Background of the Birth of Islam [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

the administration of his domains than merely to conquer
them. After retrieving his ancestral territories i.e. the
domain of his ancestor Kurosh, he had no inclination to
add further territory to his realm, and only wished to
create to an extent a welfare administration for his
subjects in the extensive realm of Iran of those days.
This is a notable aspect of the life of Darius, and thus,
according to the writings of orientalists, his
accomplishments in that age are definitely outstanding,
though this point is not relevant to the present
discussion.

Class Structure and Social
Divisions

Briefly then, such a government existed in the region,
in the eastern neighbour of Arabia, about twelve
centuries before the rise of Islam, however the basis and
nature of those civilised governments were quite
different from the Islamic government that followed. In
fact these two were essentially unlike each other, since
that civilised realm was charaterised by a deep class
system.[22] In the extended period of human life,
vestiges of which can still be observed in backward
societies, people were since birth divided into various
classes or castes so that the children of the lower class
were naturally condemned to remain inferior and had no
right to ascend do a higher class. Such was the class
structure then existing.

This class structure existed in Iran, too. As far as I
can recall from my studies in history, the seat and
center of this caste system was in India, and since the
civilisations of Iran, Greece and Rome have been
Indo-European in origin, this Indian concept of class
society travelled wherever Indian civilisation asserted
an influence. But the cruelty and severity which were
observed and are still to some extent prevalent in India
in enforcing this system, have not been observed else
where or in Iran.

In Iran of that time, class system and social
attitudes and perceptions took the form that the king was
absolute and the concept of 'Shahinshah' or king of kings
was introduced in the time of the Medes well before
Kurosh and Darius.

The royal class was considered super-human, and other
classes were related to common people who were divided
into several classes: In the time of Darius the upper
most class were those on whose shoulders rested the
pillars of the ruling monarehy, namely soldiers who were
held above all others in being given social privileges.
The second class comprised the farmers[23] and in the
third class were included the artisans. Thus there were
three classes in the Achaemenid time. History does not
mention any organised group named clergy as such in that
period, but of course there have been priests in the same
way that there had been a faith and religion.[24] The
clergy as a class made its appearance in the Sassanid
time, and as it will be explained later, this class of
priests came to be regarded as the first class, warriors
and soldiers as the second class, clerks and civil
servants as the third class with the farmers artisans and
craftsmen falling in the fourth class.

In his epic 'Shahnameh', Ferdowsi, has this to say
about these classes:

There was a group called Katuzis (priests) who were
engaged in worshipping,

The next in rank were the Neissaris (military) who
were warriors, lions of battle, honour of the army and
country;

Then came the Nassoudi (farmers) to whom all are
indebted; for, they plough, sow and reap that they may
not be blamed;

The fourth group were the Ahyu-Khashi (artisans)
who used their hand to shape unruly substances, and
employed their ideas and intelligence.[25]

The above were what Ferdowsi has described in his
Shahnameh, but according to Tho'alebi[26] there were the
following classes: 1. warriors, 2. priests and
physicians, 3. clerks and government employees, 4.
farmers, craftsmen and artisans,. Tho'alebi's description
appears to be historically more reliable, since
Ferdowsi's Shahnameh is mostly based on hearsay.

In a letter written by one of the governors of
northern Iran to the king of Tabarestan, priests have
been accorded the first class, warriors the second,
clerks the third, and labourers the fourth class; a
classification which differs from Ferdowsi's.

In any case the Priests and soldiers constituted the
first and the second classes or vice versa; clerks and
government employees the third class, and farmers and
artisans made up the fourth class.

In such a society the class implied that the child of
a farmer, or artisan or tradesman could when grown up
become a good farmer, or artisan or tradesman, but he
could never entertain the thought of raising his social
status to that of a clergyman, a warrior, a clerk or a
government servant; he did not belong there and he did
not have the right to hope, except in very exceptional
cases when a person could be elevated by the king' s
special decree to a higher class. This of course meant an
upgrading limited only to that person's lifetime for the
education of special talents and skills.

This social system with such limitation was quite
contrary to what Islam introduced later on. The class
system has purposely been discussed here because in the
discussion of various faiths and creeds especially in the
Sassanid period of time, this subject will gain
importance and deserves particular attention.

