Majus

Majūs (Arabic: مجوس) or Magūs (Persian: مگوش) is a term that originally referred to the Magi, the Zoroastrian priestly caste of ancient Persia.^[1][2][3] In Arabic usage, it was soon generalized to denote all Zoroastrians.^[4][5] The term was borrowed into Arabic via Imperial Aramaic: 𐡌𐡂𐡅𐡔𐡀⁩, romanized: mḡušā from the Old Persian: 𐎶𐎦𐎢𐏁, romanized: maguš. The same Old Persian root was independently borrowed into Ancient Greek as mágoi (μάγοι), the term that appears in the Gospel of Matthew.^[6]

In early Islamic texts, Majūs was a technical term that initially had no pejorative implications. In the Quran, verse 22:17 lists "the Magians" (al-majūs) alongside Jews, Christians, and Sabians as a distinct religious community that will be subject to God's judgment.^[7][8] Some Islamic scholars have held the theological position that pre-Islamic Arabs were closer to the Abrahamic tradition than the Majūs, whose dualistic theology was seen as fundamentally different.^[9][10] The term was also used in a polemical context by writers such as ibn al-Jawzi, who framed Zoroastrian beliefs as deviations from an Islamic perspective.^[11]

The New Persian term gabr, likely derived from the Aramaic gabrā ("man"), was used synonymously with Majūs in early texts. Over time, gabr acquired pejorative connotations and is now considered an offensive slur in Persian;^[4] the respectful term for a Zoroastrian is Zardoshti. The label "fire-worshipper" is a common but inaccurate description applied to Zoroastrians by non-adherents, based on a misinterpretation of the central role of fire in their rituals.

Historically, the application of the term expanded. Chroniclers in al-Andalus used al-Majūs to describe Viking raiders, extending the label for one group of non-Abrahamic people to another, likely because Norse practices such as cremation were misinterpreted as fire-worship.^[12]

In the 20th century, the term was revived for political purposes. During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, the Ba'athist government of Iraq used majus in its propaganda to refer to Iranians. This rhetoric was intended to de-legitimize the Iranian population on religious grounds by implying they were not sincere Muslims but were covertly practicing their pre-Islamic faith. This framing presented the war not only as a matter of Arab nationalism but also as a campaign on behalf of Islam.^[13]

More recently, some Salafi and Wahhabi polemicists and extremist groups have used majus as an anti-Shia slur.^[14] This usage attempts to link Shia Islam to its Persian origins, portraying it as a vehicle for pre-Islamic, Majusi beliefs. While distinct from the general Arabic term kafir ("unbeliever"), majus functions as a targeted slur with specific historical and sectarian connotations.

See also

• ajam, "mute", non-Arab, Iranian
• ahl al-Kitab, "People of the Book"
• dhimmi, "protected"
• Irani
• kafir, "unbeliever"
• Zoroastrians in Iran