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Yarsanism, Ahl-e Haqq or Kaka'i ( ku, یارسان, translit=Yarsan or ; fa, اهل حق, ar, كاكائي), is a
syncretic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thu ...
religion founded by
Sultan Sahak Sultan Sahak or Sultan Ishaq Barzanjî ( ku, سوڵتان سەھاک; late 14th century to early 15th century) was a Kurdish religious leader who reformed the modern beliefs of Yarsanism and moreover considered to be the fourth of seven incarnation ...
in the late 14th century in western Iran. The total number of followers of Yarsanism is estimated to be over half a million to one million in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. The numbers in Iraq are unknown. Followers are mostly
Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ir ...
from the
Guran Guran is a character from ''The Phantom'' comic strip. Guran is the best friend of the main character, Phantom. Character synopsis According to Lee Falk's novel '' The Story of the Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks'', Guran is ten years older tha ...
, Sanjâbi, Kalhor,
Zangana The Zangana tribe is a Kurdish tribe in Kermanshah province and some parts of Iraqi Kurdistan. They speak a distinct dialect. However, in recent years they have linguistically assimilated into the language practice of Sorani speakers in the area ...
and Jalalvand tribes. Turkic-speaking Yarsan enclaves also exist in Iran. Some Yarsanis in Iraq are called ''Kaka'i''. Yarsanis say that some people call them disparagingly as "Ali-o-allahi" or "worshipers of
Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
" which labels Yarsanis deny. Many Yarsanis hide their religion due to pressure of Iran's Islamic system, and there are no exact statistics of their population. The Yarsanis have a distinct religious literature primarily written in the
Gorani language Gorani ( ku, گۆرانی, Goranî, lit=song) also known by its main dialect; Hawrami (ھەورامی, ''Hewramî'') is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken by ethnic Kurds and which with Zazaki constitute the Zaza–Gorani languages. All ...
. However, few modern Yarsani can read or write Gorani as their mother tongue is
Southern Kurdish Southern Kurdish ( ku, کوردی باشووری ,کوردی خوارگ, Kurdî Başûrî, Kurdî Xwarig) is one of the dialects of the Kurdish language, spoken predominantly in northeastern Iraq and western Iran. The Southern Kurdish-speaking r ...
or
Sorani Central Kurdish (), also called Sorani (), is a Kurdish dialect or a language that is spoken in Iraq, mainly in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan in western Iran. Sorani is one of the two o ...
. Their central religious book is called the ''
Kalâm-e Saranjâm Kalâm-e Saranjâm or simply Saranjâm ( ku, سەرەنجام یا کەڵام) is the central religious book in Yarsanism written in Gorani and Kurdish and contains old texts from the time of Sultan Sahak. Besides this book, other books can be con ...
'', written in the 15th century and based on the teachings of
Sultan Sahak Sultan Sahak or Sultan Ishaq Barzanjî ( ku, سوڵتان سەھاک; late 14th century to early 15th century) was a Kurdish religious leader who reformed the modern beliefs of Yarsanism and moreover considered to be the fourth of seven incarnation ...
.


