Ahmed Lur was a primary

Luri Luri may refer to: * Luri people or Lurs, an Iranian people * Luri language, Western Iranian language continuum spoken by the Lurs * Luri language (Nigeria), dialect of the Afro-Asiatic language Polci * Luri, Haute-Corse, commune in France * Luri ...

follower of the Hurufism school of

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

in 15th century in Iran. He was one of the disciples of Fazlallah Na'imi, the founder of the Hurufism sect. Ahmed Lur also attempted to assassinate the

Timurid Timurid refers to those descended from Timur (Tamerlane), a 14th-century conqueror: * Timurid dynasty, a dynasty of Turco-Mongol lineage descended from Timur who established empires in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent ** Timurid Empire of C ...

ruler, Shahrukh Mirza. Though Shahrukh was injured in the altercation, the attack ultimately failed to kill him.

Biography

His hometown was in Luristan. The Timurid era historian

Hafiz-i Abru Hafez-e AbruMaria Eva Subtelny and Charles Melville, ( fa, حافظ ابرو; died June 1430) was a Persian historian working at the courts of Timurid rulers of Central Asia. His full name is ʿAbdallah (or Nur-Allah) Ebn Lotf-Allah Ebn 'Abd-al ...

mentioned Ahmed Lur as a commander of

Ahmad Jalayir Sultan Ahmad was the ruler of the Jalayirid Sultanate (ruled 1382–1410), he was son to the most accomplished ruler of the sultanate, Shaykh Uways Jalayir. Early in his reign, he was involved in conflicts with his brothers. He would later suffer fr ...

, the Jalayirid ruler of Iraq. Ahmed Lur was accompanied by Jalayirid sultan in his last military campaign in Azerbaijan. Jalayir was killed in this war. As a result, Ahmed Lur decided to go to Shirvan and finally he settled in Herat, the Timurid dynasty's capital city. Lur started weaving hats in a simple booth. Apparently, this occupation (weaving the hats) had a special sacred place among the followers of Hurufism. As Ahmed immediately communicated with the followers of the Hurufism sect after entering Herat, it seems likely that Ahmed was familiar with sect before going to Herat and perhaps even while in Azerbaijan.

Efforts to kill Shahrukh

Sheykh Fazlallah Astarabadi, the founder of the Hurufism sect was killed by Miran Shah, son of Timur in 1393. As a result, a group of followers of Hurufism in the Timurid territory started revenge-seeking fights against the Timurid rulers. While he wearing a shepherd's coat, Ahmed attacked Shahrukh Mirza, the brother of Miran Shah on the pretext of delivering a letter of complaint in Herats main mosque. The king was badly injured by the knife attack but ultimately survived. Ahmed was killed by a friend of Shahrukh Mirza, Ali Sultan Qouchin in 1426. After this incident, Shahrukh's emirs used this opportunity to repress the followers of Hurufism, leading to many being killed and even burned. A well-known calligrapher at Shahrukh's court was accused of having been a friend of Ahmed and was sentenced to prison. These persecutions eventually reached the point where the famous Persian poet,

Qasem-e Anvar Mu'in al-Din Ali Husayni Sarabi Tabrizi, commonly known by his ''laqab'' (honorific title) of Qasim-i Anvar ( fa, قاسم انوار; 1356 – 1433) was a Sufi mystic, poet, and a leading ''da'i'' (preacher) of the Safavid order. Biography Born ...

was exiled to Samarqand due to his diwan being found in Ahmed Lur's booth.

References

{{Reflist Iranian Sufi religious leaders 14th-century Iranian people Lur people