Emily Wither

I'm at a reading in Istanbul of the Shahnameh, or Book of Kings, written a thousand years ago.

It's an epic poem of over 50,000 verses, laced with tragedy, battles and one's inner struggle.

Through it, the Persian poet Ferdowsi recounts a legendary history of Iran, from the dawn of time to the fall of the Persian Empire in the 7th century.

But it's so much more than just a book of myths and legends.

It lies at the heart of Iranian culture, and groups of Iranians gather around the world to read this text aloud.

These days, its themes of nationalism, resistance and freedom resonate strongly with some Iranians who have spent most of this year living through war, repression and economic hardship.

It's just one example of Persian poetry that Iranians inside the country tell us they've taken comfort in as hardship and disillusionment around Islam has taken hold.

I'm Emily Wither.

In this edition of Heart and Soul, which explores personal approaches to spirituality from around the world, we've been speaking to four Iranians inside Iran.

about how they've struggled with their relationship with Islam under an increasingly repressive regime and how their personal approaches to faith kept them going during the war and state-imposed dogma.

We've been speaking to a mother and son in the capital, Tehran.

She's in her 50s, a housewife, and wears a headscarf.

Her son is in his 30s.

We're not able to share their names, and their words have been voiced by actors.

Because they talk freely, they fear reprisals from the Iranian authorities.

Criticising the government can lead to arrest, and talking to foreign media can be considered as helping the enemy.

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar during which Shia Muslims commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was killed at the Battle of Karbala.

This mother and son come from a religious family.

The woman's husband didn't want her working outside the home.

And her son says his father never cared about material wealth, believing that sustenance is provided by God.