Reflection and Reconsideration on the Custodianship of the Endowments of the Jāmeʿ Mosque of Zanjān

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

PhD in History of Iran after Islam, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

Purpose: Following the construction of the Jāmeʿ Mosque of Zanjān during the Qajar era, the management of its endowments was left to ʿAbdullāh Dārā, while its custodianship was given to Sayyid Muḥammad Mujtahid Ḥusayni. After their deaths, their descendants had a long controversy over the custodianship, with the Dārā family attempting to seize control and the Ḥusayni family attempting to keep it within their household. The paper, while elaborating on the controversies among the claimant groups and examining the accompanying conflicts and crises, poses the fundamental question of which family and individuals rightfully had custodianship of the profitable endowments of the Jāmeʿ Mosque of Zanjān.
Method and Research Design: The article's research method is historical research, conducted through a library-based approach and founded on documents in governmental, private, personal, and Zanjānī family archives, with a descriptive-analytical model being utilized to investigate the subject.
Findings and Conclusion: After careful examination of the documents of the families feigning custodianship of the Jāmeʿ Mosque, the waqf deed of the Dārā family—preserved by the offspring of one of the previous stewards named Dāmādī—is proved to be forged. In contrast, several waqf deeds of the Ḥusayni Zanjānī family, as custodians and Friday prayer leaders of the mosque, are proven valid. According to the results, in three instances, rulings of the Department for Waqf Research and the Committee for the Review of the Jāmeʿ Mosque's Endowment Documents under the Pahlavi regime (Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza Shah) and in the early post-revolutionary period confirmed the hereditary guardianship of the Ḥusayni Zanjānī family over the endowments of the mosque.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

