Presented by: Syed Daniyal Abbas Zaidi(12622) Ibrahim Altaf(12546) Faizan Jamal(12723) Azfar(12944)

Zoroastrianism was founded by the Persian prophet Zoroaster.(Nobody is sure when the Religion was found but some estimate it was around 6000 B.C.) Zoroaster was born in the west of Iran in Takht-e-Suleman in the district of Azerbaijan. Zoroaster was the greatest prophet among the ancient Iranians. When the Prophet of Iran was born, nature rejoiced. The trees, rivers and flowers expressed their joy and delight. The demons were frightened. As soon as the child was born, he did not cry like an ordinary mortal. He made a loud laughter. Many angels and archangels came to adore him.

When Muslim Arabs invaded Persia in 650 CE, a small number of Zoroastrians fled to India where most are concentrated today. There are fewer than 200,000 Zoroastrians in the world today. They now number only about 18,000 and reside chiefly in Yazd, Kernan and Tehran in what is now Iran. According to the Fezana Journal survey, published quarterly by the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America, there are about 11,000 Zoroastrians in the United States, 6,000 in Canada, 5,000 in England, 2,700 in Australia and 2,200 in the Persian Gulf nations.

 When

Did Zarathushtra Live? Around 1500 BCE to 1200 BCE

 God:

Ahura Mazda Prophet: Zarathushtra Scripture: Avesta

The Zoroastrian notion of God includes both monotheistic and dualistic aspects. Zoroastrians believe that there exist beings representing Good and Evil. Specifically, Ahura Mazda is the Zoroastrian God representing Goodness, while Angra Mainyu is the spirit and promoter of evil. The role of humans according to Zoroastrianism is hence to choose between good and evil in life, using man's capacity of free choice. Zoroastrians believe that the choices humans make in this life will ultimately affect their final destiny. Zoroastrianism holds the notion of an afterlife, which is determined by an individuals good and evil deeds. Man will ultimately reside in either heaven or hell (which contains many levels, according to Zoroastrian teachings), or perhaps an intermediate stage, for those individuals whose good and evil acts balance out equally.

Zoroastrians believe in a single God, who is named Ahura Mazda. Ahura means "Lord and Mazda means "Wisdom". (Ahura Mazda is good, holy, supreme, and the creator of all things). Their purpose in this world is to help God make the world a better pace to live. They also identify an active force of evil in the world -a powerful spirit by the name of Angra Mainyu. Humans have the choice to choose good or evil. In the end, Ahura Mazda will triumph over evil. They believe in a Heaven and a Hell. They are a monotheistic Religion because they believe in one God Ahura Mazda, who is the supreme.

The most important place of worship is the Temple of Fire, which a fire burns as a symbol of the holiness of Ahura Mazda. The purpose of Zoroastrian worship is to celebrate life and give praise for the wondrous creations of the world, to contemplate good to deprecate evil. Zoroastrian worship consists of two sorts: communal acts of worship and individual acts of worship. The individual acts of worship are more typically the recitation of certain prayers taken from the holy scripture known as the Avesta. Traditionally, this takes place five times a day at set times following the progress of the sun. Zoroastrians have many communal celebratory occasions integrated into the religious calendar, most of which involve worship followed by eating together. Involves meditation upon God's creations and, for this reason, most of the religious celebrations are thanksgiving occasions.

Todays Zoroastrians practice an important coming of age ritual, in which all young Zoroastrians must be initiated when they reach the age of seven(in India) or 10(in Persia). They receive the shirt(sadre) and the girdle(Kusti), which they are to wear their whole life. In this becoming of age ritual; there are three types of purification, in order of increasing importance: Padyab; or ablution. Nahn, or bath. Barshum, a ritual performed at special places with the participation of a dog and lasting several days. Zarathushtri man or woman, to a Zarathushtri only is commanded in our religion in the Vendidad, to preserve the spiritual strength of the Aryan Mazdayasni religion, and the ethnic identity of the Zarathushtri Aryans. Zoroastrian burial rituals center on exposure of the dead. After death, a dog is brought before the corpse. The ritual is repeated five times a day. After the first one, fire is brought into the room where it is kept burning until three days after the removal of the corpse to the Tower of silence. The removal must be done during the daytime.

A woman's willingness to speak her views in the presence of her partner and for those views to be accepted as valid was characteristic and still is. In every sense the Zoroastrian woman has maintained her equality of position in society and, where necessary, has been head of the household in the absence of her husband or, in the case of widowhood, made decisions affecting land sales inheritances, harvesting times, educational choices, marriage partners for off-spring etc. A Zoroastrian woman married to a non-Zoroastrian is deemed to have renounced her religion and accepted the religion of her husband, she has to be treated as a non-Zoroastrian from the date of marriage, irrespective of the fact that her marriage may be legally valid under the Special Marriages Act and, legally, she may not be deemed to have renounced the Zoroastrian faith.

During festivals or sacred days, the Zoroastrians are instructed to be especially generous and rededicate themselves to their pledge of justice and charity. In traditional Zoroastrian society, celebrations are closely communal and, as a rule, non-Parsis are not allowed into their places of worship. The Kadimi new year is not officially recognised in India, though the Fasli new year, Jamshed-E-Navroz, is. The other important Zoroastrian festivals are Khordad Sal, the birthday of Zarathushtra; Muktad, All Souls' Day; Zardosht, the day commemorating the death of Zarathushtra; and Adar roj nu Parab, the birthday of fire. There are also festivals in homage to justice, water, the rains and fertility.

 The

sacred ethics of Zoroastrianism provide a perfect guide to every person on this planet to reach immortality and enlightenment without renouncing mental and physical freedom and choice.

Zoroastrian holy book is called the Avesta. Preserved in a series of five hymns, called the Gathas.

Composed in the Punjab

The Avesta contains different sacred texts which were written during a very long period in different languages. The Avesta often resembles a prayer book and has few narratives.

 Shahenshahis

of India (also known as

Parsis) Qadimis of Iran the Faslis.

The body is traditionally moved within one day to the dakhma or Tower of Silence. The movement is always done during the day, and it always involves an even number of bearers, even if the dead is a child that could be carried by a single person. Mourners who follow the body also always travel in pairs, each pair holding a piece of cloth between them known as a paiwand. A pair of priests makes prayers, and then all in attendance bow to the body out of respect. They wash with gomez and water before leaving the site and then take a regular bath when they return home. At the dakhma, the shroud and clothes are removed through the use of tools rather than bare hands and are then destroyed. The dakhma is a wide tower with a platform open to the sky. Corpses are left on the platform to be picked clean by vultures, a process which only takes a few hours.

 There

are three different types of Zoroastrian symbols; Good thoughts, Good Works, and Good Deeds. The Faravahar, was the symbol of the holy light of Glory (khvarenah) surrounding ancient Persian kings, heroes, and saints. The faravahar is now used as the symbol of the Zoroastrian faith.

 No

restriction in food a religious duty

Wine

Thank You