Shaykh Junayd (died 4 March 1460;
) was the hereditary leader of the
Safavid order, a
Sufi
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
order based in
Ardabil in northwestern Iran. He was the son of Shaykh Ibrahim, grandson of Shaykh
Ali Safavi, father of
Shaykh Haydar and grandfather of the founder of
Safavid dynasty,
Shah Ismail I. After the death of his father, he assumed the leadership of the Safavid order from 1447–1460. Junayd transformed the Safavid order into a military movement and sought to create his own principality by conquest.
History
Under Junayd, the Safaviyya was transformed from a
Sufi
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
order organized around a saint-ascetic into an active military movement with a policy of conquest and domination. He was the first Safavi spiritual leader to espouse specifically
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 ...
ic teachings, and in particular those of the
Twelver
Twelver Shi'ism (), also known as Imamism () or Ithna Ashari, is the Islamic schools and branches, largest branch of Shia Islam, Shi'a Islam, comprising about 90% of all Shi'a Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers to its adherents' belief in twel ...
''
ghulat
The () were a branch of history of Shia Islam, early Shi'a Islam. The term mainly refers to a wide variety of List of extinct Shia sects, extinct Shi'i sects active in 8th- and 9th-century Kufa in Lower Mesopotamia, and who, despite their somet ...
''. Junayd was viewed as a divine incarnation by his followers.
During his time in
Ardabil, Junayd attracted so many disciples that in 1448,
Jahan Shah (the
Kara Koyunlu prince) drove him into exile to Anatolia and Syria. While there, he engaged in missionary activities and accumulated
Turkmen followers. He then went to the court of
Uzun Hassan at
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province.
Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...
, where he married Uzun Hassan's sister, Khadija Khatun, somewhere between 1456 and 1459.
Junayd was prevented from returning to Ardabil, so he lived at
Shirvan where he died in a local skirmish near the
Samur River in what is modern
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
, where he was buried. This led to the beginning of animosity between the mainly Sunni
Shirvanshah and the increasingly heterodox Shi’i Safaviyya.
[Percy Molesworth Sykes]
''A History of Persia''
pg.240-241
Mausoleum of Shaykh Juneyd is located in the village of
Khazra in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
. Junayd was succeeded by his son
Shaykh Haydar, who married his cousin
Halima Alamshah Khatun, daughter of Uzun Hassan and
Theodora Despina Khatun. They had three sons and three daughters. One of them was
Shah Ismail I, father of
Shah Tahmasp I.
Succession
See also
*
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty (; , ) was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from Safavid Iran, 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of History of Iran, modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder em ...
*
Safavid dynasty family tree
Notes
External links
JONAYDEncyclopædia Iranica
{{DEFAULTSORT:Safavi, Junayd
Safavid dynasty
Safaviyeh order
1460 deaths
Kurdish Sufis
Year of birth unknown
15th-century Kurdish people
Critics of Sunni Islam
Converts to Shia Islam from Sunni Islam