English Translation of References
Documents
Asnād-e Anjoman-e Tārix va Farhang-e Zanjān. (1403/2024). “Asnād-e dowre-ye Qājār va Pahlavi” (Documents of the Qajar and Pahlavi periods). Zanjān: Daftar-e Anjoman-e Tārix va Farhang-e Zanjān (Office of the Zanjan History and Culture Association). [In Persian]
Asnād-e Edāre-ye Owqāf va Omur-e Xeyriye-ye Šahrestān-e Zanjān. (1403/2024). “Puše-ye asnād-e mowqufāt-e masjed jāme’” (Grand Mosque endowment documents folder). Zanjān: Xiyābān-e Emām (Imam Street), Edāre-ye Owqāf va Omur-e Xeyriye-ye Šahrestān-e Zanjān (Department of Endowments and Charity Affairs of Zanjan County). [In Persian]
Asnād-e Muze-ye Mehrāne-ye Zanjān (Documents of the Mehraneh Museum of Zanjan). (1402/2023). “Asnād-e xāndān-e Mirzāyi” (Documents of the Mirzaei Family). Zanjān: Bonyād-e Mehrāne-ye Zanjān (Mehraneh Foundation of Zanjan). [In Persian]
Asnād-e šaxsi-ye nevisandeh (The author’s personal documents). (1403/2024). “Asnād-e rustā-ye Lāčvān, Šahrestān-e Xodābandeh” (Documents of the village of Lachvan, Khodabandeh County.). [In Persian]
Asnād-e Xāndān-e Hosseini-ye Zanjāni (Documents of the Hosseini Zanjani Family). (1403/2024). “Asnād-e masjed jāme’-e Zanjān” (Documents of the Grand Mosque of Zanjan). Zanjān: Dafter-e Āyatollāh Hosseini-ye Zanjāni (Office of Ayatollah Hosseini Zanjani). [In Persian]
Asnād-e Xāndān-e Musavi-ye Zanjāni (Documents of the Mousavi Zanjani family. (1401/2022). “Asnād-e dowre-ye Qājār va Pahlavi” (Documents of the Qajar and Pahlavi periods). Zanjān: Āršiv-e Xāndān-e Musavi-ye Zanjāni (Archives of the Mousavi Zanjani family). [In Persian]
Asnād-e Xāndān-e Nurollāh-xān Yāvar (Dāmādi) (Documents of the family of Noorullah Khan Yavar (Damadi)). (1402/2023). “Asnād-e mowqufe-ye masjed jāme’-e Zanjān” (Documents of the endowment of the Grand Mosque of Zanjan). Zanjān: Asnād-e Xāndān-e Dāmādi (Documents of the family of Damadi). [In Persian]
Edāre-ye Asnād va Tārix-e Diplomāsi-ye Vezārat-e ‘Omur-e Xāreje (Estādox) (Department of Diplomatic Documents and History of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs): 0318215-70020110. [In Persian]
Sāzmān-e Asnād va Ketābxāne-ye Melli-ye Irān (Sākmā) (National Library and Archives Organization of Iran): 240/14680; 240/074855; 250/287; 250/948; 250/008533; 250/011260; 250/016787; 250/018098; 293/002815; 295/007875; 297/030367; 297/33702; 310/035528. [In Persian]
Sāzmān-e Ketābxāne-hā, Muze-hā va Markaz-e Asnād-e Āstān-e Qods-e Razavi (Sākmāq) (The organization of Libraries, Museums and Documents Center of Astane Qudse Razavi): 142225. [In Persian]
Manuscripts
Jadid al-Eslam, Ali Naghi. (n.d.). “Tasliyat-ol-exvān dar vaqāye’-e Zanjān; Hāšiye-ye serāj-ol-monir” (The Margin of Siraj al-Munir). Edited by Hassan Hossein Ali. Zanjān: n.p. [In Persian]
“Jong-e ahkām va farāmin va monša’āt va maktubāt az Zandiyeh va Afšāriyeh va Qājār” (The collection of decrees, orders, structures, and letters from the Zand, Afshari, and Qajar dynasties). (n.d.). Tehran: Ketāb-xāne, Muze va Markaz-e Asnād-e Majles-e Šorā-ye Eslāmi (Kemām) (Library, Museum and Document Center of Iran Parliament). Book registration number: 85619. [In Persian]
Mohammad Hassan Ibn Molla Ghanber. (1308/1929). “Šarh-e zendegi-ye ‘olamā-ye xamseh” (Biography of the five scholars). Zanjān: Asnād-e Xāndān-e Hosseini Zanjāni. [In Persian]
“Tārix va joqrāfiyā-ye Xamseh va tavābe’-e ān” (History and geography of Khamseh and its suburbs). (1296 AH/1878 AD). Tehran: Ketābxāne-ye Vezārat-e Māliyeh. [In Persian]
Books
Afzal Al-Molk, Gholam Hossein. (1361/1982). “Afzal ot-tavārix” (The best of histories) (1st ed.). Edited by Mansoureh Ettehadieh & Sirous Saa’dvandian. Tehran: Tārix-e Irān. [In Persian]
Asef (Rostam ol-Hokama), Mohammad Hashem. (1387/2008). “Tārix-e dār-ol-‘erfān-e Xamseh” (History of Khamseh) (vol. 1). Edited by Hassan Hossein Ali. Zanjān: Pinār. [In Persian]
Ehtesham Al-Saltaneh, Mahmoud. (1392/2013). “Xāterāt-e Ehtešāmossaltaneh” (Memories of Ehtesham Al-Saltaneh). Edited by Seyyed Mohammad Mehdi Mousavi. Tehran: Zavvār. [In Persian]
Etemad Al-Saltaneh, Mohammad Hassan. (1368/1989). “Merāt-ol-boldān” (The mirror of cities) (vol. 4). Edited, annotated, and cataloged by Abdolhossein Navaee & Mir Hashem Mohaddes. Tehran: Dānešgāh-e Tehrān (University of Tehran). [In Persian]
