Response of the Persian King:

In the name of Ahuramazda, the Creator of Life and Wisdom.

From the Shahan-Shah of Iran Yazdgerd to Omar Ibn Khat'tab the Arab Calif. In your letter you summon us Iranians to your god whom you call "Allah-u-Akbar"; and because of your barbarity and ignorance, without knowing who we are and Whom we worship, you demand that we seek out your god and become worshippers of "Allah-u-Akbar".

How strange that you occupy the seat of the Arab Caliph but are as ignorant as any desert roaming Arab! You admonish me to become monotheistic in faith. Ignorant man, for thousands of years we Aryaee have, in this land of culture and art, been monotheistic and five times a day have we offered prayers to God's Throne of Oneness. While we laid the foundations of philanthropy and righteousness and kindness in this world and held high the ensign of "Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds", you and your ancestors were desert wanderers who ate snakes and lizards and buried your innocent daughters alive.

You Arabs who have no regard for God's creatures, who mercilessly put people to the sword, who mistreat your women and bury you daughters alive, who attack caravans and are highway robbers, who commit murder, who kidnap women and spouses; how dare you presume to teach us, who are above these evils, to worship God?

You tell me to cease the worship of fire and to worship God instead! To us Iranians the light of Fire is reminiscent of the Light of God. The radiance and the sun-like warmth of fire exuberates our hearts, and the pleasant warmth of it brings our hearts and spirits closer together, that we may be philanthropic, kind and considerate, that gentleness and forgiveness may become our way of life, and that thereby the Light of God may keep shining in our hearts.

Our God is the Great Ahuramazda. Strange is this that you too have now decided to give Him a name, and you call Him by the name of "Allah-u-Akbar".

But we are nothing like you. We, in the name of Ahuramazda, practice compassion and love and goodness and righteousness and forgiveness, and care for the dispossessed and the unfortunate; But you, in the name of your "Allah-u-Akbar" commit murder, create misery and subject others to suffering! Tell me truly who is to blame for your misdeeds? Your god who orders genocide, plunder and destruction, or you who do these things in his name? Or both?

You, who have spent all your days in brutality and barbarity, have now come out of your desolate deserts resolved to teach, by the blade and by conquest, the worship of God to a people who have for thousands of years been civilized and have relied on culture and knowledge and art as mighty supports.

What have you, in the name of your "Allah-u-Akbar", taught these armies of Islam besides destruction and pillage and murder that you now presume to summon others to your god?

Today, my people's fortunes have changed. Their armies, who were subjects of Ahuramazada, have now been defeated by the Arab armies of "Allah-u-Akbar". And they are being forced, at the point of the sword, to convert to the god by the name of "Allah-u-Akbar". And are forced to offer him prayers five times a day but now in Arabic; since your "Allah-u-Akbar" only understands Arabic.

I advise you to return to your lizard infested deserts. Do not let loose upon our cities your cruel barbarous Arabs who are like rabid animals. Refrain from the murder of my people. Refrain from pillaging my people. Refrain from kidnapping our daughters in the name of your "Allah-u-Akbar". Refrain from these crimes and evils.

We Aryaee are a forgiving people, a kind and well-meaning people. Wherever we go, we sow the seeds of goodness, amity and righteousness. And this is why we have the capacity to overlook the crimes and the misdeeds of your Arabs.

Stay in your desert with your "Allah-u-Akbar", and do not approach our cities; [size=14pt]for horrid is your belief and brutish is your conduct.[/size]

Yazdgerd Saasaani

brentkruge:


Kai! Pity! Islam has refused to change all these years. Infact this letter could have been written this morning and its words will ring very true.

From Omar Ibn-Khat'tab to Uthman Dan Fodio to Shiek Shekau, its the same tale of death, plunder and destruction in the name of Allah.

Pity!

