Ancient
68-505: Medieval Modern Tawûsî Melek ( Kurdish : تاوسی مەلەک , romanized : Tawûsî Melek , lit. 'Peacock Angel') is one of the central figures of the Yazidi religion . In Yazidi creation stories , before the creation of this world, God created seven Divine Beings , of whom Tawûsî Melek was appointed as the leader. God assigned all of the world's affairs to these seven Divine Beings, also often referred to as
136-522: A detail in the religious system under discussion. Finally, the name " Noséïri " belongs to that well-defined Syrian religion, which, despite some resemblances with the doctrines of the Ahlé-Haqq (the worship of Ali, the communion, etc.), appears to present a complex of quite different old beliefs. Ahl-e Haqq view Islam as a product of a cycle of divine essence, which was made manifest in Ali , and established
204-483: A dialect of Southern Kurdish or as a fourth language under Kurdish is a matter of debate, but the differences between Laki and other Southern Kurdish dialects are minimal. The literary output in Kurdish was mostly confined to poetry until the early 20th century, when more general literature became developed. Today, the two principal written Kurdish dialects are Kurmanji and Sorani. Sorani is, along with Arabic , one of
272-480: A misconception which has incited centuries of violent religious persecution of the Yazidis as "devil-worshippers". Persecution of Yazidis has continued in their home communities within the borders of modern Iraq . Further accusations were derived from narratives attributed to Melek Taûs, which are actually foreign to Yazidism and probably introduced by either Muslims in the 9th century or Christian missionaries in
340-742: A significant Yarsan population include Hashtgerd and Varamin near Tehran and Maragheh , and Tabriz in Iranian Azerbaijan , 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 , Kirkuk , Kalar , Khanaqin , Erbil , Sulaymaniyah , and Halabja . The Yarsani follow
408-549: A stage in humanity's religious development. The first and initial dowre was the stage of Shari'at , where the Islamic Law was or is in charge and guiding everyone. This dowre is believed to have begun at creation and concluded with Muhammed , the Truth ( Haqiqat ) is thought to have existed during this stage, but had not yet been perceived. Following the dowre of Shari'at were the intermediate dowres of Tariqat , i.e.
476-510: A variety that was an important literary language since the 14th century, but it was replaced by Central Kurdish in the 20th century. European scholars have maintained that Gorani is separate from Kurdish and that Kurdish is synonymous with the Northern Kurdish group, whereas ethnic Kurds maintain that Kurdish encompasses any of the unique languages or dialects spoken by Kurds that are not spoken by neighbouring ethnic groups. Gorani
544-821: Is an inherited , syncretic 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 . The numbers in Iraq are unknown. Followers are mostly Kurds from the Guran , Sanjâbi , Kalhor , Zangana 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 Allahi" or "worshipers of Ali ", labels which Yarsanis deny. Many Yarsanis hide their religion due to
612-559: Is an official language in Iraq. In Syria, on the other hand, publishing materials in Kurdish is forbidden, though this prohibition is not enforced any more due to the Syrian civil war . Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish, prohibiting the language in education and broadcast media. In March 2006, Turkey allowed private television channels to begin airing programming in Kurdish. However,
680-480: Is believed to be "pure and without sin, above and free of any bad actions, obedient and devoted to God and consisting of light." According to Yarsani doctrine, during the dowre of Shari'at, in which one is being guided by Islamic Law, Malak Tawus was labelled as Sheytan , whereas in the dowre of Haqiqat (Truth), Malak Tawus is called Dawud, who is one of the seven holy Beings in Yarsanism that are referred to as
748-622: Is classified as part of the Zaza–Gorani branch of Indo-Iranian languages. The Zaza language , spoken mainly in Turkey, differs both grammatically and in vocabulary and is generally not understandable by Gorani speakers but it is considered related to Gorani. Almost all Zaza-speaking communities, as well as speakers of the closely related Shabaki dialect spoken in parts of Iraqi Kurdistan , identify themselves as ethnic Kurds. Geoffrey Haig and Ergin Öpengin in their recent study suggest grouping
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#1732775454572816-528: 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. 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: First of all, we must clear up
884-420: 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
