The Forgotten Fire: Zoroastrian Ritual in Islamic Prayer and PurificationSacred Practices that Survived the Flames

Embers Beneath the Surface

Zoroastrianism is often remembered as the “fire religion.” Its sacred flames, purification rites, and disciplined approach to ritual left an indelible mark on Persian consciousness. But when Islam swept through the Persian world in the 7th century, these Zoroastrian practices were officially suppressed. Yet surprisingly, many of their ritualistic and symbolic elements survived—not openly, but transformed within Islamic prayer, ablution, and purity laws.

This article explores how Zoroastrian rituals—particularly concerning fire, purity, and sacred space—were preserved, reinterpreted, or echoed within early Islamic practices, especially in the Persian and Sufi contexts.

1. The Centrality of Fire in Zoroastrianism

In Zoroastrianism, fire (Atar) is not worshipped but venerated as the purest expression of Asha (truth and divine order). It is:

• The visible symbol of Ahura Mazda’s presence.
• A purifier of body, mind, and spirit.
• Central to temples and domestic rituals.
• Guarded, fed, and never extinguished.

Fire also functions as a witness to human deeds, making moral behavior a public, radiant affair. The sacred fire was tended by priests and used in daily prayers (Atash Niyayesh), offerings, and rites of passage.

2. Ablution and Ritual Purity: Wudu and the Zoroastrian Cleanliness Code

Islam places great emphasis on purification (taharah)—especially through ablution (wudu) before prayer. Muslims wash their hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, and feet before each salat (ritual prayer).

This mirrors the Zoroastrian obsession with ritual cleanliness, found in the Vendidad, where spiritual pollution (nasu) must be removed by:

• Washing with water (āb) and bull’s urine (gōmēz).
• Repeated ablutions before prayer or contact with sacred objects.
• Avoiding contamination from corpses, impure thoughts, or social disorder.

While Islamic ritual purity avoids the elaborate purification laws of Zoroastrianism, its underlying logic—spiritual hygiene as divine readiness—remains the same.

3. Prayer Orientation and Sacred Space

• Zoroastrians traditionally pray facing a source of light, especially the sun or a sacred fire.
• Early Muslims initially prayed facing Jerusalem, but this changed to the Ka‘bah in Mecca (Qur’an 2:144), a direction known as qibla.

In both systems:

• Ritual direction reflects cosmic alignment.
• Sacred geography is not arbitrary; it mirrors divine order.

Zoroastrian temples were built with precise solar alignments and fire sanctuaries. Likewise, mosques incorporate light, symmetry, and sacred geometry—elements deeply resonant with Persian architectural and cosmological principles.

4. Repetition and Mantra: Zoroastrian Chants and Islamic Dhikr

Zoroastrians recite mantras and prayers (especially in Avestan) such as the Ashem Vohu and Ahunavar, believed to maintain cosmic balance and purify the mind.

Islamic dhikr (remembrance), especially in Sufism, also involves:

• Repeating divine names or Qur’anic phrases.
• Engaging breath, rhythm, and focus to purify the soul.
• Using repetition to create a luminous inner fire.

While the texts differ, the ritual function—realigning the soul with the Divine through sound and breath—unites both traditions.

5. Fire and Light in Sufi Symbolism

Though orthodox Islam distanced itself from fire symbolism (associating fire with hell or Iblis), Sufi poetry reclaims fire as a symbol of:

• Love that consumes the ego.
• Divine longing and purification.
• Annihilation (fanā’) in the Beloved.

Sufi poets like Rumi, Hafez, and Attar often invoke imagery that would be familiar to a Zoroastrian:

“I have seen fire worshipers with a fire in their chest / More Muslim than the mosque-goer lost in the cold.”

Here, fire represents inner illumination, a hidden Zoroastrian flame rekindled within Islamic mysticism.

6. Iranian Islam and the Silent Continuity of Ritual Forms

Persian Islam—especially under the Buyids, Samanids, and early Safavids—absorbed many Zoroastrian sensibilities:

• Clean architectural symmetry
• Sacralized space
• Emphasis on purity, cleanliness, and order

Even Islamic funerary customs, such as rapid burial and avoidance of decay, bear resemblance to Zoroastrian anxieties about corpse pollution.

The transition was not abrupt, but gradual. Zoroastrianism lived on—not in open flame, but in ritual logic, sacred aesthetics, and devotional rhythms.

A Fire Hidden in Water

Islamic ritual, especially in its Persian-inflected forms, carries the spiritual DNA of Zoroastrian fire worship—not through explicit continuity, but through symbolic transformation.

Where Zoroastrians used fire to purify, Muslims use water—but the goal is the same: readiness to stand before the Divine, cleansed in body and soul. The forgotten fire lives on—not in temples—but in the ablution basin, the orientation of prayer, the rhythm of chants, and the burning heart of the seeker.

References

1. Boyce, Mary. Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Routledge, 2001.
2. Choksy, Jamsheed K. Purity and Pollution in Zoroastrianism. University of Texas Press, 1989.
3. Dhalla, M. N. History of Zoroastrianism. OUP, 1938.
4. Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Islamic Art and Spirituality. SUNY Press, 1987.
5. Corbin, Henry. The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism. Omega, 1994.
6. The Qur’an: Surahs 2:144, 5:6, 24:35
7. Hujwiri, Ali ibn Uthman. Kashf al-Mahjub (The Unveiling of the Hidden), trans. R.A. Nicholson.