LagosShia: i dont know why these persian nationalists and atheists like flogging a dead horse.for God sake in that time the word "Iran" was non-existent.why try to impose that word into this?

also,for your info,today Umar Ibn al-Khattab means nothing to 90% of iranian Muslims.in fact centuries later,Persia became Shia Muslim and the majority left what Umar introduced in Persia which is Sunnism.Shia Islam holds Umar as an equal enemy of Islam itself as the ignorant and bragging king of persia who saw his throne go to utter waste with all his brags.so really what is the use of still spreading such a nonsensical conversation and trying to stir emotions? both Yazdeger and Umar really mean little or nothing to Iran presently.

maclatunji:

See your mouth.

LagosShia: i dont know why these persian nationalists and atheists like flogging a dead horse.for God sake in that time the word "Iran" was non-existent.why try to impose that word into this?

also,for your info,today Umar Ibn al-Khattab means nothing to 90% of iranian Muslims.in fact centuries later,Persia became Shia Muslim and the majority left what Umar introduced in Persia which is Sunnism.Shia Islam holds Umar as an equal enemy of Islam itself as the ignorant and bragging king of persia who saw his throne go to utter waste with all his brags.so really what is the use of still spreading such a nonsensical conversation and trying to stir emotions? both Yazdeger and Umar really mean little or nothing to Iran presently.

maclatunji:

Pity yourself, because "Allahu Akbar" is not the name of God to Muslims.

Meanwhile, it is Islam that elevated these same Arabs to conquer his land in a battle of civilizations.

alaoeri:
What a shite indeed, are u know saying the old persian isn't the present iran or how are u going distinguish the old yathrib from the present medina.

maclatunji:

Pity yourself, because "Allahu Akbar" is not the name of God to Muslims. Meanwhile, it is Islam that elevated these same Arabs to conquer his land in a battle of civilizations.

LagosShia:

please Mac can you explain to us what you meant by "Islam that elevated these same Arabs to conquer his land in a battle of civilizations"? i just want to get a clearer idea of what you're trying to say.

Sermon 145
Spoken when `Umar ibn al-Khattab consulted Amir al-mu'minin about taking part in the battle of Persia. (1)
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In this matter, victory of defeat is not dependent on the smallness or greatness of forces. It is Allah's religion which He has raised above all faiths, and His army which He has mobilised and extended, till it has reached the point where it stands now, and has arrived its present positions. We hold a promise from Allah, and He will fulfil His promise and support His army.

The position of the head of government is that of the thread for beads, as it connects them and keeps them together. If the thread is broken, they will disperse and be lost, and will never come together again. The Arabs today, even though small in number are big because of Islam and strong because of unity. You should remain like the axis for them, and rotate the mill (of government) with (the help of) the Arabs, and be their root. Avoid battle, because if you leave this place the Arabs will attack you from all sides and directions till the unguarded places left behind by you will become more important than those before you.

If the Persians see you tomorrow they will say, "He is the root (chief) of Arabia. If we do away with him we will be in peace." In this way this will heighten their eagerness against you and their keenness to aim at you. You say that they have set out to fight against the Muslims. Well, Allah detests their setting out more than you do, and He is more capable of preventing what He detests. As regards your idea about their (large) number, in the past we did not fight on the strength of large numbers but we fought on the basis of Allah's support and assistance.
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(1). When some people advised Caliph `Umar to partake in the battle of al-Qadisiyyah or Nahawand, he finding it against his personal inclination, thought it necessary to consult Amir al-mu'minin, so that if he advised against it he would plead before others that he had stayed back on Amir al-mu'minin's advice, but also if he advised partaking in the battle some other excuse would be found. However, unlike others, Amir al-mu'minin advised him to stay back. The other people had advised him to join in fighting, because the Holy Prophet did not send only others to fight but took part in it himself as well, keeping his close relations also with him. What Amir al-mu'minin had in view was that `Umar's presence in the battle could not be beneficial to Islam, but rather his staying back would save the Muslims from dispersion.

