Investigating the duties of subordinates and peasants towards the ruler in the historical part of Shahnameh and comparing it with Nahj al-Balaghah

Hakim Abu 'l-Qasim Ferdowsi, a prominent Iranian poet, wrote a book full of advice and admonitions titled Shahnameh. This book is an epic masterpiece and an indicator of the national and cultural identity of Iranians. The rule of kings and the issues related to the rulers and peasants have been manifested in a comprehensive way in the historical part of the Shahnameh, which is unique in its kind. Ferdowsi has been able to link Iranian culture and civilization to Islam. Considering the influence of religious teachings and Islamic culture on his thoughts and its influence on the writing of the Shahnameh and its similarities with religious works, this article examines the duties of subordinates towards the ruler in the historical part of the Shahnameh (that is, from the kingdom of "Bahman" to the kingdom of "Yazdgerd III") and compares them with Nahj al-Balaghah. This work is descriptive-analytical and library resources have been used for its preparation and compilation. The results of this comparison showed that in both works the emphasis is on the duties of subordinates and peasants to the ruler (obeying the ruler, secrecy, saying good words and not slandering about the ruler, loyalty, fighting and not running away from the battlefield). These were some of the similarities, but in the case of differences, Ferdowsi has sometimes indulged in approving the kings and considered the implementation of their orders absolutely necessary.