Iran Religion Facts From Ancient times to Islam

Iran’s religiosity is its most striking cultural feature—it influences all aspects of life. Religion in Iran centers on the essence of Islam, which teaches that there is only one God and that people must believe in and serve Him as outlined in the Quran.

Ancient Persian religion was shaped by the incantations, magic, and spells of Semitic peoples from Mesopotamia, Babylonians, and Assyrians. Zarathustra opposed these superstitions and the local Iranian beliefs, such as worshiping the Sun, the Moon, and the stars.

Ancient Iranians believed in dualism, life after death, and rewards for human deeds. Aryans also believed in animism and fetishism. Modern-day Iranians still observe these influences in their beliefs and superstitions.

Pre-Islam beliefs & religions in Iran

What we surely know about Elamites’ religion is the fact that they believed in a great god called Shushinak. Scythians were highly civilized and religious who believed in one heavenly power, but had various beliefs as well.

Aryans believed in a series of benevolent beings who presented nature’s treasures to humans, with light and rain being the most important. They also believed in malevolent beings who struggled with the good ones and tried to prevent humans from achieving prosperity.

In addition to Iran’s religion pre-islam, Aryans’ beliefs led them toward a better code of ethics compared to Babylonians and Assyrians. They relied more on a combination of human endeavor and action with honesty and righteousness. Aryans worshiped Mithra (the goddess of the Sun), Ashi (the goddess of fertility and marriage), Verethraghna (the god of attack and victory), Mazda (the great god of eastern and western settled, civilized Iranians), and several minor gods and goddesses.

Medes’ religion was very much identical with Hoorians’ and Assyrians’, especially according to the sphinxes discovered in their regions. Magi held religious ceremonies for Medes and later for Persians.

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Religions & Cultures in Pre-Islamic Iran

During the Achaemenian era, Persians allowed nations to follow any religion, as the kings did not officially recognize any religion.

The majority of Persians believed in 4 holy elements: light, water, earth and wind.

When Cyrus the Great defeated Nebuchadnezzar, he freed the captive Jews of Babylonia and helped them return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple.

Undoubtedly, Jews owed their survival to Iranians. According to Old Testament, a group of them migrated to Iran at about 8th century B.C. Xerxes’ minister, later, prosecuted them.

The Parthians’ religion combined the beliefs of pre-Achaemenian Aryans, Zarathustra, and Greek-influenced Seleucids. Mithraism became more popular as Iran’s religion during this period.

After Alexander invaded Persia and during the Seleucid and Parthian periods, Buddhism attracted followers in Iran and ceased to be practiced toward the end of the Samanid era.

Rise of Zoroastrianism in Iran

With Sassanid dynasty, kings recognized Zoroastrianism as the official religion in Iran. The holy book of Zoroastrians, Avesta, was destroyed by Arabs’ invasion, but later could have been partly recollected and rewritten.

The text was written in Pahlavi (Middle Persian), and later interpreters compiled it into a book called Zand. Later, Pazand explained Zand in Dari Persian. Throughout history, Zoroastrians have upheld three principles → Good Thought, Good Words, and Good Deeds.

During the first half of the 3rd century A.D., the Iranian nobleman Mani founded Manichaeism. He declared his mission, starting in Persia, and drew followers from Syria, Egypt, North Africa, and parts of Europe. In the second half of the same century, Sassanid authorities executed him in prison. He wrote six books in Eastern Aramaic and Pahlavi.

“Mazdak” started his religious, political movement around the end of 5th and the beginning of 6th centuries A.D. He was killed when he had been taking part in a royal discussion meeting. His death won plenty of respect for his religion as well as Zoroastrianism.

At the end of Sassanid era, some other Jews had joined the ones in Iran. Christians grew in number during Parthians and found many followers, especially in Armenia during Sassanians and Romanians.

“Zorvanism”, the belief in the god called Zorvan, is not that much different from Zoroastrianism. It was practiced simultaneously with Zoroastrianism during Sassanid period.

During the Sassanid era, rulers banned all religions, including Manichaeism, Mazdaism, and Christianity, and persecuted their followers.

Post-Islam religions in Iran

After the Arab invasion, Iranian followers of Zoroastrianism divided into three groups →

• some converted to Islam
• Some ignored islam & later fled to India
• Some stayed in Persia and practiced their own religion

When Islam emerged, two major powers dominated the world: the Romans and the Iranians. Arabs defeated the Sassanids and brought Islam to Iran.

After Mohammad the prophet was inspired to invite people to worship one true God, he obeyed God’s order and followed it for three years behind scenes.

Later, he invited people publicly. After years of hardship and persecution, he decided to move from Mecca to Medina in present-day Saudi Arabia. Eight years later, he returned to Mecca with a large army of Muslims.

Muhammad united Arabs on the Arabian Peninsula and founded a religious government that later expanded its borders east, west, and north.

Furthermore, Islam has become one of the most popular religions worldwide. The majority of Muslims are Sunni, while Shiites are a minority. Currently, Shiites make up the majority of Muslims in Iran.

