Rowḍeh, Popular Preaching and Sociopolitical Critique in Tehran of the Naṣirī Period (1848–1896)

Abstract This article seeks to investigate an unprecedented rapid rise of rowḍeh ceremonies as part of the larger Shī‘ī mourning rituals and commemoration of the Karbala tragedy during the reign of Nasir al-Din Shah (1848–96). It argues that the Qajar elite, especially the Shah himself, in tandem with popular preachers played an instrumental role in promoting these long-standing rituals. While the Shah used mourning ceremonies to project an image of a devout Shī‘ī monarch and boost legitimacy of his rule, preachers turned rowḍeh and the pulpit into a soapbox for sociopolitical critique. These rapid developments in a few short decades involved professionalization of preaching whereby pioneers such as Mullā Āqā Darbandī and Mullā Esmā‘īl Sabzevārī embarked on publishing rowḍeh handbooks that went beyond traditional martyrology.