History Revisited: Did Khosrow II Really Tear Prophet’s Letter?

Date: 13 September 2025 - 22:01

News ID: ۱۴۳۴۷۱

TEHRAN -- The story of Iran’s first encounters with Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) is complex, nuanced, and often colored by later historical narratives.
Saeed Tavousi Masrour, a historian and scholar of Islamic studies at Allameh Tabataba’i University, challenges some popular legends—most notably the widely circulated tale that the Sassanian king Khosrow II (Khosrow Parviz) tore up the Prophet’s letter. Tavousi stresses that this claim lacks reliable sources and is mainly found in accounts by the Ghassanids, an Arab tribe hostile to Iran.
Instead, the historical record suggests a more measured response. Upon receiving the letter—sent in the sixth year after Hijra—Khosrow tasked Yazdegerd’s governor of Yemen, Bazan, to investigate the Prophet and his message. Bazan’s subsequent visit to Medina coincided with the death of Khosrow II, news that impressed upon him the prophetic insight attributed to Muhammad, ultimately leading Bazan and the Persian community in Yemen (known as Abna al-Furs) to embrace Islam.
This gradual process of Islamization in Iran, where Zoroastrianism had deep roots, spanned centuries—contradicting simplistic narratives of swift conversion. The foundation was laid further during the caliphate of Umar and Ali ibn Abi Talib, especially with figures like Salman al-Farsi appointed as governor of the former Sassanian capital, Ctesiphon. Through such figures and political developments, Iranians came to know the Prophet, often through the lens of justice and governance under Ali (AS).
Parallel to these historical encounters was the evolution of Persian literature dedicated to the Prophet’s life, or sira. While Arabic remained the primary language for early Islamic historiography, Persian works gradually emerged from the sixth century AH onward. One of the earliest extant Persian texts touching on the Prophet’s life is Tarikh-e Bal’ami, a Persian adaptation of Tabari’s history, covering the Prophet’s mission alongside broader historical events.
By the seventh and eighth centuries AH, more focused sira works appeared, such as translations of Ibn Ishaq’s Sira Rasul Allah and Sharaf al-Nabi by Abu Sa’id Khargushi, translated in 559 AH. These texts were foundational in introducing Persian-speaking audiences to the Prophet’s biography. The tradition continued with later historical compilations—Zayn al-Akhbar by Gardizi, Majmal al-Tawarikh by Ibn Shadi Hamadani—and culminated in the rich corpus of Persian literature that blends history, theology, and poetry.
Significantly, Persian mi’raj (ascension) narratives and poetry by luminaries such as Nizami Ganjavi, Attar, and Jami further embed the Prophet’s spiritual journey in Persian cultural memory, reflecting a deep veneration transcending mere biography.
These Persian texts and narratives played a crucial role in shaping how Iranian and broader Persianate societies understood and connected with Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him)—not simply as a historical figure but as a spiritual and cultural symbol, whose life and virtues were woven into the fabric of Persian identity and literature.