One of the oldest, most common, and most widespread means of mass communication
(media) among humans is letters and letter writing.
Abu al-Mafakhir al-Razi, a poet, writer, and historian of the 5th and 6th centuries
AH, in his oldest Persian-Language Maqtal, dealt with the uprising of Imam
Hussein (AS) and narrated it in detail.
The story of the uprising of Sayyid al-Shuhada (AS) and the event of Ashura has a
special history and has followed a complex course.
To understand part of this course, one must gain knowledge of the different angles
of this movement.
One of the sources in Abu al-Mafakhir al-Razi’s Maqatil al-Shuhada is letters,
which have a special variety. The manners and stages of letter writing from Abul-
Mafakhir Razi’s perspective are diverse and practical, indicating the existence of a
kind of administrative and managerial order in this regard.
The types of letters in the Maqatil al-Shuhada include: invitation, commitment
letter, poetic letter, charter, conquest letter, congratulatory letter, administrative
letter, military assignment letter, threat, intelligence order, rejection, verbal, report
letter, trust letter and treaty, letter of avoidance, and letter of deception.
The poetic genius of Abul-Mafakhir Razi can be clearly seen in the translation of
the letters.