An Examination of the Role of Islamic Seminaries in the Religious Propagation of the Qajar Era with an Emphasis on Tehran

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Ph.D. in Shia studies and assistant professor in the history department of Baqir al-Olum University

10.22081/jip.2023.67530.1102

Abstract

Islamic Seminaries, along with their inherent mission, have not been limited to education or research in the subject of religious education and have used a series of tools and measures in the field of propagating religious doctrines and teachings. This issue is of great importance, especially in the Qajar era, when Iranian society experienced a tense period in the field of religious education due to social, cultural and political developments. This study tries to examine the role of seminaries in the propagation of religious education in the geographical area of Tehran by relying on historical sources, including biographies, travelogues, and general and textual chronicles, using a descriptive-analytical method. Propagation of religious teachings in Islamic seminaries of Tehran during the Qajar era included the following features. Conforming to the needs and challenges of the day, independence and non-dependence, direct communication and elimination of intermediaries, providing authentic content and monitoring other propagation content, protecting knowledge levels, avoiding acquisition or profaneness in religious propagation and using environmental propagation in the process of propagation

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