Progress in Learning

We will deal later with the state of learning and
progress in this field during the Sassanids period as
concerning scientific and industrial progress in the
Achaeminid period in Iran, no substantial evidence is
available. However, what is certain is that Darius could
not have succeeded in administering such an extensive
realm, without a stock of knowledge and learning.
However, are particular aspect which occurs in historical
evidence is that the sovereigns of Iran seemed to have
cherished the idea that all the civilised lands of that
time would eventually become part of Iran even though two
other states existed.[27] Thus we witness that the great
physician of that time is a Greek, and the renowned
geographer who was sent to the Sind valley by Darius to
.survey that land, and prepare a report, was, too, a
Greek.

Even the best and the finest of warriors of that time
were Greek, the reason being that in Darius' mind these
subjects were not non-Iranians, but were regarded as
citizens of the greater Iran. Therefore, it did not
occure to Darius and other kings that the people of
central region who lived close to the seat of the
government should remain among the artisans and tradesmen
of the fourth class, while physician, clerks, and
warriors should be from Greece, Egypt and outlying
regions! So the scholars were brought from the outer
regions of the empire while locals comprised the artisans
and craftsmen. It is for this reason that the history of
that time fails to indicate any outstanding Iranian
scholar who was not of Greek, Egyptian or Indian stock.
That does not mean of course that such individuals did
not exist. Very little historical evidence is available
and addedly, most of the available sources are of Greek
origin, and the Greeks were not behind others in holding
nationalistic prejudice - if anything, they were well
ahead in this respect. Therefore, it becomes difficult to
reach a verdict in this matter. Anyhow from the point of
view of academic learning, no distinguished scholars in
particular fields appear in Iran or in India or in Ionia,
in the south of Turkey near the Mediterranean, who could
equal the personalities from Phoenicia, Chaldea, Assyria,
Greece and Egypt. In Phoenicia, which included a part of
Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and a small portion of Jordan
as well, we come across such individuals who were
superior to Iran in learning. From the economic aspect,
too, they enjoyed better conditions, and were richer and
more prosperous than Arabia.

Religion in the Achaemenid
Period

In Iran, according to available sources, there existed
a faith called Mizda'i which professed faith in one god
named Ahura-Mizda, a name, having a root which is similar
to a Greek word, meaning , great and possessor of
wisdom', hence Ahur-Mizda would mean the great god of
wisdom and reason. This faith professed belief in god as
the unique creator of the world, and a belief in a number
of secondary and tertiary gods, and in angels, in the
resurrection which is all very significant, and also in
good deeds as something very essential. Thus it is a
highly interesting point of note that as a result of such
basic religious education in ancient Iran, Islam spread
so swiftly eastward.

The Mizda'i religion during subsequent periods became
corrupted with superstitions so that a man called
Zoroaster appeared to reform the Mizda'i religion. His
place of appearance has been a subject of controversy in
history.[28]

Of course Zoroaster is not a prophet but a reformer of
the Mizda'i code. As to the appearance of Zoroaster quite
odd accounts are related in history about the place and
the date of his appearance, though generally historical
indications place his appearance about six centuries B.C.
simultaneously in regions which had a common origin and
similar conditions, namely India and Iran. In Iran
Mizda'i faith is an ancient religion, and in India
Brahmanism is an ancient faith, but no evidence is
available about the date of origin of either of them.
Mizda'i faith was later on corrupted by superstitions,
and Zoroaster as the reformer makes his appearance in
Iran. In India Brahmanism, too, gets mixed with
superstitions, and a man named Buddha appears to reform
it. There is a great resemblance between the life of
Zoroaster and Buddha in all the phases from the beginning
to the end. In the Semitic regions, too, six centuries
later, namely concurrent with the rise of Jesus[29]
Christ (a.s.) the main faith had been the monotheistic
religion of Judaism. This religion to faith was spoilt by
superstitions, and a man named Jesus rose to fight those
superstitions. In this way the life of Jesus Christ
(a.s.) resembles those of Zoroaster and Buddha. I do
truly wish that I could have delved in deeper study in
the similarity present, especially in the case of
Zoroaster and Buddha, as both of them have a fifty
percent resemblance with the lire of Jesus. There is
another common characteristic between the lives of Jesus
and Zoroaster; the history of Christianity shows that
Jesus was ordained as a prophet at the age of thirty. It
is said that Zoroaster, too, rose at the same age as a
reformer to correct the Mizda'i code by the order of
Ahura-Mizda.

