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Yarsanism (), Ahl-e Haqq (; ), or Kaka'i, is an inherited,
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, thus ...
religion founded by Sultan Sahak 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 (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
.''Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa'' (Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2004) p. 82 The numbers in Iraq are unknown. Followers are mostly
Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...
from the Guran, Sanjâbi, Kalhor, Zangana and Jalalvand tribes, as well as some Shabaks, Laks, and
Lurs The Lurs, Lors or Luris () are an Iranian people living in western and southern Iran. The four Luri branches are the Bakhtiari, Mamasani, Kohgiluyeh and Lur proper, who are principally linked by the Luri language. Lorestan province is name ...
. Some Yarsanis in Iraq are called ''Kaka'i''. Yarsanis say that some people call them disparagingly as "Ali Allahi" or "worshipers of Ali", labels which Yarsanis deny. Many Yarsanis hide their religion due to the 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 (), also known by the name of its main dialect, Hawrami (, ''Hewramî''), is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken by ethnic Kurds in northeastern Iraq and northwestern Iran and which with Zaza language, Zaza constitute the Zaza–Gor ...
. However, few modern Yarsani can read or write Gorani, as their mother tongue is Southern Kurdish or
Sorani Central Kurdish, also known as Sorani Kurdish, is a Kurdish dialect or a language spoken in Iraq, mainly in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan in western Iran. Central Kurdish is one of the ...
. Some Yarsanis in Iran speak a Turkic language close to Azeri, while some Yarsanis in Iraq speak Arabic. However, Yarsani tradition claimed that all early Yarsanis used Gorani as their religious language, and that some Yarsani communities were forced to adopt another language. Their central religious book is called the '' Kalâm-e Saranjâm'', written in the 15th century and based on the teachings of Sultan Sahak.


Geography

The majority of Yarsan followers live in
Kermanshah Province Kermanshah province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, bordering Iraq. Its capital is the city of Kermanshah. According to a 2014 segmentation by the Ministry of Interior (Iran), Ministry of Interior, it is the center of Regions of Iran ...
and adjacent areas of Lorestan Province and Ilam Province in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. 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, Kerend-e Gharb and Gahvareh, and other important cities include Kermanshah, Sarpol-e Zahab and Qasr-e Shirin. Other areas in Iran with a significant Yarsan population include Hashtgerd and Varamin near
Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
and
Maragheh Maragheh () is a city in the Central District (Maragheh County), Central District of Maragheh County, East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Maragheh is on the bank of ...
, and
Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
in
Iranian Azerbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan (, , ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq and Turkey to the west and Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani exclave of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republ ...
, 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 for all purposes, including religion. In Iraq, Yarsan followers mainly live in
Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
,
Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...
, Kalar, Khanaqin,
Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...
, Sulaymaniyah, and Halabja.


Beliefs

The Yarsani follow the mystical teachings of Sultan Sahak ( 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 esoterism which emerged under the intense influence of Bātinī-
Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
. 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 (''dunaduni'' in Kurdish). Yarasani believe that every man needs to do what is written within their holy book, the Kalâm-e Saranjâm, 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,
innatism In the philosophy of mind, innatism is the view that the mind is born with already-formed ideas, knowledge, and beliefs. The opposing doctrine, that the mind is a '' tabula rasa'' (blank slate) at birth and all knowledge is gained from experience ...
,
egalitarianism Egalitarianism (; also equalitarianism) is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds on the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all hum ...
, metempsychosis, angelology, divine manifestation and dualism.


Divine manifestations

The Yarsani are emanationists and incarnationists, believing that the Divine Essence has successive
incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It is the Conception (biology), conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic form of a god. It is used t ...
s known as ''mazhariyyats'' (similar to the
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
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 "''Heft 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, the fourth
caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...
and first imam of
Shia Islam Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...
. 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. It is said that his mother was Dayerak Rezbar or Khatun-e Rezbar, a Kurdish virgin of the Caf tribe. While sleeping under a
pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punica, Punicoideae, that grows between tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have o ...
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 "Şêx Îsa" from a priestly line of the Berzencî tribe or an Arab
Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...
man. Whether either of these men even fathered Sahak is also contested among Yarsanis who believe she had married either one of them, as the virgin birth of Sahak is contested by Yarsani scholars though the presumed father or stepfather of Sahak is not regarded as a significant religious figure in Yarsanism.


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 the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...
,
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
, Israfil and Azrael, and a female angelic being. The ''mazhariyyats'' of the Second Epoch include Salman, Qanbar,
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
, Nusayr (who is either
Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
or Theophobus) and Bahlool. It also includes
Fatimah Fatima bint Muhammad (; 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fatima al-Zahra' (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, the fourth of the Rashidun caliphs and ...
, 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) 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 is the Conception (biology), conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic form of a god. It is used t ...
of the archangel
Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...
; he has the preceptor title to all Yarsanis (Monday) # Pir Musi, the
incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It is the Conception (biology), conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic form of a god. It is used t ...
of the archangel
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
and known as the Recording angel (Tuesday) # Mustafā Dawan, the incarnation of archangel Azrael (Wednesday) # Sultan Sahak, 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'' (''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 (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a single ...
. The epoch of Shah Khoshin takes place in
Luristan Lorestan province () is one of the Provinces of Iran, 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Khorramabad. Lorestan is in the Western Iran, western part of the country in the Zagros Mountains and covers an area of 28,392 km2. In ...
and the epoch of Sultan Sahak is placed in Hawraman near the Sirwan River, 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. However, few modern Yarsani can read or write Gorani as their mother tongues are Southern Kurdish and
Sorani Kurdish Central Kurdish, also known as Sorani Kurdish, is a Kurdish language, Kurdish dialect or a language spoken in Iraq, mainly in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the provinces of Kurdistan Province, Kurdistan, Kermanshah province, Kermanshah, and West A ...
, 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 in
Kermanshah Province Kermanshah province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, bordering Iraq. Its capital is the city of Kermanshah. According to a 2014 segmentation by the Ministry of Interior (Iran), Ministry of Interior, it is the center of Regions of Iran ...
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 in
Kermanshah Province Kermanshah province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, bordering Iraq. Its capital is the city of Kermanshah. According to a 2014 segmentation by the Ministry of Interior (Iran), Ministry of Interior, it is the center of Regions of Iran ...
, 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 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, and established the stage of ''shai'at'' (Islamic law). This was followed by the cycle of ''tariqat'' (Sufi teachings), then ''
ma'rifa In Sufism, maʿrifa ("experiential knowledge" or " gnosis") is the mystical understanding of God or Divine Reality. It has been described as an immediate recognition and understanding of the true nature of things as they are. Ma'rifa encompasses a ...
t'' (Sufi gnosis), and finally the current cycle of haqiqat (Ultimate Truth), which was made manifest in Sultan Sahak. 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 The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...
and
al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
, regard the followers of Yarsanism as unbelievers who have to convert to Islam or die. These militants have persecuted Yarsanis during the Iraq conflict, 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 * Yazidism * Yazdânism


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">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 ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
,
University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...

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, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yarsanism Iranian religions Kurdish culture Monotheistic religions Mysticism Religion in Iran Religion in Iraq Religion in Kurdistan Kurdish words and phrases