952-520: Is no compulsion or exclusion in Yarsan – anyone who chooses to follow its precepts is welcome. The Yarsani faith's features include millenarism , innatism , egalitarianism , metempsychosis , angelology , divine manifestation and dualism . The Yarsani are emanationists and incarnationists, believing that the Divine Essence has successive incarnations known as mazhariyyats (similar to
1020-550: Is not a source of evil or wickedness. They consider him to be the leader of the archangels , not a fallen nor a disgraced angel, but an emanation of God himself. The Yazidis believe that the founder or reformer of their religion, Sheikh Adi Ibn Musafir , was an incarnation of Tawûsî Melek. In Yazidi religious folk beliefs, Tawûsî Melek is described as eternal and an eternal light ( Tawûsî Melek herhey ye û nûra baqî ye ), and in Yazidi mythology, when Tawûsî Melek descended to earth,
1088-458: Is not a unified language, its many dialects are interrelated and at the same time distinguishable from other Western Iranian languages . The same source classifies different Kurdish dialects as two main groups, northern and central. The average Kurmanji speaker does not find it easy to communicate with the inhabitants of Sulaymaniyah or Halabja . Some linguistic scholars assert that the term "Kurdish" has been applied extrinsically in describing
1156-459: Is not recognized in Turkey, and prior to 2013 the use of Kurdish names containing the letters X , W , and Q , which do not exist in the Turkish alphabet , was not allowed. In 2012, Kurdish-language lessons became an elective subject in public schools. Previously, Kurdish education had only been possible in private institutions. In Iran, though it is used in some local media and newspapers, it
1224-648: Is not used in public schools. In 2005, 80 Syrian and Iranian Kurds took part in an experiment and gained scholarships to study in Kurdistan Region , Iraq, in their native tongue. In Kyrgyzstan , 96.21% of the Kurdish population speak Kurdish as their native language. In Kazakhstan, the corresponding percentage is 88.7%. Yarsanism Ancient Medieval Modern Yarsanism ( Kurdish : یارسان , romanized : Yarsan ), Ahl-e Haqq ( Kurdish : ئەهلی حەق , romanized : Ehl ê Ḧeq ,; Persian : اهل حق ), or Kaka'i ,
1292-935: 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 , which belong to
1360-461: Is translated to simply mean Kurdish. The Mokriani variety of Sorani is widely spoken in Mokrian. Piranshahr and Mahabad are two principal cities of the Mokrian area. Zaza–Gorani languages , which are spoken by communities in the wider area who identify as ethnic Kurds, are not linguistically classified as Kurdish. Zaza-Gorani is classified as adjunct to Kurdish, although authorities differ in
1428-758: The Haft Tan . Thus, the Yarsanis do not curse Satan. The Yarsanis of the Kermanshah region use the name “Malek Tavus”, i.e. the Peacock Angel, which is also used by the older Yarsani texts, to designate Satan. The term dowre may refer to a period of time that started with the Essences ( zāt ) of the Divine and of members of the two Heptads manifesting or incarnating themselves as humans. It also refers to
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#17327754545721496-636: The Abrahamic religions ( Judaism , Christianity , and Islam ), since they are derived from the Ancient Mesopotamian and Indo-Iranian traditions; therefore, Yazidi cosmogony is closer to those of Ancient Iranian religions , Vedic Hinduism , Yarsanism and Zoroastrianism . In Yazidism, the Peacock , the symbol or icon of Tawûsî Melek, is believed to represent the diversity of the World,
1564-461: The Caf tribe. While sleeping under a pomegranate 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
1632-574: The Hindu avatars ). 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
1700-410: The 'Path' of a mystical Order, and Ma'refat , i.e. Esoteric Knowledge. The former was marked by the development of mystical brotherhoods that allowed people to start learning about esoteric truth. These stages were succeeded by the present dowre of Haqiqat , which is marked by Sultan Sahak 's arrival. The dowre of Haqiqat is the phase of development in which the advanced mystic fully has perceived
1768-521: The 20th century. Accusations of devil-worship fueled centuries of violent religious persecution , which have led Yazidi communities to concentrate in remote mountainous regions of northwestern Iraq. The Yazidi taboo against the Arabic word Shaitan (الشیطان) and on words containing the consonants š (sh) and t / ṭ have been used to suggest a connection between Tawûsî Melek and Iblis, although no evidence exists to suggest that Yazidis worship Tawûsî Melek as
1836-513: The Berzencî tribe or an Arab Sayyid 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. Each Epoch in Yarsani belief saw the appearance of
1904-537: The Kurdish languages into Northern Kurdish, Central Kurdish, Southern Kurdish, Zaza , and Gorani, and avoid the subgrouping Zaza–Gorani. The notable professor Zare Yusupova has carried out a lot of work and research into the Gorani dialect (as well as many other minority/ancient Kurdish dialects). During his stay in Damascus , historian Ibn Wahshiyya came across two books on agriculture written in Kurdish, one on