Geography

The majority of Yarsan followers live in Kermanshah Province and adjacent areas of Lorestan Province and Ilam Province in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. They are the predominant religious population in Mahidasht, Bivanij and Zohab districts of Kermanshah, and populate rural areas of Delfan, Holeylan and Posht-e Kuh in Ilam and Lorestan. The main urban centers of the religion are
Sahneh Sahneh ( fa, صحنه; also Romanized as Şaḩneh and Sehneh; also known as Sahna) is a city in and the capital of Sahneh County, Kermanshah Province Sahneh County ( fa, شهرستان صحنه) is located in Kermanshah province, Iran. The ca ...
,
Kerend-e Gharb Kerend-e Gharb ( ku, نكرن ,کرن, Kirin, fa, كرندغرب; also known as Kerend, Karand, and Karīnd) is a city and capital of Dalahu County, Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 7,894, in 2,041 families. ...
and
Gahvareh Gahvareh ( fa, گهواره; also Romanized as Gahvāreh; also known as Gavāra and Gawareh) is a city and capital of Dalahu County, Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 4,708, in 1,147 families. The city is populate ...
, and other important cities include
Kermanshah Kermanshah ( fa, کرمانشاه, Kermânšâh ), also known as Kermashan (; romanized: Kirmaşan), is the capital of Kermanshah Province, located from Tehran in the western part of Iran. According to the 2016 census, its population is 946,68 ...
,
Sarpol-e Zahab Sarpol-e Zahab ( fa, سرپل ذهاب, ''Sarpole Zahâb''; ku, Serpêllî Zehaw, ; also romanized as Sarpol-e Z̄ahāb, Sar-e Pol-e Z̄ahāb, and Sar-ī-Pūl Zūhāb; also known as Pol-e Z̄ahāb, Sarpole-Zahab, Pol-e Z̄ohāb, Sarī-Pūl, and ...
and
Qasr-e Shirin Qasr-e Shirin ( fa, قصرشيرين; also Romanized as Qaşr-e Shīrīn and Qasr-ī-Shīrīn; also known as Ghasr-ī-shīrīn and Ghasr-shīrīn, Kurdish: قەسری شیرین) is a city and capital of Qasr-e Shirin County, Kermanshah Province, ...
. Other areas in Iran with a significant Yarsan population include
Hashtgerd Hashtgerd ( fa, هشتگرد; also known as Ashjird, Hashtjerd, and Hashtjird) is a city in and the capital of Savojbolagh County, Alborz Province, Iran. Hashtgerd is located west of Tehran. It is the capital of Savojbolagh County. Hashtgerd ...
and
Varamin Varamin (; fa, ورامين, also Romanized as Varāmīn and Verāmin) is a city and capital of Varamin County, Tehran Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 218,991, and at the 2006 census, its population was 208,569, in 53,63 ...
near
Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
and
Maragheh Maragheh ( fa, مراغه, Marāgheh or ''Marāgha''; az, ماراغا ) is a city and capital of Maragheh County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. Maragheh is on the bank of the river Sufi Chay. The population consists mostly of Iranian Azerb ...
, and
Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
in
Iranian Azerbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan ( fa, آذربایجان, ''Āzarbāijān'' ; az-Arab, آذربایجان, ''Āzerbāyjān'' ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq, Turkey, the Nakhchivan ...
, where important Turkic-speaking Yarsan communities live and use Turkic for many of their religious texts. The Yarsani tradition claims that all early communities used Gorani as their religious language, but that over time, some groups were forced to adopt a Turkic language closely akin to
Azeri Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic people living mainly in Azerbaijan (Iran), northwestern Iran and the Azerbaijan, Republi ...
for all purposes, including religion. In Iraq, Yarsan followers mainly live in
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan ( ku, باشووری کوردستان, Başûrê Kurdistanê) refers to the Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of "Kurdistan" in Western Asia, which also incl ...
, around
Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...
,
Kirkuk Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...
, Kalar,
Khanaqin Khanaqin ( ar, خانقين; ku, خانەقین, translit=Xaneqîn) is the central city of Khanaqin District in Diyala Governorate, Iraq, near the Iranian border (8 km) on the Alwand tributary of the Diyala River. The town is populated b ...
,
Erbil Erbil, also called Hawler (, ar, أربيل, Arbīl; syr, ܐܲܪܒܹܝܠ, Arbel), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It lies in the Erbil Governorate. It has an estimated population of around 1,600,000. Hu ...
,
Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah, also spelled as Slemani ( ku, سلێمانی, Silêmanî, ar, السليمانية, as-Sulaymāniyyah), is a city in the east of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, not far from the Iran–Iraq border. It is surrounded by the Azmar, Go ...
, and
Halabja Halabja ( ku, هەڵەبجە, Helebce, ) is a city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the capital of Halabja Governorate, located about northeast of Baghdad and from the Iranian border. The city lies at the base of what is often referred to ...
.


