Islam and Iran
Slides and Commentary by Michael Craig Hillman
Islam and Iran, 7th-18th Centuries
610-632 632 640s 680 818 820-872 864-1005 999-1030 1010 1055-1157 1207-1273 1220s 1258 1265-1337 1330s- 1380/1 1405-1447 1501-1722
Prophethood of Muhammad (c.570-632). The Islamic Caliphate begins. Arab Muslim conquest of Sāsānid Iran. Martyrdom of 3rd Shi’ite Imam Hosayn at Karbalā. Death of 8th Shi’ite Imam Rezā at Mashhad. Emergence of the New Persian language. Sāmānid Dynasty, a Persian-speaking, Iranian regional power. Reign of Mahmud of Ghazneh. The Shāhnāmeh by Ferdowsi (940-1020), Iran’s national epic. Saljuq Dynasty. Jalāloddin Rumi. First Mongol invasions. Hulaqu Khān captures Baghdād and ends the caliphate. Il-Khānid dynasty. Hāfez (c. 1320-c. 1390), premier Persian lyric poet. Tamerlane (1335-1405) invades Khorāsān. Timurids–reign of Shāhrokh. Safavid Dynasty. 12er Shi’ite Islam becomes the state and national religion.
Map of Iran • land bridge • crossroads • plateau • plains • mountains • foothills • salt deserts • Caspian area • Gulf littoral • water scarcity • brownness • springtime
a painting by Parviz KalÄ ntari
Spread of Islam in its first century
• Reportedly some 60,000 mosques (1997 report) dot the countryside and urban neighborhoods in Iran.
Shrine to Mas’umeh, Qom
Jāme’ Mosque, Yazd
Shrine to (8th Shi’ite) Emām Rezā (d. 818), Mashhad [= burial site of a martyr (shahid)]
“There is no god [ilāh] except for the [al] God [lāh].”
Twelver Shi‘ite Muslim Imāms/Emāms 1. ‘Ali ibn Abu Tālib (600-661). 2. Hasan ibn ‘Ali (624-670). 3. Hosayn ibn ‘Ali (626-680). 4. ‘Ali ibn Hosayn (658/9-712). 5. Muhammad ibn ‘Ali (677-732). 6. Ja‘far ibn Muhammad (702-765), 7. Musā ibn Ja‘far (744-799). 8. ‘Ali ibn Musā (765-817), “al-Rida”/“Rezā.” 9. Muhammad ibn ‘Ali (810-835), 10. ‘Ali ibn Muhammad (827-868), 11. Hasan ibn ‘Ali (846-874), “al-‘Askari.” 12. Muhammad ibn Hasan (b. 868- ), “al-Mahdi”/ “Mahdi” [the guided one], living in occultation since 872. …...ijtehād/ijtihād ......mujtahed/mujtahid ......āyatollāh/ ...... ......Ruhollāh Khomayni/Khomeini (1902-1989) ......Islamic Republic of Iran (1979– )
Shāh Cherāgh Mosque, Shirāz
Shaykh Lotfollāh and Shāh Mosques, Royal Square, Esfahān
• From the outside, Iranian mosques bring the sky down to earth, speak to culturespecific aesthetic impulses, and promise a safe haven within their courtyards and precincts from the harsh outside world. Moreover, their architectural decoration includes images of heavenly gardens and that imply infinite, indefinable divinity.
Birth of Adam A Miniature Painting
• Miniature paintings depict Koranic scenes from the lives of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jonah, Joseph, et al.
• The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary (HarperCollins, 2015) by Seyyed Hossein Nasr et al. offers hundreds of pages of commentary, including summaries of divergent opinions and interpretations of Koranic verses over the centuries. • In addition, its 1988 pages feature 11 maps, and 15 essays, among them: “How to Read the Quran”; “The Islamic View of the Quran”; “Quranic Arabic: Its Characteristics and Impact”; “The Quran as Source of Islamic Law”; The Quran and Sufism”; “The Quran and Islamic Art”; ‘Quranic Ethics, Human Rights, and Society”; “Conquest and Conversion, War and Peace in the Quran”; and “Death, Dying, and the Afterlife in the Quran.”
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The Qur'an: English Translation and Parallel Arabic Text, translated with an Introduction and Notes by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem (Oxford University Press, 2016, reprinted with corrections). • “…only the Arabic text is recognized by Muslims as the Qur’an and no translation can substitute for it. Any translation is no more than an interpretation or form of exegesis to attempt to explain, in the target language, what the Arabic says.” • “If readers think an interpretation is unusual, they are advised first to consider the meaning in context, and the requirements of idiomatic English, and to look at important classical Arabic dictionaries and works of exegesis to see that nothing is included here without solid linguistic and exegetical bases.”
