Persian: The Second Language of Islamic Civilization: From Ottoman Sultans’ Poetry to the Language of the Indian Court / The Role of Persian in the Formation of Ottoman Language / The Official Language of the Seljuks and Ottomans was Entirely Persian

Thought Group: Erfan Hekmati published an article titled “Persian: The Second Language of Islam” on the thought page of Etemad newspaper. In his view, the Persian language, in addition to being the most important element of our Iranian national identity, also holds an unparalleled and unique position in the Islamic world after the Arabic language. Persian, as one of the important and influential languages in the history of Islam, has a special place in Islamic civilization. This language has not only been used as an official language in some great Islamic empires – such as the Ottoman Empire and Iranian dynasties – but has also played a fundamental role in promoting Islamic culture and sciences. The author, in the following article, has examined the position of the Persian language as the second language of Islam, its influence in Islamic governments, and its spread in various regions of the Islamic world, which is presented for your consideration:

Role of the Persian Language in Islamic Civilization

The Persian language can rightfully be recognized as the second language of Islamic civilization – after Arabic – which was spoken in a vast area of Islamic regions. With the expansion of Islamic empires, especially in India, Iran, and the Ottoman Empire, this language became recognized as a very important and unparalleled official and cultural language. Persian played a prominent role as a literary, scientific, and administrative language in many Islamic regions, especially during the eras of Iranian and Ottoman caliphates.

Persian Language in Ottoman Governments

For a long period in the Ottoman Empire, the Persian language was used not only as the administrative language but also as a cultural language in the court and scientific centers. Prominent poets and writers wrote their works in Persian. For example, Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror was a person familiar with and knowledgeable in the Persian language. The Sultan’s grandson, Sultan Selim I, also had such mastery over Persian that a collection of two thousand verses in this language has remained as his legacy.

In addition, Sultan Selim’s son, Suleiman the Magnificent, also had a special appreciation for the Persian language, as his poems are included in his divan called “Muhibbi.” The Persian language held an important place in the literary and scientific history of the Ottoman Empire, to the extent that it should be considered one of the “three languages” that played a significant role in giving identity to Ottoman statesmen.

It can be said that just as Persian was recognized as a primary language in the formation and evolution of the Ottoman language, it was also considered an important language in the foundation and historical progression of the Ottoman state. The Ottomans supported Persian literature for five and a half centuries and attracted a large number of writers and artists, especially in the sixteenth century. One of the most famous Persian poets at the Ottoman court was Fathullah Arif Çelebi, who was also a painter, historian, and the creator of “Suleymanname,” the biography of Suleiman the Magnificent.

Sultan Selim and Shahnameh

Ottoman Sultan Selim had mastery over the Shahnameh and composed poetry in Persian. Sultan Selim, whom we Iranians know for his cruelty and desire for slaughter and destruction of Tabriz, transformed into a lover when he thought in Persian:

“The people of heart have no desire but this,
To lay their lives on your path’s dust!”

Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (Suleiman I) also did not neglect composing Persian poetry, and one of his most beautiful verses says:

“My eye is drowned in the fire of my heart,
The work of this spring is ruined from its source for me!”

Atatürk and the Movement to Remove Persian from Turkish

Ottoman sultans and princes often had a talent for composing Persian poetry. The administrative language of the Seljuks and Ottomans was entirely Persian. The book “Munshat,” belonging to the Ottoman Divan during the era of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, was published in Istanbul in 1956 by the efforts of the Turkish researcher Necati Oğlu, and in it, one can examine the administrative documents of the Ottomans.

Some fundamentally consider the conquest of Constantinople an Iranian conquest; a conquest that opened a new realm for the Persian language, and its first verse was composed by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. Until 1932, when Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) ordered the movement to eradicate Persian vocabulary from the Ottoman language, Ottoman Turkish was adorned with a treasure trove of Persian words. Despite this, Persian words still play an important role in today’s Turkish language.

