WHO WERE THE ARISEEN?
Araisiyan or Ariseen is the word used by the Prophet (r) in his letter to Heraclius. No oth-
er letter written to any other Arab and non-Arab king and potentate contains the word
whose significance is disputed by the scholars of Traditions and lexicographers. According to
one version it is the plural of Arisi which means the servants and the peasants. Ibn Mand-
thoor makes it out as a synonym for cultivators in the Lisan-ul-Arab and cites Th'alab as the
authority for holding this view. He also quotes Ibn al-'Arabi in his support while at the same
time cites a quotation from Abu 'Ubayda to show that the word also means the chief or the
elder who is obeyed or whose orders are carried out.
Now the question arises that if ariseen means peasants, it should have been employed to
denote the subjects of Chosroes rather than the population of Byzantine Empire. The class
of cultivators was by far more numerous under the Persian Empire and formed the chief
source of its revenues. Ibn Manzoor has cited Azhari who says, "the people of Iraq who
followed the religion of Chosroes were peasants and countrymen. The Romans were arti-
sans and craftsmen and, therefore, they had nicknamed the Magis as Ariseen which meant
that they were peasants. Arabs also used to call the Persians as fallaheen or the peasants.'
Ariseen has also been interpreted to denote Arians or the follower of Arius (280-336) who
was the founder of a well-known Christian sect. The doctrine of Arius which hovered for a
long time between acceptance and rejection as the official creed of the Byzantine Empire,
upheld the Unity of God and denied the co-substantiality of the Son with the father.
KHUSROE, KING OF PERSIA
When he read the letter, Khusroe tore it up and ill-treated the envoy of the Prophet (r).
Then he wrote to Badhan, who was his governor in Yemen, to get the Prophet sent to him in
Ctesiphon. Badhan deputed Babwayh to tell the Prophet (r) what Chosroes II had written to
him and that he had come to take him to the King. But when Babwayh came to Medinah,
the Prophet (r) told him, "God has given Sherveh power over his father and he has killed
Chosroes II."
The prophecy of the Prophet (r) came true exactly in the way foretold by him. Chosroes'
son Qubaz had by then deposed his father and seized the throne under the title of Sherveh.
Chosroes II was murdered in March 628 A.D. and with him ended the glory of four hundred
years old house of Sasanids. Sherveh enjoyed only six months of the fruits of his crime, and
in the space of four years the regal title was transferred to ten sovereigns, in quick succes-
sion, until, the exhausted monarchy was assumed by Yazdagird III. He was the last Persian
Emperor for he was soon to flee for his life before the advancing might of the Muslims. And
thus was realized the Prophet's prophecy within eight years of his pronouncement.
The Prophet (r) had also said: "No more Chosroes after Chosroes dies." This portion of
the prediction also came to pass with the fall of Yazdagird III.