Analyzing the Intellectual and Military Relations Between Daylamites and Alawites based on the Divergence and Convergence Theory

People of Daylaman and Gilan, due to their opposition to the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs, were not compatible to them. In order to spread their protest movement, the people of Daylaman did support the Alawites who had emerged as an ideological and political alternative to the Abbasids. During the early years of taking power, the people were able to have some important achievements in Gilan and Daylaman through the capitalizing on Daylamites’ anti-Caliphate approach. The Daylamites’ espousal of Alawites was, therefore, informed by their mentioned political and military interests. However, given the constant intellectual efforts of the Alawites in Gilan and Daylaman, conditions were propitious for changing the ancient religions of Daylaman to Shiite Islam or other Islamic denominations from the second half of the third century (AH)/ninth (CE) onward. This research is an analysis of the factors informing the intellectual, political and military relations between Alawites, on the one hand, and the rulers and people of Gilan and Daylaman, on the other hand. Drawing on the literature, it will try to explore the reasons behind the convergence and divergence of Daylamites and Alawites as well as the military and political impact of the former on the latter’s rule.