Middle Persian
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Middle Persian or Pahlavi is the Iranian language spoken during Sassanian times. It descended from Old Persian.
Middle Persian was usually written in the Pahlavi script. The language was also written down in the Manichean script by Persian-speaking Manichaeans.
Transition to Modern Persian
It is widely believed that the modern-day descendent of Middle Persian is Modern Persian. However, recent studies (link title) have revealed that Modern Persian (Dæri) was spoken at the royal courts. Upon the Arabic invasion, Dæri adopted a large number of Arabic loan words and also the Arabic script.
Pahlavi Middle Persian is the language of quite a large body of Zoroastrian literature which details the traditions and prescriptions of the Zoroastrian religion which was the state religion of Sassanid Iran (224 to ca. 650) before Iran was invaded by the Arab armies that enforced Islam.