FAQ on Ferdowsi and the Shahnameh’s Prologue 1. What are the foundational concepts emphasized at the beginning of the Shahnameh? The poem opens by praising God as the “Lord of life and wisdom” (خداوند جان و خرد). “Name” here refers not just to a label, but to God’s very being. “Life” (jān) and “wisdom” (khirad) are presented as the universal soul and intellect—the highest realities accessible to humans. Ferdowsi stresses that nothing surpasses these, setting the tone for his work. 2. What is Ferdowsi’s theological stance on seeing God? Ferdowsi follows a Muʿtazilite line of thought: God cannot be seen wit... More