Muslim Cultures in the Indo-Iranian World during the Early-Modern and Modern Periods

This volume inquires into the intellectual and religious features of Muslim cultures in Iran and India during the early-modern and modern periods. Important transformations occurred in the Indo-Iranian world in these periods, beginning from the Safavids' coming to power in Iran and the Mughals' ascent in India, which occurred almost contemporaneously during the first half of the sixteenth century. The Safavids' conversion of the Iranian plateau to Shi'ism had a decisive influence on Iran's religious and political identity. However, the emergence of a Shi'i power in Iran that was opposed to the Sunni Islam that prevailed on the Indian subcontinent did not lead to a cultural isolation of the two regions. Muslim scholars and texts circulated widely among these countries, and the cultural scene in Safavid Iran was bound to exercise a significant influence on the Muslim intellectual milieu of India. This volume is a collection of essays by scholars working in this field who investigate these topics from varying perspectives. Some essays explore in particular the contacts achieved in this epoch between the Muslim and the Indian traditions. The articles of the first chapter deal with the politics and society during the Safavid-Mughal period. The second chapter investigates the Shi'i legacy in the Deccan region. The essays of the third chapter deal with the activities in Indian and Iranian mystical circles. The fourth chapter explores the Muslim reformist trends of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The fifth chapter looks into scientific and philosophical studies. The last chapter discusses the encounters between the Muslim and the Hindu traditions