Hedayat, Reza Gholi. (1373/1994). “Fehres-ot-tavārix” (Index of histories). Edited and annotated by Abd al-Hossein Navayi & Mir Hashem Mohaddes. Tehran: Pažuhešgāh-e ‘Olum-e Ensāni va Motāle’āt-e Tārix-e Farhangi (Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies). [In Persian]
Issavi, Charles. (1362/1983). “Tārix-e eqtesādi-ye Irān: Qājārieh 1215-1332 AH” (The economic history of Iran) (1st ed.). Translated by Yaghoub Azhand. Tehran: Gostareh.  [In Persian]
Mahboubi Ardakani, Hossein. (1380/2001). “Čehel sāl tārix-e Irān dar dowre-ye pādešāhi-ye Nāser-ed-Din Šāh” (Forty years of Iran’s history during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah) (vol. 2) (2nd ed.). Tehran: Asātir. [In Persian]
Mottaghi, Hossein. (1382/2013). “Golgašt: Simā-ye ostān-e Zanjān az manzar-e sayyāhān va safarname-nevisān” (Golgasht (pleasure -ground) Image of Zanjan province in tourist's itinerary writer's perspective) (1st ed.). Qom: Al-Xazāna-tol-‘Ālamiya Lel-Maxtutāt-el-Eslāmiyah. [In Persian]
Pourshafe’ei, Majid. (1385/2006). “Eqtesād-e kučeh: Gozāreš-e pul-e melli-ye Irān, hazine-hā-ye zendegi va dastmozd-hā dar do sade-ye gozašteh” (A report on Iran's national currency, cost of living, and wages in the past two centuries). Tehran: Gām-e no. [In Persian]
Salour, Ghahreman Mirza. (1374/1995). “Ruznāme-ye xāterāt-e ‘Eyn-os-Saltaneh” (The daily memoirs of Eyn Al-Saltaneh) (vols. 2 & 5) (1st ed.). Edited by Masoud Salour & Iraj Afshar. Tehran: Asātir. [In Persian]
Sepehr, Abd Al-Hossein. (1386/2007). “Mer’āt-ol-vaqāye’-e Mozaffari” (The history of events in Muzaffar Al-Din Shah Qajar era) (vol. 2). Edited by Abd Al-Hossein Navayi. Tehran: Mirās-e Maktub. [In Persian]
Sheibani, Basir al-Molk. (1374/1995). “Ruznāme-ye xāterāt-e Basir-ol-Molk-e Šeibāni 1301 – 1306 AH: Dar ruzegār-e pādešāhi-ye Nāser-ed-Din Šāh-e Qājār” (Diary of the memories of Basir al-Molk Sheibani 1301 – 1306 AH / 1883 – 1889 AD: During the reign of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar). Edited by Iraj Afshar & Mohammad Rasoul Daryagasht. Tehran: Donyā-ye Ketāb. [In Persian]
Struys, Jan Janszoon. (1403/2024). “Safarnāme-ye Yuhān Eštroys; Safarnāmeh va mājarā-hā-ye barde-ye Holandi dar dowre-ye Šāh Soleimān-e Safavi” (The voyages and travels of John Struys through Italy, Greece, Muscovy, Tartary, Media, Persia, East-India, Japan, and other countries in Europe, Africa and) (3rd ed.). Translated by Sasan Tahmasbi. Tehran: Amir Kabir. [In Persian]
Zanjani, Ebrahim. (1393/2014). “Xāterāt-e Šeix Ebrāhim-e Zanjāni” (Memoirs of Sheikh Ebrahim Zanjani) (2nd ed.). Edited by Gholam Hossein Mirza Saleh. Tehran: Kavir. [In Persian]
Interviews
Interview with Āyatollāh Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini Zanjāni. (1403/2024). “Pirāmun-e masjed jāme’-e Zanjān” (About the Grand Mosque of Zanjan). Zanjān: Daftar-e Āyatollāh Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini Zanjāni (Office of Ayatollah Hosseini Zanjani). [In Persian]
Interview with Sajjād Čupāni. (1403/2024). “Pirāmun-e mowqufāt-e masjed jāme’” (About the endowments of the Grand Mosque). Zanjān: Bāzār-e Zanjāni (Zanjan Bazaar). [In Persian]
Interview with Mohsen Mirzayi. (Journalist & editor). (1399/2020). “Darbāre-ye Zanjān-e ‘asr-e Qājār” (About Zanjan in the Qajar era). Tehran: Daftar-e Mohsen Mirzāyi (Mohsen Mirzayi’s Office). [In Persian]
Press
Ruznāme-ye Anjoman-e Tabriz (Anjuman-e Tabriz newspaper), year 1, issue 143, 22 Ša’bān 1325 AH / 1 October 1907. [In Persian]
Ruznāme-ye Āzar (Azar newspaper), issue 60, Sunday 10 Šahrivar 1325 SH/ 1 September 1946. [In Persian]
Ruznāme-ye Čehre-namā (Chehrehnama newspaper), year 2, issue 40, 10 Rabi' al-Awwal 1324 AH / 5 May 1906. [In Persian]
Ruznāme-ye Irān-e No (Iran-e No newspaper), year 1, issue 95, 7 Dhu al-Hijjah 1327 AH / 21 December 1909. [In Persian]
Ruznāme-ye Irān (Iran newspaper), year 56, issue 21, 9 Šawwāl 1321 AH / 29 December 1903. [In Persian]
Ruznāme-ye Irān (Iran newspaper), year 2, issue 298, 2 Dhu al-Hijjah 1336 AH / 9 September 1918. [In Persian]
Ruznāme-ye Irān (Iran newspaper), year 9, issue 1894, 11 Safar 1344 AH / 31 August 1925. [In Persian]
Ruznāme-ye Parvin-e Xamseh (Parvin Khamseh newspaper), year 2, issue 148, 26 Xordād 1311 SH/ 16 June 1932. [In Persian]
Ruznāme-ye Zanjān (Zanjan newspaper), year 1, issue 4, Thursday, 16 Bahman 1328 SH/ 5 February 1950. [In Persian]

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 23 September 2024
  • Revise Date: 30 September 2024
  • Accept Date: 26 December 2024

Share

How to cite

Statistics