Question:

Did the founder of the Safavid Empire, Shah Isma’il, force the opposing scholars to publicly curse Abu Bakr and Umar?

Response:

Ni’matullah Al-Jaza’iri writes: ,,When Shah Isma’il, God exalt his rank, came to Shiraz, whereby most of the scholars therein being among those, who are in opposition (to us), he summoned them and ordered them to curse the three who had stayed behind (Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman), but they refused to curse them, because according to them, dissimulation (taqiyyah) was not allowed in cursing and what resembled it. Therefore, he ordered their execution.After that it was said to him, that one of their most excellent scholars remained and that one was Shams-ud-Din Al-Khafri who wrote a commentary on the work Ilahiyat-ut-Tajrid. Shah Isma’il sent for him and ordered him to curse the Three (Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman) and he cursed them in a bad way. Thereupon he was spared from execution.” [Al-Anwar-un-Nu’maniyyah, Volume 2 page 27]

قال السيد نعمة الله الجزائري رحمه الله: ولما أتى إسماعيل أعلى الله مقامه إلى شيراز وكان أكثر علمائها من المخالفين أحضرهم وأمرهم بلعن المتخلفين الثلثة (أبي بكر وعمر وعثمان) فامتنعوا عن اللعن لأن التقية لا تجوز عندهم في اللعن وأضرابه فأمر بقتلهم ثم قيل له إن واحدا من أفاضلهم وهو شمس الدين الخفري صاحب الحاشية على الهيات التجريد قد بقى فأرسل إليه وأمره بلعن الثلثة (أبي بكر وعمر وعثمان) فلعنهم لعنا شنيعا فسلم من القتل