'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎106r] (216/610)

madanism the national religion, Shi’ah being an Arabic word;
meaning sectary”, i.e., they are Sectaries of Ali or “Non
conformists as opposed to the orthodox branch who style*
themselves Sunni, a name derived from the Sunnat “directions
of Muhammad
At the present time Persia is nearly all Shi’ah with the excep
tion of Kurdistan, which is Sunni. In this North Western area
the tribes of Talish in the North of Gilan, are half Sunni and
half Shi’ah, and a few Sunni villages are found in Khalkhal.
This schism between Shi’ah and Sunni took place in the
early days of the Muhammadan religion.
The prophet Muhammad died in 632 A. D. and was suc
ceeded by 1 2 Caliphs, the first three of whom where Abu Bakhr,.
Omar, and Othman, and the fourth Ali. Ali was the cousin
of Muhammad, and married his daughter Fatima, who bore
Imam Husain and Abbas, and was adopted as his son, Muham
mad’s own sons having died in childhood.
The Shi’ites maintain that Ali was nearest of kin to Muham
mad and was nominated by him as his successor, and refuse to
recognize Abu Bakhr, Omar, Othman whom they regard as
usurpers, and Omar they execrate, probably on account cf
his invasion of Iran and destruction of its religious and scientific
books. Omar and Othman were both murdered and succeeded
in 656 by Ali, the fourth Caliph.
Ali’s two eldest sons were Hasan and Husain. Hasan was
a voluptuary and on Ali’s death in 661 was intimidated by
Muavia to relinquish his claim to the succession. Muavia
had been appointed by Omar to the governorship of Syria,,
and from 656 to 660 he had disputed the Caliphate with Ali.
He now become Caliph, retaining Damascus as his capital, and
the founder of the Umayyad dynasty.
On Muavia’s death in 680 Husain, at the invitation of a
party in Kufa, which had been the capital during Ali’s Cali
phate, attempted a rebellion against Yezid, the son of Muavia.
Husain marched with 70 followers from Medina to the plain
of Kufa, the Kufis failed him and he and his party were anni
hilated on the 10th Muharram by Shimr, the general sent by
the pro-Yezid governor of Kufa to attack them. The city of
Kerbela stands on the site where they died and contains the
tomb of Husain.
1 Shi’at-ul-AH in Aratnc.
2 Khalifate liasiil-Ullah “ Successor ” or “ Vicar ” of the prophet of God.