Shī‘Ī polemics at the Mughal court: The case of QāẓĪ Nūrullāh Shūshtarī

Abstract

Nūrullāh Shūshtarī’s death in 1610, while undergoing punishment at Jahāngīr’s orders at Agra, has been interpreted in various ways. Without seeking to arrive at a definitive solution, the present article aims at bringing together as much evidence on the event and on its background as could be collected. Even if a final judgement evades us, it is hoped that the material presented here would help us to have a sense of the political and intellectual environment in which the event occurred.