Medina—as it settled to
be the capital of Islamic republic, announced the arrival of new force in
global politics. In the seventh century, in fact centuries before that Iranian
and Roman Empire were vying for global space.
These mighty empires were the super powers of the era. Arabia with the wilderness of its deserts,
with its warring tribes, with its uncivilized ways hardly got the attention of
global players. And for right reason, it did not merit attention. Apart from
Arabian merchant caravans traveling to Damascus
in Syria
to trade goods, there was hardly an interaction. Damascus was in those times the global
financial nerve center. Syrian province held the prime place in Roman Empire. And
this was the province bordering Arabia. In the
border areas were Arab settlers, the most prominent tribe being Ghassanids
[Ghasnai in vernacular—Arabic]. They had taken to Christianity; however they
had contacts with the pagans [non-believers] of their racial stock in mainland Arabia.
With Islam blending and energizing Arabs,
it was viewed with an element of surprise by Christian tribes across the
border. Pagan Arabs had become believers, with a faith simulating Christianity,
however posing a few questions too. Pauline Christianity had taken an orthodox
form. St. Paul
from whom the orthodox school took its name was a Jew turned Christian
preacher. He had the zeal of a new convert. In contrast to Unitarian concept of
Divinity preached by Jesus Christ, St.
Paul propounded the concepts of Trinity [Father, Son
and the Holy Ghost] and redemption [making Jesus Christ the redeemer--the
saviour]. This came into conflict with the message of Islam with unwavering
faith in the Unity of God and concept of Aamal [Deed] in contrast to
redemption. Islam believes that only Aamal can redeem. We may take a quick look
in St. Paul’s theater of activity and Roman Empire, in order to comprehend the geopolitical
[encompassing the religo-political aspect] challenge to Islam.
Western Roman Empire since pre-Christian
era was based in Rome,
hence the name. Its heyday was 54 B.C—the year associated with Julius
Caesar…the most renowned of Caesars. With the advent of Christianity, it
started weakening. Over the next few centuries, Greco-Romans [racial blend of
Greeks and Romans] settled in an alternative capital in Constantinople—the
Eurasian [partly European partly Asian] city of modern Turkey. The strait of Bosporus
is the waterway dividing Europe and Asia, the
city is located across the waterway. It was named after Emperor Constantine,
who made Christianity the state religion in 400 A.D, 170 years before Prophet
Mohammad [pbuh] was born. The Empire is recorded in history as Eastern Roman
[Byzantine] Empire. Pauline Christianity was its predominant feature. And
Church had a great affect on the politics of the state.
On the Iranian front however there were no
religious doctrines to contend. Contrary to Romans, Iranians were not the
people of the Book {Ahle-i-Kitab] a religious grouping that embraces Islam,
Christianity and Judaism. They were fire worshippers, albeit the religious
order of Zoroaster had an element of morality—Kidar-e-Naek, Raftar-e-Naek and
Pindar-e-Naek [Noble in Character, in behaviour & in thought]. These
elements of nobility had sustained the great Iranian empire for over a
millennium. The empire established by Cyrus, the Great [Shah-e-Jamsheed] 2500
years back had its set its seat of power in Persepolis [Takht-e-Jamsheed] near
present day Shiraz, the citadel of Persian culture and literature. Cyrus’s
charter of human rights was a document much ahead of the times, it was
proclaimed in. It was a shade ahead of Greek initiation of logic or it could be
said almost concurrent with it. Logic—the gateway to knowledge was one of the
most significant event in human progression.
Cyrus’s magnificence in statecraft,
plutonian concept of state, his advocacy of philosopher king to rule it opened
new vistas in societal development. Cyrus’s son Darius [Dara] and Alexander of Macedonia in
their confrontations wrote some of the initial chapters in power struggle
between Iranians and Greco-Romans spread over a millennium. Darius had his
father’s famed statecraft to look up to. Alexander belonged to Aristotelian
school. Aristotle was his intellectual mentor.
Cyrus and Darius belonged to Achemaid [Achmani in vernacular] dynasty]
however at the advent of Islam, Sassanids [Sassani] dynasty was ruling Iran. As was
true of the Roman front, on Arab-Iran border too, there were Arab tribes living
across the border in Iran.
Iranian empire encompassed present day Iran, Iraq
and parts of central Asia. It was the Iraqi
province that bordered mainland Arabia…Bahrain in fact.
As Islam was growing, the Byzantines had
turned tables on Sassanids. Earlier, Iranians across Bosporus were targeting
the palace of Caesar. He sued for peace, Iranians
rejected the offer. In a turnabout of fortunes, Romans got the upper hand and
soon they were knocking on Iranian borders. Islam was in its infancy, the upper
hand of Romans pleased them, as Romans were Christians [Ahal-e-Kitab]. However
soon the historical tide put the Medinite republic and Byzantine Romans into a
geo-strategic engagement with heavy stakes.
We may take up the fascinating engagement
in weeks ahead--Inshallah
Yaar Zinda, Sohbat Baqi [Reunion
is subordinate to survival]
By Dr. Javid Iqbal
Feedback on:
iqbal.javid46@gmail.com
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