Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• Hadi Bayati ¹
• Abass Ghadimi GHidari ²

¹ Assistant Professor of Department of Islamic Education, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.

² Associate Professor of History, University of Tabriz, Tbriz, Iran.

Abstract

The impoverished community is an undeniable part of political and social life in different historical periods, even though there is no place for them in history. The policy and approach of governments towards this community or, if it can be said, the social group is a very important issue that is less discussed. With the formation of the Safavid government and the establishment of a centralized government, policies to support the poor of the society throughout this period were considered with different motives and goals. The Safavid government tried to alleviate the hardships of their miserable lives by helping the poor by building charities, endowments, food, cash donations, and so on. Therefore, this research seeks to answer the question with descriptive-analytical method, what policies did the Safavid government have to support the poor and what goals did it pursue from the implementation of these policies? Accordingly, the results of the research indicate that the Safavid government in various social and economic dimensions, including by providing the needs of the poor, helping their health, providing and providing the scientific and cultural development of the poor by establishing schools, etc. It had an important effect on improving the living conditions of the poor. In addition, the Safavid government in this period, in order to achieve goals such as eradicating poverty and misery, gaining political legitimacy among the masses and showing a benevolent and religious image of itself along with other political and social goals, politics of attention and Followed the arrest of the poor.

Keywords

• Poor
• Safavid Rule
• Endowment
• Social History

Main Subjects

• Social history

Extended Abstract:

A Study of the Safavid Government's Supportive Policies towards the Poor

Introduction: The poor, as a community or population of a society born of social and economic relations, prevail and confront the rich and the rich and find meaning. The poor are a sociological concept and historically a concept related to historical sociology. In Iran, this population, which sometimes formed a part of Iranian society, cannot be named as a class in the sociological sense. But there is no denying that this population and this group did not exist. When we look at the history of the poor, it seems that this social group has existed from the beginning to the present in all societies; In Iranian society, poverty has always been one of the images. An image that in the historical times of Iran is sometimes tied to people crawling to shelters such as monasteries and mosques. The roots of poverty and destitution in Iranian society are many. What is clear is that Iran in this period, after the invasions of the Timurids and the instabilities after the overthrow of local governments to establish power by the Safavids, left Iran in turmoil and with difficult conditions in this period. On the other hand, the issue of the approach of governments and governments to the poor and the eradication of poverty from the face of society and interaction and relationship with this group through institutions that were considered powerful classes of society is one of the issues that includes part of Iran's social history. During this period, the institutions and groups at the top of the social pyramid of power had policies toward the poor of Iranian society, which, of course, revolved more around helping and arresting the poor. These institutions of power tried to alleviate the hardships of their miserable lives by helping the poor by creating charities, endowments, food, cash donations, and so on. The study of social history, especially in the Safavid period, is one of the cases that has attracted less attention of scholars. The reason for this abandonment, on the one hand, is some of the difficulties in conducting such studies, and, on the other hand, the attractiveness of other areas. Therefore, this study intends to study the historical documents and sources related to the subject, to open an entrance to study the social life of Iran in this field, which despite the fact that the poor classes of Iranian society seem to play a significant role in The political, economic and social developments of the society did not play a role and in many sources they are referred to as classless groups. What factors have caused these classes to be considered by the institutions of power in many cases? Accordingly, the main issue of the present study is to examine the motives and policies of the Safavid government to support the poor. Regarding the research background, it should be acknowledged that although several studies have been conducted on the poor and the downtrodden in different periods, in which the situation of the poor and their position in political affairs and the actions of ruling families. Has been examined in the elimination of poverty. But none of these studies not only deals with how the Safavid government interacts with the poor, but there is no independent research on the situation of the poor in the Safavid period and the government's policies towards the poor. Therefore, it is necessary to study an independent study that reveals the supportive policies of the Safavid government towards the poor of the Safavid era.

Methodology: The research method used in this research, in addition to descriptive methods, in some parts of the research, the quantitative method and the method of interpretation have been used. In fact, in the present study, an attempt has been made to achieve a significant result in the field of research by the combined method or the link between quality and quantity of historical data.

Results: Findings indicate that the Safavid government in various social and economic dimensions, including meeting the needs of the poor, helping their health, preparing and providing the scientific and cultural development of the poor with the establishment of schools, etc. an important impact He was poor in improving his living conditions. In addition, the Safavid government in this period, in order to achieve goals such as eradicating poverty and misery, gaining political legitimacy among the masses and showing a benevolent and religious image of itself along with other political and social goals, politics of attention and Followed the arrest of the poor.

Discussion and Conclusion: The poor or the destitute were a reality in Safavid society that the Safavid government and institutions of power could not be indifferent to this population and according to the study of Safavid sources on how the government interacts. Safavids with empty hands, how and why the Safavid government approached the poor in this period, it is understood that usually the policy of the Safavid government towards the poor of Iranian society in order to help and arrest this class and in terms of factors such as gaining legitimacy And showing oneself as a justified and benevolent figure as a Muslim king, attracting the good prayers of the poor to win the wars and ... attracting the support of the mentioned group to prevent their revolt and, most importantly, pretending Practicing religious teachings and humanitarian and loving deeds has been in order to gain the ultimate happiness and the pleasure of God. Another conclusion obtained from the data related to the research was that usually the Safavid government interacted with the more destitute in the possibility and religious cities and with various events such as the illness of kings, after the death or birth of kings, princes, nobles and Court orders, victory in war, and so on. Therefore, according to the above, it should be noted that the institution of power in the Safavid period with the help of influential centers such as religious places and encouraging and supporting the poor caused their social welfare. In addition, the government, by establishing public utility buildings, such as sanatoriums and schools, etc. which are often dedicated to financing the intended expenditures, in various social dimensions, including providing for the poor needs of society, helping their health, providing and Providing conditions for the scientific and cultural growth of the poor with the establishment of schools had an important effect on improving the situation of the poor in this period. On this basis, it can be said that the actions of the Safavid government, on the one hand, eliminated poverty in the society of the Safavid era, and on the other hand, encouraged and supported many other groups in society towards the poor.

Offers:

- Addressing the dimensions of the life of the poor in the Safavid period and how they interact with different segments of society

- Addressing the role of the Safavid government in the scientific and cultural development of the poor of the society

- Addressing the functions of waqf in eliminating poverty and destitution in Safavid society