مجله مطالعات ایرانی (Aug 2019)
An Analysis the Reflection of Actions in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh
Abstract
1. Introduction The Reflection of actions has a special place in Islamic mysticism. Based on this component, it is believed that any good or bad act in this world has a reflection that causes the good or bad reaction, and in addition to the punishment of the practitioner in front of God, in this world also, everyone sees the result of his or her good or evil actions according to the kind of action. In this essay, by analyzing Shahnameh, the author tried to find that how Ferdowsi has demonstrated the reflection of actions in his works based on pre-Islamic sources and Islamic mysticism. Among the cases in Shahnameh, that practitioner sees the result of his or her good or bad deeds in this world, The following can be mentioned: Justice, nemesis, reconciliation, shedding innocent blood, breaking border, dishonoring the king, killing the king, oppression and claim of divinity, killing the child, breaking the covenant, killing innocent prisoners, take the power with force, etc. 2. Methodology The research method is based on content analysis, i.e., after gathering data from relevant resources and Shahnameh, the researcher tries to determine the subject of the study by by analyzing the data. This research attempts to answer the following questions: Are the reflection of actions represented in Shahnameh? In what cases did Ferdowsi represent the reflection of actions? 3.Discussion In this essay, the researcher tries to list the manifestations of the reflection of actions in Shahnameh in order to illustrate the quality and the way of this Qur'anic and mystical concept in Shahnameh. 1-1- Justice Given the king's place in ancient Persia, it was evident that when the king was leading the truth, the world under his realm was also luscious, and if the devilish way and path were to proceed, the entire nature of the earth was pragmatic and drought would come down to the country; as when Anoushirvan practices justice, the reflection of his good action brings lush greenery, rain, abundance, comfort and security for the world. (Ferdowsi, 2007, vol. 7, pp. 281,289) 2-1-Grudging and Reconciliation At the time of the reign of Zo-Hamasp, Iranians and Turanians participated in a war against each other, which arouse God's wrath, and brought famine and drought to the two countries. Therefore, the armies became suddenly aware thinking that famine and drought were the result of the reflection of their actions and their antipathy. Thus, as soon as they reach the path of reconciliation and abandon hostility, the rain will fall, and both lands will be luscious and green. In other words, the reflection of the good actions of the armies and their tendency towards peace and reconciliation, in the rainbow board, will blow them out of the drought, and Ferdowsi himself also wisely recalls that " God saved the world from the drought and grew lively " (Ferdowsi, 2007, vol 1, p. 327) 3-1- shedding innocent blood As Garvi Zereh killed Siavash, who was innocent, by the command of Afrasiab, immediately the result of his evil act was presented and the darkness covered the earth and the time. (Ibid, 1386, c 2, p. 358). It is interesting that as soon as Afrasiab kills Siavash, Ferdowsi immediately reminds that God created Keykhosrow having Siavash's blood, to take revenge of his father and show him that victory is for God. (Same, 2007, 2: 420) On the other hand, Ferdowsi clearly points out that Afrasiab will see the reflection of his disgraceful actions and will be punished due to killing Siavash, as at the end, he was killed by Keykhosrow (Ferdowsi, 2007, 3, p.397) Another example of shedding innocent blood is the killing of Foroud, Kheykhosrow's brother. Some scholars of Shahnameh believed that killing Foroud was plotted by Keykhosrow himself to kill his eldest brother, the great rival of the monarchy (Rezaei Dasht Arjaneh, 1392, pp.60-39). But, anyway, whether we know Kheykhosrow or Tus as the murderer of Forood, the consequences of the murder of the innocent Foroud throws the Iranians in a hardness as they kill their horses and eat them (Ferdowsi, 2007, p. 3: 63). Ferdowsi, also, clearly condemned Iranians' defeat as a direct result of murdering the innocent Foroud (Ferdowsi, 2007, 3: 82) 4-1- Breaking the border When Pirooz, reign over the throne, he will seek to increase his dominion and narrow the realm of Hispanics and Turanians. But Bahram Gur had met the Minaret on the border between Iran and Turan, and vowed that the Iranians and the Hitalian would not have to cross the border. But Pirooz breaks the border, and as much as Khoshnavaz ask him to keep the promise of Bahram, and avoid the war; pirooz refuse and finally he and many Iranian people were killed. (Ferdowsi, 2007, 7: 37) 5-1- Humiliation the king When Khosrow Anoshirvan goes to the land of Rome, where he gives him and his armies no notice, immediately God's retribution comes upon Romans and half of the castle collapses, and the situation of Romans becomes so difficult that the bishop of Rome apologize to Anoshirvan (Ferdowsi, 2007, 8: 80). 