The effect of thought streams on teaching philosophy in the madrasahs of Safavid era

Abstract

Madrasahs (colleges) did not pay equal attention to philosophy in the different eras of Safavid and they had different conditions based on the ideas existing in society. In this article, we will study teaching philosophy in the madrasahs of Safavid era citing historical references in the first and second half of this era. In the first half of this era, because of paying too much attention to rationalism and reasoning in madrasah, philosophy also received lots of attention beside religious sciences. But in the second half of this era, with the revival of Akhbārīsm or Ahl- Hadith and under its influence, teaching Akhbar and Shiite ahadith in madrasahs flourished and philosophy received less attention and even in some madrasahs such as Maryam Begum Madrasah in Isfahan, its teaching was prohibited and it was regarded as a harmful science.