Россия и Арабский мир: к 200-летию профессора Санкт-Петербургского университета Шейха ат-Тантави (1810–1861)

201 Pavel Basharin (Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow) The Image of the Xrafstra in Hadith, or Snakes, Scorpions and Others The problem of the influence of Zoroastrianism on Islam has been ex- plored by researchers since the late 19th century. Orientalists have accumu- lated a lot of theories about these hypothetical influences. While many con- clusions should be considered controversial, some observations are undeni- able (the influence of Zoroastrian eschatology and angelology on the Quran and Hadith ). For example, the image of daena as a beautiful girl for righteous men or an ugly girl for sinners, a lot of topics of the Day of Judgment, the image of houris etc. However, it should be recognized that a number hypothetic Zoroastrian topics, as reflected in the Sunnah , have not been reflected in the Oriental studies. This presentation focuses on the image of the Zoroastrian xrafstra in the Hadith collections of the Sunnah of the Prophet. Some of the Hadith sto- ries cannot be explained basing only on the background of Islam. When we consider some similar topic in two cultures, we must first assume a typologi- cal development. When we find some similarities it should not necessarily mean full borrowings. In the pre-Islamic Arabia typologically similar ideas could be present. Analysis of the Hadith corpus demonstrates a lot of pas- sages about snakes and scorpions as a stable pare. Scorpions and snakes are unpleasant realities of life in the desert. In some of the Hadith stories there are comparisons between stinging scorpions and biting snakes. Therefore, scorpions and snakes are attributes of hell ( jahanna ). A popular Hadith topic about sinners tortured by scorpions and snakes in their tombs later was trans- formed into a special literary genre ‘azab al-qabr (the punishment in the tomb). Zoroastrian xrafstra as the daevic creatures were considered as unclean by themselves. The term was applied to reptiles, beasts of prey, and insects. Scorpions, snakes, lizards, frogs, ants, tarantulas, and all that crept and crawled, pricked, bit or stung – all they belong to the evil, corrupt creatures, the Ahriman’s creation. One of professional attributes of the Zoroastrian priest was the xrafstragan (in Pahlavi texts he is called the snake killer ( mar- gan )). In Pahlavi texts “killing xrafstra ” is compared with “caring for fire according to the law”. When the priest slays xrafstra he eliminates the source of evil and corruption. In the most authoritative Hadith collections it is said about a require- ment to kill scorpions, snakes, toads, wolves, mice, vultures, biting dogs, ravens, poisonous snakes. This requirement applies even to protected places. This slaying is seen as a virtue. Several Hadith stories say that these animals