Beliefs

The Yarsani follow the mystical teachings of
Sultan Sahak Sultan Sahak or Sultan Ishaq Barzanjî ( ku, سوڵتان سەھاک; late 14th century to early 15th century) was a Kurdish religious leader who reformed the modern beliefs of Yarsanism and moreover considered to be the fourth of seven incarnation ...
( 14th-15th century). From the Yarsani point of view, the universe is composed of two distinct yet interrelated worlds: the internal ('' bātinī'') and the external ('' zāhirī''), each having its own order and rules. Although humans are only aware of the outer world, their lives are governed according to the rules of the inner world. This aspect of the Yarsani faith can be identified as
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...
esoterism Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...
which emerged under the intense influence of Bātinī-
Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
during the last two centuries. Among other important pillars of their belief system are that the Divine Essence has successive manifestations in human form (''mazhariyyat'') and the belief in
transmigration of the soul Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...
(''dunaduni'' in
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...
). Yarasani believe that every man needs to do what is written within their holy book, the
Kalâm-e Saranjâm Kalâm-e Saranjâm or simply Saranjâm ( ku, سەرەنجام یا کەڵام) is the central religious book in Yarsanism written in Gorani and Kurdish and contains old texts from the time of Sultan Sahak. Besides this book, other books can be con ...
, otherwise they are not part of Yarsan. There is no compulsion or exclusion in Yarsan – anyone who chooses to follow its precepts is welcome. The Yarsani faith's features include
millenarism Millenarianism or millenarism (from Latin language, Latin , "containing a thousand") is the belief by a religious organization, religious, social, or political party, political group or Social movement, movement in a coming fundamental Social tr ...
,
Innatism Innatism is a philosophical and epistemological doctrine that the mind is born with ideas, knowledge, and beliefs. Therefore, the mind is not a ''tabula rasa'' (blank slate) at birth, which contrasts with the views of early empiricists such as ...
,
egalitarianism Egalitarianism (), or equalitarianism, is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds from the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all hu ...
,
metempsychosis Metempsychosis ( grc-gre, μετεμψύχωσις), in philosophy, is the transmigration of the soul, especially its reincarnation after death. The term is derived from ancient Greek philosophy, and has been recontextualised by modern philoso ...
,
angelology In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
, divine manifestation and dualism.


Divine manifestations

The Yarsani are
emanation Emanation may refer to: * Emanation (chemistry), a dated name for the chemical element radon * Emanation From Below, a concept in Slavic religion * Emanation in the Eastern Orthodox Church, a belief found in Neoplatonism *Emanation of the state, a l ...
ists and incarnationists, believing that the Divine Essence has successive
incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...
s known as ''mazhariyyats'' (similar to the
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
s). They believe God manifests one primary and seven secondary manifestations in each epoch of the world, in either angel or human form. These seven persons are known as "''Haft tan''" which means "The Seven Persons" The primary ''mazhariyyat'' of the First Epoch was the Divine Essence known as Khawandagar, who created the world. The primary ''mazhariyyat'' of the Second Epoch was
Ali ibn Abi Talib ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
, the fourth
Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
and first imam of
Shia Islam Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...
. This explains the alternative name for Yarsanis Ali-Allahi, 'Believers in the divinity of Ali'. The primary ''mazhariyyat'' of the Third Epoch was Shah Khoshin. In the Fourth Epoch, the primary ''mazhariyyat'' is held to be
Sultan Sahak Sultan Sahak or Sultan Ishaq Barzanjî ( ku, سوڵتان سەھاک; late 14th century to early 15th century) was a Kurdish religious leader who reformed the modern beliefs of Yarsanism and moreover considered to be the fourth of seven incarnation ...
. It is said that his mother was Dayerak Rezbar or Khatun-e Rezbar, a Kurdish virgin of the
Jaff Jaff ( ku, جاف; also ''Jahf'', ''Jaaf'', ''Jaf'', ''Caf'') is the largest Kurdish tribe also known as clan, living in the borderlands of Iran and Iraq. Their heartland is between Sulaymaniyah to Sanandaj. The tribe predominantly adheres to the ...
tribe. While sleeping under a
pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...
tree a kernel of fruit fell into her mouth when a bird pecked the fruit directly over her. Sources vary on Rezbar’s marital life, some state that she lived her entire life celibate and unmarried while most state that she had married. Sources that claim she had married either contest her husband as being a Kurdish man named “Shaykh Isa” from a priestly line of the Barzanja tribe or an Arab
Sayyid ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Prophets in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali ...
man. Whether either of these men even fathered Sahak is also contested among Yarsanis who believe she had married either one of them.


