ABSTRACT
The Islamic Revolution in Iran, led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, burst upon a largely unsuspecting world. It became clear that it was one of the major revolutions. Indeed, assessed on the basis of its long-term implications not only for Persian Gulf, the Middle East, and the whole Dar al-Islam, but also for the rest of the world as well, it could claim to be the most significant since the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Until the Islamic Revolution, it was frequently assumed that Ithna Asharism was too closely identified with Iranian national identity to be exportable to other parts of the Muslim world. In the early days of Islam, Ithna Ashari political activism was directed primarily at the Sunni caliphs, who were deemed to be usurpers. The case of the Adelshahi dynasty of Bijapur is especially interesting. It is said to have been founded by Allama Hasan b. Yusuf, a son of Ottoman Sultan Murad II.
