How Imam Ali’s Military Campaigns Killed Thousands of Iranians

By Bobby Darvish, Iranian-American Ex-Muslim, Former Vegan, Former Democrat, Former Socialist, Former CAIR-Columbus Executive Director, Former Muslim Forum of Utah President, Former Pagan, Christian Conservative LDS Priest 

Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, is often celebrated among Shi’a Muslims as the ideal leader and a paragon of piety. However, this veneration frequently obscures the fact that his military campaigns led to the deaths of countless Iranians (Persians), reshaping the region’s cultural and religious landscape in ways that are rarely acknowledged.

During the early Islamic conquests, Ali played a critical role in solidifying the Arab-Muslim empire’s control over the former Sassanian lands. These efforts, carried out under the Caliphate’s banner, frequently involved violent clashes that devastated Persian communities, displaced local populations, and enforced the dominance of Arab rule. Specific campaigns included the suppression of Persian uprisings and the consolidation of Arab-Muslim authority over key cities and territories within the once-mighty Sassanian Empire.

It is estimated that tens of thousands of Persians perished during these campaigns. Historical accounts from early Islamic historians such as al-Tabari and al-Baladhuri document the large-scale battles, punitive expeditions, and brutal sieges that marked the period. While some narratives frame Ali’s actions as fulfilling divine commands or preserving the nascent Islamic state, the human cost—measured in lives lost, communities shattered, and cultural institutions erased—was profound.

The military campaigns under Imam Ali’s leadership contributed to the broader pattern of forced conversion and cultural suppression that characterized the early Islamic conquests in Persia. Zoroastrian temples were destroyed or converted into mosques, and Persian elites who resisted Arab rule often faced execution or exile. This transformation was not merely a religious shift; it was a cultural and demographic upheaval that fundamentally altered Persian society.

As an Iranian-American Christian conservative who values historical truth, I believe it is crucial to confront these uncomfortable chapters of history. The legacy of Imam Ali’s campaigns reminds us that even figures revered for their spirituality and justice can also be agents of conquest and violence. By acknowledging this history, we honor the memory of those who suffered and gain a deeper understanding of the forces that have shaped the Iranian cultural and religious identity over the centuries.

Citations:

1. Al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir. The History of al-Tabari, Vol. XIII: The Conquest of Iraq, Southwestern Persia, and Egypt. Translated by G. Rex Smith, SUNY Press, 1989.
2. Al-Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Yahya. Kitab Futuh al-Buldan. Translated excerpts available in The Origins of the Islamic State by Philip Khuri Hitti, 1916.
3. Daniel, Elton L. The History of Iran. Greenwood Press, 2000.
4. Frye, Richard N. The Heritage of Persia. Mazda Publishers, 1993.
5. Morony, Michael G. Iraq After the Muslim Conquest. Princeton University Press, 1984.