Haft Tan or seven persons

Each Epoch in Yarsani belief saw the appearance of the seven secondary divine manifestations or ''Haft Tan''. In the First Epoch they appeared in their true angelic form, while in subsequent Epochs they appeared in human incarnations. The "''Haft Tan''" are charged with responsibility for the affairs of the internal realm. The secondary ''mazhariyyats'' of the First Epoch include the archangels
Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
,
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
,
Israfil Israfil ( ar, إِسْـرَافِـيْـل}, ''ʾIsrāfīl''; or Israfel) Lewis, James R., Evelyn Dorothy Oliver, and S. Sisung Kelle, eds. 1996. ''Angels A to Z''. Visible Ink Press. . p. 224. is the angel who blows the trumpet to signal ''Qiy ...
and
Azrael Azrael (; , 'God has helped'; ) is the angel of death in some Abrahamic religions, namely Islam, Christian popular culture and some traditions of Judaism. He is also referenced in Sikhism. Relative to similar concepts of such beings, Azrael ...
, and a female angelic being. The ''mazhariyyats'' of the Second Epoch include Salman, Qanbar,
Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
, Nusayr (who is either
Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
or
Theophobus Theophobos ( el, Θεόφοβος) or Theophobus, originally Nasir (), Nasr (), or Nusayr (), was an Iranian peoples, Iranian commander of the Khurramites who converted to Christianity and entered Byzantine Empire, Byzantine service under Emperor T ...
) and
Bahlool Bahlūl ( ar, بهلول) was the common name of Wāhab ibn Amr (Arabic: ), a companion of Musa al-Kadhim. He lived in the time of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid, Hārūn al-Rashīd. Bahlūl was a well known judge and scholar who came from a wealthy ...
. It also includes
Fatimah Fāṭima bint Muḥammad ( ar, فَاطِمَة ٱبْنَت مُحَمَّد}, 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, th ...
, the daughter of Muhammad as the incarnation of the female angel. The ''mazhariyyats'' of the Third Epoch include Shah Fazlullah Veli, Baba Sarhang Dudani and Baba Naous. In the Fourth Epoch, the ''Haft Tan'' or 'seven persons' charged by Sultan Sahak with responsibility for the affairs of the inner realm consist of the following: The "''Haft Tan''" (The Seven
Archangels Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
) are key figures in the Yarsani belief system and their history. The only female among them is Khatun-e Rezbar, the mother of Sultan Sahak. # Pir Benjamin, considered the
incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...
of the archangel
Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
; he has the preceptor title to all Yarsanis (Monday) # Pir Musi, the
incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...
of the archangel
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
and known as the
Recording angel Recording angels are angels in Judaic, Christian, and Islamic angelology. Recording angels are assigned by God with the task of recording the events, actions, and prayers of each individual human. This includes bad sins, and good deeds. Descripti ...
(Tuesday) # Mustafā Dawan, the incarnation of archangel
Azrael Azrael (; , 'God has helped'; ) is the angel of death in some Abrahamic religions, namely Islam, Christian popular culture and some traditions of Judaism. He is also referenced in Sikhism. Relative to similar concepts of such beings, Azrael ...
(Wednesday) #
Sultan Sahak Sultan Sahak or Sultan Ishaq Barzanjî ( ku, سوڵتان سەھاک; late 14th century to early 15th century) was a Kurdish religious leader who reformed the modern beliefs of Yarsanism and moreover considered to be the fourth of seven incarnation ...
, the incarnation of Divine Essence (Thursday) # Baba Yadegar, also known as "''Ahmad''" and "''Reza''" (Friday) # Khatun-e Razbar (Saturday) # Dawud Koswar (David), also informally called Dawu; he is known as "''Dalil''" (in Kurdish) to all Yarsanis (Sunday) These seven persons are known as "''Haft tan''" which means literally "The Seven Persons"


