Why Should We Read the Book of Iranian and Islamic History?

According to Mobalegh Culture and Thought Foundation, the reasons for studying the history and developments of Islam also stem from the necessity of knowing Iran’s past. The events that occurred in Iran after Islam are more than just a cursory glance at a few lines of various dynasties, and one can find the details of these occurrences through this very study.

According to Mehr’s account, it is always said: “A nation that does not read and know its history is condemned to repeat it.” The history of Islam forms an important part of Iran’s history, and reading historical books related to Iran before and after Islam can encompass numerous reasons, benefits, and necessities.

Reading History Books: Discovering Iranian Civilization and Identity

History is a word-for-word destiny for thousands or millions of people in a particular region. Just as a person’s fate is narrated in a storybook, the destiny of a specific nation is determined by reading history books. Until we delve into historical books related to the beliefs and fate of our region, we cannot connect with many of the current facts and customs.

By reading the history of Iran, in addition to becoming familiar with the events that have occurred for Iran and Iranians during various governmental periods, one can understand that a civilization in a country, with all its ups and downs, arises from the blending of different cultures. Naturally, the culture that we transmit to future generations today is a culture that has undergone changes and transformations over several consecutive years. It is a culture that had various components in the past, and currently, we recognize it through the synthesis of Islamic culture and modernity. Therefore, the necessity of examining the history of Iran and the history of Islam is to find their point of convergence and understand their changes.

The History of Islamic Civilization Cannot Be Overlooked

At the beginning of this article, we mentioned that a large part of our Iranian culture originates from Islamic civilization. It doesn’t matter how old this civilization is or if a particular civilization has surpassed Islamic civilization; what is certain is that by reading the history books of Islam and Iran, and naturally the history of other countries’ civilizations, you will clearly realize that a significant part of world history would be lost if Islamic civilization were removed.

From this perspective, no distinction can be found between the integration of Islamic history with Iran and other parts of the world. Islamic civilization is like a large society where every single civic, economic, and social law has been meticulously established. Therefore, Islam and its civilization can be considered more than just a religion. This civilization is ongoing, and naturally, reading its history will determine a large part of the origin of current events.

The Ability to Estimate the Future Through Reading Historical Books

Many researchers in the field of social sciences and history agree that culture should be imagined as a wavy line that reaches a peak and then slides down, but never disappears. If we search for Iranian and Islamic culture in their related historical books and then look at the present and the future, we can confidently consider the integration of these two subjects to remain consistent for years to come.

The fact that Iranian and Islamic history and the culture born from their amalgamation can lay the groundwork for another perspective on the future. Many individuals try to separate these two subjects, whereas practically, such a thing is not possible. As mentioned in the previous section, if one of these two components were removed, a large part of historical books would remain blank and unwritten. The existence of two Islamic and Iranian cultures and the references to them in popular and lesser-read historical books function like the soul and body of a human being.

Why Did Islam Integrate with Iranian Culture?

The answer to this question can be found well in Islamic and Iranian historical books. As history dictates, we cannot overlook the spread of Islam from its inception and its arrival in Iran and other great countries of the world. Throughout history, different contexts arose for the entry of the religion of Islam into all countries, most of which, like Iran, concluded with conflict and the triumph of Islam.

As historians say, many customs, thoughts, and rules existing in Iran before Islam were ready to accept Islamic culture. Therefore, its integration with Iranian culture in the shortest possible time, and subsequently Islamic rule in Iran up to the present day (considering the governments that emerged in Iran after the advent of Islam), leads to the conclusion that many frameworks of Iranian and Islamic culture are identical.

Understanding History Is Understanding Most Sciences and Arts

If we fully read the history of Iran and Islam and study its every detail, understanding many artistic, scientific, social, fictional, and non-fictional literary developments and continuities will become easier for us. In fact, as we mentioned in the second part of this article, history is not merely a narrative of a society’s realities; it can be viewed as a storybook from which many other sub-branches of social, philosophical, and intellectual dimensions will emerge.

If you want easier access to Islamic and Iranian history books, Ketabchin website is an online platform for downloading these types of books.

Source:
http://historicalstudy.ihcs.ac.ir/article_972_b4bc5083eac6fafcc0c48a14f40652fa.pdf