A Critique on Mas ūdī'saccount about the Iranians Regard to K abah in pre-Islamic Period

Abu’al-Hasan ‘Alī ibn Husayn Mas‘ūdī (d. 345 AH), provided a report in his two well-known works (Murūj al-dhahab and al-tanbīhwa’l-ishrāf), indicates that the ancient Iranians, including Sāsān ibn Bābak, went to Ka‘bah to make a pilgrimage and carried gifts. According to this story, name of Zamzam well is derived from the Persian word-zamzam- means whisper. The present study examines significant points of Masudi’s narrative and compares it with those from other sources on history of Iran and Mecca in pre- Islamic period. It is concluded that the report about the Iranians regard to K‘abah in pre- Islamic period had not been mentioned in the works from other historians before Mas‘ūdī and also those who wrote about history from a critical point of view after him. Therefore, the aforementioned narrative is not common and valid and probably emanated from Sho‘ūbīs inIslamic era.