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diff --git a/old/60468-0.txt b/old/60468-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dd43b65..0000000 --- a/old/60468-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5950 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Devil Worship, by Isya Joseph - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Devil Worship - The Sacred Books and Traditions of the Yezidiz - -Author: Isya Joseph - -Release Date: October 10, 2019 [EBook #60468] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEVIL WORSHIP *** - - - - -Produced by MFR, Les Galloway and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - -Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations -in hyphenation have been standardised but all other spelling and -punctuation remains unchanged. - -The precise location of footnote 37 is speculative since it is not -indicated in the original. - -Al-Bertuni is only mentioned once in the book, with an anchor to a -footnote which is not present. The anchor has not been included. - -The first footnote to chapter VII has no anchor, nor any mention of the -apparent topic within the chapter so it has not been indexed. - -Italics are represented thus _italic_, and superscripts thus y^e. - - - - -WORLD WORSHIPS SERIES - - - HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY, in 4 Volumes. _By Andrew Stephenson_ - - SEX WORSHIP AND SYMBOLISM OF PRIMITIVE RACES. _By Sanger Brown, II._ - - DEVIL WORSHIP, THE SACRED BOOKS AND TRADITIONS OF THE YEZIDIZ. _By - Isya Joseph._ - - ZOROASTRIANISM AND JUDAISM. _By George William Carter._ - - MESSIAHS: CHRISTIAN AND PAGAN. _By Wilson D. Wallis._ - - THE DEEPER ASPECTS OF ROMAN EMPEROR-WORSHIP. _By Louis Matthews Sweet._ - - -RICHARD G. BADGER, PUBLISHER, BOSTON - - -[Illustration: THE SYMBOL OF THE DEVIL.] - - - - - DEVIL WORSHIP - - THE SACRED BOOKS AND - TRADITIONS OF THE - YEZIDIZ - - BY - - ISYA JOSEPH, B.A., M.A., PH.D. - - [Illustration] - - BOSTON - RICHARD G. BADGER - THE GORHAM PRESS - - - - - Copyright, 1919, by Richard G. Badger - - All rights reserved - - - The Gorham Press, Boston, U. S. A. - - Made in the United States of America. - - - - - TO MY TEACHERS IN UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, - COLUMBIA, AND HARVARD UNIVERSITIES, THIS - BOOK IS INSCRIBED WITH GRATITUDE - AND ESTEEM - - - - -CONTENTS - - - Chapter Page - - INTRODUCTION—THE ORIGIN OF THE MANUSCRIPT 11 - - NOTES ON THE INTRODUCTION 22 - - - PART I. THE TRANSLATION OF THE - ARABIC TEXT - - PREFACE, IN THE NAME OF THE MOST COMPASSIONATE - GOD 29 - - I. AL-JILWAH—THE REVELATION 30 - - II. MASHAF RES—THE BLACK BOOK 36 - - III. APPENDIX TO PART I. 53 - - IV. THE POEM IN PRAISE OF ŠEIḪ ‘ADI 70 - - V. THE PRINCIPAL PRAYER OF THE YEZIDIS 73 - - VI. SEVEN CLASSES OF YEZIDIS 75 - - VII. THE ARTICLES OF FAITH 77 - - NOTES ON PART I. 83 - - - PART II. THE CRITICAL DISCUSSION - OF YEZIDISM - - I. THE RELIGIOUS ORIGIN OF THE YEZIDIS 89 - - I. The Yezidi Myth 89 - - II. The Christian Tradition 96 - - III. The Speculative Theories of Western - Orientalists 103 - - IV. The Dogmatic View of Mohammedan - Scholars and the Writer’s Own Explanation 118 - - Notes on Part I. 138 - - II. THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN YEZIDISM 145 - - I. The Yezidi View of God 145 - - II. The Deity of the Second Degree 147 - - 1. Melek Ṭâ´ûs 147 - - 2. Šeiḫ ‘Adî 158 - - 3. Yezid 166 - - Notes on Chapter II. 167 - - III. OTHER DEITIES AND FESTIVALS 169 - - I. The So-Called Seven Divinities 169 - - II. The Day of Sarsal or New Year 174 - - Notes on Chapter III. 177 - - IV. SACRAMENTS, RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES AND - SACERDOTAL SYSTEM 178 - - I. Sacraments 178 - - II. Some Other Religious Practices 180 - - III. The Sacerdotal Orders 182 - - Notes on Chapter IV. 185 - - V. THEIR CUSTOMS 186 - - I. Marriage 186 - - II. Funerals 192 - - III. Nationality 194 - - IV. Locality 195 - - V. Dwellings 197 - - VI. The Language 198 - - VII. Occupation 198 - - Notes on Chapter V. 200 - - VI. LIST OF THE YEZIDI TRIBES 201 - - The Tribes Across the River from Mosul 201 - - The Tribes at Sinjar and Jezireh 202 - - The Tribes of Midyat Region 203 - - VII. PERSECUTION 205 - - Notes on Chapter VII. 210 - - - BIBLIOGRAPHY 213 - - INDEX 219 - - - - - DEVIL WORSHIP - - - - -INTRODUCTION - -THE ORIGIN OF THE MANUSCRIPT - - -The Arabic manuscript here translated was presented to me before I left -Mosul by my friend Dâud aṣ-Ṣâîġ as a memento of our friendship. Ḫawâja -aṣ-Ṣâîġ was a man of culture, in sympathy with western thought, and an -intimate acquaintance of M. N. Siouffi, the vice-consul of the French -Republic in Mosul. From the first page of the manuscript it appears -that through some Yezidis he had access to their literature. I know he -was in close touch with many of them, especially with the family of -Mulla Ḥaidar, which is the only Yezidi family that can read and guard -the sacred tradition of the sect. - -The manuscript comprises a brief Introduction, the Sacred Books, and -an Appendix. In the first, the compiler indicates the sources of his -information and gives a sketch of the life of Šeiḫ ‘Adî, the chief -saint of the Yezidis. - -The Sacred Books comprise _Kitâb al-Jilwah_ (Book of Revelation), and -_Maṣḥaf Rêš_ (Black Book)—so named because in it mention is made of the -descent of the Lord upon the Black Mountain (p. 32). _Al Jilwah_[1] -is ascribed to Šeiḫ ‘Adî himself, and would accordingly date from the -twelfth century A. D. It is divided into a brief introduction and -five short chapters. In each, ‘Adî is represented as the speaker. In -the Preface the Šeiḫ says that he existed with Melek Tâ´ûs before -the creation of the world, and that he was sent by his god Tâ´ûs to -instruct the Yezidi sect in truth. In the first chapter he asserts his -omnipresence and omnipotence; in the second he claims to have power -to reward those who obey him and to punish those who disobey him; in -the third he declares that he possesses the treasures of the earth; -in the fourth he warns his followers of the doctrines of those that -are without; and in the fifth he bids them keep his commandments and -obey his servants, who will communicate to them his teachings. The -_Black Book_,[2] which perhaps dates from the thirteenth century, is -larger than the Book of Revelation, but is not divided into chapters. -It begins with the narrative of creation: God finishes his work in -seven days—Sunday to Saturday. In each day he creates an angel or -king (_melek_). Melek Ṭâ´ûs, who is created on Sunday, is made chief -of all. After that Fahr-ad Dîn creates the planets, man, and animals. -Then follows a story about Adam and Eve, their temptation and quarrel; -the coming of the chief angels to the world to establish the Yezidi -kingdom; the flood; the miraculous birth of Yezîd bn Mu‘awiya; and -certain ordinances in regard to food, the New Year, and marriages. - -The Appendix contains the following: - - 1. A collection of materials concerning the Yezidi belief and practice. - - 2. A poem in praise of Šeiḫ ‘Adî. - - 3. The principal prayer of the Yezidis, in the Kurdish language. - - 4. A description of the Yezidi sacerdotal system. - - 5. A petition to the Ottoman government to exempt the sect from - military service, presented in the year 1872 A. D. - -An analysis of the texts shows that the material is taken from -different sources: part of it is clearly derived from the religious -books of the sect; another part from a description of the beliefs -and customs of the sect given by a member of it to an outsider; a -third, partly from observations by an outsider, partly from stories -about Yezidis current among their Christian neighbors. Unfortunately -the compiler does not specify whence each particular part of his -information is obtained. On closer examination it is evident that part, -at least, of the Arabic in hand is a translation from Syriac. - -The Yezidis, frequently called “Devil-Worshippers,” are a small and -obscure religious sect, numbering about 200,000.[3] They are scattered -over a belt of territory three hundred miles wide, extending in length -from the neighborhood of Aleppo in northern Syria to the Caucasus in -southern Russia. The mass of them, however, are to be found in the -mountains of northern and central Kurdistan and among the Sinjar Hills -of Northern Mesopotamia. - -By reason of their mysterious religion, the Devil-Worshipers have -been an object of interest and investigation for several generations. -Our chief firsthand sources of information in regard to the manners, -customs, and practices of these people are: Sir Henry Layard, _Nineveh -and its Remains_ (1849), _Nineveh and Babylon_ (1853); G. P. Badger, -_The Nestorians and their Rituals_ (1852); my honored teacher, Rev. -A. N. Andrus, veteran missionary of the A. B. C. F.M., resident in -Mardin, Mesopotamia, “The Yezidis,” in the _Encyclopaedia of Missions_; -P. Anastase, “The Yezidis,” in the Arabic periodical, _Al-Mašrik_, Vol. -II (1899); Professor A. V. Williams Jackson, of Columbia University, -_Persia Past and Present_ (1906); “The Yezidis,” in the _International -Encyclopaedia, s. v._; also in _J A O S_, XXV, 178; M. N. Siouffi, -in the _Journal Asiatique_, 1882 (vii^e série, T. 20), p. 252, and -1885 (viii^e série, T. 5), p. 78. Siouffi was the first to discover -and establish the historical character of Šeiḫ ‘Adî, about whom the -scholars had been puzzled. He published an extract relating to ‘Adî -from Ibn Ḫallikân’s _Wafaiyât ‘al-Ayân_ (bibliographical work). Of the -second-hand sources of information may be mentioned _Les Yezidis_, by -J. Menant (Paris, 1892), and the article by Victor Dingelstedt, “The -Yezidis,” in the _Scottish Geographical Magazine_, Vol. XIV, pp. 259 -ff.[4] - -In addition to these descriptions, several manuscripts have come to -light of recent years which give a great deal of information about the -beliefs and customs of the Yezidis. - -Two of these manuscripts are in the Bibliothèque Nationale, in Paris -(_Fond Syriaque_, Nos. 306 and 325). A translation of the Arabic -(Carshuni) texts in these manuscripts relative to the Yezidis was -published by Professor E. H. Browne in an appendix to O. H. Parry, -_Six Months in a Syrian Monastery_, 1895. Professor Browne at that -time proposed to edit the Arabic text (see J.-B. Chabot, _Journal -Asiatique_, 1896, ix^e série, T. 7, p. 100); but so far as I can -ascertain this intention has not been carried out. - -The manuscript translated by Browne, which according to Parry (_loc. -cit._, p. 357) was written by a native of Mosul, seems to be closely -related to that translated below. There are, however, some differences -in contents and arrangement: my copy is divided into the Book of -Revelation, the Black Book, and an Appendix; while Browne’s embraces -the Book of Revelation which corresponds to that in my manuscript), -and two other “Accounts,” the greater part of which is contained in -the Black Book of my text, and the rest in the Appendix. Further, in -my manuscript _Al-Jilwah_ immediately follows the Introduction; while -in Browne’s the discussion of the sacerdotal system, the petition to -the Ottoman government, and some other matters, are inserted between -the Introduction and _Al-Jilwah_. In Browne’s, moreover, the Poem -in Praise of Šeiḫ ‘Adî, and the Principal Prayer (in Kurdish) are -absent, while the petition to the Turkish government is briefer, and -lacks articles iv and xiv. The text of this petition, in its original -form, was published by Lidzbarski in _Z D M G_, LI, 592 ff., after a -manuscript in Berlin which was procured from Šammas Eremia Šamir. - -Two Syriac texts have also been printed. The first, edited and -translated by J.-B. Chabot in the _Journal Asiatique_, 1896 (ix^e -série, T. 7), p. 100 ff., from the Paris manuscripts referred to above, -corresponds, with slight variations, to the second “Account,” of Browne -(Parry, _loc. cit._, pp. 380-87). - -The second was published with an Italian translation, by Samuel Giamil, -under the title, _Monte Singar; Storia di un Popolo Ignoto_ (Rome, -1900), from a manuscript copied for him in 1899 from an original in -the monastery of Rabban Hormizd. The author of this work, a Syrian -priest, Isaac, lived for a long time among the Yezidis, and not only -had unusual opportunities of observation, but, as is evident from -several anecdotes, possessed their confidence and esteem in a singular -degree. His work is in catechetical form: a youthful Yezidi inquirer -questions a teacher about the beliefs, traditions, and customs of his -people, and the answers contain the fullest exposition of these matters -we at present possess. Occasionally the author falls out of his role, -and lets it appear that the questioner is no other than Priest Isaac -himself. - -The work is divided into ten sections, which treat respectively of the -works of God and his abode (p. 3); the creation of Adam and Eve (p. 8); -the wonderful deeds of the god Yezîd (p. 16); the Yezidi saints (p. -27); the New-Year (p. 32); marriage customs (p. 46); death and burial -(p. 53); the pilgrimage to Šeiḫ ‘Adî’s shrine (p. 67); the festivals -and assemblies at Šeiḫ ‘Adî (p. 80); and the Yezidi kings (p. 87). - -Apart from the _Kitâb al-Jilwah_, Priest Isaac’s work is clearly the -source from which is derived most of the material in the Syriac and -Arabic manuscripts that have hitherto come to light. - -Beside the Arabic manuscript from Dâud aṣ-Ṣâîḡ which is translated -below, I have in my possession two others, which were sent me by the -Rev. A. N. Andrus. The first of these written by Šammas Eremia Šamir -(designated in the notes hereafter as SS), seems to be a duplicate of -that from which Browne’s translation was made. They agree in contents -and arrangement, and in certain readings in which they differ from the -other texts. At the close of SS the writer says that he compiled it -(chiefly from _Al-Jilwah_) for the benefit of some of his friends who -wished to acquaint themselves with the Yezidi religion. - -The origin of the Yezidi sect has been the subject of much discussion, -but no satisfactory solution of the problem has as yet been reached. -There are those who assert that the Yezidis are the remains of the -ancient Manichaeans;[5] others entertain the view that the Yezidis were -originally Christians, whom progressive ignorance has brought into -their present condition[6]—some even going so far as to connect the -name “Yezidi” with “Jesus”![7] Some think that the Yezidi sect takes -its name from the Persian word _yazd_, ‘god, or good spirit,’ over -against Ahriman, the evil principle;[8] while others associate it with -_Yazd_ or _Yezid_, a town in central Persia, the inhabitants of which -are chiefly Parsees.[9] Some finally maintain that the sect was founded -by Šeiḫ ‘Adî.[10] - -The Yezidis themselves had a curious legend connecting the name with -the Caliph Yezîd bn Mu‘âwiya[11] (see p. 37). - -In a dissertation presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in -Harvard University I called attention to a statement of aš-Šahrastânî -the importance of which seems hitherto not to have been appreciated, -but which appears to me to give the most probable explanation of the -name and of the original affinities of the sect. The passage is as -follows (_Kitâb al Milal wan-Nihal_, ed. Cureton, I, 101): - - The Yezidis are the followers of Yezîd bn Unaisa, who kept friendship - with the first Muhakkama, before the Azariḳa; he separated himself - from those who followed after them with the exception of the - Abadiyah,[12] for with these he kept friendly. He believed that God - would send an apostle from among the Persians, and would reveal - to him a book that is already written in heaven, and would reveal - the whole (book) to him at one time,[13] and as a result he would - leave the religion of Mohammed, the Chosen One—may God bless and - save him!