1972-484: The Kurds of Amadiya . This work is very important in Kurdish history as it is the first acknowledgment of the widespread use of a distinctive Kurdish language. Garzoni was given the title Father of Kurdology by later scholars. The Kurdish language was banned in a large portion of Kurdistan for some time. After the 1980 Turkish coup d'état until 1991 the use of the Kurdish language was illegal in Turkey. Today, Sorani
2040-747: The Kurds speak Kurmanji, and most Kurdish texts are written in Kurmanji and Sorani. Kurmanji is written in the Hawar alphabet , a derivation of the Latin script , and Sorani is written in the Sorani alphabet , a derivation of the Arabic script . A separate group of non-Kurdish Northwestern Iranian languages, the Zaza–Gorani languages , are also spoken by several million ethnic Kurds. The classification of Laki as
2108-542: The New Year with its joyous renewal of life on earth, when Nature burgeons forth anew in Spring. It therefore became the holy day upon which Sersal (Yazidi New Year) is celebrated. On the eve of the feast, 365/366 lamps are lit as the symbol of the descending of Tawûsî Melek to the earth. This number also corresponds to the number of the days in the year. Yazidi accounts of the creation differ significantly from those of
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2176-602: The Second Epoch include Salman, Qanbar, Muhammad , Nusayr (who is either Jesus Christ or Theophobus ) and Bahlool . It also includes Fatimah , 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
2244-656: The Seven Angels or heft sirr ("the Seven Mysteries"). In Yazidi beliefs, there is one God, who created Seven Divine beings, the leader of whom is Tawûsî Melek, the Lord of this World, who is responsible for all that happens on this world, both good and bad. According to religious tradition, Nature, with its myriad phenomena of light and darkness, emanates from a single source, who is the Lord of this World, Tawûsî Melek. Qewl passages emphasize Tawûsî Melek's power on
2312-428: The Turkish government said that they must avoid showing children's cartoons , or educational programs that teach Kurdish, and could broadcast only for 45 minutes a day or four hours a week. The state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) started its 24-hour Kurdish television station on 1 January 2009 with the motto "we live under the same sky". The Turkish prime minister sent a video message in Kurdish to
2380-505: 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. These seven persons are known as " Haft tan " which means literally "The Seven Persons" 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
2448-670: 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
2516-453: The approximate borders of the areas where the main ethnic core of the speakers of the contemporary Kurdish dialects was formed. The most argued hypothesis on the localisation of the ethnic territory of the Kurds remains D.N. Mackenzie 's theory, proposed in the early 1960s (Mackenzie 1961). Developing the ideas of P. Tedesco (1921: 255) and regarding the common phonetic isoglosses shared by Kurdish, Persian, and Baluchi , Mackenzie concluded that
2584-476: The colourfulness of its feathers being considered to symbolise the myriad colours of Nature. The radiating feathers of the peacock’s tail, revealed when it unfurls them in circular display, are held to symbolise the rays of the sun, bestowing their life-giving light each day at dawn. It is therefore considered a sacred bird, which Yazidis are expressly forbidden to hunt, eat, curse or ill-treat in any way. For this reason countless peacock images are to be found adorning
2652-509: The confusion resulting from the variety of names given to the sect of "Ahlé-Haqq", which are liable to be misunderstood. Like any religion, the one we are dealing with considers itself to be the only true and orthodox one, and it is natural that its adherents give themselves the name of "People of Truth" ( Ahlé-Haqq or Ahlé-Haqîqat ). This term lacks precision, as other sects, for example the Horoufis , occasionally apply it to themselves. Still,
2720-520: The culture of the vine and the palm tree, and the other on water and the means of finding it out in unknown ground. He translated both from Kurdish into Arabic in the early 9th century AD. Among the earliest Kurdish religious texts is the Yazidi Black Book , the sacred book of Yazidi faith. It is considered to have been authored sometime in the 13th century AD by Hassan bin Adi (b. 1195 AD),
