Jame-e Abbasi (Persian:جامع عباسی) is a 17th-century Persian encyclopedia onfeqh (Islamicjurisprudence) inShia Islam, composed byBaha al-Din al-Amili under the orders of theSafavid rulerShah Abbas I (r. 1587–1629).[1]
During the reign ofShah Ismail I andShah Tahmasp I, there was minimal interest in collections of Shia tradition, with the exception of the writings of Husayn ibn Abd al-Samad. There was a greater push to expand and preserve Shia tradition under Shah Abbas I. Shia tradition was the subject of writings by authors such as Baha al-Din al-Amili,Mir Damad, andSayyed Ahmad Alavi. The juridical encyclopedia that was most widely used wasJame-e Abbasi. It covered topics such as Islamic customs, the correct birth and death dates of theImams, monetary donations, sales, marriage, divorce, vows, atonement, and criminal law. Abbas I instructed thatJame-e Abbasi be delivered in "a clear, comprehensible language in order that all people, the learned and the lay, would seek benefit from it," in a deliberate attempt to provide an example of Persianized Shia Islam to the Iranians.[2]
The works that Abbas I commissioned catered to a broad audience, in contrast to the expert texts written by theulama (Islamic clergy).Jame-e Abbasi marked a turning point in the spread of Shia legal literature by promoting unification throughout the realm.[2]
