Primary source Document #1 "Letter to Ismail I"
A Letter
WHAT type of document is it?
1514
WHEN was it written?
Ottomn Empire
WHERE was it written?
Sultan Selim I
WHO wrote it?
Shias don't believe in the Rashidun Caliphate. According to Selim Shias is an irreligion and a heresy
What does Selim's letter reveal about the differences between sunnis and Shias?
One God (Allah) Holy Book (Quran) Hell + Judgment obey the commandment "O, faithful who believe, be the executors of the decree of God"
Even though Selim's letter is designed to malign Shiism, not define Islam, It contains many references to essential Muslim Beliefs. Which ones can you find?
He Believes he is the legitimate Caliph and ruler of the Islamic world
How does Selim perceive himself within the Islamic world?
It shows the conflict and rivalry between the Ottoman and Safavid empires and also between Sunni and Shia Islam
SO WHAT?
It is Islamic custom that you first peacefully invite your enemy to join Islam before war.
Selim must have realized that the deeply religious Ismail was unlikely to abandon Shiism. Why might he have written the letter, despite the likelihood that its appeal would fall on deaf ears?
