Structural and thematic diversity of copied jurisprudential works in the second half of the Safavid period and its comparison with jurisprudential works of the first period, citing manuscripts from Iranian libraries

Purpose: The aim of the research is to analytically examine the structural diversity of jurisprudential works of the second Safavid period, including books and treatises, their independence or non-independence, and to determine the diversity of the subjects of the treatises of this period and to compare them with the works of the first Safavid period.

Method: This research is conducted using a survey research method of content analysis; one of the survey method tools is a checklist, which is used in this research. Given the scope of the subject, the research is conducted in a census manner. The scope of this research is the jurisprudential works copied in the second half of the Safavid period, from the reign of Shah Safi (1038 AH) to the fall of this dynasty (1135 AH).

Findings: After examining the jurisprudential manuscripts that were copied during this period and comparing them with the jurisprudential manuscripts of the first period, it can be concluded that the increase in the level of education, learning, and the compilation and copying of Shiite jurisprudential books in schools and copying centers, especially since the middle of the Safavid period, has clearly enjoyed growth and progress. The tendency of the jurists of this period is more towards writing specific jurisprudential topics needed by the society, and as a result, they have written treatises on each of these topics.

The comparative findings of the research are:

1. The number of jurisprudential works of the second half is 885 works, 75% of which are in the form of treatises and 25% of which are in the form of books. The number of jurisprudential works of the first half of the Safavid period is 554 works, 38% of which are in the form of books and nearly 62% of which are in the form of treatises.

2. The writing of treatises on topics with high frequency, such as prayer, marriage, purity, inheritance, Friday prayer, and Hajj, in the second half has increased significantly compared to the writing of treatises on the same topics in the first half; also, the writing of treatises on topics with relatively high frequency and medium frequency in the second half has also increased significantly compared to the first half.

Conclusion:The results of the research are:

1. The increase in independent jurisprudential books in this period is mainly the result of the efforts of the great jurists of the first Safavid period who, in the process of establishing and expanding religious schools and continuing scientific discussions, apart from writing commentaries and footnotes on the books of previous jurists, also wrote independent jurisprudential books themselves to enrich the jurisprudential and teaching resources needed in religious schools.

2. Considering the officialization of the Shiite religion by the Safavid government and the education of numerous students in the Shiite schools of the first half, in addition to individual and collective worship, the subject of prayer and its introduction, purification, and its completion, Friday prayer, became more important in the second half of the Safavid era; and knowing their rulings in accordance with the Imamiyya religion became more of a concern and a need for the Shiite Muslim masses.

As a result, numerous copies of jurisprudential works related to these topics were copied many times to make them available to scholars. Also, religious topics that have a social and family aspect and determine the relationship and interaction of individuals with each other, such as marriage and inheritance, also need to be copied with great frequency, so that Shiites can plan their personal and family lives in accordance with religious rules.