Some Assessments of the Ethnic Origin and Faith of Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn Ardabīlī

The founder of the Ṣafavid sect, Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn Ardabīlī was accepted as a Sunni/Shāfiʿī, and the Ṣafavid historiography is generally based on this thesis. This historiography, which is based on the work called Ṣafvat al-ṣafā written by Ibn al-Bazzāz, has been widely accepted in academia. The Alevi tradition that sees Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn Ardabīlī as an important faith leader, has been completely rejected. In this study, the sect of Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn Ardabīlī, who was the ancestor of Shāh İsmāʿīl, the founder of the Ṣafavid State, is investigated.
Apart from this historiography based on Ṣafvat al-ṣafā, although some different opinions are put forward, they are not based on reliable sources. Despite the view that Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn Ardabīlī was Sunni which is generally accepted in academia, there were also some researchers who stated that Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn was Shi'ite, but did not disclose his real belief by concealing it. Some researchers stated that the revelation of Shia beliefs in the Ṣafavid sect started in the time of Hodja Ali who was Ṣafī al-Dīn Ardabīlī's grandson. 
This study analyses Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn Ardabīlī’s sect and discusses the issue in terms of Ṣafvat al-ṣafā and criticises the ideas indicating that Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn was a Sunni believer. Then, the subject is re-evaluated with the new information based on Akā'id-i Evliyā'-i Seb'a belong to Sultan Mahmud Geylânî. In addition, the traces of Buyruks, which are at the centre of the Alevi literary tradition in Akā'id-i Evliyā'-i Seb'a, have been examined and their similarities have been identified. In the study, it is concluded that Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn Ardabīlī had faith in Shia belief based on wisdom.
Keywords: Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn Ardabīlī, Ṣafavid, Sunni, Shiite, Alevi.