Mirza Aqa Khan Kermani: The Father of the Philosophy of History in Iran

Mirza Aqa Khan Kermani: Biography and Life Overview

Identity and Origin: Mirza Aqa Khan Kermani is regarded as one of the wonders of his time and a genius of Iranian history. His ancestors were Zoroastrians from Kerman. His father belonged to the Ahl-e Haqq Sufi order, a path combining Iranian mysticism, Illuminationist philosophy (Ishraq), and the wisdom of Mulla Sadra.
Upbringing: This diverse background fostered a pluralistic spirit from childhood. He studied under various teachers, including jurists (faqihs), Sufis, philosophers, and Zoroastrians.
Exile and Movement: * At age $31$ , due to conflicts with the government in Kerman, he fled to Isfahan. * After two years in Isfahan, he fled to Tehran. * Finding the atmosphere in Iran restricted, he chose self-imposed exile in the Ottoman Empire, spending the final decade of his life in Istanbul.
Lifestyle in Exile: Despite originating from a wealthy landowning class in Kerman, he lived as a dervish and in poverty during his wanderings. His family disowned him, refusing to answer his letters and depriving him of his inheritance after a religious decree labeled him an apostate (murtad).
The Tragic End: Following the assassination of Nasir al-Din Shah, Sultan Abdul Hamid of the Ottoman Empire (fearing a similar fate and pressured by the Iranian ambassador Mirza Mahmoud Khan Ala al-Malk) arrested Kermani and his companions. He was extradited to Iran and beheaded in the middle of the night in a Tabriz prison under a jasmine tree. His head was stuffed with hay and sent to Tehran. Ironically, a decade later, after the Constitutional Revolution, Ala al-Malk (his former enemy) published Kermani's book Tarikh-e Bastan for the peace of his soul.

Intellectual Evaluation and Standing

Fereydoun Adamiyat’s Perspective: The prominent contemporary historian Fereydoun Adamiyat describes Kermani as a pioneer of modern wisdom in Iran. His key contributions include: * Translating modern Western philosophical ideas into a unified Persian intellectual system for the first time. * Freeing philosophy from traditional scholasticism and basing it on natural and experimental sciences. * Founding Iranian sociology and the philosophy of civilization. * Applying the law of evolutionary transformation to all logic. * Establishing the philosophy of history in Iran and destroying traditional historiographical styles. * Acting as a pioneering social writer, nationalist thinker, and a critic of literary traditions.
Comparison with Contemporaries: Kermani is ranked as more courageous and intellectually advanced than thinkers like Mirza Malcom Khan or Talibof. While Seyyed Jamal al-Din Asadabadi promoted Pan-Islamism, Kermani focus was on modern Iranian nationalism.

Philosophical and Historical Methodology

Founding the Philosophy of History: Kermani critiqued traditional Eastern history as myth-making and Western history as mere chronicling of events without seeking causes. He argued that Iranian history was previously limited to the private lives of kings (flattery and hyperbole) rather than the lives of the general public.
Scientific Determinism in History: In Tarikh-e Shanjeman-e Iran (Evolutionary History of Iran), he analyzed historical events through a scientific lens. For instance, he compared the Umayyad era to a period of "historical paralysis" and the Mongol era to the disease of "rabies," using medical analogies to explain social decay.
The Three Elements of Society: He identified three core forces in early human societies: 1. Government: To instill fear. 2. Religion: To provide belief. 3. Wisdom (Hekmat): To provide understanding.
Definition of Good and Evil: Kermani defined "Good" as changes that follow the natural path toward human happiness and progress. "Evil" refers to factors that deviate from the laws of nature, stop the natural course of social evolution, or pull society backward.

Political and Economic Thought

Revolutionary vs. Reformist: Unlike Mirza Malcom Khan, who believed in gradual reform, Kermani was a revolutionary. He believed the Qajar dynasty and the "ignorant clergy" were beyond reform and that the "pure blood" of the middle class (farmers and nobles) must be activated for social change.
Economic Liberalism: Kermani was a proponent of "Open Door" policies and economic liberalism. He argued that customs duties are barriers to trade and civilization. He believed that trade is not just moving goods but an "exchange of actions" that broadens people's knowledge and protects human rights.
Defense and Strategic Prediction: In Takvin va Tashri', Kermani made a startling prediction at the end of the $19^{th}$ century regarding the "Bomb of Peace." He argued that as the destructive power of weaponry (firearms/explosives) increases, it will paradoxically lead to general peace because no party will have the courage to start a war due to the certainty of destruction.

Religious Views and Reforms

Origins of Religion: He proposed that religious beliefs originated from fear of natural phenomena (sun, stars, storms) and a lack of scientific understanding. Humans personified nature as gods to be appeased through worship and sacrifice.
Zoroaster as a Philosopher: Kermani viewed Zoroaster as a great philosopher-prophet who tried to direct the Iranian mind away from celestial illusions toward the repair and cultivation of the earth. He credited Zoroastrianism with establishing a balance between government, religion, nature, and the people based on four pillars of rights (kings' rights, people's rights, social ethics, and divine rights).
Religious Reformism: He praised Martin Luther for freeing the Protestants from the Pope's burdens. He argued that religions must adapt to the era; otherwise, they become like a "deadly plague." He criticized modern Islamic practices for being overwhelmed by "myths and nonsensical stories" and called for a return to reason and science.
Critique of the Babi and Baha'i Movements: While he was associated with the Azali branch of Babism in his youth (Hasht Behesht), his later writings significantly critiqued the movement, labeling some aspects as "ignorance" and "Sufi illusions."

