Essay Sample on Letter to Ismail: Sultan Selim's Resentment of Shia Creation

Introduction

Letter to Shah Ismail was written by Sultan Selim 1. It was dedicated to Ismail, who established the Safavid Empire in Persia. The letter illustrates the existing resentment among the Shia and the Sunni Muslims. Ottoman was one of the traditions in practiced in Persia. Sultan was a Sunni but practiced Ottoman traditions- he was distressed by the creation of the Shia municipal, based in Persia, which was operated by Ismail. According to the followers, Ismail came from the family of Ali. He had many supporters, some of whom included the Turks.

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The supporters were believed to have helped Sultan's brother in the conflict that resulted in the death of Bayezid. In 1513, Ismail had attacked the territories of the Eastern Ottoman, and the war appeared unavoidable. However, in 1914, Sultan wrote to Ismail to concede defeat and join Sunni Islam. Nonetheless, Ismail did not abandon the conquests, and Sultan's army conquered him during the Chaldiran conflict. Although he lost in the battle, Ismail retained his power position and acknowledged to offer a commitment to the Shiism. Chaldiran was the first battle that arose amid the two realms.

Religious Conflict

The letter elaborates on the religious conflict that exists between the two empires. According to Brummett (1996), Safavid invaded the territories of the Ottoman, where he created Shi'ism- it was believed to be a deceitful division of the Islamic religion. Safavid used religion to fight over the Indian Ocean line of work that generated a lot of revenue. The acts show the extent to which one can thrive to fight for powers. Safavid knew the Ottoman's residences were religious, and establishing a mosque in the region would earn him famous, which he would use to control trading activities in the area.

However, Sultan got angry due to the blasphemous act of the Safavid. He affirmed that "... the true faith is that of the Muslims. Whoever professes another religion, far from being hearkened to and saved, will on the contrary be cast out among the rejected on the great day of the Last Judgment; He says further… and that he who abandons the good way will be condemned to hell-fire and eternal torments" (Brummett,1996). Sultan referred to the Shi'ism religion, which aimed at gaining material wealth instead of following the acceptable ways of the Muslims. Thus, religious conflict is depicted in the letter, which is associated with greedy for material wealth.

The letter contradicts the secondary source in various ways. According to Brummett (1996), the only acceptable religion is Islam. "… that the true faith is that of the Muslims". However, the secondary source discusses several religious activities that were practiced in Persia (Dale, 2002). They included protestants and Catholics- this is an indication that Sultan had a particular interest in Islamic religion and converting every individual into Islamic. In essence, Sultan was a hypocrite who sought after power and a large number of Islamic supporters. Therefore, both Ismail and Sultan had a similar interest in the Islamic religion. The letter was meant to Intimidate Ismail so that Sultan can have all powers to control the Indian Ocean market.

Contradictions

There is also a contradiction in the letter regarding the Islamic religion ruler. According to the secondary source, the Islamic ruler was supposed to name his predecessor before his death. However, the late leader, Sultan Muhammad-Khan, had not introduced his successor to the public (Dale, 2002). Therefore, Sultan Selim had declared himself the leader instead of being elected by other family members. He describes himself as the "sovereign chief of the Ottomans, master of the heroes of the age; ... I, the exterminator of idolaters, destroyer of the enemies of the true faith…I, before whom proud and unjust kings have humbled themselves, and whose hand breaks the strongest scepters…" (Brummett, 1996). In his statement, he claims to be the Islamic ruler and a leader of all kings.

However, the Shiism opposed the fact that the Islamic leader was supposed to be a descendant of the prophet. Ismail, who was a leader of the Shiism, insisted that the Islamic leader had to be a cousin to Muhammad. According to Brummett (1996), Muhammad was the reason behind the conflict between the two empires. He did not fulfill his duty of naming his successor. However, Ismail fought for the Shiism doctrine, which became the new rule of the Islamic religion. Although Sultan did not approve of it, Ismail established Islam to be ruled by the immediate cousins to the rulers.

Similarly, the struggle for power is depicted whereby Sultan is willing to fight Ismail over the stolen land. He uses the Quran as a weapon to fight back and get what was taken from Ottoman. He states that "however, anxious to conform to the spirit of the law of the Prophet, we come, before commencing war, to set out before you the words of the Quran, in place of the sword, and to exhort you to embrace the true faith…" (Brummett, 1996). Sultan states that he is commencing warfare to reiterate for the stolen land by use of the sword. Thus, killing was part of the plan in case Ismail did not follow their request.

Sultan adds, "We urge you to look into yourself, renounce your errors, and march towards the good with a firm and courageous step. We ask further that you give up possession of the territory violently seized from our state and have only illegitimate pretensions. You deliver it back into the hands of our lieutenants and officers. If you value your safety and repose, this should be done without delay” (Brummett, 1996). According to Sultan, Ismail had committed iniquities and needed to correct his ways. However, this was not the case, as Ismail was able to overthrow the Islamic ruling by the Sultan. Shi'ism became the new Islamic religion and was headed by Ismail. Therefore, the intimidation letter Ismail did not help Sultan to attain control over the Indian Ocean trade.

Conclusion

A letter to Ismail was an act of intimidation to help Sultan gain political powers to control the Indian Ocean deal. However, Sultan maneuvered through religion to achieve his goals but failed terribly. Ismail did not conform to his request but instead did the unthinkable by changing Islamic doctrine.

References

Brummett, P. (1996). The Myth of Shah Ismail Safavi: Political Rhetoric and 'Divine' Kingship. Medieval Christian Perceptions of Islam, 331-59.

Dale, S. F. (2002). Indian merchants and Eurasian trade, 1600-1750. Cambridge University Press.