A Comparative Analysis of the Effectiveness of Persian Poems by Pioneer poets from the book Shayest-Nashayest and the Works of Imam Mohammad Ghazzali. (Relying on the Books of Ehya-e-Ulum al-Din and Kimiyay-e)

Shayest-Nashayest is a jurisprudential-ethical work written in the late Sasanian period detailing Zoroastrian ceremonies, rules, and rituals. The ninth, tenth, and twelfth chapters of this book address religious topics and instructions. The poems of some pioneer Persian poets also contain fundamental ideas about the ways to reach perfection. Imam Mohammad Ghazzali is also famous for his book Ehya-e-Ulum al-Din in Arabic and Persian prose and is also a great scholar in the field of Islamic ethics. This study seeks to address the extent to which pioneer poets were influenced by the ethical discussions in Shayest Nashayest and Ghazzali's thoughts.This study was conducted using a comparative-analytical design with library techniques to examine moral ideas and orders in Shayest Nashayest and also the ethical instructions of some pioneer poets and Imam Mohammad Ghazzali in his books, Ulum al-Din and Kimiyay-e Sa’adat.

This study was conducted using a comparative-analytical design with library techniques to examine moral ideas and orders in Shayest Nashayest and also the ethical instructions of some pioneer poets and Imam Mohammad Ghazzali in his books, Ulum al-Din and Kimiyay-e Sa’adat.

The ideas presented in Shayest Nashayest and Ehya-e-Ulum al-Din are also reflected in some poems of Persian pioneer poets, as discussed below:2.1 Adornment with knowledge and science Concerning knowledge and its significance, the author of Shayest Nashayest has argued: “People should visit three places more often: The home of knowledgeable people, individuals who do good deeds, and people of great wisdom” (Mazdapour, 1990: 245) Ghazzali raised extensive discussions on the virtues and benefits of knowledge, various sciences, and their effects: “Knowledge/wisdom is a prerequisite for having a good physical life (Ibid, Vol. 1: 8). According to Nasser Khosrow, a poet who has good knowledge speaks good words,justlike a clean pottery pitcher that has clean water:A knowledgeable person does not speak anything but good words; Just as clean water comes from a good pottery pitcher (Naser Khosrow, 2005: 377).2.2 Telling the truth and avoiding lies In Zoroastrian religion, truthfulness is a sign of religiosity: “Spatman of Zoroastrian says that a religious man is Yuzhdasrgr (truthful). That is, one who speaks the truth and cherished religious instructions is a religious person” (Mazdapour, 1369: 160) Ghazzali also argues that one should not utter something that is pure loss and a statement whose benefit is less than its loss (Ghazzali, n.d., Vol. 3: 108). Narrating the story of Anushirvan, the Sassanid king, Ferdowsi (1979, Vol. 4: 434) stated:If the tongue is accustomed to telling liesIt cannot receive divine illumination. Telling lies is a sign of helplessness and misery We should cry for miserable and helpless people 2.3 Conscious praise In the 19th chapter of the book Shayest-Nashayest, the word “ahunawar” is mentioned many times. It is the most sacred prayer of Zoroastrianism, it belongs to the gods and it is recited on different occasions, in religious, farming, and wedding ceremonies for saving from strays, and purification of sins, and it is not specific to kings (cf. Mazdapour, 1990: 238-240). Describing the evils of praise, Ghazzali suggests that people who use to praise others may say what they do not realize and have no way of knowing it (Ghazzali, n.d., Vol. 3: 156). Sanai (2009: 40) also advises poets to avoid praising worthless people:Poets who praise worthless people to earn money are shameless. 2.4 Good temperateness In Shayest Nashayest, good temperateness as an important personality trait is juxtaposed to truthfulness, and good-natured people are considered more innocent and worthy of selection: “When they are choosing among innocent and decent people, they should choose the one with good temperateness, truthfulness, and decent action based on certain criteria” (Mazdapour, 1990: 159) Ghazzali considers the cure for all bad moods to be a part of knowledge and action and says that acting against the cause brings the right result (cf. Ghazzali, n.d., Vol. 3: 145). Masoud Saad (1983: 636) invites poets to be good-tempered:As a poet, you should not be bad-tempered as good poets avoid ill temperateness.

A single thought dominant in all poetic works investigated in this study as reflected in the parts of the book Shayest Nashayest and Ghazzali's thoughts is that from the point of view of Iranians before and after Islam, having a God-centered spirit, good qualities, and inner purification is a way for human liberation. Persian-speaking poets, due to their religious background and under the influence of religious thoughts, have written moral poems and recommended them to other poets.