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Qâjâr Painting of Shi’ite Imâm ‘Ali
Lion and sun images communicating Shi’ite Muslim and Iranian royal values
The Lion and the Sun (1960) by Hussein Zenderoudi (b. 1937)
• The bifurcation in the sword blade identifies the painting’s image as relating exclusively to Emām ‘Ali, “lion of Allāh,” whose sword was called Zolfaqār [= split-bladed].
Birth of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad (c. 570-632)
A Chronology of Muhammad’s Life c. 570 595 c. 610 615?
619 620 622
624 625 626 627
Muhammad’s birth marriage to Khadija beginning of prophethood Birth of Mohammad’s daughter Fâtima who became ‘Ali’s wife and the mother of Hasan and Hosayn Death of Khadija mi’râj, night to journey to Jerusalem and to heaven hijra flight or emigration from Mecca to Medina, beginning the Muslim era Battle of Badr, victory Battle of Uhud, defeat Defeat and expulsion of the Jewish tribe al-Nadir Jewish tribe Qurayzah attacked and its males executed
628 Treaty of Hudaybiyya, truce with the Quraysh tribe who thereafter allowed Muhammad to proselytize 629 Khaybar Jews killed. Letters sent to Iran, Ethiopia, and Yemen inviting them to join Islam 630 Quraysh tribe breaks treaty with Islam; Muhammad takes Mecca, which converts to Islam. Muhammad establishes the Ka’ba as the center of Islam. 631 Muhammad’s last pilgrimage to Mecca. 632 Muhammad dies three months after returning to Medina. 633-733 Expansion of Islam 650s Establishment of the Koran text
The Angel Gabriel Speaks the Praises of ‘Ali to Mohammad
• ‘Ali as warrior astride his horse, his sword Zulfaqâr [= split-bladed] in hand. Mohammad had given ‘Ali this sword.
Muhammad redicates the Ka’ba
Mohammad Talks to Abraham, Moses, et al.
Muhammad’s Mi’râj
Muhammad’s Farewell, Ottoman 14th c. copy of a Persian Miniature Painting
The Prophet Mohammad (c.570-632) reading Masnavi-ye Ma’navi [Spiritual Couplets] by Jaiâloddin Rumi (1207-1273), the premier Sufi “epic.”
Fundamental articles of Islamic faith K2:285-286: “The Messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord, as do the believers. Each believes in God, His angels, His Books, and His Messengers. ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers.’ And they say, ‘We hear and obey. Thy forgiveness, our Lord! And unto Thee is the journey’s end.’ God tasks no soul beyond its capacity. It shall have what it has earned and be subject to what it has perpetrated. ‘Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or err! Our Lord, lay not upon us a burden like Thou laid upon those before us. Our Lord, impose not upon us that which we have not the strength to bear! And pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy upon us! Thou are our Master, so help us against the disbelieving people’” (adapted from The Study Quran, Nasr translation). • K2:285-286… “constitute one of the most often recited and memorized passages in the Quran, encompassing both a statement of faith and true belief in v. 285 and a supplicatory prayer to God in v. 286...The five fundamental articles of Islamic faith–namely: belief in God, (belief in) angels, (belief in) books, (belief in) messengers, and (belief in) the return to God are summarized here” (Seyyed Hossein Nasr, The Study Quran, 124-5).
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Pillar of Islam: Profession of Faith • The prophet Muhammad depicted on an Iranian postcard in the first decade of the 21st century. The Illustration comes from Christiane Gruber, “How the ‘Ban’ on Images of Muhammad Came to Be,” news-week.com, 19 January 2015. • Above Muhammad’s head appears the profession of Muslim faith, the first of five so-called pillars of Islam. Muhammad points to that statement with his right hand, while he holds a copy of the Koran out of which light emerges. la ilāha illa llāh muhammadan rasūlu llāh There is no god but the God Muhammad is God’s messenger
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Pillar of Islam: Obligatory and multiple daily prayers • K17:78–“Recite your prayers at sunset, at nightfall, and at dawn…” Wherever they are, Muslims face the Kaaba in Mecca when they prayer, that prayer direction called qibla in Arabic.
An Iranian postage stamp image of Friday community prayer at Tehrān University
Pillar of Islam: Ramadān/Ramazān Fast K2:183-5–“Believers, fasting is decreed for you as it was decreed for those before you…In the month of Ramadan the Koran was revealed, a book of guidance with proofs of guidance distinguishing right from wrong. Therefore whoever of you is present in that month let him fast.”
