Successful Veiled Prophet? Or odds of Zoroastrian-Islam syncretism?

[casaubon]

Al-Muqanna was a Persian in the 750s who burned his face in chemical accident and thenceforth wore a veil in front of his face. He claimed to be a prophet and created a syncretic religion that merged elements of Zoroastrianism and Islam. He tried to raise a rebellion against the Abbasids, apparently in conjunction with the Khurramites who were a similar sect that blended some elements of the two religions. The idea of such a faith is very intriguing to me, but I know little about the time period.

Anyone with more knowledge know what would need to happen to get an independent Persia in the late 700s/early 800s? And could these Zoroastrian-influenced rebellions really create a syncretic religion or would it just basically be a more mystical Shia Islam?

(Inspired by reading about this weird secret society in St. Louis that holds a ball every year named after the guy)

 

[Prince di Corsica]

Well, reading on him, I find it interesting he claimed his prophethood was given to him from Abu Muslim, and from him by Ali and from Muhammad: I imagine there'd be some intention of continuing the line of prophets, perhaps keeping the veiled tradition (which would neatly fit into the Islamic rule of not showing the face of the Prophet). The Prophet would probably assign his own successor, although I imagine that line breaking eventually (sometimes a person can die, accidently or Not, before another and incapable of communicating a further choice)

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will contribute more into how this could be accomplished.

 

[CountPeter]

So a thing worth mentioning in a lot of rebellious movements or unorthodox islamic movements is the use of the term Zoroastrianism almost as a pejorative in a similar fashion to the christian world calling sects outside the norm as Manichaen.
Now that isn’t to say that it wasn’t some Zoroastrian/Islamic hybrid but from what little I could find this only seems to be somewhat tangental. For instance in the wikipedia article on the Khurramites, it was seen by contemporaries as borrowing themes of light and dark and Mazdakite social norms (although there is also reference to Mazdaens which are different enough to support my above hypothesis), but by that standard alone Ireland wouldn’t be majority catholic because a lot of old pagan traditions have infused irish catholicism.

Now that isn’t to say that they were just a radical branch of Islam, but that its worth jumping into the idea with some caution.

 

[Johnharry]

Yes, should he get the support of some sidelined nobility in Iran.

The Zoroastrian Islam mix that historians claim kinda vague, likely Islam was the center however with a strong iranic edge toward the point was alien for the Arabs.

Abbasid rule was loose inside Iran, and around this time the Iranian nobility hadn’t quiet discarded their warlike characteristics.

Many converts payed lip service converted for opportunism and should a new patron get them a better deal they may switch willingly