Amir al-mu'minin's view that "the position of the head of government is that of the axis around which the system of the government rotates" is a point of principle and does not concern any particular personality. Whether the ruler is a Muslim or an unbeliever, just or despotic, virtuous or vicious, for the administration of the state his presence is a necessity, as Amir al-mu'minin has explained elsewhere at greater length:


The fact is that there is no escape for men from a ruler good or bad. Faithful persons perform (good) acts in his rule while the unfaithful enjoys (worldly) benefits in it. During the rule, Allah will carry everything to its end. Through the ruler tax is collected, the enemy is fought, roads are protected and the right of the weak is taken from the strong till the virtuous enjoy peace and are allowed protection from (the oppression of) the wicked. (Sermon 40)
The words which Amir al-mu'minin uttered in his advice are not indicative of any quality of Caliph `Umar except his being the ruler. There is no doubt that he held worldly authority, irrespective of the question of whether it was secured in the right way or wrong way. And where there is authority there is centring of people's affairs. That is why Amir al-mu'minin said that if `Umar would go out the Arabs would follow him in large numbers towards the battlefield, because when the ruler is on the march the people will not like to stay behind. The result of their going would be that city after city would become vacant, while the enemy will infer from their reaching the battlefield that the Islamic cities are lying vacant, and that if these people were repulsed no assistance would reach the Muslims from the centre. Again, if the ruler were killed the army would disperse automatically, because the ruler is as its foundation. When the foundation is shaken the walls cannot remain standing. The word "aslu'l-`Arab" (the root chief) of Arabia has not been used by Amir al-mu'minin as his own but he has taken it from the Persians. Obviously in his capacity as the head of the State, Caliph `Umar was, in their view, the chief of Arabia. Besides, the reference is to the country, not to Islam or Muslims, so that there is no suggestion of any importance for him from the Islamic point of view.

When Amir al-mu'minin pointed out to Caliph `Umar that on his reaching there the Persians would aim at him, and that if he fell into their hands they would not spare him without killing, although such words would have touched the brave to the quick and would have heightened their spirits, `Umar liked the advice to stay back and thought it better to keep himself away from the flames of battle. If this advice had not been in accord with his personal inclination he would not have received it so heartily and would have tried to argue that the administration of the country could be maintained by leaving a deputy. Again when other people had already advised him to go out, what was the need for consulting Amir al-mu'minin except to get an excuse to stay back.

http://www.nahjulbalagha.org/SermonDetail.php?Sermon=145

maclatunji: @LagosShia, isn't it painfully obvious that it is a forgery? I mean "Allahu Akbar" and attributing Jahiliyyah occurrences to Islam.

As for your long epistle, I laugh in Chinese.

Go and learn history you hear.

vedaxcool: Na wa oh! op where u get these exchange from? Cause while the persian king could be excuse for refering to Allah as Allahu Akbar, it remains puzzling that Umar r.a did the same! Capping off Kay u mean the persian king know good things? I will want to believe ur statement is out of ignorance of the Persian history filled with tales of gore and cruelty offcourse that could be " good things" to any one who live by no criteria! The persian king response if true, was fraught with large scale ignorance as with the advent of Islam, burying of daughters alive had been abolish! Even Islam brought in rules of engagement hence the killing of women and destruction of towns the gravely ignorant king alluded were entirely dreamt up fant asy of a drowning man!

Well history tells us Umar routed the persians kingdom, and this was foretold by the holy prophet pbuh in the hadith of the 12 caliphs of the ummah, would have quoted it but I dey use phone! Unfortunately Umar r.a victory against polytheism would many years later be reverted by Shah Ismail who, being a persian, carried his mistaken belief in worshiping kings as being divine to Islam by associating such with the Prophet pbuh, this the shah achieved by forceful conversions! In anycase Umar victory against the persian kingdom, showed one thing that Islam at its peak expanded rapidly to lands, it was as moral decay entered the people that the decline set in to what we have today!

Kay 17: All those who have read on Zoroasterianism would be aware of the great emphasis on compassion, tolerance, kindness and love. The Persian might have thought Allah was Allahu Akbar, however there was a battle btw Zoroasterianism vs Islam, as who is the true messenger from God, and who preached/teaches the values of peace/tolerance.

Is islam just a tool for cultural assimilation? Is it a reflection of those cruel times? What's peace in invading Persia? What atrocities was the Persian king disgust by?? Why is the Caliph seeking to convert the Persian and offering destruction as an alternative??

Although some of the comments of the Persian were racist, but his response still holds it substance.