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Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch
Abstract
The Nawbakht dynasty was one of the original Iranian dynasties who became the source of great services in the Shiite society from the middle of the second century up to the early years of the fifth century AH. It is very important to investigate the effect of this dynasty on the Shiite theology and thought, both in their being pioneer in that realm and in content and variety they produced there. The Nawbakht dynasty investigated new and real issues in the sphere of political thought, which emerged due to the Shiite twelfth Imam’s Occultation. The emergence of new discourses and numerous movements and riots in the Islamic society, along with the emergence of the Sunnite traditionism supported financially and spiritually by the government, as well as the introduction of new thoughts along with rationalism, created a new atmosphere for proposing persuasive answers for questions on religious thought, especially the Imamiyya thought regarding the twelfth Imam’s Occultation. The insistence the Nawbakht dynasty had in providing answers for the issues emerged in the Muslim society was, indeed, an emphasis on rationalism and argumentative method. Four great figures in this dynasty, in particular, were Abu Sahl, Abu Ishaq, Hussein bin Rouh and Hassan bin Musa, who explained Imamate rationally and argumentatively, regarding it one of the principles of religion and strengthening its theoretical foundations. In a smaller level, this dynasty, in addition to their focus on answering religious doubts especially in political realism, proceeded to access the Abbasid court and the powerful Iraqi dynasties. This had in itself a great role in widening the atmosphere for defending the Imamite religious beliefs. In fact, if we accept that the political theories are formed in response to intellectual and political crises, the formation of the political theory of Nawbakht dynasty is a clear example of it.