@mastersthesis {1299146,
	title = {The Nimatullahi Sayyids of Taft: A Study of the Evolution of a Late Medieval Iranian Sufi Tariqah},
	year = {2004},
	type = {PhD dissertation},
	abstract = {<p>During the late medieval period, the Ni{\textquoteleft}matull{\={a}}hi tariqah, founded by Sh{\={a}}h Ni{\textquoteleft}matull{\={a}}h Wali (d.834/1431), became one of the most widespread Sufi orders in Iran. The present study traces that order{\textquoteright}s evolution during its formative years, from the late 8th/14th century to the end of the Safawid period, when Sh{\={a}}h Ni{\textquoteleft}matull{\={a}}h{\textquoteright}s descendents relinquished their role as hereditary leaders of the order. In particular, it focuses on the process of the tariqah{\textquoteright}s institutionalization, and how it evolved from a small circle of disciples into a specialized and hierarchically organized entity with its own distinct practices, beliefs, and institutions. It suggests that this was a gradual and ongoing process, and that the tariqah underwent significant changes in the centuries following Sh{\={a}}h Ni{\textquoteleft}matull{\={a}}h{\textquoteright}s death, in terms of doctrine, organization, and even sectarian affiliation.</p><p>Section One discusses the various biographies of Sh{\={a}}h Ni{\textquoteleft}matull{\={a}}h and how those sources reflect the attempts of that shaykh{\textquoteright}s successors to institutionalize his charisma. In particular, it demonstrates how the later shaykhs of the tariqah were able to mold and redefine the order{\textquoteright}s past, adapting it to their own ends. Section Two explores various factors that are indicative of the tariqah{\textquoteright}s development during the 9th/15th century. These include the crystallization of a distinct initiatic chain, based on the principle of hereditary succession, around Sh{\={a}}h Ni{\textquoteleft}matull{\={a}}h{\textquoteright}s descendents in the region of Yazd; the expansion of the tariqah{\textquoteright}s network of followers and their integration into the Ni{\textquoteleft}matull{\={a}}hi biographical tradition; the development of distinctive Ni{\textquoteleft}matull{\={a}}hi beliefs and practices, and the manner in which those beliefs were articulated over time by the leadership of the order. Section Three examines the dynamics of the Ni{\textquoteleft}matull{\={a}}hi relationship with the Safawids, accounting for their comparative success at a time when organized Sufism as a whole was decline in Iran. In particular, it focuses on the intense politicization of the leadership of the order during the 10th/16th century and on their gradual adoption of Ithn{\={a}}-{\textquoteleft}Ashari Shiism, the state religion of the Safawids.</p>},
	url = {http://search.proquest.com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/docview/305191167?accountid=11311},
	author = {Michael Paul Connell}
}