—and follow the religion of the Sabians mentioned in the - Koran.[14] (These are not the Sabians who are found in Ḥarân and - Wasit.[15]) But Yezîd associated himself with the people of the Book - who recognized the Chosen One as a prophet, even though they did not - accept his (Mohammed’s) religion. And he said that the followers of - the ordinances are among those who agree with him; but that others are - hiding the truth and give companions to God, and that every sin, small - or great, is idolatry.[16] - -The statement of Aš-Šahrastânî is so clear that it can bear no other -interpretation than that the Yezidis were the followers of Yezîd bn -Unaisa. He calls them his _´aṣḥâb_, that is, his followers, a term by -which he designates the relation between a sect and its founder.[17] -The statement comes from the pen of one who is considered of the -highest authority among the Arab scholars on questions relating to -philosophical and religious sects.[18] This precise definition of the -position of Yezîd bn Unaisa in the sectarian conflicts of the first -century of Islam seems to show that he had exact information about him. - -The prediction about the Persian prophet is quoted, almost in the same -words, by another great Mohammedan authority on religious sects, Ibn -Ḥazm, who lived a century before Aš-Šahrastânî. (The Egyptian edition -of Ibn Ḥazm, Vol. IV, p. 188, reads Zaid bn Abi _Ubaisa_; but that -Unaisa should be restored is evident from the fact that Ibn Ḥazm is at -pains to distinguish the author of this unorthodox prediction from the -well-known traditionist of the name—e. g., Tabari, I, 135.[19] - -The prophecy was perhaps preserved among the leaders of the Abaḍiya, -with which sect Yezîd bn Unaisa is associated. Aš-Šahrastânî’s -statement, the significant part of which we have found also in Ibn Ḥazm -was doubtless derived from an older written source. - -Who is intended by the coming Persian prophet—if, indeed, any -particular individual is meant—it is not possible to determine. -Kremer[20] cannot be right in identifying him with Šeiḫ ‘Adî, for the -supposed prediction was in circulation a century or more before his -time. He is said to have been, not a Persian, but a Syrian from Baalbek -or elsewhere in the West; and both in Arabic authors[21] and in his own -writings[22] he appears as a Moslem, a Sufi saint in good standing. The -Yezidis to this day await the appearance of the Persian prophet.[23] - -On the basis of these scanty bits of fact, it appears that: The Yezidis -were originally a Ḫarijite[24] sub-sect, akin to the Abadiya, bearing -the name of their founder, Yezîd bn Unaisa. Certain distinctive -Ḫarijite peculiarities seem indeed to have outlived among them the -common faith of Islam; such as the tolerant judgment of Jews and -Christians; the condemnation of every sin as implicit idolatry. In -their new seats in Kurdistan, whither they migrated about the end of -the fourteenth century[25] they were drawn into the movement of which -Šeiḫ ‘Adî was in his life time the leader and after his death the -saint, and ended by making of him the incarnation of God in the present -age.[26] With this they joined elements drawn from Christianity,[27] -with here and there a trace of Judaism, and with large survivals of the -persistent old Semitic heathenism, many of which they share with their -neighbors of all creeds. - -Difficult problems,[28] however, remain unsolved, especially the origin -and nature of the worship of Melek Ṭâ´ûs.[29] The certain thing is that -the actual religion of the Yezidis is a syncretism, to which Moslem, -Christian (heretical, rather than orthodox), pagan, and perhaps also -Persian religions have contributed.[30] - - -NOTES ON THE INTRODUCTION - - [1] Al-Jilwah is said to have been written in 558 A. H., by Šeiḫ - Faḫr-ad-Dîn, the secretary of Šeiḫ ‘Adî, at the dictation of the - latter. The original copy, wrapped in linen and silk wrappings, is - kept in the house of Mulla Ḥaidar, of Baadrie. Twice a year the book - is taken to Šeiḫ ‘Adî’s shrine. (Letter from Šammas Jeremia Šamir to - Mr. A. N. Andrus, of Mardin, dated October 28, 1892.) - - [2] The Black Book is said to have been written by a certain Ḥasan - al-Baṣrî, in 743 A. H. The original copy is kept in the house of - Kehyah (chief) ‘Ali, of Kasr ‘Az-ad-Dîn, one hour west of Semale, a - village east of Tigris. The book rests upon a throne, having over it a - thin covering of red broadcloth, of linen, and other wrappings. Then - is disclosed the binding, which is of wood. - - [3] The exact number of the Yezidis is unknown. See also Société de - Géographie de l’Est, _Bulletin_, 1903, p. 284; Al Mašriḳ, II, 834. - - [4] For a fuller account of the literature on the Yezidis, consult J. - Menant, _Les Yézidis_, and Paul Perdrizet, Société de Géographie de - l’Est, _Bulletin_, 1903, pp. 281 ff. - - [5] Société de Géographie de l’Est, _Bulletin_, 1903, p. 297. - - [6] Fraser, _Mesopotamia and Persia_, pp. 285, 287; Rich, _Residence - in Kurdistan_, II, 69; _Al Mašriḳ_, II, 396; Badger, _The Nestorians - and their Rituals_, I, 111; Assemani, _Bibliotheca Orientalis_, III, - 439. - - [7] Michel Febvre, _Theatre de la Turquie_, p. 364; Société de - Géographie de l‘Est, _Bulletin_, 1903, pp. 299, 301; cf. also J. - Menant, _Les Yézidis_, pp. 52, 86, 132. - - [8] Oppenheim, _Vom Mittelmeer zum persischen Golf_, 1900, II, 148; - Victor Dingelstedt, _Scottish Geographical Magazine_, XIV, 295; - Southgate, _A Tour through Armenia_, II, 317; A. V. Williams Jackson, - “Yezidis,” in the _New International Encyclopedia_, XVII, 939; - Perdrizet, loc. cit., p. 299. - - [9] A. V. Williams Jackson, _Persia Past and Present_, p. 10, _New - International Encyclopedia_, “Yezidis;” Perdrizet, loc. cit. - - [10] Dingelstedt, loc. cit.; _Revue de l’Orient Chrétien_, I, - “Kurdistan.” - - [11] Société de Géographie de l’Est, loc. cit.; _Encyclopedia of - Missions_, “Yezidis”; A. V. Williams Jackson, loc. cit. - - [12] On these sects consult Aš-Šahrastânî, I, 86, 89, 100. - - [13] Not like Mohammed, to whom, according to Moslem belief, the Koran - was revealed at intervals. - - [14] On the Ṣabians of the Koran, see Baiḍâwi and Zamaḫšari on _Suras_ - 2, 59; 5, 73; 22, 17. - - [15] On the Ṣabians of Ḥarrân, see Fihrist, p. 190; on the Ṣabians in - general consult Aš-Šahrastânî, II, 203; on the location of Ḥarrân and - Wasit, see Yaḳût, II, 331, and IV, 881. - - [16] To get more particular information in regard to Yezîd bn Unaisa, - I wrote to Mosul, Bagdad, and Cairo, the three centers of Mohammedan - learning, and strange to say, none could throw any light on the - subject. - - [17] Al-Haraṯiyah he describes as _Aṣḥâb Al_-Ḥareṭ (I, 101), - al-Ḥafaziyah, Aṣḥâb Ḥafez (_ibid._), etc. - - [18] Ibn Ḫallikân says: “Aš-Šahrastânî, a dogmatic theologian of the - Ašarite sect, was distinguished as an Imâm and a doctor of the law. He - displayed the highest abilities as a jurisconsult. The _Kitâb al-Milal - wa-n-Nihal_ (this is the book in which Aš-Šahrastânî traces the Yezidi - sect to Yezîd bn Unaisa) is one of his works on scholastic theology. - He remained without an equal in that branch of science.” - - [19] It is to be noticed also that the name “Unaisa” is very common - among the Arabs; cf. Ibn Sa‘ad (ed. Sachau), III, 254, 260, 264, 265, - 281, 283, 287, 289; Musnad, VI, 434; Mishkat, 22, 724. - - [20] _Geschichte der herrschenden Ideen des Islams_, p. 195. - - [21] Ibn Ḫallikân (Egyptian edit., A. H. 1310), I, 316; Mohammed - al-‘Omari, al-Mauṣili, “Šeiḫ ‘Adî,” quoted by M. N. Siouffi, _Journal - asiatique_, 1885, 80; Yaḳut, IV, 374. - - [22] ‘Itiḳad Ahl as-Sunna, “Belief of the Sunnites,” the Waṣaya, - “Counsels to the Califs”; cf. C. Huart, _History of Arabic - Literature_, p. 273. - - [23] See p. 61 of this book. - - [24] Aš-Šahrastânî regards them a Ḫarijíte sub-sect. - - [25] Layard, _Nineveh and its Remains_, II, 254. - - [26] Mohammed al-‘Omari al-Mausili and Yâsîn al-Ḫâtib al-‘Omari - al-Mauṣili, “Šeiḫ ‘Adî,” quoted by M. N. Siouffi, _Journal asiatique_, - Série viii, V (1885), 80. - - [27] George Warda, Bishop of Arbila, _Poems_, edited by Heinrich - Hilgenfeld, Leipzig, 1904. - - [28] Such as their ceremonies at Šeiḫ ‘Adî (Badger, _The Nestorians_, - I, 117), which have obtained for them the name Cheraḡ Sonderan, “The - Extinguishers of Light.” Bar Hebraeus (_Chronicon Eccles._, ed. - Abeloos-Lamy, I, 219) speaks of similar practices among what he - calls “Borborians,” a branch of the Manichaeans, and calls them “The - Extinguishers of Light.” This name is applied to other eastern sects - also; see _Abhandlungen für die Kunde des Morgenlandes_, V, 124. - - [29] Professor Jackson, of Columbia University, seems to trace it to - the “old devil-worship in Mazandaran” (_J A O S_, XXV, 178). But it is - not certain that the Yezidis believe in Melek Ṭâ´ûs as an evil spirit. - In the history of religion the god of one people is the devil of - another. Asura is a deity in the Rig Veda and an evil spirit only in - later Brahman theology. In Islam the gods of heathenism are degraded - into jinns, just as the gods of North Semitic heathenism are called - še‘îrîm (hairy demons) in Lev. 17:7; or as the gods of Greece and Rome - became devils to early Christians. See W. R. Smith, _Religion of the - Semites_, p. 120; Fihrist, pp. 322, 326. - - Professor M. Lidzbarski (_Z D M G_, LI, 592), on the other hand, - argues that Ṭâ´ûs is the god Tammuz. His contention is based on the - assumption that the word Ṭâ´ûs must embody the ancient god; that in - Fihrist, 322, the god Tâuz has a feast on the 15th of Tammuz (July); - that in Kurdish, the language of the Yezidis, _m_ is frequently - changed to _w_. This theory also is untenable, for one might guess at - any ancient god. The exact form of the name “Tauz” is uncertain (see - Chwolsohn, _Die Ssabier_, II, 202); the statement that in Kurdish _m_ - is frequently changed to _w_ is not true, if one would set it up as - a grammatical rule to explain such phenomena; the Kurdish-speaking - people never pronounce Tammuz, “Tauz;” and, finally, in the Yezidi - conception of Melek Ṭâ´ûs there are no traces of the notion held - respecting Tammuz. - - [30] Such a state of affairs finds a historical parallel in other - religions. Take, for example, Christianity. In it we find that the - distinctive characteristics of the founder have been wrapped up - in many foreign elements brought in by those who came from other - religions. - - - - - PART I - - THE TRANSLATION OF THE ARABIC TEXT - -PREFACE - -_In the Name of the Most Compassionate God!_ - - -With the help of the Most High God, and under his direction, we write -the history of the Yezidis, their doctrines, and the mysteries of their -religion, as contained in their books, which reached our hand with -their own knowledge and consent. - -In the time of Al-Muḳtadir Billah, A. H. 295,[31] there lived -Manṣûr-al-Ḥallâj,[32] the wool-carder, and Šeiḫ ‘Abd-al-ḳâdir of -Jîlân.[33] At that time, too, there appeared a man by the name of Šeiḫ -‘Adî, from the mountain of Hakkari,[34] originally from the region of -Aleppo or Baalbek. He came and dwelt in Mount Lališ,[35] near the city -of Moṣul, about nine hours distant from it. Some say he was of the -people of Ḥarrân, and related to Marwân ibn-al-Ḥakam. His full name -is Šaraf ad-Dîn Abû-l-Fadâîl, ‘Adî bn Musâfir bn Ismael bn Mousa bn -Marwân bn Al-Ḥasan bn Marwân. He died A. H. 558 (A. D. 1162-63). His -tomb is still visited; it is near Ba‘adrei, one of the villages of -Moṣul, distant eleven hours. The Yezidis are the progeny of those who -were the _murids_ (disciples) of Šeiḫ ‘Adî. Some trace their origin to -Yezid,[36] others to Ḥasan-Al-Baṣrî.[37] - - -AL-JILWAH (THE REVELATION) - - -Before all creation this revelation was with Melek Tâ´ûs, who sent -‘Abd Tâ´ûs to this world that he might separate truth known to his -particular people. This was done, first of all, by means of oral -tradition, and afterward by means of this book, Al-Jilwah, which the -outsiders may neither read nor behold. - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -I was, am now, and shall have no end. I exercise dominion over all -creatures and over the affairs of all who are under the protection -of my image. I am ever present to help all who trust in me and call -upon me in time of need. There is no place in the universe that knows -not my presence. I participate in all the affairs which those who are -without call evil because their nature is not such as they approve. -Every age has its own manager, who directs affairs according to my -decrees. This office is changeable from generation to generation, that -the ruler of this world and his chiefs may discharge the duties of -their respective offices every one in his own turn. I allow everyone -to follow the dictates of his own nature, but he that opposes me will -regret it sorely. No god has a right to interfere in my affairs, and -I have made it an imperative rule that everyone shall refrain from -worshiping all gods. All the books of those who are without are altered -by them; and they have declined from them, although they were written -by the prophets and the apostles. That there are interpolations is -seen in the fact that each sect endeavors to prove that the others are -wrong and to destroy their books. To me truth and falsehood are known. -When temptation comes, I give my covenant to him that trusts in me. -Moreover, I give counsel to the skilled directors, for I have appointed -them for periods that are known to me. I remember necessary affairs -and execute them in due time. I teach and guide those who follow my -instruction. If anyone obey me and conform to my commandments, he shall -have joy, delight, and goodness. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -I requite the descendants of Adam, and reward them with various rewards -that I alone know. Moreover, power and dominion over all that is on -earth, both that which is above and that which is beneath, are in my -hand. I do not allow friendly association with other people, nor do I -deprive them that are my own and that obey me of anything that is good -for them. I place my affairs in the hands of those whom I have tried -and who are in accord with my desires. I appear in divers manners to -those who are faithful and under my command. I give and take away; I -enrich and impoverish; I cause both happiness and misery. I do all -this in keeping with the characteristics of each epoch. And none has a -right to interfere with my management of affairs. Those who oppose me -I afflict with disease; but my own shall not die like the sons of Adam -that are without. None shall live in this world longer than the time -set by me; and if I so desire, I send a person a second or a third time -into this world or into some other by the transmigration of souls. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -I lead to the straight path without a revealed book; I direct aright my -beloved and my chosen ones by unseen means. All my teachings are easily -applicable to all times and all conditions. I punish in another world -all who do contrary to my will. Now the sons of Adam do not know the -state of things that is to come. For this reason they fall into many -errors. The beasts of the earth, the birds of heaven, and the fish of -the sea are all under the control of my hands. All treasures and hidden -things are known to me; and as I desire, I take them from one and -bestow them upon another. I reveal my wonders to those who seek them, -and in due time my miracles to those who receive them from me. But -those who are without are my adversaries, hence they oppose me. Nor do -they know that such a course is against their own interests, for might, -wealth, and riches are in my hand, and I bestow them upon every worthy -descendant of Adam. Thus the government of the worlds, the transition -of generations, and the changes of their directors are determined by me -from the beginning. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -I will not give my rights to other gods. I have allowed the creation -of four substances, four times, and four corners; because they are -necessary things for creatures. The books of Jews, Christians, and -Moslems, as of those who are without, accept in a sense, i. e., so -far as they agree with, and conform to, my statutes. Whatsoever is -contrary to these they have altered; do not accept it. Three things -are against me, and I hate three things. But those who keep my secrets -shall receive the fulfilment of my promises. Those who suffer for my -sake I will surely reward in one of the worlds. It is my desire that -all my followers shall unite in a bond of unity, lest those who are -without prevail against them. Now, then, all ye who have followed my -commandments and my teachings, reject all the teachings and sayings of -such as are without. I have not taught these teachings, nor do they -proceed from me. Do not mention my name nor my attributes, lest ye -regret it; for ye do not know what those who are without may do. - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -O ye that have believed in me, honor my symbol and my image, for they -remind you of me. Observe my laws and statutes. Obey my servants and -listen to whatever they may dictate to you of the hidden things. -Receive that that is dictated, and do not carry it before those who are -without, Jews, Christians, Moslems, and others; for they know not the -nature of my teaching. Do not give them your books, lest they alter -them without your knowledge. Learn by heart the greater part of them, -lest they be altered. - -Thus endeth the book of Al-Jilwah, which is followed by the book of -Maṣḥaf Reš, i. e., the Black Book. - - -MASHAF REŠ (THE BLACK BOOK) - -In the beginning God created the White Pearl out of his most precious -essence. He also created a bird named Angar. He placed the White -Pearl on the back of the bird, and dwelt on it for forty thousand -years. On the first day, Sunday, God created Melek Anzazîl, and he is -Ṭâ´ûs-Melek, the chief of all. On Monday he created Melek Dardâel, and -he is Šeiḫ Ḥasan. Tuesday he created Melek Israfel, and he is Šeiḫ -Šams (ad-Dîn). Wednesday he created Melek Miḫâel, and he is Šeiḫ Abû -Bakr. Thursday he created Melek Azrâel, and he is Sajad-ad-Dîn. Friday -he created Melek Šemnâel, and he is Naṣir-ad-Dîn. Saturday he created -Melek Nurâel, and he is Yadin (Faḫr-ad-Dîn). And he made Melek Ṭâ´ûs -ruler over all.[38] - -After this God made the form of the seven heavens, the earth, the sun, -and the moon. But Faḫr-ad-Dîn created man and the animals, and birds -and beasts. He put them all in pockets of cloth, and came out of the -Pearl accompanied by the Angels. Then he shouted at the Pearl with a -loud voice. Thereupon the White Pearl broke up into four pieces, and -from its midst came out the water which became an ocean. The world -was round, and was not divided. Then he created Gabriel and the image -of the bird. He sent Gabriel to set the four corners. He also made a -vessel and descended in it for thirty thousand years. After this he -came and dwelt in Mount Lališ. Then he cried out at the world, and the -sea became solidified and the land appeared, but it began to shake. -At this time he commanded Gabriel to bring two pieces of the White -Pearl; one he placed beneath the earth, the other stayed at the gate -of heaven. He then placed in them the sun and the moon; and from the -scattered pieces of the White Pearl he created the stars which he hung -in heaven as ornaments. He also created fruit-bearing trees and plants -and mountains for ornaments to the earth. He created the throne over -the carpet.[39] Then the Great God said: “O Angels, I will create Adam -and Eve; and from the essence of Adam shall proceed Šehar bn Jebr, -and of him a separate community shall appear upon the earth, that of -Azazîl, i. e., that of Melek Ṭâ´ûs, which is the sect of the Yezidis. -Then he sent Šeiḫ ‘Adî bn Musâfir from the land of Syria, and he came -(and dwelt in Mount) Lališ. Then the Lord came down to the Black -Mountain. Shouting, he created thirty thousand Meleks, and divided them -into three divisions. They worshiped him for forty thousand years, when -he delivered them to Melek Ṭâ´ûs who went up with them to heaven. At -this time the Lord came down to the Holy Land (al-ḳuds), and commanded -Gabriel to bring earth from the four corners of the world, earth, air, -fire, and water. He created it and put in it the spirit of his own -power, and called it Adam. - -Then he commanded Gabriel to escort Adam into Paradise, and to tell -him that he could eat from all the trees but not of wheat.[40] Here -Adam remained for a hundred years. Thereupon, Melek Ṭâ´ûs asked God -how Adam could multiply and have descendants if he were forbidden to -eat of the grain. God answered, “I have put the whole matter into thy -hands.” Thereupon Melek Ṭâ´ûs visited Adam and said “Have you eaten -of the grain?” He answered, “No, God forbade me.” Melek Ṭâ´ûs replied -and said, “Eat of the grain and all shall go better with thee.” Then -Adam ate of the grain and immediately his belly was inflated. But Melek -Ṭâ´ûs drove him out of the garden, and leaving him, ascended into -heaven. Now Adam was troubled because his belly was inflated, for he -had no outlet. God therefore sent a bird to him which pecked at his -anus and made an outlet, and Adam was relieved. - -Now Gabriel was away from Adam for a hundred years. And Adam was sad -and weeping. Then God commanded Gabriel to create Eve from under the -left shoulder of Adam. Now it came to pass, after the creation of Eve -and of all the animals, that Adam and Eve quarreled over the question -whether the human race should be descended from him or her, for each -wished to be the sole begetter of the race. This quarrel originated -in their observation of the fact that among animals both the male and -the female were factors in the production of their respective species. -After a long discussion Adam and Eve agreed on this: each should cast -his seed into a jar, close it, and seal it with his own seal, and -wait for nine months. When they opened the jars at the completion of -this period, they found in Adam’s jar two children, male and female. -Now from these two our sect, the Yezidis, are descended. In Eve’s -jar they found naught but rotten worms emitting a foul odor. And God -caused nipples to grow for Adam that he might suckle the children that -proceeded from his jar. This is the reason why man has nipples. - -After this Adam knew Eve, and she bore two children, male and female; -and from these the Jews, the Christians, the Moslems, and other nations -and sects are descended. But our first fathers are Šeth, Noah, and -Enosh, the righteous ones, who were descended from Adam only. - -It came to pass that trouble arose between a man and his wife, -resulting from the denial on the part of the woman that the man was -her husband. The man persisted in his claim that she was his wife. -The trouble between the two was settled, however, through one of the -righteous men of our sect, who decreed that at every wedding a drum and -a pipe should be played as a testimony to the fact that such a man and -such a woman were married legally. - -Then Melek Ṭâ´ûs came down to earth for our sect (i. e., the Yezidis), -the created ones, and appointed kings for us, besides the kings of -ancient Assyria, Nisroch, who is Našir-ad-Dîn; Kamush, who is Melek -Faḫr-ad-Dîn, and Artâmîs, who is Melek Šams-(ad-)Dîn. After this we had -two kings, Šabur (Sapor) First (224-272 A. D.) and Second (309-379), -who reigned one hundred and fifty years; and our amirs down to the -present day have been descended from their seed. But we hated four -kings. - -Before Christ came into this world our religion was paganism. King -Ahab was from among us. And the god of Ahab was called Beelzebub. -Nowadays we call him Pir Bub. We had a king in Babylon, whose name was -Baḫtnaṣar; another in Persia, whose name was Aḥšuraš; and still another -in Constantinople, whose name was Agriḳâlus. The Jews, the Christians, -the Moslems, and even the Persians, fought us; but they failed to -subdue us, for in the strength of the Lord we prevailed against them. -He teaches us the first and last science. And one of his teachings is: - -Before heaven and earth existed, God was on the sea, as we -formerly wrote you. He made himself a vessel and traveled in it in -_kunsiniyat_[41] of the seas, thus enjoying himself in himself. He then -created the White Pearl and ruled over it for forty years. Afterward, -growing angry at the Pearl, he kicked it; and it was a great surprise -to see the mountains formed out of its cry; the hills out of its -wonders; the heavens out of its smoke. Then God ascended to heaven, -solidified it, established it without pillars. He then spat upon the -ground, and taking a pen in hand, began to write a narrative of all the -creation. - -In the beginning he created six gods from himself and from his light, -and their creation was as one lights a light from another light. And -God said, “Now I have created the heavens; let some one of you go up -and create something therein.” Thereupon the second god ascended and -created the sun; the third, the moon; the fourth, the vault of heaven; -the fifth, the _farḡ_ (i. e., the morning star); the sixth, paradise; -the seventh, hell. We have already told you that after this they -created Adam and Eve. - -And know that besides the flood of Noah, there was another flood in -this world. Now our sect, the Yezidis, are descended from Na‘umi, an -honored person, king of peace. We call him Melek Miran. The other -sects are descended from Ham, who despised his father. The ship rested -at a village called ‘Ain Sifni,[42] distant from Mosul about five -parasangs. The cause of the first flood was the mockery of those who -were without, Jews, Christians, Moslems, and others descended from -Adam and Eve. We, on the other hand, are descended from Adam only, as -already indicated. This second flood came upon our sect, the Yezidis. -As the water rose and the ship floated, it came above Mount Sinjar,[43] -where it ran aground and was pierced by a rock. The serpent twisted -itself like a cake and stopped the hole. Then the ship moved on and -rested on Mount Judie. - -Now the species of the serpent increased, and began to bite man and -animal. It was finally caught and burned, and from its ashes fleas were -created. From the time of the flood until now are seven thousand years. -In every thousand years one of the seven gods descends to establish -rules, statutes, and laws, after which he returns to his abode. While -below, he sojourns with us, for we have every kind of holy places. This -last time the god dwelt among us longer than any of the other gods -who came before him. He confirmed the saints. He spoke in the Kurdish -language. He also illuminated Mohammed, the prophet of the Ishmaelites, -who had a servant named Mu‘âwiya. When God saw that Mohammed was not -upright before him, he afflicted him with a headache. The prophet then -asked his servant to shave his head, for Mu‘âwiya knew how to shave. -He shaved his master in haste, and with some difficulty. As a result, -he cut his head and made it bleed. Fearing that the blood might drop -to the ground, Mu‘âwiya licked it with his tongue. Whereupon Mohammed -asked, “What are you doing, Mu‘âwiya?” He replied, “I licked thy blood -with my tongue, for I feared that it might drop to the ground.” Then -Mohammed said to him, “You have sinned, O Mu‘âwiya, you shall draw a -nation after you. You shall oppose my sect.” Mu‘âwiya answered and -said, “Then I will not enter the world; I will not marry.” - -It came to pass that after some time God sent scorpions upon Mu‘âwiya, -which bit him, causing his face to break out with poison. Physicians -urged him to marry lest he die. Hearing this, he consented. They -brought him an old woman, eighty years of age, in order that no -child might be born. Mu‘âwiya knew his wife, and in the morning she -appeared a woman of twenty-five, by the power of the great God. And -she conceived and bore our god Yezid. But the foreign sects, ignorant -of this fact, say that our god came from heaven, dispised and driven -out by the great God. For this reason they blaspheme him. In this they -have erred. But we, the Yezidi sect, believe this not, for we know that -he is one of the above-mentioned seven gods. We know the form of his -person and his image. It is the form of a cock which we possess. None -of us is allowed to utter his name, nor anything that resembles it, -such as _šeitân_ (Satan), _ḳaitân_ (cord), _šar_ (evil), _šat_ (river), -and the like. Nor do we pronounce _mal‘ûn_ (accursed), or _la‘anat_ -(curse), or _na‘al_[44] (horseshoe), or any word that has a similar -sound. All these are forbidden us out of respect for him. So _ḫass_ -(lettuce) is debarred. We do not eat it, for it sounds like the name -of our prophetess Ḫassiah. Fish is prohibited, in honor of Jonah the -prophet. Likewise deer, for deer are the sheep of one of our prophets. -The peacock is forbidden to our Šeiḫ and his disciples, for the sake of -our Ṭâ´ûs. Squash also is debarred. It is forbidden to pass water while -standing, or to dress up while sitting down, or to go to the toilet -room, or to take a bath according to the custom of the people.[45] -Whosoever does contrary to this is an infidel. Now the other sects, -Jews, Christians, Moslems, and others, know not these things, because -they dislike Melek Ṭâ´ûs. He, therefore, does not teach them, nor does -he visit them. But he dwelt among us; he delivered to us the doctrines, -the rules, and the traditions, all of which have become an inheritance, -handed down from father to son. After this, Melek Ṭâ´ûs returned to -heaven. - -One of the seven gods made the _sanjaḳs_[46] (standards) and gave them -to Solomon the wise. After his death our kings received them. And when -our god, the barbarian Yezîd, was born, he received these _sanjaḳs_ -with great reverence, and bestowed them upon our sect. Moreover, he -composed two songs in the Kurdish language to be sung before the -_sanjaḳas_ in this language, which is the most ancient and acceptable -one. The meaning of the song is this: - - Hallelujah to the jealous God. - -As they sing it, they march before the _sanjaḳs_ with timbrels and -pipes. These _sanjaḳs_ remain with our emir, who sits on the throne of -Yezîd. When these are sent away, the _ḳawwâls_ assemble with the emir, -and the great general, the šeiḫ, who is the representative of Šeiḫ -Nasir-ad-Dîn, i. e., Nisroch, god of the ancient Assyrians.