2788-553: The details. groups Kurdish with Zaza Gorani within a "Northwestern I" group, while Glottolog based on Encyclopædia Iranica prefers an areal grouping of "Central dialects" (or "Kermanic") within Northwest Iranic, with Kurdish but not Zaza-Gorani grouped with "Kermanic". Gorani is distinct from Northern and Central Kurdish, yet shares vocabulary with both of them and there are some grammatical similarities with Central Kurdish. The Hawrami dialects of Gorani includes
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2856-477: The earth, in the sky, sea, on the mountains, and their residents, that is, his power exists in all parts of nature, whether celestial or terrestrial. The Yazidis consider Tawûsî Melek an emanation of God who is a good, benevolent angel and leader of the archangels , who was entrusted to take care of the world after he passed a test and created the cosmos from the Cosmic egg . Yazidis believe that Tawûsî Melek
2924-428: The esoteric Truth. Yarsanis are thought to be living in this dowre, however, the same is not true for all humans, and most outsiders are still believed to remain in the dowre of Shari'at or the intermediate dowre s of Tariqat and Ma'refat. Muslims and followers of other Abrahamic religions have erroneously associated and identified the Peacock Angel with their own conception of the unredeemed evil spirit Satan ,
2992-564: The fact that this usage reflects the sense of ethnic identity and unity among the Kurds. From a linguistic or at least a grammatical point of view, however, Kurmanji and Sorani differ as much from each other as English and German, and it would seem appropriate to refer to them as languages. For example, Sorani has neither gender nor case-endings, whereas Kurmanji has both.... Differences in vocabulary and pronunciation are not as great as between German and English, but they are still considerable. According to Encyclopaedia of Islam , although Kurdish
3060-493: The fifteenth century. From the 15th to 17th centuries, classical Kurdish poets and writers developed a literary language. The most notable classical Kurdish poets from this period were Ali Hariri , Ahmad Khani , Malaye Jaziri and Faqi Tayran . The Italian priest Maurizio Garzoni published the first Kurdish grammar titled Grammatica e Vocabolario della Lingua Kurda in Rome in 1787 after eighteen years of missionary work among
3128-630: The following texts. Widely known non-Perdiwari texts are: Two important sanctuaries of the Yarsani are the tomb of Bābā Yādgār, about 40 km away from Sarpol-e Zahab 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
3196-457: 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). The collection consists of the epochs of Khawandagar [God], ‘Alī, Shah Khoshin and Sultan Sahak, the different manifestations of divinity . The epoch of Shah Khoshin takes place in Luristan and the epoch of Sultan Sahak
3264-471: The great-grandnephew of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir (d. 1162), the founder of the faith. It contains the Yazidi account of the creation of the world, the origin of man, the story of Adam and Eve and the major prohibitions of the faith. According to The Cambridge History of the Kurds , "the first proper 'text'" written in Kurdish is a short Christian prayer. It was written in Armenian characters, and dates from
3332-534: The intense influence of Bātinī - Sufism . 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
3400-490: The language the Kurds speak, whereas some ethnic Kurds have used the word term to simply describe their ethnicity and refer to their language as Kurmanji , Sorani , Hewrami , Kermanshahi , Kalhori or whatever other dialect or language they speak. Some historians have noted that it is only recently that the Kurds who speak the Sorani dialect have begun referring to their language as Kurdî , in addition to their identity, which
3468-476: The mystical teachings of Sultan Sahak ( fl. 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
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#17327754545723536-458: The name Ahlé-Haqq to refer to the sect of our particular interest has every advantage over appellations such as " Gholat ", " Alî-Allâhi ", and " Noséïri " that the Muslims and most European travellers use in speaking of them. The first term, which encompasses all of the extremist Shi’ites, is too broad and too vague. The second term, "deifiers of Ali", has the same fault and emphasizes what is only
3604-581: The north-west Iranian group". Ludwig Paul concludes that Kurdish seems to be a Northwestern Iranian language in origin, but acknowledges that it shares many traits with Southwestern Iranian languages like Persian , apparently due to longstanding and intense historical contacts. Windfuhr identified Kurdish dialects as Parthian , albeit with a Median substratum. Windfuhr and Frye assume an eastern origin for Kurdish and consider it as related to eastern and central Iranian dialects. The present state of knowledge about Kurdish allows, at least roughly, drawing
