SAFI OD-DIN

born 1253, Ardabil, Iran died Sept. 12, 1334, Ardabil mystic and founder of the Safavid order of mystics. Safi od-Din, a descendant of a family of provincial administrators, obtained his early education in Ardabil, where his family held dependencies as a land grant from the central government. Later, in Shiraz, he was influenced by Sufi (mystical) teachings. He then traveled to the province of Gilan (the Iranian Caspian province), where he spent 25 years as a murid (spiritual follower) of Sheikh Zahid, whose daughter Bibi Fatimah he married. The other spiritual followers of Sheikh Zahid, following his death, transferred their allegiance to Safi od-Din, who then returned to Ardabil, where he formed the Safavid order. The fame of Safi od-Din increased as the new order gained recruits. The popularity of the order can be attributed in part to Safi od-Din's policy of hospitality, especially to all who sought refuge. One of the sheikh's appellations was Khalil-e 'Ajam (the Iranian Abraham, who is noted for hospitality in Iranian folklore). The order appears to have been a Sunnite (the traditionalists in Islam) order of mystics that made concessions to the followers of 'Ali (the fourth caliph of Islam) without actually adhering to the doctrines of his party, that of the Shi'ites. The claim made by Safavid court historians that Safi od-Din was a Shi'ite and a sayyid (descendant of 'Ali) is false and misleading. Saf i od-Din, himself, was a Sunnite of the Shafi'i school (one of the four schools of Sunnite law).