| During the late medieval period, the Ni`matullāhī t&dotbelow;arīqah, founded by Shāh Ni`matullāh Walī (d.834/1431), became one of the most widespread Sufi orders in Iran. The present study traces that order's evolution during its formative years, from the late 8th/14th century to the end of the S&dotbelow;afawīd period, when Shāh Ni`matullāh's descendents relinquished their role as hereditary leaders of the order. In particular, it focuses on the process of the t&dotbelow;arīqah's institutionalization, and how it evolved from a small circle of disciples into a specialized and hierarchically organized entity with its own distinct practices, beliefs, and institutions. It suggests that this was a gradual and ongoing process, and that the t&dotbelow;arīqah underwent significant changes in the centuries following Shāh Ni`matullāh's death, in terms of doctrine, organization, and even sectarian affiliation.;Section One discusses the various biographies of Shāh Ni`matullāh and how those sources reflect the attempts of that shaykh's successors to institutionalize his charisma. In particular, it demonstrates how the later shaykhs of the t&dotbelow;arīqah were able to mold and redefine the order's past, adapting it to their own ends. Section Two explores various factors that are indicative of the t&dotbelow;arīqah's development during the 9th/15th century. These include the crystallization of a distinct initiatic chain, based on the principle of hereditary succession, around Shāh Ni`matullāh's descendents in the region of Yazd; the expansion of the t&dotbelow;arīqah's network of followers and their integration into the Ni`matullāhī biographical tradition; the development of distinctive Ni`matullāhī beliefs and practices, and the manner in which those beliefs were articulated over time by the leadership of the order. Section Three examines the dynamics of the Ni`matullāhī relationship with the S&dotbelow;afawīds, accounting for their comparative success at a time when organized Sufism as a whole was decline in Iran. In particular, it focuses on the intense politicization of the leadership of the order during the 10th/16th century and on their gradual adoption of Ithnā-`Asharī Shiism, the state religion of the S&dotbelow;afawīds. |
