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'''Mazdak''' ({{lang-fa|Mazdak}}) (died c. 524 or 528) was a Zoroastrian prophet, [[Iran]]ian reformer and religious activist who gained influence under the reign of the [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanian]] [[Shahanshah]] [[Kavadh I]]. He claimed to be a prophet of [[Ahura Mazda]], and instituted communal possessions and social welfare programs. He has been seen as a proto-[[socialism|socialist]].<ref name="Manfred">{{Cite book|editor=Manfred, Albert Zakharovich|year=1974|title=A Short History of the World|publisher=Progress Publishers|location=Moscow|volume=1|page=182|other=(translated into English by Katherine Judelson)|oclc=1159025}}</ref>

==Mazdakism==

Mazdak was the chief representative of a religious and philosophical teaching called Mazdakism, which he viewed as a reformed and purified version of [[Zoroastrianism]],<ref name="ya56">{{Cite book|author=Yarshater, Ehsan|year=1983|title=Cambridge history of Iran The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian periods|volume=2|pages=995&ndash;997|isbn=978-0-521-24693-4}}</ref><ref name=cosmo>[http://azargoshnasp.net/famous/babak_khorramdin/teachingsmazdakshaki.pdf Shaki, Mansour. 1985. The cosmogonical and cosmological teachings of Mazdak.] Papers in Honour of Professor Mary Boyce, Acta Iranica 25, Leiden, 1985, pp. 527–43.</ref> although his teaching has been argued to display influences from [[Manichaeism]] as well.<ref name="ya56" /> Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion of Sassanid Persia, and Mazdak himself was a Zoroastrian priest, or [[mobed]], but most of the Zoroastrian clergy regarded his teaching as [[heresy]]. Information about it is scarce and details are sketchy, but some further details may be inferred from the later doctrine of [[Khurramites|Khurramism]], which has been seen as a continuation of Mazdakism.<ref name="ya56" /><ref>{{Cite journal|author=Shaki, Mansour|year=1978|title=The social doctrine
of Mazdak in the light of middle Persian evidence|journal=Archív Orientálni|volume=46|issue=4|pages=289&ndash;306}}</ref>

===Origins===

Some sources claim that the original founders of this sect lived earlier than Mazdak. These were another [[mobed]] named Zardusht (Zaradust-e Khuragen)<ref name="Esposito">{{Cite book|author=Esposito, John L.|authorlink=John Esposito|year=2003|chapter=Mazdakism|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Islam|location=New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=198|isbn=978-0-19-512558-0}}</ref> (with a similar name, but not the same person as, the [[Zarathustra|founder of Zoroastrianism]]) and/or a Zoroastrian philosopher known as Mazdak the Elder, who taught a combination of [[altruism]] and [[hedonism]]: "he directed his followers to enjoy the pleasures of life and satisfy their appetite in the highest degree with regard to eating and drinking in the spirit of equality, to aim at good deeds; to abstain from shedding blood and inflicting harm on others; and to practice hospitality without reservation".<ref name="ya56" /> This doctrine was further developed by the best known Mazdak, Mazdak the Younger, son of Bāmdād.
At later stages the conservative Zoroastrian opposition accused Mazdak's followers of heresy and with abhorrent practices such as the sharing of women, for which scholars have found no evidence. Mazdak's followers are considered to be the first real socialists in human history by their emphasis on community property and community work with benefits accruing to all.<ref name="Manfred" /><ref name="Quran">{{Cite book|author=Wherry, Rev. E. M.|year=1882|title=A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran comprising Sale's translation and Preliminary Discourse|location=Boston|publisher=Houghton, Mifflin and Company|page=[http://books.google.com/books?id=0ushAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA66 66]}}</ref>

===Theological tenets===

Like both Zoroastrianism (at least as practiced at time) and [[Manichaeism]], Mazdakism had a [[dualism|dualistic]] [[religious cosmology|cosmology]] and worldview.<ref name=cosmo /> This doctrine taught that there were two original principles of the universe: Light, the good one; and Darkness, the evil one. These two had been mixed by a cosmic accident, tainting everything except God. Light is characterized by knowledge and feeling and acts by design and free will, whereas Darkness is ignorant and blind, and acts at random. Mankind's role in this life was, through good conduct, to release the parts of himself that belonged to Light. But where Manichaeism saw the mixture of good and bad as a cosmic tragedy, Mazdak viewed this in a more neutral, even optimistic way.

