Sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

or Malak Fakhr ad-Dīn () is a holy figure venerated in

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 ...

, he is considered one of the Seven Divine Beings, to all of whom God assigned the World's affairs, and his earthly incarnation is considered one of the four sons of

Ezdina Mir Ezdina Mir or Ezdine Mir () is a Yazidi holy figure who was the father of Sheikh Shems, Fexredîn, Nasirdin, and Sejadin, making him the ancestor of all Şemsanî Sheikhs. According to Yazidi oral traditions, Sheikh Adi ‘Adī ibn Musāfir ...

along with Nasirdin,

Sheikh Shems Sheikh Shems or Melek Shams ad-Din () is a holy figure venerated in Yazidism, he is considered one of the Seven Divine Beings, to all of whom God assigned the World's affairs, and his earthly incarnation is considered one of the four sons of Ezdin ...

, and Sejadin, who are the respective ancestors and patriarchs of the four Şemsanî Sheikh lineages and are considered to have been

avatars 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 appearance ...

of the angelic beings. Fexredîn is considered the personification of the Moon, while his brother, Sheikh Shems is the personification of the Sun. Many Yazidi ''qewls'' (sacred hymns) are attributed to Fexredîn.

Biography

Şêx Fexredîn was a Yezidi

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

and

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

who lived in the 12th century, he authored much of the poetry that is still recited among the

Yezidis Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. The maj ...

today in form of sacred hymns known as Qewls. According to Yazidi religious teachers and men, Fexredîn is said to have authored 11,000 qewls, beyts and qesîdes, of which only around 200 remain due to religious oppression and genocides''.''

Family

Fexreddin's father,

Êzdîna Mîr Ezdina Mir or Ezdine Mir () is a Yazidi holy figure who was the father of Sheikh Shems, Fexredîn, Nasirdin, and Sejadin, making him the ancestor of all Şemsanî Sheikhs. According to Yazidi oral traditions, Sheikh Adi ‘Adī ibn Musāfir ...

, was a prominent 12th-century prince who ruled over the

, together with his wives Sitî Zîn and Sitî Ereb. Êzdîna Mîr was the father of the Yezidi saints Şêx Şems, Şêx Fexredîn, Şêx Nasirdîn and Şêx Sicadîn. Thus he is the forefather of all the Shamsanis.Diar Khalaf and Hayri Demir. 2013. ''Mythos und Legende der Shex Mend und das Symbol der Schlange'' (Myth and legend of the Şêx Mend and the symbol of the snake) (in German). Şêx Fexreddin had three sons and one daughter, his sons were Sheikh Bedir, Sheikh Aqub and the oldest of all,

Sheikh Mend Sheikh Mand or Sheikh Mend () was a 13th-century Yazidi saint. He is the son of Şêx Fexredîn and thus belongs to the Şemsanî lineage of sheikhs. His sister was Khatuna Fekhra Khatuna Fekhra () was a 12th-century Yazidi female saint ...

, who is an important Yezidi saint that became the ruler of Kilis Emirate and is today represented as the Lord of Snakes in the Yezidi religion. There is a shrine in

Ain Sifni Ain Sifni ( ar, عين سفني, ) also known as Shekhan ( ku, شێخان, Şêxan), is a town and subdistrict in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. It is located in the Shekhan District in the Nineveh Plains. In the town, there is a Chaldean Catholic ...

dedicated to Sheikh Mend. Fexreddin's daughter was

Xatûna Fexra Khatuna Fekhra () was a 12th-century Yazidi female saint. The ''Quba Xatuna Fexra'' (Temple of Khatuna Fekhra) in Mağara, İdil, Şırnak Province, southeastern Turkey was built in honor of her. There is also a shrine built in honor of her i ...

, a female Yezidi saint represented as the Guardian of birth, pregnant women and therefore of fertility, Yezidi women fast once a year in her honor. Their descendants are still alive today and together also form their own Sheikh group within the Fexredîn group of the Shamsanis. The acting Baba Sheikh (Spiritual leader) of the

has to be from Fakhraddin lineage of Sheikhs. The current Baba Sheikh is Sheikh Ali Ilyas.

References

{{Yazidi saints Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Yazidi mythology Yazidi history 12th-century Kurdish people Yazidi religion Yazidi holy figures Moon myths