Holy texts

The traditions of the Yarsani are preserved in poetry known as ''
Kalâm-e Saranjâm Kalâm-e Saranjâm or simply Saranjâm ( ku, سەرەنجام یا کەڵام) is the central religious book in Yarsanism written in Gorani and Kurdish and contains old texts from the time of Sultan Sahak. Besides this book, other books can be con ...
'' (''The Discourse of Conclusion''), divinely revealed narratives passed down orally through the generations. These traditions are said to have been written down by Pir Musi, one of the seven companions of Sultan Sahak (also the angel in charge of recording human deeds).Z. Mir-Hosseini (1994). "Inner Truth and Outer History: The Two Worlds of the Ahl-e Haqq of Kurdistan", ''International Journal of Middle East Studies'', Vol.26, pp.267–269. The collection consists of the epochs of Khawandagar od ‘Alī, Shah Khoshin and Sultan Sahak, the different manifestations of
divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine
. The epoch of Shah Khoshin takes place in Luristan and the epoch of Sultan Sahak is placed in
Hawraman Avroman or Hawraman, ( ku, هه‌ورامان, translit=Hewraman, fa, اورامان) is a mountainous region located within the provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah in western Iran and in north-eastern Kurdistan Region in Iraq. The main part o ...
near the
Sirwan River Sirwan may refer to: * Sirwan River / Diyala River *Sirwan, Iran Siravand ( fa, سيراوند, also Romanized as Sīrāvand; also known as Sīrāvan and Sirwān) is a village in Darbandrud Rural District, in the Central District of Asadabad ...
, the land of the Goranî. Also important to the Goranî is the Daftar-e kezana-ye Perdivari (''Book of the Treasure of Perdivar''), a collection of twenty six mythological poems or ''kalams''. The sayings attributed to Sultan Sahak are written in Gorani Kurdish, the sacred language of the Ahl-e Haqq, which also is known as
Hawrami dialects Gorani ( ku, گۆرانی, Goranî, lit=song) also known by its main dialect; Hawrami (ھەورامی, ''Hewramî'') is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken by ethnic Kurds and which with Zazaki constitute the Zaza–Gorani languages. All ...
. However, few modern Yarsani can read or write Gorani as their mother tongues are
Southern Kurdish Southern Kurdish ( ku, کوردی باشووری ,کوردی خوارگ, Kurdî Başûrî, Kurdî Xwarig) is one of the dialects of the Kurdish language, spoken predominantly in northeastern Iraq and western Iran. The Southern Kurdish-speaking r ...
and
Sorani Kurdish Central Kurdish (), also called Sorani (), is a Kurdish dialect or a language that is spoken in Iraq, mainly in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan in western Iran. Sorani is one of the two of ...
, which belong to the other two branches of the Kurdish language family. Some Yarsani literature is written in the Persian language. The older texts are called the Perdiwari texts, which date back to around the 15th or 16th centuries. The texts are called Perdiwari since Perdiwar is where Soltan Sahak had first founded the Yarsani community. The Perdiwari texts are attributed to writers from this first community of Yarsani believers. They include the following texts. *''Dowre-ye Bābā Khoshin'' *''Dowre-ye Bābā Nā’us'' *''Dowre-ye Bohlul'' *''Dowre-ye Bābā Jalil'' *''Bābā Sarhang'' *''Dowre-ye Soltān Sahāk'' *''Kalām-e Ābedin'' *''Kalām-e Ahmad'' *''Daftar-e Dāmyāri'' *''Šandarwi maramo (Kelim wa Duš)'' *''Bārgah Bārgah'' *''Dowre-ye Cheltan'' *''Kamākanān'' *''Zolāl Zolāl'' Widely known non-Perdiwari texts are: *''Daftar-e Sheykh Amir'' *''Daftar-e Khān Almās'' *''Daftar-e Ābedin Jāf'' *''Daftar-e Ilbegi'' *''Daftar of Qushchioghli'' *Daftars of other members of the group of ‘Twenty-Four Poets’, in Turkic ( Azerbaijani) *''Daftar-e Zu’l-Feqār'' *''Daftar of the Thirty-Six Poets of the Period of Sayyed Brāke''