[47] They -visit the _sanjaḳs_. Then they send each _sanjaḳ_ in care of a _ḳawwâl_ -to its own place; one to Ḫalataneye, one to Aleppo, one to Russia, -and one to Sinjar. These _sanjaḳs_ are given to four _ḳawwâls_ by -contract. Before they are sent, they are brought to Šeiḫ ‘Adî’s tomb, -where they are baptized amid great singing and dancing. After this -each of the contractors takes a load of dust from Šeiḫ ‘Adî’s tomb. He -fashions it into small balls, each about the size of a gall nut, and -carries them along with the _sanjaḳs_ to give them away as blessings. -When he approaches a town, he sends a crier before him to prepare the -people to accept the _ḳawwâl_ and his _sanjaḳ_ with respect and honor. -All turn out in fine clothes, carrying incense. The women shout, and -all together sing joyful songs. The _ḳawwâl_ is entertained by the -people with whom he stops. The rest give him silver presents, everyone -according to his means. - -Besides these four _sanjaḳs_, there are three others, seven in all. -These three are kept in a sacred place for purposes of healing. Two -of them, however, remain with Šeiḫ ‘Adî, and the third remains in the -village of Baḥazanie, which is distant from Mosul about four hours. -Every four months these _ḳawwâls_ travel about. One of them must -travel in the province of the emir. They travel in a fixed order, -differing each year. Every time he goes out, the traveler must cleanse -himself with water made sour with _summaḳ_ (sumac) and anoint himself -with an oil. He must also light a lamp at each idol that has a chamber. -This is the law that pertains to the _sanjaḳs_. - -The first day of our new year is called the _Serṣâlie_, i. e., the -beginning of a year. It falls on the Wednesday of the first week -in April.[48] On that day there must be meat in every family. The -wealthy must slaughter a lamb or an ox; the poor must kill a chicken -or something else. These should be cooked on the night, the morning -of which is Wednesday, New Year’s day. With the break of day the food -should be blessed. On the first day of the year alms should be given at -tombs where the souls of the dead lie. - -Now the girls, large and small, are to gather from the fields flowers -of every kind that have a reddish color. They are to make them into -bundles, and, after keeping them three days, they are to hang them -on the doors[49] as a sign of the baptism of the people living in -the houses. In the morning all doors will be seen well decorated -with red lilies. But women are to feed the poor and needy who pass -by and have no food; this is to be done at the graves. But as to the -_ḳawwâls_, they are to go around the tombs with timbrels, singing in -the Kurdish language. For so doing they are entitled to money. On the -above-mentioned day of _Serṣâlie_ no instruments of joy are to be -played, because God is sitting on the throne (arranging decrees for -the year),[50] and commanding all the wise and the neighbors to come to -him. And when he tells them that he will come down to earth with song -and praise, all arise and rejoice before him and throw upon each the -squash of the feast. Then God seals them with his own seal. And the -great God gives a sealed decision to the god who is to come down. He, -moreover, grants him power to do all things according to his own will. -God prefers doing good and charity to fasting and praying. The worship -of any idol, such as Seyed-ad-Dîn or Šeiḫ Šams is better than fasting. -Some layman is to give a banquet to a _kôchak_ after the fasting of the -latter forty days, whether it be in summer or in winter. If he (the -_kôchak_) says this entertainment is an alms given to the _sanjaḳ_, -then he is not released from his fasting. When it comes to pass that -the yearly tithe-gatherer finds that the people have not fully paid -their tithes, he whips them till they become sick, and some even die. -The people are to give the _kôchaks_ money to fight the Roman army, and -thus save the sect (Yezidis) from the wrath of the man of the year. - -Every Friday a load of gifts is to be brought as an offering to an -idol. At that time, a servant is to call the people aloud from the -roof of a _kôchak’s_ house, saying, it is the call of the prophet to a -feast. All are to listen reverently and respectfully; and, on hearing -it, every one is to kiss the ground and the stone on which he happens -to lean. - -It is our law that no _ḳawwâl_ shall pass a razor over his face. Our -law regarding marriage is that at the time of the wedding a loaf of -bread shall be taken from the house of a _kôchak_ and be divided -between the bride and the bridegroom, each to eat one-half. They may, -however, eat some dust from Šeiḫ ‘Adî’s tomb instead of the bread for -a blessing. Marriage in the month of April is forbidden, for it is -the first month of the year. This rule, however, does not apply to -_ḳawwâls_; they may marry during this month. No layman is allowed to -marry a _kôchak’s_ daughter. Everyone is to take a wife from his own -class. But our emir may have for a wife any one whom he pleases to -love. A layman may marry between the ages of ten and eighty; he may -take for a wife one woman after another for a period of one year. On -her way to the house of the bridegroom, a bride must visit the shrine -of every idol she may happen to pass; even if she pass a Christian -church, she must do the same. On her arrival at the bridegroom’s house, -he must hit her with a small stone in token of the fact that she must -be under his authority. Moreover, a loaf of bread must be broken over -her head as a sign to her that she must love the poor and needy. No -Yezidi may sleep with his wife on the night the morning of which is -Wednesday, and the night the morning of which is Friday. Whosoever does -contrary to this commandment is an infidel. If a man steal the wife -of his neighbor, or his own former wife, or her sister or mother, he -is not obliged to give her dowry, for she is the booty of his hand. -Daughters may not inherit their father’s wealth. A young lady may be -sold as an acre of land is sold. If she refuses to be married, then she -must redeem herself by paying her father a sum of money earned by her -service and the labor of her hand. - -Here ends Kitâb Reš, which is followed by several stories, some of -which are told secretly, some openly. - - -APPENDIX TO PART I - - - - -APPENDIX TO PART I - - -They say our hearts are our books, and our šeiḫs tell us everything -from the second Adam until now and the future. When they notice the sun -rise, they kiss the place where the rays first fall; they do the same -at sunset, where its rays last fall. Likewise they kiss the spot where -the moon first casts its rays and where it last casts them. They think, -moreover, that by the multiplication of presents to šeiḫs and idols -they keep troubles and afflictions away. - -There is a great difference among the _ḳôchaks_, they contradict one -another. Some say, “Melek Ṭâ´ûs appears to me and reveals to me many -revelations.” Others say, “We appear to people in many different ways.” -Some believe that Christ is Šeiḫ Šams himself. They say that they have -had prophets in all times; the _ḳôchaks_ are the prophets. One of the -_ḳôchaks_ says in one of his prophecies: “I was in Jonah’s ship, where -a lot was cast in my presence. It fell on Jonah; and he was thrown into -the sea, where he remained forty days and nights.” Another said: “I was -sitting with the great God, who said, ‘I hope the time will come when -I shall send Christ to the world.’ I said to him, ‘Yes.’ Then he sent -him. After making a sign in the sun, Christ came down to the earth.” He -appeared to our sect only, and made for us seven circles, which are -at Šeiḫ ‘Adî. Now he appeared to us because we observe the necessary -order, which the other sects do not observe. Their origin and race -are unknown; ours are known. We are emirs and sons of emirs; we are -šeiḫs and sons of šeiḫs; we are _ḳôchaks_ and sons of _ḳôchaks_, etc. -But Christians and Moslems make priests and mullas for themselves out -of those who had none of their kindred in those offices before, and -never will have afterward. We are better than they. We are allowed to -drink wine; our young men also may desire it when they, in company with -women, engage in religious dancing and playing. Some of the _ḳôchaks_ -and šeiḫs, however, are not allowed to drink it. When one is about -to die, he is visited by a _ḳôchak_, who places a bit of Šeiḫ ‘Adî’s -dust in his mouth. Before he is buried his face is anointed with it. -Moreover, the dung of sheep is placed on his tomb. Finally, food is -offered on behalf of the dead. The _ḳôchaks_ pray for the dead at the -graves, for which service they are paid. They tell the relatives of the -dead what they see in dreams and visions, and the condition of their -dead, whether they have been translated to the human or to the animal -race. Some people hide silver or gold coins that they plan to take out -in case they are born the second time in this world. Some believe that -the spirits of many righteous persons travel in the air. Those spirits -make revelations to the _ḳôchaks_, who are acquainted with the world -of mysteries and secrets. Life and death are in their hands. Hence -the fate of the people depends on the gratitude and honor which they -show the _ḳôchaks_. According to Yezidis, hell has no existence. It -was created in the time of the first Adam, they say, when our father, -Ibrîḳ al-Aṣfar, was born.[51] By reason of his generosity and noble -deeds, Ibrîḳ had many friends. Now, when he viewed hell he became -very sad. He had a small _baḳbûḳ aṣfar_,[52] into which, as he kept -weeping his tears fell. In seven years it was filled. He then cast it -into hell, and all its fires were put out that mankind might not be -tortured. This incident relates to one of the noble deeds of our first -father, Ibrîḳ al-Aṣfar. They have many more such upright men of noble -deeds. Such an one is Mohammed Rašân, whose resting place is behind the -mount of Šeiḫ Mattie.[53] He (Rašân) is exceedingly strong, so that -the most sacred oaths are sworn by him. If any one becomes sick, he -takes refuge in making vows to _ḫasin_, i. e., pillars of idols. Now -there is a place of religious pilgrimage which is called Sitt Nafîsah. -This place is a mulberry tree in the village of Ba‘ašîḳa. Another such -place is called ‘Abdi Rašân, and is in the village of ḳarabek. A third -place of pilgrimage is in the village Baḥzanie, which is called Šeiḫ -Bakû. Nearby is a spring, and beside this is a mulberry tree. Whoever -is afflicted with fever, goes to that tree, hangs on its branches a -piece of cloth from his clothes, and casts bread in the spring for the -fish. All this he does that he may be cured. They entertain the belief -that whoever unties or shakes off one of the shreds of cloth will -catch the disease with which the man was afflicted when he hung it up. -There are many such trees in the village of Ba‘ašîḳa, and in some other -places. There is also a spring of water, called in the common language -‘Ain aṣ-Ṣafra (Yellow Spring). The Yezidis call it Kanî-Zarr.[54] In -this swim those who are afflicted with the disease of _abû-ṣafar_ -(jaundice). But those who are troubled with dropsy go for cure to the -house of the Pir that lives in the village of Man Reš. - -When they assemble at Šeiḫ ‘Adî’s, no one is allowed to cook anything. -Everyone is to eat from Šeiḫ ‘Adî’s table. As to the _ḳôchaks_, every -one of them sits on a stone, as one sits in prayer. To them the laity -go, seeking succor. They give them money while making their petition, -and vow to the stone on which the _ḳôchak_ sits, sheep and oxen, -everyone according to his means. Now, at the New Year the places are -given in contract. When they assemble at the New Year, they dance -and play with instruments of joy. Before eating the _kabdûš_, i. e., -the vowed ox, they swim in the water of Zamzam, a spring coming from -beneath the temple of Šeiḫ ‘Adî. Then they eat in haste, snatching meat -from the pot like fanatics, so that their hands are frequently burned. -This practice is in accordance with their rules. After eating, they -go up the mountain, shooting with their guns, and then return to Šeiḫ -‘Adî. Everyone of them takes a little dust and preserves it for the -times of wedding and death. They wear entwined girdles which they call -the ties of the back (belt). They baptize these and the _sanjaḳs_ with -the water of Zamzam. He who is called Jawiš[55] wears a stole which is -woven from the hair of a goat. It is nine spans in length and around it -are _sansûls_ (tinsels). - -When the gathering comes to an end, they collect the money from the -_ḳôchaks_ and the contractors, and bring it to the emir. After everyone -has taken according to his rank, the remainder goes to the emir. - -They have another gathering which takes place at the feast of -Al-Hijâjj. At this pilgrimage they go up to the mountain which is -called Jabal al-‘Arafât.[56] After remaining there an hour, they hasten -toward Šeiḫ ‘Adî. He who arrives there before his companions is praised -much. Hence everyone tries to excel. The one who succeeds receives -abundant blessings. - -They still have another assembly. This is called “the road of the -_ḳôchaks_,” when each, putting a rope around his neck, goes up the -mountain. After collecting wood they bring it to Šeiḫ ‘Adî, carrying -it on their backs. The wood is used for heating purposes and for the -emir’s cooking. - -During these assemblies the _sanjaḳs_ are passed around. In the first -place they are washed with water made sour with sumac in order to -be cleansed from their rust. The water is given away in drinks for -purposes of blessing. In return money is taken. In the second place, -the _ḳôchaks_ go around with the _sanjaḳs_ to collect money. - -In their preaching, the šeiḫs tell the people that all kings have -come from their descent, such as Nisroch,[57] who is Nasr-ad-Dîn, and -Kamuš who is Faḫr-ad-Dîn, and Artâmîs, who is Šams-ad-Dîn, and many -others, as Shabur and Yoram; and many royal names of the ancient kings, -together with their own (Yezidi) kings, are from their seed. The sign -of the Yezidi is that he wears a shirt with a round bosom. It differs -from that of the other people, the bosom of whose shirts are open all -the way down. - -There is one occasion when no Yezidi will swear falsely, viz., when -one draws a circle on the ground, and tells him that this circle -belongs to Ṭâ´ûs-Melek, Šeiḫ ‘Adî, and Yezîd, and _baryshabaḳei_. He -places him in the middle of the circle, and then tells him that Melek -Ṭâ´ûs and all those who were mentioned above will not intercede for -him after his death, and that the shirt of the Jewish Nasim[58] be on -his neck, and that the hand of Nasim be on his neck and eye, and that -Nasim be his brother for the next world, and let him be to him for a -šeiḫ and a _pir_ if he does not tell the truth. Then if he swears to -tell the truth, he cannot conceal anything. For an oath made under such -conditions is considered greater than that made in the name of God, and -even than that made in the name of one of their prophets. - -They fast three days in a year from morning till evening. The fast -falls in December, according to the oriental calendar. They have no -prayer[59] except what is mentioned above, such as that referring to -the sun and the moon, and asking help from šeiḫs and holy places -when they say, “O Šeiḫ ‘Adî, O Šeiḫ Sams,” and the like. They are all -forbidden to teach their children anything, with the exception of two -stanzas which they teach their children out of necessity and because it -is traditional. - -A story is told about them by reliable people. Once when Šeiḫ Naṣir was -preaching in a village at Mount Sinjar, there was a Christian mason -in the audience who, seeing the house filled with people, thought -they were going to pray. He then pretended to take a nap, that he -might amuse himself with what he should hear. He knew the Kurdish -language. When the Christian seemed to be asleep, but was really awake -and listening, Šeiḫ Naṣir began to preach saying: “Once the great God -appeared to me in vision. He was angry at Jesus because of a dispute -with him. He therefore caught him and imprisoned him in a den which -had no water. Before the mouth of the den he placed a great stone. -Jesus remained in the den a long time, calling upon the prophets and -the saints for help and asking their aid. Every one whose succor Jesus -asked went to beg the great God to release him. But God did not grant -their requests. Jesus therefore remained in a sorrowful state, knowing -not what to do.” After this the preacher remained silent for a quarter -of an hour, and thus a great silence prevailed in the house. Then he -went on to say: “O poor Jesus, why are you so forgotten, so neglected? -Do you not know that all the prophets and all the saints have no favor -with the great God unto Melek Ṭâ´ûs? Why have you forgotten him and -have not called upon him?” Saying this, the preacher again remained -silent as before. Afterward he again continued: “Jesus remained in the -den till one day when he happened to remember Melek Ṭâ´ûs. He then -sought his aid, praying, ‘O Melek Ṭâ´ûs, I have been in this den for -some time. I am imprisoned; I have sought the help of all the saints, -and none of them could deliver me. Now, save me from this den.’ When -Melek Ṭâ´ûs heard this, he descended from heaven to earth quicker than -the twinkling of an eye, removed the stone from the top of the den, and -said to Jesus, ‘Come up, behold I have brought thee out.’ Then both -went up to heaven. When the great God saw Jesus, he said to him, ‘O -Jesus, who brought thee out of the den? Who brought thee here without -my permission?’ Jesus answered and said, ‘Melek Ṭâ´ûs brought me out -of the den and up here.’ Then God said, ‘Had it been another, I would -have punished him, but Melek Ṭâ´ûs is much beloved by me; remain here -for the sake of my honor.’ So Jesus remained in heaven.” The preacher -added, “Notice that those who are without do not like Melek Ṭâ´ûs. -Know ye that in the resurrection he will not like them either, and he -will not intercede for them. But, as for us, he will put us all in a -tray, carry us upon his head, and take us into heaven, while we are in -the tray on his head.” When the congregation heard this, they rose up, -kissed his clothes and feet, and received his blessing. - -Now the views of the Yezidis regarding the birth of Christ and the -explanation of the name of the Apostle Peter, are found in one of their -stories, which runs thus: “Verily Mary the Virgin mother of Jesus, -begat Jesus in a manner unlike the rest of women. She begat him from -her right side,[60] between her clothes and her body. At that time the -Jews had a custom that, if a woman gave birth, all her relatives and -neighbors would bring her presents. The women would call, carrying -in their right hand a plate of fruits which were to be found in that -season, and in the left hand they would carry a stone. This custom -was a very ancient one. Therefore when Mary the Virgin gave birth to -Jesus, the wife of Jonah, who is the mother of Peter, came to her; and, -according to the custom, carried a plate of fruit in her right hand and -a stone in her left. As she entered and gave Mary the plate, behold, -the stone which was in her left hand begat a male. She called his name -Simon Cifa, that is, son of the stone. Christians do not know these -things as we do.” - -They have a story explaining the word heretic. It is this: When the -great God created the heavens, he put all the keys of the treasuries -and the mansions there in the hands of Melek Ṭâ´ûs, and commanded him -not to open a certain mansion. But he, without the knowledge of God, -opened the house and found a piece of paper on which was written, “Thou -shalt worship thy God alone, and him alone shalt thou serve.” He kept -the paper with him and allowed no one else to know about it. Then God -created an iron ring and hung it in the air between the heaven and the -earth. Afterward he created Adam the first. Melek Ṭâ´ûs refused to -worship Adam when God commanded him to do so. He showed the written -paper which he took from the mansion and said, “See what is written -here.” Then the great God said, “It may be that you have opened the -mansion which I forbade you to open.” He answered, “Yes.” Then God -said to him, “You are a heretic, because you have disobeyed me and -transgressed my commandment.” - -From this we know that God speaks in the Kurdish language, that is from -the meaning of this saying, “Go into the iron ring which I, thy God, -have made for whosoever does contrary to my commandment and disobeys -me.” - -When one criticizes such a story as this by saying that God drove Melek -Ṭâ´ûs from heaven and sent him to hell because of his pride before God -the most high, they do not admit that such is the case. They answer: -“Is it possible that one of us in his anger should drive out his child -from his house and let him wait until the next day before bringing -him back? Of course not. Similar is the relation of the great God to -Melek Ṭâ´ûs. Verily he loves him exceedingly. You do not understand the -books which you read. The Gospel says, ‘No one ascended up to heaven -but he who came down from heaven.’ No one came down from heaven but -Melek Ṭâ´ûs and Christ. From this we know that the great God has been -reconciled to Melek Ṭâ´ûs, who went up to heaven, just as God came -down from heaven and went up again.” - -The following is a story told of a _kôchak_: It is related that at one -time there was no rain in the village of Ba‘ašîḳa. In this village -there was a Yezidi whose name was Kôchak Berû. There were also some -saints and men of vision dwelling there. They (people) gathered to ask -Berû to see about the rain. He told them, “Wait till tomorrow that I -may see about it.” They came to him on the next day and said, “What -have you done concerning the question of rain? We are exceedingly -alarmed by reason of its being withheld.” He answered: “I went up to -heaven last night and entered into the divan where the great God, Šeiḫ -‘Adî, and some other šeiḫs and righteous men were sitting. The priest -Isaac was sitting beside God. The great God said to me, ‘What do you -want, O Kôchak Berû; why have you come here?’ I said to him, ‘My lord, -this year the rain has been withheld from us till now, and all thy -servants are poor and needy. We beseech thee to send us rain as thy -wont.’ He remained silent and answered me not. I repeated the speech -twice and thrice, beseeching him. Then I turned to the šeiḫs who sat -there, asking their help and intercession. The great God answered me, -‘Go away until we think it over.’ I came down and do not know what took -place after I descended from heaven. You may go to the priest Isaac and -ask him what was said after I came down.” They went to the priest and -told him the story, and asked him what was said after Kôchak Berû came -down. This priest Isaac was a great joker. He answered them, “After -the _kôchak_ came down, I begged God for rain on your behalf. It was -agreed that after six or seven days he would send it.” They waited -accordingly, and by a strange coincidence, at the end of the period it -rained like a flood for some time. Seeing this, the people believed in -what they were told, and honored the priest Isaac, looking upon him as -one of the saints, and thinking that he must have Yezidi blood in him. -For more than twenty years this story has been told as one of the tales -of their saints. - -Once Šeiḫ ‘Adî bn Musâfir and his _murids_ were entertained by God in -heaven. When they arrived, they did not find straw for their animals. -Therefore Šeiḫ ‘Adî ordered his _murids_ to carry straw from his -threshing floor on the earth. As it was being transported, some fell on -the way, and has remained as a sign in heaven unto our day. It is known -as the road of the straw man. - -They think that prayer is in the heart; therefore they do not teach -their children about it. And in their book neither is there any rule -regarding prayer, nor is prayer considered a religious obligation. - -Some assert that at one time Šeiḫ ‘Adî, in company with Šeiḫ -‘Abd-al-ḳâdir, made a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he remained four -years. After his absence Melek Ṭâ´ûs appeared to them (the two šeiḫs) -in his symbol. He dictated some rules to them and taught them many -things. Then he was hidden from them. Four years later Šeiḫ ‘Adî -returned from Mecca; but they refused him and would not accept him. -They asserted that he had died or ascended to heaven. He remained -with them, but was without his former respect. When the time of his -death came, Melek Ṭâ´ûs appeared to them and declared, “This is Šeiḫ -‘Adî himself, honor him.” Then they honored him and buried him with -due veneration, and made his tomb a place of pilgrimage. In their -estimation it is a more excellent spot than Mecca. Everyone is under -obligation to visit it once a year at least; and, in addition to this, -they give a sum of money through the šeiḫs to obtain satisfaction -(that Šeiḫ ‘Adî may be pleased with them). Whoever does this not is -disobedient. - -Moreover, it is said that the reason why the pilgrimage to his tomb -is regarded as excellent by us and by God is that in the resurrection -Šeiḫ ‘Adî will carry in a tray all the Yezidis upon his head and take -them into paradise, without requiring them to give account or answer. -Therefore they regard the pilgrimage to his tomb as a religious duty -greater than the pilgrimage to Mecca. - -There are some domes, huts, around the tomb of Šeiḫ ‘Adî. They -are there for the purpose of receiving blessings from the tomb. -And they are all attributed to the great Šeiḫs, as the hut of -‘Abd-al-ḳâdir-al-Jîlânî;[61] the hut of Šeiḫ ḳadîb-al-Bân; the hut of -Šeiḫ Šams-ad-Dîn; the hut of Šeiḫ Manṣûr-al-Ḥallâj, and the hut of Šeiḫ -Ḫasan-al-Baṣrî. There are also some other huts. Each hut has a banner -made of calico. It is a sign of conquest and victory. - -Eating of deer’s meat is forbidden them, they say, because the -deer’s eyes resemble the eyes of Šeiḫ ‘Adî. Verily his virtues are -well-known and his praiseworthy qualities are traditions handed down -from generation to generation. He was the first to accept the Yezidi -religion. He gave them the rules of the religious sect and founded -the office of the ṣeiḫ. In addition to this, he was renowned for his -devotion and religious exercise. From Mount Lališ, he used to hear -the preaching of ‘Abd-al-ḳâdir-al-Jîlâni in Bagdad. He used to draw a -circle on the ground and say to the religious ones, “Whosoever wants to -hear the preaching of Al-Jîlânî, let him enter within this circle.” The -following custom, which we have, began with him: If we wish to swear to -anyone, a ṣeiḫ draws a circle, and he who is to take an oath, enters -into it. - -At one time, passing by a garden, Šeiḫ ‘Adî asked about lettuce; and, -as no one answered, he said, “Huss” (hush). For this reason lettuce is -forbidden and not eaten. - -As regards fasting, they say about the month of Ramaḍân that it was -dumb and deaf. Therefore, when God commanded the Moslems to fast, he -likewise commanded the Yezidis, saying to them in the Kurdish language, -“_sese_,” meaning “three.” The Mohammedans did not understand it; -they took it for “_se_,” “thirty.” For this reason, they (Yezidis) -fast three days. Moreover, they believe there are eating, drinking, -and other earthly pleasures in the next world.[62] Some hold that the -rule of heaven is in God’s hands, but the rule of the earth is in Šeiḫ -‘Adî’s hands. Being exceedingly beloved by God, he bestowed upon him -according to ‘Adî’s desire. - -They believe in the transmigration of souls. This is evinced by the -fact that when the soul of Manṣûr-al-Ḥallâj parted from his body when -the Caliph of Bagdad killed him and cast his head into the water, -his soul floated on the water. By a wonderful chance and a strange -happening, the sister of the said Manṣûr went to fill her jar. The soul -of her brother entered it. Without knowing what had happened, she came -with it to the house. Being tired, she felt thirsty and drank from the -jar. At that moment the soul of her brother entered her, but she did -not perceive it until she became pregnant. She gave birth to a son who -resembled Šeiḫ Manṣûr himself. He became her brother according to birth -and her son according to imputation. The reason why they do not use -drinking-vessels which have narrow mouths, or a net-like cover, is that -when one drinks water from them they make a sound. When the head of -Šeiḫ Manṣûr was thrown into the water it gurgled. In his honor they do -not use the small jars with narrow necks. - -They assert that they expect a prophet who will come from Persia to -annul the law of Mohammed and abrogate Islam. They believe that there -are seven gods, and that each god administers the universe for ten -thousand years; and that one of these gods is Lasiferos, the chief of -the fallen angels, who bears also the name Melek Ṭâ´ûs. They make him -a graven image after the form of a cock[63] and worship it. They play -the tambourine and dance before it to make it rejoice with them. They -(_ḳawwâls_) travel within the Yezidis’ villages to collect money, at -which time they take it into the houses that it may bless and honor -them. Some say that Šeiḫ ‘Adî is a deity; others that he is like a -Vizier to God. To him all things are referred. This is Melek Ṭâ´ûs -age. The ruling and administrative power is in his hands until the -thousandth year. When the time comes to an end he will deliver the -power to the next god to rule and administer until another thousand -years shall be ended, and so on until the seventh god. And yet there is -accord and love among these gods, and none is jealous of the one who -may rule and administer the world for a period of ten thousand years. -They have a book named Al Jilwah that they ascribe to Šeiḫ ‘Adî, and -they suffer no one who is not one of them to read it. - -Mention is made in some of their books that the First Cause is the -Supreme God, who before he created this world, was enjoying himself -over the seas;[64] and in his hand was a great White Pearl, with which -he was playing. Then he resolved to cast it into the sea, and when he -did so this world came into being. - -Moreover, they think themselves not to be of the same seed from which -the rest of mankind sprung, but that they are begotten of the son -of Adam, who was born to Adam of his spittle. For this reason they -imagine themselves nobler and more pleasing to the gods than others. - -They say they have taken fasting and sacrifice from Islam; baptism -from Christians; prohibition of foods from the Jews; their way of -worship from the idolaters; dissimulation of doctrine from the Rafiḍis -(Shi‘ites); human sacrifice and transmigration from the pre-Islamic -paganism of the Arabs and from the Sabians. They say that when the -spirit of man goes forth from his body, it enters into another man if -it be just; but if unjust, into an animal. - - - - -THE POEM IN PRAISE OF ŠEIḪ ‘ADÎ - -_Peace Be unto Him_ - - - My understanding surrounds the truth of things, - And my truth is mixed up in me, - And the truth of my descent is set forth by itself, - And when it was known it was altogether in me. - And all that are in the universe are under me, - And all the habitable parts and deserts, - And everything created is under me, - And I am the ruling power preceding all that exists. - And I am he that spoke a true saying, - And I am the just judge and the ruler of the earth. - And I am he that men worship in my glory, - Coming to me and kissing my feet. - And I am he that spread over the heavens their height. - And I am he that cried in the beginning. - And I am he that of myself revealeth all things, - And I am he to whom came the book of good tidings - From my Lord, who burneth the mountains. - And I am he to whom all created men come - In obedience to kiss my feet. - I bring forth fruit from the first juice of early youth - By my presence, and turn toward me my disciples. - And before this light the darkness of the morning cleared away. - I guide him that asketh for guidance. - I am he that caused Adam to dwell in Paradise - And Nimrod to inhabit a hot burning fire. - And I am he that guided Aḥmed the Just, - And let him into my path and way. - And I am he unto whom all creatures - Come for my good purposes and gifts. - And I am he that visited all the heights, - And goodness and charity proceed from my mercy. - And I am he that made all hearts to fear - My purpose, and they magnify the majesty and power of my awfulness. - And I am he to whom the destroying lion came - Raging, and I shouted against him and he became stone. - And I am he to whom the serpent came, - And by my will I made him dust. - And I am he that struck the rock and made it tremble, - And made to burst from its sides the sweetest of waters.