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Religion

See also: Islamization in Iran and Persecution of Zoroastrians

Mass conversions were neither desired nor allowed, at least in the first few centuries of Arab rule. This strategy was a good way to make the conquered less prone to up-rise against their new masters and thus making them more receptive to Arab colonization, as it for the time being gave them release from the intolerable social inferiority system of the old Sassanian regime. The Islamic prophet Muhammad had made it clear that the "People of the Book", Jews and Christians (later extended to include even Hindus, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, and Mandeans), were to be tolerated so long as they submitted to Muslim rule, Sassanian state religion was Zoroastrianism and its worshipers were declared people of the book by Caliph Umar, and were entitled to the same tolerance. While some Persian sources claim destruction of Zoroastrian shrines and prohibition of Zoroastrian worship Muslim sources claim that there were no atrocities towards people who accepted their rule peacefully, some modern academics agree on this since Dhimmis had constitutional protection of state. Cities that submitted to Muslim rule through peace negotiation with Muslims prior, during or after the siege or conquest, were given peace on liberal terms as per Caliph Umar's instructions, allowing the inhabitants to practice any religion they wish and their holy sites were given protection. During the course of the conquest several captured Persian noblewomen were enslaved and sold in Madinah. For instance Princess Shahrbanu, daughter of last Emperor Yazdegerd III, who was purchased by Caliph Ali at Madinah and was married to his son Husayn ibn Ali, she was mother of Ali ibn Husayn, the fourth Shia Imam. Temples were destroyed in those cities that resisted until the bitter end, possibly as terror tactics or as the measures of revenge . Zoroastrians temples, shrines and holy places were usually given protection on the terms of paying Jizya annually.

Before the conquest, the Persians had been mainly Zoroastrian; there were also large and thriving Christian and Jewish communities, along with smaller numbers of Buddhists and other groups. However, there was a slow but steady movement of the population toward Islam. The nobility and city-dwellers were the first to convert, Islam spread more slowly among the peasantry and the dihqans, or landed gentry. By the late 10th century, the majority of Persians had become Muslim.

Until the 15th century, most Persian Muslims were Sunni Muslims, though today Iran is known as a stronghold of the Shi'a Muslim faith. The Iranian Muslims projected many of their own Persian moral and ethical values that predates Islam into the religion, while recognizing Islam as their religion and the prophet's son in law, Ali as an enduring symbol of justice.