In addition, Mazdakism is reported, in one late work, to have distinguished three elements (Fire, Water, Earth), and four Powers (Discernment, Understanding, Preservation and Joy, corresponding to the four chief officials of the Sassanid state<ref>the [[Mobad|Mobadan Mobad]], the Chief [[Herbad]], the Commander of the Army and the Entertainment Master</ref>), seven Viziers and twelve Spiritual Forces. When the Four, the Seven and the Twelve were united in a human being, he was no longer subject to religious duties. In addition, God was believed to rule the world through letters, which held the key to the Great Secret that should be learnt. This description suggests that Mazdakism was, in many ways, a typical [[Gnostic]] sect.<ref>{{harvnb|Yarshater|1983|pages=1007&ndash;1008}}</ref>

===Ethical and social principles===

Two distinguishing factors of Mazdak's teaching were the reduction of the importance of religious formalities—the true religious person being the one who understood and related correctly to the principles of the universe—and a criticism of the strong position of mainstream [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] clergy, who, he believed, had oppressed the Persian population and caused much poverty.

Mazdak emphasized good conduct, which involved a moral and ascetic life, no killing and [[vegetarianism|not eating flesh]] (which contained substances solely from Darkness), being kind and friendly and living in peace with other people.

In many ways Mazdak's teaching can be understood as a call for social [[revolution]], and has been referred to as early "[[communism]]".<ref name="Quran" /> He and his followers were also advocates of [[free love]].<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=B7aRSFhKUrgC&pg=PA75&lpg=PA75&dq=Mazdak+%22free+love%22&source=bl&ots=DPTdyhc-x0&sig=v2QiRdd3WpD5ujLjuNyAd-9XfN4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=IDdcUdGpDKqM2gWd1YCwCA&ved=0CHQQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Mazdak%20%22free%20love%22&f=false Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bombay, Volume 13 ]</ref>

According to Mazdak, God had originally placed the means of subsistence on earth so that people should divide them among themselves equally, but the strong had wronged the weak, seeking domination and causing the contemporary inequality. This in turn empowered the "Five Demons" that turned men from Righteousness – these were Envy, Wrath, Vengeance, Need and Greed. To prevail over these evils, justice had to be restored and everybody should share excess possessions with his fellow men. Mazdak allegedly planned to achieve this by making all wealth common or by re-distributing the excess,<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Crone, Patricia|year=1991|title=Kavad’s Heresy and Mazdak’s Revolt|journal=Iran (Journal of Persian Studies)|publisher=British Institute of Persian Studies|volume=29|pages=21–40|url=http://www.hs.ias.edu/files/Crone_Articles/Crone_Mazdak.pdf}}</ref> although it is unclear how he intended to organize that in terms of regulations and to what extent his position has been caricatured by hostile sources.<ref name=ya1000>{{harvnb|Yarshater|1983|pages=999&ndash;1000}}</ref> The hostile sources mostly dwell on the alleged "sharing" of women, the resulting sexual [[promiscuity]] and the confusion of the [[line of descent]]. Since the latter is a standard accusation against heretical sects, its veracity has been doubted by researchers; it is likely that Mazdak took measures against the widespread [[polygamy]] of the rich and lack of wives for the poor.<ref name=ya1000 />

