Reactions to the Prohibition of Wine, Drugs and Beard in Some Friendly Letters (Akhvaniat) of the 11th Century AH. / 17th Century AD.

Decrees on the prohibition of wine, drugs and beard shaving are among the most frequent social verdicts of the 11th century AH, which the quality of their execution is also mentioned in the historical sources of this period. Due to the silence of official sources about this case, the community’s point of view and public opinion about these decrees is ambiguous. The aim of this article is to achieve the important assumption, through thematic analysis of some friendly letters (Akhvaniat) of this era that the obligation of these decrees does not necessarily mean their definitive acceptance by the community and people with different social positions had dealt with these decrees in different manners. For instance, there were some poets and literates who protested and criticized these decrees, while most of the religious scholars and officials supported and agreed with these decrees due to their involvement in the process of issuing them. Although political officials who were eager to maintain their position had been wary and mostly abstained from expressing their point of views, their true orientation is visible in their works and lives. The ordinary people, who did not have a special social position and no opportunity to express their views, have shown their accompaniment or insubordination towards these decrees in their everyday life. Furthermore, the study of the various forms of these reactions shows that, given the opposition of the two main groups of the community, i.e. poets and ordinary people, reactions to the deterrent decrees of this period have appeared more often in opposition and lack of coexistence.