‘Eyd-e Fetr [Celebration of Fetr] • Breaking of the fast at the end of the month of Ramazān, the 9th month in the Muslim lunar calendar.
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Pillar of Islam: Zakāt Almsgiving/Giving to Charity
K 9:60– “Alms shall be only for the poor and the destitute, for those who are engaged in the management of alms and those who are sympathetic to the Faith, for the freeing of slaves and debtors, for the advancement of God’s cause, and for the traveler in need. This is a duty enjoined by God. God is all-knowing and wise.”
• According to this pillar of Islam, Muslims donate a percentage of their wealth to charity each year, e.g., three percent of their wealth beyond what is needed for survival. photograph by Antoin Sevruguin (1830-1933) 32
• A pillar of Islam, the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca is incumbent upon Muslims who have the health and means to do do at least once in their lifetimes, takes place each year during the hajj month in the Muslim lunar calendar.
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Feast of Sacrifice Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca
• The Feast of Sacrifice [‘ayd-e qorbān in Persian] commemorates Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son in obedience to a command from God. Gabriel then informs Abraham that God has already accepted his sacrifice. • Meat from a sacrificed animal on this three-day holyday/holiday during the hajj, is distributed among family, friends, and the poor. • If readers assume that a religion’s longstanding ceremonies offer a glimpse into the nature and personality of that religion, almost everything about Islam’s hajj pilgrimage, the religion’s signature event with signature ceremonies, speaks to positive features of the religion.
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Opening Sūra [chapter] of the Koran (Iran, 1817) K1:1-7: “In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful. Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Sovereign of the Day of Judgment! You alone we worship, and to You alone we turn for help. Guide us to the straight path, the path those whom You have favored, not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.” • Illuminated manuscripts of the Koran exhibit the same garden elements that appear in Persian carpet designs and Muslim architectural decoration. •Calligraphy, long a major art form in Iranian culture, gets inspiration from the written text of the Koran resulting in distinctive artistic effects.
Arabic Calligraphy as Religious Iconography
“In the name of Allāh the Merciful the Compassionate” • An often used phrase that appears at the beginning of all 114 Koran suras [chapters] except for K9.
from the Koran, Iran, 10th c.
Koran Page
Emam Rezâ Shrine, Mashhad
Ma’sumeh Shrine, Qom
• Owing to Koranic mention of gold objects surrounding saved souls in heaven, gold domes remind some Iranian Muslims of heaven.
Shāh ‘Abdol’azim Rayy (just south of Tehrānº
• Iran’s third gold–the others at major shrines in Mashhad and Qom–Shāh ‘Abdol’azim (d. 9th c.) is the burial site of a 5th-generation descendant of Hasan, the 2nd Shi’ite Emām and ‘Emām ‘Ali’s oldest son.
Shaykh Lotfollâh Mosque Dome, Royal Square, Esfahân
• Heavenly garden design featuring floral scatter, shâh ‘abbâsi motifs, vines, and arabesques (forked leafy shapes).
Jâme’ Mosque, Interior Dome, Esfahân
EsfahÄ n Arabesque Medallion Carpet
Contemporary Persian Carpet Designs
Tekkeh Torkoman Gol Carpet
Uljaitu Mehrâb, Jâme’ Mosque, Esfahân
Esfahân arabesque garden prayer carpet, Safavid Era
Mosque Dome Designs Suggesting Infinity
Madraseh-ye Shâh, Esfahân
Ne’matollâh Vali Mosque, Mâhân, Kâshân
Entrance to Shâh/Royal Mosque, Early 17th c., Esfahān
• The sculpted moqarnas makes a solid façade structure seem light, airy, and non-material, and may inspire a viewer to sense something about the nature of God.
Tehrān Wall Mural, 21st century
• A painting inspired by ‘Attār’s Sufi allegory called Conference of the Birds. • Conference of the Birds tells the story of a group of birds who undertake an arduous voyage to find their eternal, phoenix-like bird king called Simorgh. At the end of the trip, they find themselves in a mirrored hall where the thirty remaining birds [= si morgh] discover they have Simorgh within themselves.
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Muslims March Against ISIS
• adapted from www.alternativenewsnetwork.net, 10 June 2017, Satya Raj: “In one of the largest organized marches in history, millions of Shi’a Muslims traveled through warstricken areas in Iraq to defy ISIS. Women, men, the elderly, and children made their way to the city of Karbalā on Sunday and Monday last week for the holy day of Arba‘in, marking the end of the 40-day mourning period following ‘Āshurā, the date that commemorates the death of the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Imām Hosayn in 680 CE. Massive crowds paid homage to the shrines of Imam Hussein and his half-brother ‘Abbās in Karbalā, where they were killed in a revolt against the ‘Umayyad caliph Yazid (r. 880-883). 48
• Called hejâb (= hijab), this stamp depicts one sort of ideal Iranian woman in the eye(s) of the Islamic Republic.