==Followers==

Mazdak's teaching acquired many followers, to the point when even King [[Kavadh I]], ruling from 488 until 531, converted to Mazdakism. He also reportedly sponsored its adoption by the Arab vassal kingdom of [[Al-Hira]], entailing the deposing of the previous king al-Mundhir by the [[Kindah|Kindite]] chief al-Harith.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Yarshater, Ehsan|chapter=The Persian presence in the Islamic world|editor=Hovannisian, Richard G. and Sabagh, Georges|year=1998|title=The Persian Presence in the Islamic World|location=Cambridge, England|publisher=Cambridge University Press|pages=4&ndash;125, [http://books.google.com/books?id=39XZDnOWUXsC&pg=PA28 page 28]|isbn=978-0-521-59185-0}}</ref><ref>Khanam, R. 2005. Encyclopaedic ethnography of Middle-East and Central Asia: A–I: Volume 1. P.441</ref>

With the King's backing Mazdak could embark on a program of social reform, which involved pacifism, [[anti-clericalism]] and aid programs for helping the [[poverty|poor]]. Mazdak had government warehouses opened to help the poor. He also had all the Zoroastrian fire temples closed except the three major ones.

==Opposition to and purge of Mazdaki adherents==

Fear from among the [[nobility]] and Zoroastrian clergy grew so strong that King Kavadh was overthrown in 496, but he managed to get the throne back three years later with the help of the [[Hephthalites]].

The Jewish tradition relates a slightly different story. Mar-Zutra II rallied the Jewish community and their allies who defeated Mazdak and established an independent Jewish kingdom that lasted for seven years.<ref>{{Citation|chapter=Babylonia|title=Encyclopaedia Judaica|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0003_0_01807.html}}</ref>

Scared by the resistance among the powerful, he chose to distance himself from Mazdak. He allowed Anushiravan to launch a campaign against the Mazdakis in 524 or 528, culminating in a massacre killing most of the adherents, including Mazdak himself and restoring orthodox Zoroastrianism as state religion.<ref name="Quran" /> Various fictionalized accounts<ref name=yarfict>{{harvnb|Yarshater|1983|page=994}}</ref> specify the way of death: e.g. the [[Shahnameh]] states that the three thousand Mazdakis were buried alive with the feet upwards in order to present Mazdak with the spectacle of a "human garden", whereas Mazdak himself was hanged upside down and shot with countless arrows; other stories specify other torturous methods of execution. Anushiravan then proceeded to implement his own far-reaching social and administrative reforms.<ref>{{harvnb|Yarshater|1983|page=1022}}</ref> The Mazdakite ruler of Al-Hira was also overthrown and the previous king was restored to power.

==Legacy==

A few Mazdakis survived, and settled in remote areas. Small pockets of Mazdaki societies are said to have survived for centuries after the [[Islamic conquest of Persia]]. Their doctrines probably mixed with radical currents of [[Shia Islam|Shī‘a Islam]], influencing them and giving rise to later powerful revolutionary-religious movements in the region. In the 9th century, the [[Khurramites]], an egalitarian religious sect possibly originating from Mazdakism, led a revolt under the leadership of [[Babak Khorramdin|Bābak Khorramdin]] against the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] and successfully defended large territories against the Caliphate's forces for some twenty years.<ref>{{harvnb|Yarshater|1983|pages=1003&ndash;1004}}</ref> The [[Batiniyya]], [[Qarmatians]] and other later revolutionary currents of Islam may also be connected to Mazdakism and were often equated with it by contemporary authors.<ref>{{harvnb|Yarshater|1983|pages=1022&ndash;1023}}</ref> Turkish scholar Abdülbaki Gölpinarli sees even the [[Kizilbash]] of the 16th century - a radical Shī‘a movement in Persia which helped the [[Safavid dynasty]] establish this branch of Islam as the dominant religion of Iran – as "spiritual descendants of the Khurramites" and, hence, of the Mazdakites.<ref name="S-G">Roger M. Savory (ref. Abdülbaki Gölpinarli), [[Encyclopaedia of Islam]], "Kizil-Bash", Online Edition 2005</ref> "Mazdakist" eventually seems to have become a standard derogative label attached by pre-modern Persian and Arabic authors to any radical egalitarian movement in subsequent Iranian history.<ref>Morgan David. 2007. The Mongols. p.&nbsp;145</ref>

While medieval Muslim historiography primarily focused on the "socialist" aspects of Mazdak, Zoroastrian tradition, on the other hand, remembers Mazdak above all as a dangerous heretic and enemy of the true faith ([[Bahman Yasht|Zand-i Wahman Yasht]] 2:1), a threat comparable to [[Mani (prophet)|Mani]] and [[Mohammad]] ([[Denkard]] 3:345).