Before the rise of Zoroaster, according to the
available testimonials of history a class named the Magi
held responsibility for religious practices in Iran
especially in Azarbayjan, as keepers of the fires. It is
has been said that Zoroaster himself was at first either
of the Magi class or in contact with them and had even
wished to become a Magus. There is a frequent mention of
Magus and Magi in the Achaemenid inscriptions, but no
mention is made of Zororaster. In Zororaster's hymns,
called 'Gathas', no mention has been made of the Magi
except in one place, and no mention is made of Darius and
Achaemenids at all. Thus it is not clear for us whether
the religion in the time of the Achaemenids and Darius'
era had been Mizda'i faith or zoroastrianism or different
schools of Budaism. What is certain, however, is that
Judaism had existed as a religion and then had been
patronised by Darius.[30] This point is mentioned in the
Jewish holy books as well as historical records.[31] What
also appears certain is that in those days in 'he realm
of Iran various faiths had been prevalent, and there may
not have been a formal or a state religion as such
especially since no mention is made of Zoroaster in the
inscriptions of Darius, nor has there been a mention of
the Achaemenids in the 'Gathas'. This could lead us to
deduce that state and religion had separate existence,
allowing people to practice their own religion and
letting the government proceed with its own function. It
is in the Sassanid period that religion gains the
government' s support and there is a state it became the
religion of the country. This aspect warrants an
exclusive and objective study of the Sassanid period
since it is closely related to the age of the rise of
Islam.

To sum up, this eastern neighbour of Arabia was twelve
centuries ahead of Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, in
extent, greatness, power, natural resources, social,
technical and administrative progress and attainment of
central governmental organisation and also historical
precedence. How, then, did it happen that such an
advanced country should succumb so easily to a
newly-risen movement originating in Hejaz, is the topic
for our further discussion.

Iran in the Sassanid Period

Iran under the Sassanids went through a glorious age
distinct in its history. Observations related from this
period reveal why Islam spread so rapidly in Iran. Also
to be kept in mind, there had existed their natural
propensity, dating back three or four centuries for the
acceptance of such a faith as Islam. This subject, too,
will be discussed briefly.

In the year 224 A.D. almost four centuries before the
rise of Islam in, Iran the Sassanids succeeded the
Ashkanian dynasty.[32] The Achaemenid rule had its root
in Fars, but the Ashkanis were not from that region. The
Sassanids once again rose from Fars, and a chief named
Ardshir Babakan who was a descendant of Sassan and a
governor of Ardavan V, the last Ashkani king, decided to
set up a central government modelled after the Achaemenid
dynasty with greater Fars as its base including the
present Khuzestan.

Within a short time Ardshir managed to gather forces
and mobilise them and seize the control and then, after
much struggle, establish the government of Iran on the
same model and the same extent as the Achaemenid realm.

Supremacy of Religion and
Political Power

Ardshir was a descendant of Sassan who was a priest,
and as such in his psychological, hereditary and
personality make up, it asserted decisive influence so
that at the assumption of power he decided to establish a
government on the basis of religion, and make that
religion the state religion of the country so that the
two pillars of power, politico-military administration
and religion should form as the foundation of his rule.
Whether this concept originated from a personal
inspiration of Ardshir attributable to descent from a
priest, or whether it was a social dictate of the time
which his observations led him to believe and which would
make his rule smoother, is not an easy question to
answer. What is certain, however, is that, though in the
Achaemenid period a religion existed, yet a religious
freedom existed in the whole of the Achaemenid empire,
each group practising its own religion. Though the
prevalent religion was Zoroastrianism, yet alongside of
it Judaism and some other local faiths also existed.
Christianity had not till then made its appearance. It we
were to regard Sabean as an ancient faith, it, too,
existed in the region of Syria and Phoenicia. During the