Ibrāhīm bin Shahryar bin Zadan Farrokh bin Khorshid (; c. 963 – c. 1035), better known by his pen-names Abū Ishaq (ابواسحاق) and Sheykh Abū Ishaq of Kazerun (شیخ ابواسحاق کازرونی) and Nicknamed Sheykh Murshid (شیخ مرشد), was a famous Iraninan Sufi of the late 4th and early 5th century AH. He was the founder of the Kazeruniyeh sufism, which spread eastwards to India and China, and westwards to Anatolia and Baghdad.Iranica ABŪ ESḤĀQ KĀZARŪNĪIbn Battuta: Rihla, 1964, Beirut
Birth and family Abū Ishaq Ibrāhīm was born on the 15th of Ramadan in the year 352 AH equal to 963 AD in Novard area of Kazerun (currently Olia neighborhood).Manouchehr Mozaffarian: Kazerun in the mirror of Iranian culture, 1994, Navid Publications of Shiraz, p. 253 His father, Shahryar, was a craftsman from the Salmani dynasty of Kazerun, who were relatives of Salman the Persian, and the Prophet of Islam had exempted them from paying the Jizya.Hasan Fasa'i: Fars-Nama-ye Naseri, pp. 1437-1438 Shahryar and Banouye (his mother), who were born in Zoroastrian families, changed their religion and became Muslims before the birth of Abū Ishaq.Attar of Nishapur: Tazkirat al-Awliya, 1987, Tehran, With the efforts of Mohammad Estelami, p. 763Zarkoob Shirazi: Shiraznameh, 1971, Tehran, With the efforts of Esmaeil Vaez Javadi, p. 145
The era of Abū Ishaq At the time of Abū Ishaq's birth, the Fars region was still one of the important bases of the Zoroastrian religion, and Kazerun was the most important and largest center of Zoroastrianism, and most of the people of Kazerun still had the Zoroastrian religion.Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, p. 14-18Abu Ishaq Ibrahim Istakhri: Malek and Mamalek, p. 106Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Jayhani: Ashkal al-Alam, 1989, Astan Quds Razavi Publications, p. 112 At that time, there were several large Fire temples and two Mosques in Kazerun, and the ruler of the city was a Zoroastrian named Khorshid Marzban, known as Deylam Majoosi, who belonged to the Zoroastrians of Buyid dynasty.Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, p. 143
Life and education Abū Ishaq was born in a poor family and had to work since childhood. In the mornings, before starting work, he used to study Quran with Abū Tamam from Basra and Abū Ali Muhammad from Levant, who were Quran reciters living in Kazerun.Manouchehr Mozaffarian: Kazerun in the mirror of Iranian culture, 1994, Navid Publications of Shiraz, p. 253 He gradually became an admirer of Ibn Khafif, a famous Sufi of the 4th century AH.Ibn Jonayd Shirazi: Tazkare Hezar Mazar, p. 91-92 Among his main teachers, we can mention Abū Abdullah Muhammad Beyzavi, Abi Ahmed Abdul Vahab Ramin, Judge Abu al-Tayyib al-Tabari, Abū Abdullah Muhammad Kazeruni and Judge Abū Masoud Mohsen Kazeruni.Manouchehr Mozaffarian: Kazerun in the mirror of Iranian culture, 1994, Navid Publications of Shiraz, p. 254 Abū Ishaq traveled to Basra, Mecca and Medina with Sheykh Hassan Akkar in 388 AH.Jami: Nafahat al-Ens, 1994, with the efforts of Mehdi Tohidi Pour, Saadi Publications, Tehran, 1957, p. 251 Finally, after completing his studies, he founded the Kazeruniyeh (Morshediyeh) sufism in the second half of the 4th century AH with the aim of promoting Islam, centered in the city of Kazerun.Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, p. 145
Efforts to spread Islam and battles Abū Ishaq decided to develop Islam in Kazerun region and for this reason he started to spread the religion. He first went to the pulpit in the Congregational mosque of Kazerun. But due to the disruptions caused by the opponents in his work, he had to leave Kazerun and propagated religion by building an altar and then a stone mosque in the outskirts of the city.Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, pp. 14-18 His opponents destroyed this mosque many times until finally, in 371 AH, one of his disciples built a mosque that became the main base of the Kazeruniyeh sufism.Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, pp. 26-28 It was after that that Abu Ishaq turned to preparing an army with the help of Abū Abdullah Muhammad bin Jazin.Manouchehr Mozaffarian: Kazerun in the mirror of Iranian culture, 1994, Navid Publications of Shiraz, p. 255 The conflicts between Abū Ishaq and the Zoroastrian ruler of Kazerun caused a fierce war between Muslims and Zoroastrians of Kazerun.Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, pp. 106-108 His numerous wars caused him to be called Sheykh-e Ghazi (means Warrior) among the people.Manouchehr Mozaffarian: Kazerun in the mirror of Iranian culture, 1994, Navid Publications of Shiraz, p. 255 The hostilities continued until a man named Shahzur bin Kharbam tried to assassinate Sheykh Abū Ishaq, which was unsuccessful.Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, p. 106 Finally, the ruler of Kazerun was poisoned by one of Sheykh Abū Ishaq's disciples in 406 AH and died.Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, p. 145 All the events led to the consolidation and expansion of Islam in Kazerun. Narrations indicate that 24,000 Zoroastrians and Jews of Kazerun were converted to Islam by Sheykh Abū Ishaq.Attar of Nishapur: Tazkirat al-Awliya, 1987, Tehran, With the efforts of Mohammad Estelami, p. 800Vryonis, Speros (1971). The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor and the Process of Islamisation from the Eleventh through the Fifteenth Century. Berkeley: California University Press. p. 367 The activities of the Kazeruniyeh sufism led by Sheykh Abū Ishaq reached such a level that it gradually established 65 Sufi lodge in the Fars region.Zarkoob Shirazi: Shiraznameh, 1971, Tehran, With the efforts of Esmaeil Vaez Javadi, p. 146
