''Jame-e Abbasi'' () is a 17th-century Persian encyclopedia on ''

feqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

'' (Islamic

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

) in

Shia Islam Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

, composed by

Baha al-Din al-Amili Baha al-Din Muhammad ibn Husayn al-Amili (; ; 18 February 1547 – 1 September 1621), also known as Bahāddīn ʿĀmilī, or just Sheikh Bahāʾi (Persian: شیخ بهایی) in Iran, was an originally Lebanese Iranian Shia Islamic scholar, poe ...

under the orders of the

Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

ruler

Shah Abbas I Abbas I (; 27 January 1571 – 19 January 1629), commonly known as Abbas the Great (), was the fifth Safavid shah of Iran from 1588 to 1629. The third son of Shah Mohammad Khodabanda, he is generally considered one of the most important rulers ...

(). During the reign of

Shah Ismail I Ismail I (; 17 July 1487 – 23 May 1524) was the founder and first shah of Safavid Iran, ruling from 1501 until his death in 1524. His reign is one of the most vital in the history of Iran, and the Safavid period is often considered the beginn ...

and Shah Tahmasp I, there was minimal interest in collections of Shia tradition, with the exception of the writings of Husayn ibn Abd al-Samad. There was a greater push to expand and preserve Shia tradition under Shah Abbas I. Shia tradition was the subject of writings by authors such as Baha al-Din al-Amili,

Mir Damad Mīr Dāmād () (c. 1561 – 1631/1632), known also as Mir Mohammad Baqer Esterabadi, or Asterabadi, was a Twelver Shia Iranian philosopher in the Neoplatonizing Islamic Peripatetic traditions of Avicenna. He was a scholar of the traditional Is ...

, and Sayyed Ahmad Alavi. The juridical encyclopedia that was most widely used was ''Jame-e Abbasi''. It covered topics such as Islamic customs, the correct birth and death dates of the

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

s, monetary donations, sales, marriage, divorce, vows, atonement, and criminal law. Abbas I instructed that ''Jame-e Abbasi'' be delivered in "a clear, comprehensible language in order that all people, the learned and the lay, would seek benefit from it," in a deliberate attempt to provide an example of Persianized Shia Islam to the Iranians. The works that Abbas I commissioned catered to a broad audience, in contrast to the expert texts written by the ''

ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

'' (Islamic clergy). ''Jame-e Abbasi'' marked a turning point in the spread of Shia legal literature by promoting unification throughout the realm.

References

Sources

* * Safavid literature 17th-century Persian books Shia fiqh {{Iran-stub