[65] - And I am he that sent down the certain truth; - For me is the book that comforteth the oppressed. - And I am he that judged justly, - And when I judged it was my right - And I am he that made the springs[65] to give water, - Sweeter and pleasanter than all waters. - And I am he that caused it to appear in my mercy, - And by my power I called it the pure. - And I am he to whom the Lord of heaven hath said, - Thou art the just Judge and Ruler of the earth. - And I am he that disclosed some of my wonders, - And some of my virtues are manifested in that which exists. - And I am he that caused the mountains to bow, - To move under me and at my will.[66] - And I am he before whose majesty the wild beasts cried; - They turned to me worshiping, and kissed my feet. - And I am ‘Adî aš-Šâmî, the son of Musâfir. - Verily the All-Merciful has assigned unto me names, - The heavenly throne, and the seat, and the (seven) heavens, - and the earth. - In the secret of my knowledge there is no God but me. - These things are subservient to my power. - O mine enemies, why do you deny me? - O men, deny me not, but submit. - In the day of judgment you will be happy in meeting me. - Who dies in my love, I will cast him - In the midst of Paradise, by my will and pleasure; - But he that dies unmindful of me - Will be thrown into torture in misery and affliction. - I say I am the only one and the exalted; - I create and make rich those whom I will. - Praise it to myself, for all things are by my will. - And the universe is lighted by some of my gifts. - I am the king that magnifies himself, - And all the riches of creation are at my bidding. - I have made known unto you, O people, some of my ways. - Who desireth me must forsake the world. - And I can also speak the true saying, - And the garden on high is for those who do my pleasure. - I sought the truth and became a confirming truth; - And by the like truth shall they, like myself, possess the - highest place. - - - - -THE PRINCIPAL PRAYER OF THE YEZIDIS - - - Amen, Amen, Amen! - Through the intermediation of Šams-ad-Dîn, - Faḫr ad-Dîn, Naṣir-ad-Dîn, - Sajad ad-Dîn, Šeiḫ Sin (Ḥusein), - Šeiḫ Bakr, ḳâdir ar-Raḥmân. - Lord, thou art gracious, thou art merciful; - Thou art God, king of kings and lands, - King of joy and happiness, - King of good possession (eternal life). - From eternity thou art eternal. - Thou art the seat of luck (happiness) and life; - Thou art lord of grace and good luck. - Thou art king of jinns and human beings, - King of the holy men (saints), - Lord of terror and praise, - The abode of religious duty and praise, - Worthy of praise and thanks. - Lord! Protector in journeys, - Sovereign of the moon and of the darkness, - God of the sun and of the fire, - God of the great throne, - Lord of goodness. - Lord! No one knows how thou art. - Thou hast no beauty; thou hast no height. - Thou hast no going forth; thou hast no number. - Lord! Judge of kings and beggars, - Judge of society and of the world, - Thou hast revealed the repentance of Adam. - Lord, thou hast no house; thou hast no money; - Thou hast no wings, hast no feathers; - Thou hast no voice, thou hast no color. - Thou hast made us lucky and satisfied. - Thou hast created Jesus and Mary. - Lord, thou art gracious, - Merciful, faithful. - Thou art Lord; I am nothingness. - I am a fallen sinner, - A sinner by thee remembered. - Thou hast led us out of darkness into light. - Lord! My sin and my guilt, - Take them and remove them. - O God, O God, O God, Amen! - - - - -SEVEN CLASSES OF YEZIDIS - - -They are divided into seven classes, and each class has functions -peculiar to itself that cannot be discharged by any of the other -classes. They are: - -1. Šeiḫ. He is the servant of the tomb, and a descendant of Imam Ḥasan -al-Baṣrî. No one can give a legal decision or sign any document except -the šeiḫ who is the servant of Šeiḫ ‘Adî’s tomb. He has a sign by which -he is distinguished from others. The sign is a belt which he puts on -his body, and net-like gloves, which resemble the halters of camels. If -he goes among his people, they bow down and pay him their respects. The -šeiḫs sell a place in paradise to anyone who wishes to pay money. - -2. Emir. The emirship specifically belongs to the descendants of -Yezîd. They have a genealogical tree, preserved from their fathers and -forefathers, which goes up to Yezîd himself. The emirs have charge of -the temporal and governmental affairs, and have the right to say, “Do -this and do not that.” - -3. ḳawwâl. He has charge of tambourines and flutes and religious hymns. - -4. Pîr. To him appertain the conduct of fasts, the breaking of fasts, -and hair-dressing. - -5. Kôchak. To him appertain the duties of religious instruction, and -sepulture, and interpretation of dreams, i. e., prophecy. - -6. Faḳîr. To him appertain the duties of instruction of boys and girls -in playing on the tambourines, in dancing and religious pleasure. He -serves Šeiḫ ‘Adî. - -7. Mulla. To him appertain the duties of instructing children. He -guards the books and the mysteries of religion and attends to the -affairs of the sect. - - - - -ARTICLES OF FAITH - - -At one time (A. H. 1289; A. D. 1872), the Ottoman power wanted to draft -from among them an army instead of taking the tax which was its due. -They presented to the government all the rules that prevented them from -complying. These all pertain to religion and are moral obligations upon -them. They are as follows: - - - ARTICLE I - - According to our Yezidi religion every member of our sect, whether big - or little, girl or woman, must visit Melek Ṭâ´ûs three times a year, - that is, first, from the beginning to the last of the month of April, - Roman calendar; secondly, from the beginning to the end of the month - of September; thirdly, from the beginning to the end of the month - of November. If anyone visit not the image of Melek Ṭâ´ûs, he is an - infidel. - - - ARTICLE II - - If any member of our sect, big or little, visit not his highness Šeiḫ - ‘Adî bn Musâfir—may God sanctify his mysteries! once a year, i. e., - from the fifteenth to the twentieth of the month of September, Roman - calendar, he is an infidel according to our religion. - - - ARTICLE III - - Every member of our sect must visit the place of the sunrise every day - when it appears, and there should not be Moslem, nor Christian, nor - any one else in that place. If any one do this not, he is an infidel. - - - ARTICLE IV - - Every member of our sect must daily kiss the hand of his brother, his - brother of the next world, namely, the servant of the Mahdi, and the - hand of his šeiḫ or _pîr_. If any one do this not, he is regarded as - an infidel. - - - ARTICLE V - - According to our religion it is something intolerable when the Moslem - in the morning begins to say in prayer, God forbid! “I take refuge in - God, etc.”[67] If any one of us hear it, he must kill the one who says - it and kill himself; otherwise he becomes an infidel. - - - ARTICLE VI - - When one of our sect is on the point of death, if there be no brother - of the next world and his šeiḫ, or his _pîr_ and one of the _ḳawwâls_ - with him to say three sayings over him, viz., “O servant of Melek - Ṭâ´ûs, whose ways are high, you must die in the religion of the one we - worship, who is Melek Ṭâ´ûs, whose ways are high, and do not die in - any other religion than his. And if some one should come and say to - you something from the Mohammedan religion, or Christian religion, or - Jewish religion, or some other religion, do not believe him, and do - not follow him. And if you believe and follow another religion than - that of the one we worship, Melek Ṭâ´ûs, you shall die an infidel,” he - becomes an infidel. - - - ARTICLE VII - - We have something called the blessing of Šeiḫ ‘Adî, that is, the dust - of the tomb Šeiḫ ‘Adî—may God sanctify his mystery! Every member - of our sect must have some of it with him in his pocket and eat of - it every morning. And if he eat not of it intentionally, he is an - infidel. Likewise at the time of death, if he possess not some of that - dust intentionally, he dies an infidel. - - - ARTICLE VIII - - Regarding our fasting, if any one of our sect wish to fast, he must - fast in his own place, not in another. For while fasting he must go - every morning to the house of his šeih and his _pîr_, and there he - must begin to fast; and when he breaks his fast, likewise, he must go - to the house of his šeih and his _pîr_, and there break the fast by - drinking the holy wine of the šeih or the _pîr_. And if he drink not - two or three glasses of that wine, his fasting is not acceptable, and - he becomes an infidel. - - - ARTICLE IX - - If one of our sect go to another place and remain there as much as one - year, and afterward return to his place, then his wife is forbidden - him, and none of us will give him a wife. If anyone give him a wife, - that one is an infidel. - - - ARTICLE X - - Regarding our dress, as we have mentioned in the fourth Article that - every one of our sect has a brother for the next world, he has also - a sister for the next world.[68] Therefore if any one of us make for - himself a new shirt, it is necessary that his sister for the next - world should open its neck band, i. e., the neck band of that shirt, - with her hand. And if she open it not with her hand, and he wear it, - then he is an infidel. - - - ARTICLE XI - - If some one of our sect make a shirt or a new dress, he cannot wear it - without baptizing it in the blessed water which is to be found at the - shrine of his highness Šeiḫ ‘Adî, may God sanctify his mystery! If he - wear it, he is an infidel. - - - ARTICLE XII - - We may not wear a light black dress at all. We may not comb our heads - with the comb of a Moslem or a Christian or a Jew or any other. Nor - may we shave our heads with the razor used by any other than ourselves - (Yezidis), except it be washed in the blessed water which is to be - found at the shrine of his highness Šeih ‘Adî. Then it is lawful for - us to shave our heads. But if we shave our heads without the razor - having been washed in that water, we become infidels. - - - ARTICLE XIII - - No Yezidi may enter the water-closet of a Moslem, or take a bath at a - Moslem’s house, or eat with a Moslem’s spoon or drink from a Moslem’s - cup, from a cup used by any one of another sect. If he does, he is an - infidel.[69] - - - ARTICLE XIV - - Concerning food, there is a great difference between us and the other - sects. We do not eat meat or fish, squash, _bamia_ (okra), _fasulia_ - (beans), cabbage, or lettuce. We cannot even dwell in the place where - lettuce is sown.[70] - - -For these and other reasons, we cannot enter the military service, etc. - -The names of those who affixed their signatures: - - THE HEAD OF THE YEZIDI SECT, THE EMIR OF - ŠEIḪÂN, ḤUSEIN. - THE RELIGIOUS ŠEIḪ OF THE YEZIDI SECT OF THE - DISTRICT OF ŠEIḪÂN, ŠEIḪ NAṢIR. - THE CHIEF OF THE VILLAGE OF MAM REŠÂN, - PÎR SULEIMÂN. - - THE VILLAGE CHIEF OF MUSKÂN, MURAD. - “ “ “ “ ḤATÂRAH, AYYÛB. - “ “ “ “ BEIBÂN, ḤUSEIN. - “ “ “ “ DAHḲAN, ḤASSAN. - “ “ “ “ ḤUZRÂN, NU‘MÔ. - “ “ “ “ BÂKASRA, ‘ALI. - “ “ “ “ B‘AŠÎḲA, JAMÔ. - “ “ “ “ ḤÔŠÂBA, ILIAS. - “ “ “ “ KREPAḤIN, SAĠD. - “ “ “ “ ḲABÂREH, KÔCHAK. - “ “ “ “ KASÔ. - “ “ “ “ SINÂ, ‘ABDÔ. - “ “ “ “ ‘AIN SIFNI, GURGÔ. - “ “ “ “ ḲASR-‘_I_ZZ-AD-DÎN. - “ “ “ “ ḪEIRÔ. - “ “ “ “ KIBERTÔ, ṬÂHIR. - AND OTHERS. - -These are they whose names were in the petition above mentioned, and -from which we copied a few things. - -The result was that when they presented this petition, they were -exempted from military service, but they paid a tax in money as did the -Christians. - - -NOTES ON PART I - - - [31] A. H. 295 (A. D. 807-8). This is the date of Al-Muḳtadir’s - accession, who reigned till A. H. 320 (A. D. 932); cf. W. Muir, _The - Caliphate_, p. 559. - - [32] The life of Manṣûr-al-Ḥallâj is given in Fihrist (ed. Flügel), p. - 190. - - [33] The life of ‘Abd-al-ḳâdir of Jîlân is given in Jami’s _Nafaḥat_ - (ed. Lee), p. 584. - - [34] The Hakkari country is a dependency of Mosul, and inhabited - by Kurds and Nestorians; cf. p. 104. Ibn Ḫauḳal, Kîtâb al-Masâlik - wal-Mamâlik (ed. M. J. De Goeje), pp. 143 f. - - [35] Yaḳût, IV, 373, calls it Laileš and says that Šeiḫ ‘Adî lived - there. - - [36] Presumably Yezîd bn Mu‘âwiya, the second caliph in the Omayyid - dynasty, who reigned, A. D. 680-83; cf. W. Muir, _The Caliphate_, p. - 327. - - [37] The life of Ḥasan al-Baṣrî is given in Ibn Ḫallikân. He is not - to be identified with Ḥasan al-Baṣrî (died 110 A. H., who, according - to Mohammedan tradition, first pointed the Koran text, with the - assistance of Yaḥyâ bn Yamar. - - [38] In Menant’s _Yzidis_, 48, the names of these seven angels are - somewhat differently given. According to Mohammedan tradition Zazil or - Azazil was the original name of the devil. - - [39] By the “throne” here is meant the throne of God, and by the - “carpet” the earth; cf. Sura 60: 131. - - [40] According to Moslem belief, wheat was the forbidden fruit; see - Baiḍâwi on Sura, ii, 33. - - [41] Kunsiniyat is an obscure term. - - [42] ‘Ain Sifni is about five miles from Ba‘adrie; cf. Layard, - _Nineveh_, I, 272. - - [43] Yaḳût (III, 158) mentions a similar tradition. - - [44] These are indications of Mohammedan influence and censorship, for - no Yezidi will ever write in his sacred book such words as Šeitân, - Šar, etc. - - [45] That is, those of other religions. - - [46] Sanjaḳ is a Turkish word, meaning banner; it is the name by which - the Yezidis generally designate the sacred image of Melek Ṭâ´ûs. - - [47] See note 27. - - [48] The Harranian New Year fell on the first day of April, and on the - sixth day they slaughtered an ox and ate it; cf. Fihrist, 322. - - [49] A similar practice is found among the Parsees of India, who - hang