The Manifestation of Religious Knowledge in the Mourning Rituals of Muharram: A Comparative Analysis of the Periods of Shah Abbas I of the Safavid Dynasty and Naser al-Din Shah of the Qajar Dynasty

Abstract

The present study was conducted with the aim of comparatively analyzing the manifestation of religious knowledge in the mourning rituals of Muharram during two historical periods: the reign of Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty and the reign of Naser al-Din Shah of the Qajar dynasty. This study is organized based on a historical and comparative approach and employs a descriptive-analytical method. The required data were collected through the examination of library sources, historical documents, travelogues, and historical texts. The findings indicate that mourning rituals in both historical periods were not merely individual practices; rather, they functioned as effective instruments for strengthening Shiite identity, creating social cohesion, reproducing religious knowledge, and establishing connections with structures of political power. Although the active presence of rulers, martyrdom-narrative recitation, elegiac preaching, and the use of symbols such as ritual standards and ceremonial insignia were among the common elements of both periods, fundamental differences can also be observed. In the Safavid era, emphasis was placed on elegiac preaching and content grounded in jurisprudential texts and authoritative narrations, whereas the Qajar period, with the expansion of passion plays, dramatic mourning performances, and the incorporation of popular and artistic elements, assumed a more theatrical and complex character. The results suggest that the semantic and epistemic core of these rituals remained stable and enduring over time, while only their performative form and content changed and adapted in accordance with the historical, cultural, and social transformations of each era.