The Influence of Kafi and Kolieni on Ferdowsi

• Main Author: m dashti
• Format: Article
• Language: fas
• Published: University of Isfahan 2013-05-01
• Series: Textual Criticism of Persian Literature
• Subjects: Ferdowsi; Koleini; Kafi; Wisdom; preface of Shahnameh
• Online Access: http://rpll.ui.ac.ir/article_19347_c2572656bdbd6d831c7b0d539fc3a41c.pdf

The preface of Shahnameh is a clear document about ideas, beliefs, aims, motivations and sources of Ferdowsi for composing Shahnameh. The aim of this article is to show by documents that the book of al-Kafi by Koleini is among the main sources of Ferdowsi for writing such preface. The similarities and homologies between the themes of the two books are so many that refute any hypothesis but a conscious and intentional influence which shows that, as a Shiite theologian, Ferdowsi has used the first and most important collection of Shiite hadiths so deeply and artistically and also has determined the cultural identity of himself as well as his book. Of course, as is shown, such influence is not accidental but intentional and conscious, and conveys this message to the readers that the intention behind the composition of this work is not to revive ancient stories and culture but inserting the pure Islamic culture into these narratives and transferring such original culture to the people to whom there was not the possibility of direct talking due to the vileness of that epoch. And it seems that such style was used by other writers and poets to put the real meaning and truth in the container of stories and tales while warning the readers to pay attention to the contained, not the container.