6-1- Killing the King Yazdgerd takes refuge in Khorasan following the attack of Arabs. Farrokhzad sends Yazdgerd to Mahooy Soori and asks him to protect the king. Mahooy Soori accepts Farrokhzad's proposal, because he was the pastor of Yazdgerd who had been promoted him. But, after a few days, he breaks off his pact with Farrokhzad and kills Yazdgerd. Therefore, it does not go far enough that he was punished as the feedback of his treason to the king and he and all three of his sons were burned. (Ferdowsi, 2007, p. 8: 485) Another case of the killing of the king is in the tragedy of Rustam and Esfandiar. As Rustam was forced to kill Esfandiar, as Zal and Simorgh had foreseen, after this massacre, he was killed by Shaghad himself, and his family was killed by Bahman (Ferdowsi, 2007, vol. 5: 419). 7-1- Defiance and arrogance Yazddir Bahram initially leads a good way in government, but since it has gone a long way, he brings the country into chaos and even claims to be God; Therefore, a horse comes from the sea and kicks him into death (Ferdowsi, 1386, p. 6: 362). Another example is about Jamshid that he is arrogant and calls himself God, so Farrah is separated from him three times in the form of the bird of Vareghan, and is stripped of his rule, and in the end, Zahak killed him (Ferdowsi, 2007, 1: 52). 8-1-The OppressionThought When Bahram Gore becomes a guest of female farmer and asks a woman about her kingdom, she complaints from some of the agents of Bahram and believes that this is due to the king's indiscretion. Bahram is angry and is going to oppress people. Surprisingly, only with the king’s wakefulness of thought, the milk of the cattle breaks out and the blessing of the farmer's house cleans up. In the following, when the king takes up the notion of oppression, the milk is flowing again in the beef lamb, and blessing and other abundance appear (Same: 473). 9-1- Child killing When Goshtasp, in order to keep the throne, sends his son to war with Rustam and kills him by Rustam, Pashootan clearly blamed Goshtasp for that ,and this was the reason that he lost charisma and in this world people blamed him (Ferdowsi, 2007, vol. 5: 429). 10-1- Breaking the Promise When Rostam and Esfandiar pledged that other soldiers would not interfere in the war and only have a war of their own, Zavareh and Faramarz, the brother and son of Rustam, would interfere without Rostam being aware, and they killed Mehrnoush and Azarnosh, Esfandiar's sons. Esfandiar, who believed that this crime comes from the knowledge of Rostam, got angry and warned Rostam against the reflection of his actions: If you die, by arrow/ it's the result of killing my two sons (Ferdowsi, 2007, p. 5: 366). 12-1-Killing the innocent prisoners When, despite the request of being safe by the elders in the Afrasiab's corps, Rustam killed them all, due to that, Iran experienced seven years of drought and hardship (Ferdowsi, 2007, p. 2: 412). 13-1- Unfair Usurpation of power When Fairouz made Hormuz abdicate his throne aggressively, the reflection of that action was soon present in Iran going through seven years of drought and famine (Ferdowsi, 2007, 7: 16). It is surprising that when Firouz chose to practice justice and exempt people from taxes because of drought, it, immediately, started raining and everywhere became green. (Ferdowsi, 2007: 7: 17) 4. Conclusion The Reflection of actions has a special place in Islamic mysticism. Based on this component, it is believed that any good or bad act in this world has a reflection that causes the good or bad reaction and in addition to the punishment of the practitioner in front of God, in this world, also, everyone sees the result of his good or evil actions according to his type of action. In this essay, the study of Shahnameh revealed that Ferdowsi with knowledge of Islamic mysticism, believed that except the adjuration in the hereafter, anyone will find the results of his actions also in this world. So he leads us to good deeds until the consequences of our evil actions cannot be ruled out us, as in the Indian religions, this law of action and reaction is referred to as karma. in Shahnameh, among the actions the results of which the practitioner sees as soon as done in this world, the following can be mentioned: Justice, nemesis, reconciliation, shedding innocent blood, breaking border, dishonor the king, killing the king, oppression and claim of divinity, killing the child, breaking the covenant, killing innocent prisoners, take the power with force. Keywords: : Ferdowsi, Shahnameh, Reflection of actions, Karma vinity, killing the child, breaking the covenant, killing innocent prisoners, take the power with force and ....
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