emergence of the terms "Safavids" and "Neo-Safavids" in contemporary media. Observing that many Muslim intellectuals, politicians, and ordinary observers misunderstood the historical provenance of the label—some erroneously assuming it was the name of a modern Iraqi militia or political faction—the author directed the book toward scholars, preachers, students, intellectuals, rulers, security apparatuses, and political decision-makers to explain the historical background of regional conflicts.
Structure and Scope
The treatise combines a chronological survey of the Safavid state with contemporary political analysis and theological polemic. Its historical coverage spans several core phases:
- Origins and Mystical Roots: The book traces the movement from its beginnings as a Sunni Sufi order founded by Safi al-Din al-Ardabili, showing how it gradually adopted Twelver Shi'i doctrines under leaders such as Junayd and Haydar. It highlights Haydar's introduction of the twelve-folded red cap among his followers, which gave rise to the designation Qizilbash.
- Establishment under Shah Ismail I: It details how Shah Ismail I captured Tabriz in 907 AH (1501 CE), established the Safavid state, declared Twelver Shiism as its official creed, and enforced the cursing of the early caliphs across his territories. It also recounts his occupation of Baghdad in 914 AH and his defeat against Ottoman Sultan Selim I at the Battle of Chaldiran in 920 AH.
- Ottoman Wars and Foreign Diplomacy: The work examines the reign of Shah Tahmasp I, his alliances with European rulers against the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman campaigns led by Suleiman the Magnificent to reclaim Iraq, and subsequent diplomatic engagements with European powers.
- Eastern Expansion and Collapse: It surveys Safavid military campaigns in Kandahar and Afghanistan, the Sunni Afghan revolt led by the Hotaki dynasty under Mir Mahmud, and the eventual disintegration of the Safavid state prior to the rise of Nader Shah around 1148 AH.
Contemporary Theses and Argument
The central premise of the work is that modern post-1979 Iranian geopolitical policy, combined with the rise of sectarian Shi'i factions in post-2003 Iraq, represents an ideological and political continuation of the Safavid state. The author argues that modern Western interventions inadvertently or deliberately facilitated the resurgence of Iranian influence across Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and the Gulf, mirroring the historical European–Safavid alliances against the Ottoman Empire.
The work concludes with a direct exhortation to Sunni scholars, Islamic movements, and political leadership, warning that neglecting history and classical Sunni polemical literature leaves modern generations vulnerable to regional ideological and political subjugation.
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