3672-722: The opening ceremony, which was attended by Minister of Culture and other state officials. The channel uses the X , W , and Q letters during broadcasting. However, most of these restrictions on private Kurdish television channels were relaxed in September 2009. In 2010, Kurdish municipalities in the southeast began printing marriage certificates , water bills, construction and road signs , as well as emergency, social and cultural notices in Kurdish alongside Turkish. Also Imams began to deliver Friday sermons in Kurdish and Esnaf price tags in Kurdish. Many mayors were tried for issuing public documents in Kurdish language. The Kurdish alphabet
3740-545: The other languages spoken by Kurds in the region including the Gorani language in parts of Iranian Kurdistan and Iraqi Kurdistan. Philip G. Kreyenbroek , an expert writing in 1992, says: Since 1932 most Kurds have used the Roman script to write Kurmanji.... Sorani is normally written in an adapted form of the Arabic script.... Reasons for describing Kurmanji and Sorani as 'dialects' of one language are their common origin and
3808-551: 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
3876-467: The preeminent sanctuary of Lalish and all manner of other Yazidi shrines and holy sites, as well as the homes of the Yazidi faithful and their social, cultural and academic centres. In Yarsanism , a religion that shares many similarities with Yazidism dating back to pre-Islam, there is also a figure referred to as Malak Tawus, whose identification is tied to the names of angels during various dowres (cycles), which denotes range of concepts. Malak Tawus
3944-476: 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 . However, few modern Yarsani can read or write Gorani, as their mother tongue is Southern Kurdish or Sorani . Their central religious book is called the Kalâm-e Saranjâm , written in the 15th century and based on
4012-483: The region of Kurdistan , namely in southeast Turkey , northern Iraq , northwest Iran , and northern Syria . It is also spoken in northeast Iran, as well as in certain areas of Armenia and Azerbaijan . Kurdish varieties constitute a dialect continuum , with some mutually unintelligible varieties, and collectively have 26 million native speakers. The main varieties of Kurdish are Kurmanji , Sorani , and Southern Kurdish ( Xwarîn ). The majority of
4080-447: The same figure. Furthermore, Yazidis do not believe Tawûsî Melek to be a source of evil or wickedness. They consider him to be the leader of the archangels , not a fallen angel . In Mishefa Resh , Tawûsî Melek is equated with Ezrayil or Ezazil. Kurdish language Ancient Medieval Modern Kurdish ( Kurdî , کوردی ) is a Northwestern Iranian language or group of languages spoken by Kurds in
4148-520: The seven colours of the rainbow transformed into a seven-coloured bird, the peacock, which flew around every part of earth to bless it, and its last resting place was in Lalish . Hence, in Yazidi mythology, the rainbow is linked with Tawûsî Melek and it is believed that he shows his blessing with the sign of rainbow. The first Wednesday of Nîsan (Eastern April) every year is believed to coincide with Tawûsî Melek's descending to earth as light, bringing in
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#17327754545724216-440: 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 , Michael , Israfil and Azrael , and a female angelic being. The mazhariyyats of
4284-407: The speakers of these three languages may once have been in closer contact. Kurdish varieties are divided into three or four groups, with varying degrees of mutual intelligibility. In historical evolution terms, Kurmanji is less modified than Sorani and Pehlewani in both phonetic and morphological structure. The Sorani group has been influenced by among other things its closer cultural proximity to
4352-631: The stage of shai'at (Islamic law). This was followed by the cycle of tariqat (Sufi teachings), then ma'rifat (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
4420-675: The teachings of Sultan Sahak . The majority of Yarsan followers live in Kermanshah Province and adjacent areas of Lorestan Province and Ilam Province in Iran . 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
4488-403: The town of Kerend in Kermanshah Province , Iran are also important shrines. 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
4556-586: The two official languages of Iraq and is in political documents simply referred to as "Kurdish". The Kurdish varieties belong to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European family . They are generally classified as Northwestern Iranian languages, or by some scholars as intermediate between Northwestern and Southwestern Iranian. Martin van Bruinessen notes that "Kurdish has a strong South-Western Iranian element", whereas "Zaza and Gurani [...] do belong to
4624-406: Was Ali ibn Abi Talib , the fourth caliph and first imam of Shia Islam . 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
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