Sacred sites

Two important sanctuaries of the Yarsani are the tomb of Bābā Yādgār, about 40 km away from
Sarpol-e Zahab Sarpol-e Zahab ( fa, سرپل ذهاب, ''Sarpole Zahâb''; ku, Serpêllî Zehaw, ; also romanized as Sarpol-e Z̄ahāb, Sar-e Pol-e Z̄ahāb, and Sar-ī-Pūl Zūhāb; also known as Pol-e Z̄ahāb, Sarpole-Zahab, Pol-e Z̄ohāb, Sarī-Pūl, and ...
in Kermanshah Province and the tomb of Dawoud at Zarde, about three kilometres east of Sarpol-e Zahab. Another important shrine is that of Sultan Suhak in Sheykhan, near Perdīvar bridge in Kermanshah Province. The tombs of Pir Benjamin and Pir Musi in the town of
Kerend Kerend-e Gharb ( ku, نكرن ,کرن, Kirin, fa, كرندغرب; also known as Kerend, Karand, and Karīnd) is a city and capital of Dalahu County, Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 7,894, in 2,041 families. ...
in Kermanshah Province, Iran are also important shrines.


Organisation


Khandans or spiritual houses

Yarsanism is organised into spiritual houses or Khandans, seven of which were established at the time of Sultan Sahak, and four afterwards, making eleven Khandans in all. The Khandans were established when, along with the ''Haft Tan'', Sultan Sahak also formed the ''Haft Tawane'', a group of seven holy persons charged with the affairs of the outer world. They were Say-yed Mohammad, Say-yed Abu'l Wafa, Haji Babusi, Mir Sur, Say-yed Mostafa, Sheykh Shahab al-Din and Sheykh Habib Shah. Each of the ''Haft Tawane'' was charged with responsibility for the guidance of a number of followers, and these followers formed the original seven Khandans, namely Shah Ebrahim, Baba Yadegar, Ali Qalandar, Khamush, Mir Sur, Sey-yed Mosaffa and Hajji Babu Isa. After Sultan Sahak's time another four khandans were established, namely Atesh Bag, Baba Heydar, Zolnour and Shah Hayas. Every Yarsani therefore belongs to one specific khandan, which is led by a spiritual leader called a say-yed, to whom each member must swear obedience. The say-yed is the spiritual leader of the community and is normally present during the ceremonies attended by the followers. Say-yeds are the only ones allowed to have full access to the religious texts of Yarsanism, and have traditionally competed with each other to have the largest number of followers. The position of Say-yed is hereditary, being passed down through the generations from the original founders. As the say-yed are considered spiritual 'parents', it is the tradition for them not to marry their followers.