Of course, before that – in the late 17th century – the Ottomans abandoned Persian as the court and administrative language of their empire and replaced it with Turkish. The Persian language left deep impacts in various fields of literature, historiography, and poetry during this period. In addition, Persian was used in state chanceries and diplomatic communications, and even many individuals in the Ottoman royal court used Persian for official writing and correspondence.

Persian Language in India

During Muslim rule in India, especially in the Mughal Empire, the Persian language was the official administrative and cultural language. This language played an important role in spreading Islamic culture in India. Indian poets and writers like Amir Khusrow Dehlavi and Bedil Dehlavi left behind many works in Persian. Also, religious schools in India had adopted Persian as their language of instruction.

In this era, Persian was not only used as a scientific and literary language but also held a special place in the daily life of the upper social classes. The Mughal government, one of the largest Muslim empires in history, especially during the reigns of kings like Akbar, made Persian the administrative language, and it expanded into all cultural and scientific domains.

The Persian language was systematically introduced to India by Mahmud of Ghazni, and after that, with the beginning of the Mughal Empire in the sixteenth century, this language was the administrative and main language of Hindustan for 700 to 800 years. However, evidence shows that before the Ghaznavids, some people in central India spoke Persian. During that time, all interactions, correspondences, letter writing, and government documents conducted by kings and courtiers and sent throughout the world were in Persian, which led to the spread of this language.

This language was prevalent in schools and madrasas and among scholars, and thus it penetrated and became permanent in the local language and literature of India and among various segments of society. Persian has such deep and ancient roots in India that even today, nearly a century and a half after losing its position as the administrative language of the country, its academic and literary importance has not diminished.

Persian Language, Science, and Philosophy in the Islamic Era: Persian in Science

The Persian language was very influential in various sciences, especially in philosophy, mathematics, medicine, and historiography. Many Muslim thinkers such as Avicenna, Farabi, Ghazali, and many others wrote some of their works in Persian. In the Middle Ages, the Persian language became very common as a scientific language in all Islamic lands, including Iran, Central Asia, India, and the Ottoman Empire.

Persian was used as the main language in various sciences, including philosophy, jurisprudence, mathematics, and medicine, in different periods of Islamic history, especially during the Safavid and Qajar eras. During this period, the Persian language became one of the common languages among scholars and writers in the Islamic world. Thinkers such as Mulla Sadra, Avicenna, and Sheikh Bahai wrote their works in Persian.

Persian and Cultural Interactions in the Islamic World

The Persian language also played an important role in cultural and diplomatic interactions among different countries and cultures of the Islamic world. During the Safavid era, the kings of this period used the Persian language to communicate with other governments and empires. This helped to expand the cultural influence of Iran and the Persian language in other Islamic countries. Diplomatic relations between Iran and India, and even the Ottomans, were conducted using the Persian language.

The Persian language was also used as a lingua franca in various regions such as Central Asia, Afghanistan, and South Asian countries, leaving behind significant cultural and scientific impacts.

The Status of the Persian Language in the World Today

Today, the Persian language is still respected as a scientific, cultural, and literary language in many Islamic and non-Islamic countries. In Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and parts of Central Asia, Persian has remained the official and dominant language. Also, in many universities and research centers in the Islamic world, Persian is used as the language of instruction in various scientific and literary fields.

In addition, Persian is recognized globally as an artistic language in music, cinema, and visual arts. Great Persian-speaking poets like Hafez, Saadi, Rumi, and Ferdowsi wrote their works in Persian, and their impacts are evident in various cultures, especially in the Islamic world.

Persian in Islamic History and Civilization

The Persian language has a prominent and significant presence in the text and core of Islamic civilization. A significant portion of the historical, literary, interpretive, mystical, and cultural heritage of Islamic civilization has been written in Persian, to the extent that some researchers believe that understanding Islamic history and civilization is not solely dependent on knowledge of the Arabic language, but familiarity with the Persian language is also essential for understanding this great civilization. Indeed, throughout the world in Islamic civilization, no language after Arabic reaches the level of Persian. Therefore, “Persian” can undoubtedly be called the second language of Islamic civilization.