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IRI on Israel
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The Hand (1960) by Hossein Zenderoudi
• The hand of Fātemeh that, like ‘Ali's sword, protects the Shi’ite believer from the evil eye. According to Shi’ite tradition, the five fingers symbolize Muhammad, Fātimeh, ‘Ali, Hasan, and Hosayn as well as the hand of ‘Abbâs, severed when he tried to get water from the Euphrates for Hosayn and his companions at Karbalā.
Iranian National Tourist Organization Postage Stamp (1964)
• For the modernizing government of the Pahlavi monarchy in the 1960s, arches, minarets, and mosque domes constituted emblematic images of Iran and its appeal to tourists.
Iranian Postage Stamp Commemorating Week of the Child
• An Iranian child’s vision of the Iranian family in 1972, the heyday of Pahlavi monarchial modernization, westernization, and some secularization.
Iranian Postage Stamp, 1980
• A curvilinear carpet design: central medallion (“Islamic Republic of Iran”) with pendants on the vertical access and a field of vines, arabesques, and cloud bands. A design familiar since the 16th century that exhibits religious and non-religious iconography.
Postage Stamp (1982) Honoring Soldiers in the Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988
The Arabic sentence in the flag reads: “nasrun mina llāh wa fathun qarīb” qarib. [Victory comes from God and victory is near].
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Karbalā Battle (680 CE)
• On the plains of Karbalā, Ali’s son, the 3rd Shi’ite Imam Hosayn, and his followers were defeated and killed by the forces of the Sunnite Caliph Yazid. Shi’ites annually commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hosayn.
Pardeh Painting
• Pardeh-khāni (dramatic narration that accompanies events depiction of events such as ‘Āshurā on painted curtains). See “Ta‘ziyeh Performance (On the Occasion of ‘Ashura [Muharram 10])” by Rouzeh Mirrazavi at www.iranreview.org.
Ta‘ziyeh Fasā, Fārs Province
• Ta‘ziyeh [theatrical condolence performance]. See “Ta‘ziyeh Performance (On the Occasion of ‘Āshura [Muharram 10])” by Rouzeh Mirrazavi at www.iranreview.org and “Largest Ta‘zieh Performance in Fasā (Fārs Province,” www.en.mehrnews.com.
Rowzeh’khāni (?), Qājār Era Photograph by Antoine Sevruguin (1830-1933)
• Rowzeh is a gathering, mostly in homes, at which a rowzeh’khān recounts stories about events in the early history of Shi’ite Islam and leads his audience to emotional reactions to the stories, such as that of 3rd Shi’ite Emām Hosayn’s tragic death at Karbalā.
Account of Grief by Parviz Kalântari
• Presented in Tavoos Magazine as part of an exhibit of ‘Āshurāthemed paintings at the Tehrān Museum of Contemporary Art.
Thorns and Roses (1988) by Hussein Zenderoudi
• A painting presenting the text of a famous and distinctively religious ghazal by Hâfez (c.1320-c.1390).
Hâfez’s “Lost Joseph” Ghazal 1 Lost Joseph is coming/will come again to Canaan. Don't grieve. The (Jacob's) hut/room of sorrows will become a flower garden. Don't grieve. 2 This grief-stricken heart will get better. Don't despair. And this frenzied head will again find peace. Don't grieve. 3 If the heavens have not revolved for two days in accord with our wishes, the business of the ages is not continually the same. Don't grieve. 4 Hey, don't despair because the hidden remains secret. Behind the curtain there are hidden machinations. Don't grieve. 5 O heart, if transience should flood the foundation being, when/since you have Noah as captain in the storm, don't grieve. 6 If out of zeal for the kaaba you walk in the desert and acacia thorns offer rebukes, don't grieve. 7 Although the halting place is dangerous and the destination distant, there is no road which does not have an end. So don't grieve. 8 God, the changer of conditions, knows my condition, all of it, if separated from the beloved and importuned by the rival: don't grieve. 9 In isolated indigence and lonely dark nights, don't grieve, Hâfez, as long as your chant is prayer and the lesson of the Koran.
Thorns and Roses (1988) by Hussein Zenderoudi
• Many colors, like those in Joseph’s coat. Image of a heavenly garden awaits the good people. A tapestry of words.
Blue Dome by Nasser Ovissi
Haft Sin [7-’s’ display]–Noruz/Norooz/Nowruz
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