Abstract:
Chivalry and 'Ayari', which has also been translated as 'Futuwwa', have been very important phenomena in the social history of Iran and its surrounding countries, representing a way of spiritual life that seems to have its roots established in pre-Islamic Iran. They are divided into different groups known as 'Ayaran' in Persian literature and 'Sa'alik' in Arabic literature. The Ayaran were a group of chivalrous individuals who chose specific moral and combat principles and made chivalry their profession; whereas the Sa'alik, defined as 'the poor person who has no wealth', were individuals who possessed no property or riches and joined this group due to poverty and social imbalance. In this research, relying on the American school of comparative literature—which does not consider the condition for comparison to be solely the existence of influence and being influenced—we attempt to conduct a comparative study of these two groups within the framework of their origins and shared moral and social themes. It appears that the main cause for the formation of both groups was the absence of a justice-oriented society and social balance. The most important shared moral and social characteristics of these two groups include: generosity; patience in the face of hardships; courage; chivalry; support for the poor; possessing martial skills including archery; nocturnal battles, theft, and banditry. While referring to the shared moral and social characteristics, this article also examines the causes of the emergence of these two groups.
Machine summary:
The main objective in this research is the comparative study of two groups of Persian and Arab chivalrous individuals, namely the Ayaran and the Sa'alik, and the research method is also descriptive-analytical, which has been carried out through data collection; meaning the use of books, articles, and theses related to the subject under discussion, followed by note-taking and also referring to internet sites.
2. Research Background With regard to the research conducted, works were found that had addressed each of these two groups separately; including Samak-e Ayyar1, the work of Faramarz ibn Khodadad Abdullah al-Katib, in which stories of 'Ayari', especially the principles and character of Samak-e Ayyar, are presented, which during the stories refer to the behavior and character of the Ayaran; Futuwat-nama-ye Sultani, the work of Hossein Kashifi Sabzevari, in which the Ayaran, the Fityan, and the principles of struggle and the existing codes among them has brought up the subject and mentioned several examples of Ayaran along with their principles and ways; Ayyin-e Javanmardi (The Code of Chivalry) by Mehran Afshari, which, as is evident from the book title, discusses the code of chivalrous individuals; Ayyar, Ayyari and the Tales of Ayaran by Morteza Rashidi2, which mostly deals with mentioning the characteristics of Ayaran, their background, moral principles, their ranks, Ayari and Sufism, their attire, and female Ayars along with many illustrative examples; Ayyin-e Javanmardi by Henry Corbin, translated by Ehsan Naraqi, in whose first part several Futuwwat-namas are included, and in the second part, several articles by literati such as Parviz Natel Khanlari, Mohammad Jafar Mahjoub, Ibrahim Bastani Parizi, Ismail Hakimi, Kamil Mustafa Shibi, etc.
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