Religious movements in the Great Seljuk State and the religious policy of the Seljuks

Leaving Jankent, the Seljuks came to Cend and met Islam in this region. They comprehended the strategic importance of adopting Islam here and embraced this religion. The region and its surroundings were mostly connected to certain Ahl as-Sunnah schools such as Maturidi or Ash'ari in faith and Hanafi, Shafi'i, Hanbali, or Maliki in fiqh. The Seljuks, too, adopted Sunni Islam and adhered to Hanafism in particular. Embracing Islam enhanced their political effectiveness and power in the region. These centuries, when the Seljuks emerged as a great power, coincided with the most depressing period in the Islamic world. Islam was divided into two different branches representing Shiism and Sunnism in itself, and these were institutionalized under the title of a caliphate by choosing their own imams. The first thing the Seljuks did after emerging as an independent state was to clamor against the Shia forces tyrannizing the Abbasid State. This reaction was also a determinant of their religious policies. Their religious policy was to carry out a policy of balance in order to ensure unity against the diversity of beliefs and schools in the regions they dominated, except for the Mu'tazilah's mihna (religious inquisition) implemented by the vizier Kunduri. The Seljuks endeavored to carry out this policy; however, they were caught between religious movements frequently manifesting themselves considering each school emerged as a reaction against another school. Particularly the Sunni schools such as Shafiʽi and Hanbali adopted an opposition against the Mu'tazilah while the Mu'tazilah itself did not abstain from clashing with them. Another tension arose between Hanbalis and Ash'aris. Malikis, on the other hand, chose to remain in the background regarding such matters. It is also observed that Hanafis competed against Shafiʿis, who gained strength with Nizam al-Mulk. These disputes constituted a significant problem for the Seljuks while bigger problems with the Shiites were also experienced. The Ismaili movement, on the other hand, arose and expanded enough to necessitate an armed struggle by the Seljuks. In this study, an analysis was conducted on the Seljuks' approach toward schools of thought, precautions taken, and how much they could stay rational against these situations within the framework of the aforementioned events. Information was provided on the birth of schools and their doctrines during this analysis and the chain of events was discussed in its entirety including the first disputes within Islam by going back to the pre-emergence of the Seljuks.