09 Jun Ferdowsi, the Gifted Poet

The illustrious Persian poet Abolghasem Ferdowsi, from the province of Khorasan, is most famous for his literary masterpiece the Shahnameh, ‘the Book of Kings’, in which he tells the story of the Persian Empire, providing a collection of episodes starting from the creation of the world up until the Islamic conquest.

In his introduction, Ferdowsi launches his foundational beliefs by establishing the infinite power of our creator and his infinite wisdom, the creation of the world with its four precious elements (fire, earth, water & air), the creation of  man as well as the creation of the sun and the moon.

Here are some highlights:

“In the name of the Lord of the soul and of wisdom, than Whom thought can conceive nothing higher […]”.

“[…] From [wisdom] comes happiness and all human welfare; from it you gain increase and without it you experience loss […]”.

“[…] God created matter out of nothingness in order that his power might be manifested: out of it was produced the substance of the four elements, without effort and without expenditure of time […]”.

“[…] With its brilliance and light it is bright as a garden in the Spring. There is in it a heart-warming element which moves and from which day receives its illumination […]”.