Document Type : Research Article

Author

• Seyed Mohammad hosein Mohammadi

PhD of history and Researcher of Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

As a Muslim government, the Safavid government usually followed a number of religious teachings, Salaf governance practices, political ethics, and the legacy of the writings on the importance and necessity of poverty alleviation and support for the inferior groups. The main point in paying attention to these issues was a discourse that encouraged the political authorities and social groups to do justice and promote charity in accordance with the Islamic verses and hadiths and of course the cultural contexts in the society. Social support was basically provided by public resources and mainly by the government and through taxes as well as improving governance procedures, and its extent could be increased or limited with any economic, social or political change. This research is looking for the answer to this question, how were the patterns and procedures of supporting Farudestan during the Safavid rule period? And what changes did these procedures enjoy with respect to the establishment of the religious government? By adopting the "history from below" approach and based on the qualitative-interpretive method based on data analysis, this research explains the social support status of the urban slums of the Safavid period. The findings of the research indicate that during the periods of stability of the Safavids, support policies were implemented in two dimensions, official and unofficial. In the official dimension, establishing tax exemptions, paying long-term loans and even free of charge, reforming economic procedures, establishing a cruel court and punishing civil offenders, providing urban and civil services, strengthening the idea of justice and meritocracy, expanding endowments and feeding the needy. The unofficial side of spreading religious teachings in the form of kindness and honor, charity and charity, vows and gifts, rejecting oppression and feeding the poor was promoted and paid for.

Keywords

• social support
• subjugation
• oppressive court
• poverty alleviation
• Safavids

Main Subjects

• Social history

Extended Abstract

Support measures and mechanisms for urban subalterns in the Safavid period

Introduction: As a Muslim government, the Safavid government usually followed a number of religious teachings, the past governance practices, political ethics, and the legacy of the writings on the importance and necessity of poverty alleviation and support for the inferior groups. The main point in paying attention to these issues was a discourse that encouraged the political authorities and social groups to do justice and promote charity in accordance with Islamic verses and hadiths and cultural contexts in the society. Social protection was provided primarily from public sources, mainly by the government, through taxes and other revenues, as well as improved governance practices. Its scope could be increased or limited by any economic, social or political changes. This research is looking for the answer to this question, how were the patterns and procedures of supporting Farudestan during the Safavid rule period? And what changes did these procedures enjoy with respect to the establishment of the religious government?

The research background of the subject is not considered very rich. Shahram Yousefi Far also in an article entitled "Supporting the Subordinates in Iran during the Ilkhanate Era" emphasized Rabe Rashidi's endowment as the largest support program during the Ilkhanate period, and analyzed how it works and explained the plans of this economic enterprise. Hassan Kariman and Mehbobeh Sadat Bidgoli, in the article "Social and economic problems of Iranian cities in the Safavid era with reference to government decrees set in stone", decrees with issues such as tax reductions for labor groups and small businesses, preventing government officials from encroaching on people and supporting the weak classes of the society during the period of Shah Abbas I, they mentioned the fight against corruption and prostitution. Another work is the article entitled "The Place of Stone Inscriptions of Iran in the Islamic Era in the Researches of Subordinate Peoples" by Maqsood Ali Sadeghi, which gives a proper description of stone inscriptions on the topic of tax reductions in the Safavid period, and based on those decrees, some subordinate groups Monitors a city. The article "Investigation of the support policies of the Safavid government towards Tahidistan" has discussed a part of the issue by proposing the support of the Safavid government in the form of offerings, alms, feeding, rescuing the sick and building Dar al-Shafa and school and improving Sadat's life. However, the current article has proposed more diverse cases of social support mechanisms and analyzed them in two parts, official and social. The subject of the research is necessary in terms of the lack of history in the area of Farudestan in the Safavid period.

Methodology; This research has been organized with the aim of representing the social relations governing the urban society during the Safavid period, with emphasis on the destitute scrolls. Recognizing the problems and inadequacies of the underprivileged groups and explaining their social consequences in the city of the Safavid period is another goal of this research. The topic of the article will follow one of the common approaches in the field of social history, which will be based on the "history from below" approach. In fact, recovering the voice and presence of Farudostan in the historical narrative requires a form that is referred to as "history from below" in the writing policy of Farudostan studies. The value of history from below is in validating the identity of the inferior strata, which should go beyond and redefine, criticize and empowering the official flow of history research. Therefore, the writer is trying to identify and collect data based on the research problem in order to explain the discussed topic, clarify its dimensions and explain the research findings based on the qualitative-interpretive method based on the discovery of cause and effect relationships.

Findings; The analysis of the sources of this period shows that social support was implemented in two dimensions, official and unofficial (social). In the official dimension; Tax exemptions, payment of long-term and even gratuitous loans, reform of economic procedures, establishment of cruel courts and punishment of civil offenders, provision of urban and civil services, strengthening the idea of justice and meritocracy, expanding endowments and feeding the needy, building and revitalizing public places for public benefit. It can be mentioned such as a bathhouse, a water tank, a bridge, a hospital, a caravanserai, especially in deprived areas. In the informal dimension, social groups supported the inferior groups in the form of charity, food, alms, offerings, and endowments.

Result; The social support of Farudestan was confirmed and emphasized by a set of religious beliefs, the governance procedures of the predecessors and the legacy of writing and political ethics (the theoretical aspect of governance). Therefore, the Safavid government and society tried to help improve the condition of the lower strata of the society by adopting protective policies towards Farudostan. The Safavid government in some periods of its stability through adopting the approach of good governance and using its tools such as meritocracy, justice, establishing a cruel court and punishing criminal offenders and military appointees, providing social services and building and equipping urban infrastructures and carrying out Economic reforms and tax organization followed this goal. On the other hand, social groups, under the influence of the cultural and religious discourse ruling the society, tried to improve their conditions by adopting supportive procedures. Most of the evidences and examples of the use of protective measures for Farudestan are related to the period of stability of this dynasty in the 11th century of Hijri. In the 10th and 12th centuries of Safavid rule, due to widespread internal and external conflicts and the distress of economic and social affairs, the pursuit of support policies has significantly declined in both official and unofficial dimensions.

Key words: social support, subjugation, oppressive court, poverty alleviation, Safavids.