THE STUDY OF ZURVANISM IN ARAB COUNTRIES

Authors
  • Ulugbek Nusratullo ugli Olimov

    Junior Researcher at the Institute of History, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan
    Author
Keywords:
Zurvanism, Arab historiography, Zoroastrianism, dualism, Zurvan (Infinite Time), Sassanid period, religious-philosophical currents, syncretism, fatalism and materialism.
Abstract

This article discusses the role and analysis of the Zurvanite doctrine, one of the complex and controversial branches of Zoroastrianism, in modern Arab historiography. Based on the scientific research of Arab scholars such as Jamshid Yusufi and Firas Sawah, the study examines the reasons for the emergence of Zurvanism, particularly the proposition of the idea of “Absolute Origin – Zurvan” to resolve the problem of traditional dualism (Good and Evil). The article elucidates the historical developmental stages of this current (Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassanid eras), its internal philosophical contradictions, and the characteristics of the deterministic (jabriyah) and materialistic (dahriyah) schools within it. The analysis results indicate that Arab researchers evaluate Zurvanism as a syncretic doctrine formed under the influence of various cultures, and their conclusions align with fundamental views in world oriental studies.

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References

Yusufi, Jamshid. Al-Zaradushtiyya: Al-Diyana wa al-Tuqus wa al-Tahawwulat al-Lahiqa [Zoroastrianism: Religion, Rituals, and Subsequent Transformations]. 1st edition. 2012.

Al-Sawwah, Firas. Al-Zaradushtiyya - Al-Manawiyya - Al-Yahudiyya - Al-Masihiyya [Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Judaism, and Christianity]. Maktabat al-Fikr al-Jadid, 2018.

Zaehner, R. C. Zurvan: A Zoroastrian Dilemma. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1955.

Shaked, Shaul. Dualism in Transformation: Varieties of Religion in Sassanian Iran. London: School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), 1994.

De Jong, Albert. Traditions of the Magi: Zoroastrianism in Greek and Latin Literature. Brill, 1997.

Duchesne-Guillemin, Jacques. The Western Response to Zoroaster. Oxford University Press, 1958.

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Published
2025-12-30
Section
Articles