a string of leaves across the entrances to their houses at the - beginning of every New Year. - - [50] According to Babylonian mythology, human destiny was decreed - on the New Year’s day and sealed on the tenth day; cf. the _Hibbert - Journal_, V, January, 1907. And according to Talmud (Mišna, Roš - hašana, I:2), New Year’s is the most important judgment day, on which - all creatures pass for judgment before the Creator. On this day three - books are opened, wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and - those of the intermediate class are recorded. Hence prayer and works - of repentance are performed at the New Year from the first to the - tenth days, that an unfavorable decision might be averted; cf. _Jewish - Encyclopedia_, “Penitential Day.” R. Akiba says: “On New Year day all - men are judged; and the decree is sealed on the Day of Atonement;” cf. - _ibid._, “Day of Judgement.” - - [51] Ibrîḳ al-Aṣfar means “the yellow pitcher.” - - [52] Bakbûḳ is a pitcher with a narrow spout. - - [53] Mar Mattie is a Syrian monastery about seven hours’ ride east - of Mosul, generally known by the name of Šeiḫ Mattie, in accordance - with the general custom of sheltering a Christian saint beneath a - Moslem title. Elijah is known as Al-Ḫuder, “the green one.” Aphrates - was bishop of Šeiḫ Mattie. The church of this monastery is a large - building, chiefly interesting as containing the tomb of the great - Bar Hebraeus, known as Abu-l-Faraj, who was ordained at Tripolis, - and became in 1246 A. D. Metropolitan of Mosul. He lies buried, with - his brother Barsom, in the “Beth ḳadišeh” (sanctuary) of the church, - and over them is placed the inscription: “This is the grave of Mar - Gregorias, and of Mar Barsome his brother, the children of the Hebrew, - on Mount Elpep” (the Syriac name for Jabal Maḳlûb). - - [54] _Kani_ in Kurdish means a spring; _zarr_, yellow. In Kurdish, - as in Persian, the adjective usually follows the modified noun; cf. - Tartibi Jadid, Ta‘alimi Faresi, _The New Method for Teaching Persian_ - (in the Turkish language, ed. Kasbar, Constantinople, A. H. 1312), p. - 18. - - [55] Jawîš is a Turkish word, signifying a sergeant. - - [56] This ceremony, as well as the names ‘Arafat, Zamzam, etc., seems - to be a mere copy of the Meccah Pilgrimage. ‘Arafât, “The Mount of - Recognition,” is situated twelve miles from Mecca, a place where the - pilgrims stay on the ninth day of the day of the pilgrimage, and - recite the midday and afternoon prayer. The Mohammedan legend says, - that when our first parents forfeited heaven for eating wheat, they - were cast down from the Paradise, Adam fell on the Isle of Ceylon, - and Eve near Jiddah (the port of Mecca) in Arabia; and that, after - separation of 200 years, Adam was conducted by the Angel Gabriel to a - mountain near Mecca, where he found and knew his wife, the mountain - being then named ‘Arafat, “Recognition.” - - [57] The god Nisroch of Scripture, II Kings 19:37; Isa. 37: 38. - - [58] A superstitious name signifying an ill omen. - - [59] That is, public prayers like those of the Mohammedans and of the - Christians; cf. Al Mašrik, II, 313. - - [60] The text has “her hand.” - - [61] While the Yezidis venerate ‘Abd al-ḳâdir of Jîlân, the Nusairis - curse him; cf. _J A O S_, VIII, 274. - - [62] This belief is taken from Mohammedanism. - - [63] The Arabs worshiped a deity under the form of a _nasr_ (eagle), - Aš-Šahrastânî, II, 434; Yaḳut, IV, 780; _The Syriac Doctrine of Addai_ - (ed. George Philips), p. 24. - - [64] Cf. Gen. I: 2, and the Babylonian Creation Epic. - - [65] That is the spring of Šeiḫ ‘Adî. - - [66] The reference is to Jabal Maḳlûb, which, according to the Yezidi - belief, moved from its place near Lališ to enable every Yezidi, - wherever he may be, to direct his morning prayers toward the tomb of - ‘Adî. - - [67] The Moslem begins his prayer by cursing the devil. - - [68] That is a person of the same faith, a Yezidi. - - [69] A Nuṣairi, on the contrary, may become a Mohammedan with a - Mohammedan, a Christian with a Christian, and a Jew with a Jew; cf. _J - A O S_, VII, 298. - - [70] The Sabians did not eat purslane, garlic, beans, cauliflower, - cabbage, and lentils; cf. Bar. Hebraeus, At-Târîḫ, ed. A. Ṣalḥani, - Beirut, 1890, 266. - - - - -PART II - -THE CRITICAL DISCUSSION OF YEZIDISM - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE RELIGIOUS ORIGIN OF THE YEZIDIS - - -The origin of the devil-worshippers has been the subject of much -controversy; but aside from an expression of views, no satisfactory -solution of the problem has as yet been reached. The different -theories which have been advanced may be classified under four general -heads: The Myth of the Yezidis themselves; the tradition of Eastern -Christians; the dogmatic idea of the Mohammedan scholars; and the -speculative theory of the western orientalists. - - -I - -THE YEZIDI MYTH - -The Myth of the Yezidis concerning their origin may be derived from -three different sources: from their sacred book, from the appendix of -the manuscript, and from actual conversation of travellers with them -or with natives dwelling among them. One noticeable fact is that this -tradition assumes the religion of the sect as existing long before -the time of their chief saint, Šeiḫ ‘Adî. Al-Jilwah begins with the -statement that Melek Ṭâ´ûs sent his servant, _i. e._, the Yezidis, that -they might not go astray. Starting from this assumption, the writer of -the revealed book goes on to trace the origin of the “elect” to the -very beginning of human history. He asserts that from the start God -created them as a peculiar people of ‘Azazil, _i. e._, Melek-Ṭâ´ûs. In -the main, this idea finds expression in the oral traditions. But here -we have a mass of material so clouded by superstition and ignorance -that it is next to impossible to come to any conclusion as to the -history of this interesting people. One point the myth repeatedly -emphasizes, as an explanation of the origin of the sect, is that it -was descended from Adam alone; while the other sects were descended -from Adam and Eve. For this reason, the same tradition implies, the -Yezidis are nobler than the others. But how they have come to be such -unique descendants is a question not easily answered. One account -has it that when Adam and Eve disputed as to the generation of the -human race, each claiming to be the sole begetter of the race, they -finally agreed to put their seed in separate jars and seal them with -their own seals. After nine months they opened the jars, and in Adam’s -jar they found two children, a male and a female. From these two -the Yezidis were descended. Another explanation is that from Adam’s -essence was born Šeher bn Jebr, of whom nothing is known; and of -him, a separate community, which is the sect of Melek Ṭâ´ûs. We have, -moreover, the tradition that the Yezidis are descendants of a son born -to Adam of his spittle. Now whether this son be identical with Šeher -bn Jebr is not certain. Writing in one of the oriental periodicals, -an eastern scholar quotes a Yezidi šeiḫ in a statement which seems -to corroborate the tradition that the Yezidis are a noble progeny of -Adam; but the quotation differs from the instance previously cited in -stating that the quarrel which took place between Adam and Eve led to -their separation to places distant from each other a journey of forty -days.[71] There, it is said, Adam miraculously gave birth to a son. -Distressed by this incident, Eve asked God that she might find favor in -her husband’s eyes by giving birth to a child. Thereupon, it continues, -she begot a very pretty daughter. Attracted by her beauty, Adam married -her to his son. Now, the Yezidis, we are told, are the blessed seed of -these two children.[72] - -Not only when the tradition, tracing the origin of the Yezidis as a -race, asserts that, as a religious body, they come from a very ancient -time; but also when it speaks of them as a nation, it points out their -antiquity. On this latter, as well as on the former point, their book -and their oral tradition agree. The Yezidis are said to have sprung -from a noble personage, the King of Peace, whose name was Na-‘umi, but -whom they now call Melek-Miran.[73] The rest of mankind, however, are -from the seed of Ham, who mocked his father. Whom they signified by -Na-‘umi or Miran it is hard to say; but it is likely that they regard -him as one of the other two sons of Noah. They claim also that the -ancient Assyrian kings were members of their race, and that some of -the Persian, Roman and Jewish kings were appointed for them by Melek -Ṭâ´ûs. They likewise seem to trace their origin to the prophets and -other personages of the Old Testament; as Seth, Enoch, Noah, etc. Their -religion furthermore, they assert, antedates Christ.[74] - -There is still another tradition that traces the devil-worshippers to -a different origin. I refer to the statement which Masehaf Reš makes -regarding Mu‘awiya, Mohammed’s servant.[75] Mu‘awiya was asked by -his master to shave his head. While performing the duty, he cut the -prophet’s scalp, and began to lick the bleeding spot. When he was told -that this act would result in his giving birth to a nation which would -oppose the followers of his master, Mu‘awiya declared that he would -not marry. He was afterwards, however, bitten by a serpent, and was -told that he would die unless he married. He therefore consented to -marry, but chose an old woman in order not to have children. But she -miraculously became a young woman of twenty-five. And from her the God -Yezid was born. The story, of course, is a myth, and it is of such a -nature that no historic fact can be derived from it. It is further -complicated by the fact that this Yezid is identified with Melek Ṭâ´ûs; -and, in another myth, is represented in form as being half angel and -half man and as remaining a bachelor long after the marriage of Adam. -He was, however, finally possessed of a desire to marry, and, unable -to marry a mortal’s daughter, being himself half angel, sought the -assistance of Melek Ṭâ´ûs, who presented to him an ḥouri, and from this -union there sprang a pious people, the Yezidis. - -But the devil-worshippers have still another story, which goes to show -that Yezid bn Mu‘awiya is not their founder. This myth asserts that -they are the progeny of Adam’s son who was married to Eve’s daughter; -that the descendants continued worshipping God and Melek Ṭâ´ûs without -bringing a foreign element into their religion; and that, at first, the -sect did not bear the name Yezidis, which, in their own opinion, is -a comparatively new appellative. As to how they came to be called by -this new name, it is explained that when, in the course of time, some -corruption entered the Yezidi religion, there arose a certain Calif by -the name of Yezid who wrought miracles. Since then, his followers have -been called Yezidis. This Yezid, it is said, is the son of Mu‘awiya -bn Sufian, and his mother was of Christian origin. To accomplish his -desire, bn Mu‘awiya went to Šeiḫ ‘Adi, who was a learned and devout -but cunning person, and had instituted a religious innovation. Yezid, -the tradition continues, learned ‘Adi’s religion and taught it to his -followers; and, from that time on, the sect came to be called after -him.[76] But while some, considering this legend as authoritative, -venerate the man bearing the name, others deny all connection with -him.[77] - -The testimony of some travellers offers another explanation of the -origin of the sect in question, an account which has perhaps more -historical significance than the preceding theories. It is stated that -the Yezidis have a tradition to the effect that they came from Baṣrah -and from the country watered by the lower part of the Euphrates; that -after their emigration they first settled in Syria, and subsequently -took possession of the Sinjar Hill and the district now inhabited -in Kurdistan. As to the date of their settlement in Mesopotamia, no -positive information can be obtained. Some scholars infer that it took -place about the time of Tamerlane, toward the end of the fourteenth -century.[78] It is related that the devil-worshippers hold that, among -their own number, the ancient name for God is Azd, and from it the name -of the sect is derived;[79] that the conviction that they are Yezidis, -_i. e._, God’s people, has been their consolation and comfort through -the ages in their tribulations;[80] and that they have taken many -religious observances from different bodies—Mohammedans, Christians, -Jews, Pagan Arabs, Shiites, and Sabaians. - -Besides these different explanations of the origin of the -devil-worshippers as descendants of Adam, of Yezid bn Mu‘awiya, as -being of the colony from the north, as taking their name from Azd, God, -there is another account. I refer to a myth which is current among the -people of Seistan, an eastern province of Persia, where there are a -considerable number of these Shaitan parasts (devil worshippers): - -“In former times there existed a prophet named Ḥanalalah, whose life -was prolonged to the measure of a thousand years. He was their ruler -and benefactor; and as by his agency, their flocks gave birth to lambs -and kids miraculously once a week, though ignorant of the use of money, -they, with much gratitude to him, procured all the comforts of life. -At length, however, he died, and was succeeded by his son, whom Šatan, -presuming on his inexperience, tempted to sin by entering a large -mulberry tree, when he addressed the successor of Ḥanalalah, and called -on him to worship the prince of darkness. Astonished, yet unshaken, -the youth resisted the temptation. But the miracle proved too much -for the constancy of his flock, who now began to turn to the worship -of the devil. The young prophet, enraged at this, seized an axe and a -saw, and prepared to cut down the tree. He was arrested in this by the -appearance of a human being, who exclaimed, ‘Rash boy, desist! Turn to -me and let us wrestle for the victory. If you conquer, then fell the -tree.’ - -“The prophet contended and vanquished his opponent, who, however, -bought his own safety and that of the tree by the promise of a large -weekly treasure. After seven days the holy victor again visited the -tree to claim the gold or fell it to the ground; but Satan persuaded -him to hazard another struggle on the promise that, if he conquered -again, the amount should be doubled. This second encounter proved fatal -to the youth. He was put to death by his spiritual antagonist, and the -result confirmed the tribes over whom he had ruled in their worship of -the tree and its tutelary demon.”[81] - -According to this legend, the Šatan parasts are the victims of their -young prophet who, as long as he was actuated by a disinterested zeal -for religion, was victorious over the principle of evil; but failed as -soon as that zeal gave place to a sordid cupidity for earthly treasure. - -I have dwelt upon the superstitious theories of the Yezidis themselves -regarding their religious origin, not because these theories have an -importance in themselves, but because of their bearing upon the views -advanced by modern scholars. The scholars have based their theories on -some of these conflicting stories without sufficient criticism. I shall -dwell upon this more at length later on. - - -II - -THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION - -But the myth of the Yezidis is not the only account that attempts to -trace their religious origin; the eastern Christians have a tradition -that gives a different interpretation. It is to the effect that the -people in question were originally Christians, but that ignorance -brought them into their present condition. The tradition runs that -the shrine of Šeiḫ ‘Adi was formerly a Nestorian monastery which was -noted for the devotion of its monks, but that these were tempted by the -devil and left their convent. The Church of the Monastery was dedicated -to St. Thaddeus or Addai,[82] one of the seventy-two disciples who, -after the ascension of our Lord, was sent to King Abgar of Edessa. It -is said that the temple of ‘Adi has a conventicle resembling that at -Jerusalem.