Before Islam, the majority of Kurds followed western
Iranic paganism, which originates from
Indo-Iranian traditions. The Kurds first encountered with Islam in the 7th century during the
early Muslim conquests. Widespread conversion of Kurds to Islam began under
Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second caliph of the
Rashidun Caliphate, who ruled between 634 and 644. The Kurds first came into contact with the Muslim armies during the
Muslim conquest of Persia in 637. The
Kurdish tribes had been an important element in the
Sasanian Empire and initially gave strong support to the Sasanians as they tried to fight the Muslim armies, between 639 and 644. However, once it was clear that the Sassanids would soon fall, the Kurdish chiefs one by one submitted to the Muslim armies and agreed to accept Islam, which led to their tribe members doing the same. Although the Muslims established control over all of Kurdistan, and most Kurds converted to Islam, small communities of Kurds remained in the impenetrable mountains and did not accept Islam. In the 13th century, some of them remained and occasionally attacked Muslim settlements.
Bar Hebraeus wrote that it "in the year six hundred and two of the Arabs [1205 AD], a race of the Kurds who were in the mountains of Madai (
Media), and who are called Tirahaye, came down from the mountains, and wrought great destruction in those countries. And troops of the Persians were gathered together, and they met them in battle and many of them were killed. Now these mountaineers had not entered the Faith of the Muslims, but they had adopted the primitive
paganism and
Magianism. When a Muslim fell into their hands they put him to death with cruel tortures." By the 8th century, the most of them had already converted to Islam without Arabization. The Kurds resisted Arabs for social reasons rather than reluctance to accept Islam. Today, most
Kurds are
Sunni Muslims, but there are
Shia,
Sufi, and
Alevi minorities. Sunni Muslim Kurds are mostly
Shafi'is. There was a small minority of
Zaydi Kurds before the decline of Zaydism. Approximately 75% of Kurds are Sunni Muslims, and approximately 15% are Shia Muslims, with the remaining 10% being many other religions. The
Ayyubid dynasty, which was Kurdish in origin, was among the most prominent Islamic empires of the 12th century and ruled over Egypt and the Levant. It was notable for defeating the
Fatimid Caliphate and the
Third Crusade, both of which were accomplished by its founder,
Saladin. Saladin remains a much-celebrated figure in Islamic historiography. He and his successors also laid the groundwork for much of the cultural and artistic heritage of the mediaeval Middle East, such as the
Cairo Citadel.
Kurdish culture under the Ayyubids also flourished, receiving patronage alongside Arab and other cultures. == Contemporary Kurdish Muslims ==