Social and Cultural Critique

Critique of Fatalism: He strongly opposed the cultural reliance on "Insha'Allah" and "Masha'Allah," seeing it as a way to avoid seeking material causes and preparing for real-world challenges. He pointed out that while Iranian religious leaders prayed during Afghan invasions, the "materialist" Westerners succeeded through rational preparation.
Violence in Society: Kermani lamented the normalization of violence (beheading, stoning, lashing) in Iran, attributing it to cultural influences from invading groups like Arabs, Turks, and Mongols. He noted that while Parisians flock to the opera, Iranians flock to watch an executioner work.
Abolition of the Death Penalty: Remarkably for the $19^{th}$ century, Kermani advocated for the total abolition of the death penalty. Citing the "Law of Zand," he argued that the right to life is a special grant from Ahura Mazda (Oromazd) and no one has the right to take it.
Women's Rights: Kermani was among the first critics of the hijab and the social isolation of women. He argued: * In ancient Iran, women were social partners with men. * The veil acts as a social prison that deprives women of education, art, industry, and the ability to choose their spouses. * The exclusion of women results in the moral decline of men (leading to issues like pederasty and marital discord). * He criticized polygamy as a cause of family ruin and poverty.

Linguistic and Literary Perspectives

Language as a Mirror of Civilization: Kermani believed language is the key to identifying a nation's level of civilization. He critiqued the heavy influence of Arabic on Persian, arguing that Arabic's lack of scientific/legal terms in the pre-Islamic era (while having a thousand names for base objects) reflected the morals of that culture.
Script Reform: Following Akhundzadeh, Kermani sought to change the Persian/Arabic script. He argued that the current alphabet is like a "difficult painting/code" that keeps people in ignorance and hinders progress.
Literature: He favored a "pure" Persian (Sare-nevisi) and was a critic of romantic and mystical poetry, which he felt made the nation lethargic and delusional. He exempted Ferdowsi, whom he praised for serving the nation through the Shahnameh.

Critique of Mysticism and Sufism

Hostility to Irfan: Kermani was ruthlessly critical of Persian mysticism (Irfan). He described the works of thinkers like Mir Damad, Mulla Sadra, and Sheikh Ahmad Ahsa'i as a "nonsensical soup" (Ash-e Sholleh Ghalamkar) cooked in the pot of imagination.
The Practical Harm of Mysticism: He argued that mysticism leads to poverty, social laziness, and distraction from national defense. He mocked dervishes who recited verses about the sea's subservience while facing British ironclad ships, or who sang about "giving one's soul to the storm" while facing Russian Cossack attacks.

Significant Works of Mirza Aqa Khan Kermani

Rezvan: Written in imitation of Saadi’s Golestan; contains satirical tales critiquing social and religious hypocrisy.
Name-ye Bastan (Salarnameh): A verse history of ancient Iran modeled after the Shahnameh.
Ayene-ye Sekandari: A foundational text on ancient Iranian history.
Se Maktub (Three Letters): His most influential work (actually one long treatise), influenced by Akhundzadeh's Maktubat-e Kamalo-d-Dowleh. It is a fierce critique of Iranian history, religion, and the influence of Arabs.
Sad Khatabe (One Hundred Treatises): An incomplete but mature work on the ideology of Iranian nationalism.
Insha'Allah Masha'Allah: A critique of fatalist culture.
Takvin va Tashri': On sociology and natural laws.
Hekmat-e Nazari: Theoretical wisdom.

Questions & Discussion (Anecdotes from Rezvan)

On the Stones of Hejaz: A cleric claimed that if a pebble from Mecca fell into a shoe, it would cry out until returned. A bystander joked, "Let it cry until its throat tears!" When the cleric asked how a stone has a throat, the man replied, "Then how does it cry?"
On Napoleon’s Resovle: Kermani quotes Napoleon's maxim: "To want is to be able to" (Chaashtan Tavanestan Ast). Kermani adds: "When a task is not possible through God, we must become God ourselves and achieve our own work."
On Religious Hypocrisy: The cleric of Tehran needed to drink old wine for a medical emergency. He feared going to hell. The doctor replied, "If you don't drink it, you will go there sooner."
On National Character: Kermani notes that Iranians move from "deadly silence" to "sudden fire" (like dry leaves). He calls for the middle class to wake up and "hit the roots with an axe" rather than seeking superficial changes.

Final Self-Review Checklist

Proper Nouns: Mirza Aqa Khan Kermani, Fereydoun Adamiyat, Mirza Malcom Khan, Talibof, Seyyed Jamal al-Din Asadabadi, Mulla Sadra, Mir Damad, Akhundzadeh, Nasir al-Din Shah, Ala al-Malk, Tabriz, Kerman, Istanbul.
Quantities: age $31$ , age $44$ , decade of exile, $20$ books, $100$ treatises, $19^{th}$ century.
Structure: Bullet points with top-level headings used.