The author of the ''[[Dabestan-e Mazaheb]]'', writing as late as the 17th century, claims to have met individual adherents of Mazdakism who practiced their religion secretly among the Muslims and preserved the ''Desnad'', a book in [[Pahlavi language|Pahlavi]] containing the teachings of Mazdak.<ref>[http://www.avesta.org/dhalla/history5.htm M.N. Dhalla: History of Zoroastrianism (1938), part 5.]</ref><ref>[http://persian.packhum.org/persian/main?url=pf%3Ffile%3D15501050%26ct%3D0 Dabestan-e Mazaheb]</ref>

==See also==
* [[Indo-European religion]]
* [[Indo-Iranian religion]]
* [[List of notable Persian figures in the Sassanid era]]
* [[Mandaeanism]]
* [[Yazdanism]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* H. Börm: ''Prokop und die Perser. Untersuchungen zu den römisch-sasanidischen Kontakten in der ausgehenden Spätantike''. Stuttgart 2007, p.&nbsp;230–233.
* A. Christensen: ''Le règne du roi Kawadh et le communisme Mazdakite''. Kopenhagen 1925.
* P. Crone: "Kavad’s heresy and Mazdak’s revolt". In: ''Iran'' 29, 1991, p.&nbsp;21–42.
* H. Gaube: "'Mazdak: Historical reality or invention?" In: ''Studia Iranica'' 11, 1982, pp.&nbsp;111–122.
* G. Gnoli: "Nuovi studi sul Mazdakismo". In: Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Hrsg.), ''La Persia e Bisanzio [Atti dei convegni Lincei 201]''. Rom 2004, pp.&nbsp;439–456.
* Z. Rubin: "Mass Movements in Late Antiquity". In: I. Malkin/Z. Rubinsohn (Hrsg.), ''Leaders and Masses in the Roman World. Studies in Honor of Zvi Yavetz''. Leiden/New York 1995, pp.&nbsp;187–191.
* W. Sundermann: "Neue Erkenntnisse über die mazdakitische Soziallehre". In: ''Das Altertum'' 34, 3, 1988, pp.&nbsp;183–188.
* [[Josef Wiesehöfer]]: ''Kawad, Khusro I and the Mazdakites. A new proposal''. In: P. Gignoux u. a. (Hrsg.): ''Trésors d'Orient''. Paris 2009, pp.&nbsp;391–409.
* [[Ehsan Yarshater]]: "Mazdakism". In: ''Cambridge History of Iran: The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian periods'' 2. Cambridge 1983, pp.&nbsp;991–1024.

==External links==
* Religions of Iran: [http://www.iranchamber.com/religions/articles/mazdakism.php Mazdakism]
* Encyclopedia of Orient: [http://i-cias.com/e.o/mazdakism.htm Mazdakism]
* History of Zoroastrianism: [http://www.avesta.org/dhalla/history5.htm Mazdak]

{{Persondata 
| NAME = Mazdak
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
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| DATE OF BIRTH =
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[[Category:520s deaths]]
[[Category:5th-century Persian people]]
[[Category:6th-century Persian people]]
[[Category:Ancient Persian philosophers]]
[[Category:Founders of religions]]
[[Category:Heresy]]
[[Category:Iranian prophets]]
[[Category:Iranian religions]]
[[Category:Political philosophers]]
[[Category:Religion in Iran]]
[[Category:Religious philosophy]]
[[Category:Sassanid people]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:History of Zoroastrianism]]
[[Category:Persian words and phrases]]
[[Category:6th century in religion]]

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