Death Sheykh Abū Ishaq died on the 8th of Dhu Qadah in the year 426 AH equal to 1035 AD after enduring illness for four months in Kazerun. Throughout his life, he was always a vegetarian and never married.Attar of Nishapur: Tazkirat al-Awliya, 1987, Tehran, With the efforts of Mohammad Estelami, p. 775Abdolhossein Zarrinkoob: Search in Iranian Sufism, 2006, Amir Kabir Publishers, p. 218
Famous disciples and enthusiasts Sheykh Abū Ishaq had many disciples, and Mahmoud bin Othman gave a long list of their names in his biography's book.Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, pp. 393-401 Among the famous disciples of Abū Ishaq during his lifetime, we can mention Amir Abulfazl bin Buyeh Deylami and Fakhr al-Mulk, the ministers of Buyid dynasty.Attar of Nishapur: Tazkirat al-Awliya, 1987, Tehran, With the efforts of Mohammad Estelami, p. 799 Shah Rukh, the king of the Timurid Empire in the 9th century AH,Hasan Fasa'i: Fars-Nama-ye Naseri, p. 337 Ghiyas ud din Balban, sultan of Mamluk dynasty in delhi in the 7th century AH,Ziauddin Barani: Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi, pp. 111-112 Alauddin Khalji, ruler of the Delhi Sultanate in the 7th and 8th centuries,Wassaf: Tārīkḣ-i Waṣṣāf, p. 264 and Muhammad bin Tughluq, the sultan of Delhi in the 8th century AHIbn Battuta: Rihla, 1964, Beirut, pp. 210-211 were among his other famous disciples. Bayezid the Thunderbolt and Mehmed the Conqueror, Sultans of Ottoman Empire, also had a special devotion to Sheykh Abū Ishaq of Kazerun and built buildings for him in Ottoman. Mahmoud Shah Inju, the ruler of the Injuids in Fars and Isfahan, named his son and successor Abū Ishaq because of his devotion to Sheykh Abū Ishaq.Ibn Battuta: Rihla, 1964, Beirut, p. 198-211 Among his famous disciples and admirers in later centuries, we can mention Khwaju Kermani, Amin al-Din Balyani, Attar of Nishapur, Ruzbihan Baqli,Jami: Nafahat al-Ens, 1994, with the efforts of Mehdi Tohidi Pour, Saadi Publications, Tehran, 1957, p. 261 Khajeh Amin al-Din Kazeruni and Rokn al-Din Danyal Khonji. The kings of India had great faith in Sheykh Abū Ishaq and paid many vows in his name.Ibn Battuta: Rihla, 1964, Beirut, pp. 210-211 Local rulers in Iran also used his name on coins, especially from the 7th century A.H. onwards.
The book of Abū Ishaq's biography Ferdows al-Murshidiya fi Asrar al-Samadiyya is the name of the book of the biography of Sheykh Abū Ishaq of Kazerun, which was written in the fifth century AH by Imam Abū Bakr Muhammad and translated in the eighth century AH by Mahmoud bin Othman, one of his disciples.
Works Among the remaining works of Sheykh Abū Ishaq, we can mention narrations about beliefs,Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, pp. 356-364 testament-like words addressed to Abulfath Abd al-Salam bin AhmadMahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, pp. 337-340 and poems in the Old Kazeruni dialect,Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, p. 365-374 which today is considered one of the dead dialects.
Expansion of the Kazeruniyeh sufism After the death of Sheykh Abū Ishaq, the activities of the Kazeruniyeh sufism continued through its Sufi lodges, which were known as philanthropic enterprises, under the leadership of the Kazerun sufi lodge.Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran, pp. 389-397 The location of the Fars region and the city of Kazerun as part of the commercial highway on the back shore of the Persian GulfIbn Hawqal: Surat Al-Ard, p. 34 and the existence of the merchant network from Kazerun city,Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Jayhani: Ashkal al-Alam, 1989, Astan Quds Razavi Publications, p. 121 led to the expansion of the Kazeruniyeh sufism. Hasan Fasa'i writes about this in his book Fars-Nama-ye Naseri:
Sheykh Abū Ishaq's successors in the leadership of the Kazeruniyeh sufism built most of their sufi lodges on commercial routes.Ralph Kauz: Aspects of the Maritime Silk Road: From the Persian Gulf to the East China Sea (Kazaruni network section), pp. 61 Their activity was initially limited to Shapur-Khwarrah state.Ibn al-Balkhi: Fars-Nama, p. 286 The city of Bishapur, as one of the capitals of the Sasanian Empire and the most important city of this state, had gradually transferred its position and importance to Kazerun, and most of the people of Bishapur had also migrated to Kazerun. Other important cities of this state include the ancient cities of Tawwaj and Ghondejan both of which are abandoned today.