Relationship with other religious groups

An excerpt from the French Review of the Muslim World describes the difficulty in nomenclature for Yarsanism and related
Shi'ite Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...
mysticism. The English translation reads:


Relations with Islam

''Ahl-e Haqq'' view Islam as a product of a cycle of divine essence, which was made manifest in
Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
, and established the stage of ''shai'at'' (Islamic law). This was followed by the cycle of ''tariqat'' (Sufi teachings), then ''
ma'rifa Maʿrifa (Arabic: “interior knowledge”) is the mystical knowledge of God or the “higher realities” that is the ultimate goal of followers of Sufism. Sufi mystics came to maʿrifa by following a spiritual path that later Sufi thinkers categ ...
t'' (Sufi gnosis), and finally the current cycle of
haqiqa Haqiqa (Arabic "truth") is one of "the four stages" in Sufism, ''shari’a'' (exoteric path), ''tariqa'' (esoteric path), ''haqiqa'' (mystical truth) and ''marifa'' (final mystical knowledge, ''unio mystica''). The four stages Shariat Shari ...
t (Ultimate Truth), which was made manifest in
Sultan Sahak Sultan Sahak or Sultan Ishaq Barzanjî ( ku, سوڵتان سەھاک; late 14th century to early 15th century) was a Kurdish religious leader who reformed the modern beliefs of Yarsanism and moreover considered to be the fourth of seven incarnation ...
. The final stage supersedes the previous ones, which frees Ahl-e Haqq from observing the shari'a rules incumbent on Muslims. Ahl-i Haqq class other Muslims as either Ahl-i Tashayyu (followers of Shi'ism) or Ahl-i Tasannun (followers of Sunnism). The Ahl-i Haqq neither observe Muslim rites, such as daily prayers and fasting during the month of Ramadan, nor share Islamic theology and sacred space, such as belief in the day of resurrection and sanctity of the mosque. Extremist Sunni Islamic groups, such as the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
and
al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
, regard the followers of Yarsanism as unbelievers who have to convert to Islam or die. These militants have persecuted Yarsanis during the
Iraq conflict Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
, possibly prompting some Iraqi Yarsan community leaders to declare in 2013 that their people were actually Muslims to avoid sectarian attacks.


See also

*
Ali-Illahism Ali Illahism ( fa, علی‌اللّهی) is a syncretic religion which has been practiced in parts of Iranian Luristan which combines elements of Shia Islam with older religions. It centers on the belief that there have been successive incarnati ...
*
Yazidism Yazidism , alternatively Sharfadin is a Monotheism, monotheistic ethnic religion that has roots in a western Ancient Iranian religion, Iranic pre-Zoroastrian religion directly derived from the Indo-Iranians, Indo-Iranian tradition. It is follow ...
* Yazdanism


References


Bibliography

* * Collections of Yarsani texts published in Iran and Iraq: *Ṣafizāde, Ṣ. (1375/1996), ''Nāme-ye Saranjām yā Kalām-e Xazāne'' Saranjām_or_the_Kalām_of_the_Treasury.html" ;"title="he Book of Saranjām or the Kalām of the Treasury">he Book of Saranjām or the Kalām of the Treasury Tehran. *Ḥosseyni, Sayyed M. (1382/2003), ''Dīwān-e Gewre'' he Great Diwan Kermanshah. *Ṭāheri, Ṭ. (2007, 2009), '' Saranjām'', 2 Vols., Erbil. *Anonymous (copied 1387/2008), ''Daftar-e Diwān-e Gewre-ye Perdiwari'' he Book of the Great Collection of Perdiwari (Kalāms) copied by Kāki ‘Azizpanāhi Tutšāmi, n.pl.


External links

* *
Razbar Ensemble
– sacred music of Ahl-e Haqq.
Gorani Influence on Central Kurdish: Substratum or Prestige Borrowing?
Leezenberg, Michiel: ILLC – Department of
Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
,
University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

The Shabak and the Kakais in Northern Iraq
Syncretistic religious communities in the Near East: collected papers of the International Symposium "Alevism in Turkey and comparable sycretistic religious communities in the Near East in the past and present" Berlin, 14–17 April 1995, Krisztina Kehl-Bodrogi, Barbara Kellner-Heinkele, Anke Otter-Beaujean, Krisztina Kehl-Bodrogi, Barbara.

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yarsanism Iranian religions Kurdish culture Monotheistic religions Mysticism Religion in Iran Religion in Iraq Religion in Kurdistan Kurdish words and phrases