Christianity in Iran

When the Mongols arrived in Iran, Ilkhanid kings welcomed Christianity, but later rulers persecuted Christians. Nestorianism, which began in Ephesus, grew along the border between the Roman and Iranian Empires, gained many followers in Iran, and strongly influenced Christians in Iran for centuries to come.

Safavid conversion of Iran religion to Shia Islam

The Mongol invasion of Iran led to religious freedom. As a result, the Abbasid caliphate collapsed in Iran, and the Shia branch began to grow.

During the Safavid period, authorities forced Zoroastrians to pay special taxes because they had not converted to Islam. Additionally, taxes on their business activities were much higher than those imposed on Muslims.

Shia & Sunni

The Shia branch split into two groups: 12-Imam Shia and 7-Imam Shia. The 12-Imam branch grew stronger until the Safavid period, when the Safavids declared it as the state branch of Islam religion in Iran.

At that time, most Iranians were Sunnis. Since the Ottomans were Sunni, the first Safavid king, Ismail, aimed to unite the nation against foreign threats. Within the country, Jews and Zoroastrians faced unfair treatment.

Christians received somewhat better treatment. Later, during Shah Abbas I’s reign, many of them migrated to Iran.

Iran’s religion under Afsharid dynasty

Under the Afsharid dynasty (1736–1747), Nader Shah inherited a political era mixed with religion. He sought to win people’s hearts by respecting Shia scholars and the holy shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad.

During the Afsharid dynasty, Kashan became a small Jerusalem for Jewish Iranians and their clergymen. Business flourished in the town, and Nader Shah’s reign produced considerable wealth.

Religion of Iran under Zand Dynasty

Karim Khan, the Zand king, granted more freedom to non-Muslims. He respected religious freedom but did not allow Muslim sheikhs to become seriously involved in politics.

Religion & Society in Iran under the Qajars (1789 – 1925)

Iranian society under the Qajar dynasty focused heavily on religion. Family morale, business practices, and social interactions all revolved around Islam. More than in any other period of Iranian history, Qajar kings paid considerable attention to Imam Hossein’s martyrdom and his commemorative ceremonies.

Under the Qajar rule, the government did not pressure Zoroastrians and Christians much, but it treated Jews differently. Authorities often forced Jews to pay increasingly higher taxes.

Short answers to real questions about Iranian Religion

In addition to the ancient regions in Iran mentioned above, modern-day Iran is a religious society where people practice Islam in their daily lives—whether buying a new home, car, or getting married, they always seek blessings through prayer. While you might not find many people actively practicing religion, they are certainly believers at heart.

Culture in the religion of Iran

In Iran, as in all Islamic societies, art favours the non-representational, the derivative and the stylised. Many Iranian art forms predate the Arab conquest, but since nearly all of them reached their peak within the Islamic era, religious influences are rarely absent.

Persian carpets are Iran’s most famous cultural export, dating back to the 5th century BC, and are still an integral part of religious and cultural festivals (and the economy). The most appealing and melodious traditional music is found among the ethnic minorities, such as the Turkmen, Azaris, Kurds and Lors.

Persian poetry first appeared in the 9th century AD, and slowly developed into the enduring canon of epic poems and non-rhyming couplet poems which are part of its cultural treasury today. Persian painting dates back to the Seljuq period, which then faded until the 16th century when it flourished along with calligraphy, especially in Shiraz.

Other notable Persian crafts include metalwork, glassware and woodwork, while, more recently, Iranian films have been remarkably successful. Mohsen Makhmalbaf, maker of Gabbeh, is Iran’s most controversial, and most lauded, filmmaker.

What are the ancient Iranian religion?

Persian worshiped natural elements from the earth to which were the foundation of life until the Zoroastrianism. In modern day Iran religion, there are still followers of Zoroastrianism.

Shi’ite Muslim (89%), Sunni Muslim (10%), Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian (1%), are the percentage of religions in Iran.

How religious are Iranian?

Religion has consistently key-role in Iranian culture & identity, whether before and or after the Islam. Historically, Iranians celebrated significant life events—such as birth, marriage, and death—with special religious ceremonies.

Moreover, durng the 8 years bloody war of Iran-Iraq, the leaders often named strategies after their own beliefs. Additionally, many local Iranian festivals, including Nowruz and Mehregan, trace their origins back to ancient Iranian religions. Thus, religion has always served as a unifying force for Iranians, shaping their cultural and historical practices throughout the ages.

Religions Events in Iranian calendar

Just about everything that can close will close on a religious holiday, so it’s important to know when they fall. Iran’s religious holidays follow the Muslim lunar calendar, so the dates according to the western calendar vary each year.

Major religious events include Ramazan, the month of dawn to dusk fasting; Eid-é Fetr, the one day festival of feasting that marks the end of Ramadan; Ghadir-é Khom, which commemorates the day that the Prophet Mohammed appointed Ali, as his successor; and the birthday of Mohammed.

National holidays follow the Persian solar calendar, but still usually fall on the same day each year according to the western calendar.

The major one include the Victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on 11 February, which is the anniversary of Islamic Republic coming to power in 1979; the enthusiastically celebrated No Ruz or Iranian New Year (~ Mid March). Learn more about Islam in Iran on wikipedia