Spektrum Iran

Abstrakt Qāżīzādih Ardibilī was an Iranian elite captured by the Ottoman forces who nonetheless began writing and translating books in Persian. He authored Ghazavāt-i Sulṭān Salīm in Persian and translated Wafayāt al-aʿyān from Arabic into Persian. In both works, Qāżīzādih’s religious orientation can be detected through various elements of his writing. Based on library research and a comparative analysis of the two texts (i.e., Ghazavāt-i Sulṭān Salīm and Wafayāt al-aʿyān) this study showed that Qāżīzādih, who practiced Shiʿism, adopted two distinct attitudes toward Ahl al-Sunna in these works. In his translation of Wafayāt al-aʿyān, Qāżīzādih employed a softer tone toward the rival denomination. This shift can be attributed to the earlier composition of Ghazavāt, discrepancy in the intended audience of the two works, and the contrasting demands of writing original texts versus translating existing ones. This study explores the transformation in Qāżīzādih’s religious orientation, identifying signs of adjustment in his Shiʿī stance, and examines the factors that contributed to this evolution.