[83] The story of how the cloister was deserted is as follows: - -On a great feast day, while the hermits bearing the cross went in -procession around the church, they saw, hanging on a tree, a piece of -paper with this inscription: “O ye devout monks! Let it be known to you -that God has forgiven all your sins, great and small; cease to undergo -religious exercises; leave your hermitage; disperse, marry and rear -children. Peace be unto you!” On the second day they observed the same -thing, and were led to dispute among themselves whether this were a -device of God or of a devil. When on the third day the same incident -was repeated, they agreed to leave the abbey and follow what seemed to -them a divine order. Šeiḫ ‘Adi, the legend goes on, had foretold to the -Yezidis of that district that the monks of this monastery would desert -their place, would become Yezidis, would marry and beget children; that -he would die during that time; and that he wishes his followers to pull -down the altar of the church in that priory and bury him there. Shortly -after the fulfilment of his prophecy, the Šeiḫ died, and was entombed -in the place of the altar. And since that time, it is asserted, the -spot has become the sanctuary of the devil-worshippers. In support of -this statement, it is argued, that there was a Syriac inscription in -the temple mentioning the name of the founder of the monastery and -the patriarch in whose time it was built; that some of the Yezidis -themselves bear testimony to this fact, and say they have removed the -writing from its former place and have hidden it at the entrance to -‘Adi’s temple, a spot the whereabouts of which only a few of them know. -The reason why this record is hidden, it is explained, is the fear that -the Nestorians may see it and reclaim the church.[84] - -Such is the eastern Christian’s tradition relative to the origin of the -Yezidis. It is, of course, merely a legend; but its character is such -as to require careful examination and critical study. It may embody a -measure of truth that will indirectly throw some light on the subject -in hand. - -One noticeable thing regarding this current view is that it is not a -recent invention; else it might be said to be the creation of ignorance -at a time far removed from the event which it records. Assemani, -himself an oriental of distinguished scholarship, in that part of -his book wherein he treats of the religion of Mesopotamia, according -to the natives of the country, says that the Yezidis were at one -time Christians, who, however, in the course of time, had forgotten -the fundamental principles of their faith.[85] This statement is -incorporated in the writings of all western orientals that have -travelled in the East.[86] - -Another thing worthy of notice is that the Christians should have such -a sacred regard for his tradition as to hand it down to posterity at -the risk of their own reputation. Certainly the Christians are not -cherishing this theory with any expectation of receiving honor by -assuming relation with the Yezidis. The devil-worshippers are utterly -despised by all their neighbors. Nor do they do it out of love, that -they may arouse the sympathy of the dominating race for this degraded -people. Oriental Christians themselves despise the Yezidi sect. They -would not, and could not, help them. There must then be some truth in a -legend that leads the church to regard a despised people as having been -at one time co-religionists. - -Were the antiquity of the tradition, and the unfavorable result which -its entertainment causes, the only two reasons for its consideration, -we might just as well dismiss it. But there are other things which -go to point out some historic facts underlying the current theory. -One such fact is that the family name of the Yezidis around Mosul is -Daseni, plur Dawasen. The Christians and the Mohammedans know them by -this name, and they themselves also use it, and say it is the ancient -name of their race, existing from time immemorial.[87] Now Daseni, -or Dasaniyat, was the name of a Nestorian Diocese, the disappearance -of which is simultaneous with the appearance of the Yezidis in these -places.[88] - -It is stated, moreover, that all the people of Sinjar were formerly -Christians, belonging to the ancient Syriac Church and having a very -prominent diocese, which was called the diocese of Šaki, _i. e._, -Sinjar; and that the diocese continued to exist till the middle of -the eighteenth century: What goes to verify this tradition is that, -at present, there is a library at Jabal Sinjar, under the control of -the Yezidis, that consists of ancient Syriac books. They are kept in a -small room guarded by a Yezidi. On Sunday and Friday of every week they -burn incense and light lamps in honor of the manuscripts; and once a -month they take them out in the sun to dust and to preserve them from -destruction by dampness. After the door is locked, the key is kept by -the Šeiḫ, besides whom and his son no one else is allowed to touch the -books. What is more interesting, the people of Sinjar say they have -inherited the library from their forefathers, who were Christians.[89] -It is pointed out, furthermore, that the names of the principal towns -of the Yezidis are Syriac. Ba‘šika comes from “the house of the falsely -accused, or oppressed”; Ba‘adrie from “the place of help or refuge”; -Baḥzanie from “the house of visions or inspiration”; Talḥas from “the -hill of suffering,” where many Christians were martyred by Persians. -These are a few of many Yezidi villages having Syriac names. - -The Yezidis have religious practices which are to be found only in -the Christian Church. I mean the rites of baptism and the Eucharist. -It is true that the use of water as a rite is practised by other -non-Christian sects, such as the Mandeans; but it is argued that this -ordinance as observed by the Yezidis is so similar to that of the -Christians that its origin is to be traced back to Christianity, rather -than to any other system. Like their neighbors, the Dawaseni must if -possible baptize their children at the earliest age. In performing -the rite, the Šeiḫ, like the Christian priest, puts his hand upon the -child’s head. In regard to the sacrament of the Lord’s supper, it is -strictly Christian in character. The Yezidis call the cup the cup of -Isa (Jesus); and when a couple marry, they go to a Christian town to -partake of Al-ḳiddas (the Eucharist) from the hand of a priest, a -custom which prevails among eastern Christians. What requires special -note is that this practice is observed where the Yezidi influence is -not very strong, a fact which seems to indicate that the Apostate -Nasara, who lived remote from strongly Yezidising influences, were able -to retain some of their originally much favored practices, and vice -versa.[90] - -Finally, the Dawaseni entertain great reverence for Christianity and -the Christian saints. They respect the churches and tombs of the -Christians, and kiss the doors and walls when they enter them; but -they never visit a Mohammedan mosque. In the Black Book a statement -is made that on her way to the house of her bridegroom, a bride -should visit the temple of every idol she passes by, even if it be a -Christian Church.[91] They have also professed reverence for ‘Isa -(Jesus). They affect more attachment to An-Naṣara than to Mohammedans. -Such a religious affinity cannot be fully accounted for on any other -ground than that of their sincere respect for Christianity, a feeling -which clearly indicates that these people must at one time have had -a very close connection with Christianity. This intimate relation -cannot be explained by their ignorance, or by kindred experiences, as -some scholars seem to think.[92] It is true the Christians have been -co-sufferers with them; both have lived for generations under the same -yoke of bondage and oppression and under similar circumstances. But -this alone could not create sympathy between them. Such an assumption -cannot be verified by the facts collected through our observation of -the Yezidis’ character as a religious body. They are sincere in their -beliefs, and never compromise in religious matters. History has shown -again and again that they have suffered martyrdom for their faith, -in which they have been as sincere and unshaken as have been the -heroes of any religion. No matter how uneducated they may be, they -are not hypocrites in their faith. The theory is also refuted by our -understanding of the nature of the affinity in question between the -Yezidis and the Christians. It is not a matter of sympathy but of -religion. They believe in some forms of Christianity; and when they -visit a church, they want to exercise their faith and not to express -their sympathy. What is more, the eastern Christians have no sympathy -for the devil worshippers, at least, not more than they have for any -other religious body. Such an affinity is wanting between the Jews -and the Christians or the Yezidis, yet they all live under the same -conditions. - -I am not here advocating the theory, or implying, that the Yezidi sect -is a corrupt form of Christianity, but am simply aiming to show that -if the similarity of a certain religion with another in some phases -be taken as a ground for the explanation of its origin, the Christian -tradition can be regarded as a more probable theory to account for the -rise of Yezidism than any other view: And, hence, to point out, what -seems to me to be the best position, that the explanation must be found -ultimately in some historical document which will give us a reasonable -clew in the tracing of the sect in question to its founder. - - - - -III - -THE SPECULATIVE THEORIES OF WESTERN ORIENTALISTS - - -Thus far we have been dealing with the different theories regarding -the origin of the Yezidis held in the East: the myth of the -devil-worshippers themselves, the Christian tradition. Now we turn -our attention to the West, which also has expressed itself on this -subject. The degree of interest shown in this particular case, however, -differs with different nationalities. The English-speaking scholars -come first; next come the French; then the Russians; and finally the -Italians. The German scholars seem to be interested mainly in certain -words and festive events. And, in the discussion of these, they go -so far in their unbounded speculation that one cannot tell whether -the people they deal with are the Yezidis in question, Assyrians, -Babylonians, Canaanites, Greeks, Romans or Jews. The German writers do -not seem to be interested so much in the problem of the origin of this -people as a sect, unless they regard the question as settled on the -ground of the Yezidis’ own statement that they are the descendants of -Yezid bn Mu‘awiya. - -To tell the truth, the rise of the interest in the inquiry about the -founder of this sect on a scientific basis, is due, without question, -to the scholarship of the West. And any solution of the problem (and -it does not matter who does the work), in the last analysis, must be -accredited to the influences emanating from these scholars and these -scholars only. Nevertheless modern orientalists have been far from -approaching the solution of the question. This may be due in part to -the extreme interest which they have taken in the matter, an interest -which led them to accept the phenomena without critical examination. -But the inductive study of their respective writings tends to show that -this is due to their method of procedure rather than to anything else. -They have employed the philosophical and not the historical method.[93] -I do not mean to deny the value of such a course of investigation in -questions pertaining to religion, but what I do mean to say is that -the method of the scholars in question is almost purely speculative, -and they do not seem to appeal to historical facts in support of their -assumptions. The inevitable consequence has been, therefore, that in -their theories there exists an uncertainty and indefiniteness that -puzzles the student of history. - -Another fact which the inductive study of the views of the western -scholars reveals is that their theories are nothing more nor less -than the expression of the Yezidis’ tradition in terms of modern -scholarship, without, however, the showing of reasons for so doing. -This fact will be proved presently when we shall examine their -respective writings. - -Western orientalists are divided into three schools of opinion on the -question of the religious origin of the Yezidis. There are those who -hold that the sect takes its rise from Yezid bn Mu‘awiya. This view -is advocated by a modern writer, who says, “The Arabs who accepted -Mohammed called those who did not Al-jahaleen, _i. e._, the ignorant -ones. Among the latter was Yezid bn Mu‘awiya who refused to accompany -Mu‘awiya, his father, as an attendant upon his person. Many of the -ignorant ones rallied around Yezid, and he became the nucleus of the -sect that appropriated his name. The Yezidis possess a genealogical -tree by means of which they trace their religious origin back to -him.”[94] - -Now, the ground for this assertion, the writer does not give; he is -entirely silent as to the source of his information. It is evident, -therefore, that he is regarding the superstitious theory of the Yezidis -as a fact without making any reflection upon it. He also seems to -be confusing this Yezid with his uncle of the same name, who, with -Mu‘awiya his brother came in company with their father Abu Sofian, to -Mohammed to receive presents from the Prophet. But the Arab historians -tell us that not only Abu Sofian and each of his two sons received a -hundred camels but that they were each presented with forty ounces of -silver.[95] - -Then, too, many scholars deny that the name Yezidis is the original -appellation. Some assert it was put upon them by the Mohammedans as -a term of reproach.[96] Others maintain that the sect adopted the -name Yezid, son of Mu‘awiya to secure toleration at the hands of the -Mohammedans.[97] But the scholar quoted may entertain the view of those -who say that the Yezidis are really the followers of Ibn Mu‘awiya; -but that they deny it for fear of persecution on the part of Shiites. -These latter hate Yezid, because he murdered ‘Ali’s son, Husein, who is -regarded by them as their true Imam. This inference is founded on the -theory that the Mohammedans of Persia consider the people in question -as descendants of the Calif whose name is odious to them.[98] But it is -not certain that the followers of ‘Ali entertain such a view regarding -the origin of the Yezidis. And, if they do, they have no historical -facts to justify them in their opinion. Their hatred of the sect can be -better explained on the basis of the relation of the devil-worshippers -to Yezid bn Unaisa. For he was one of those who most bitterly hated -‘Ali; see pp. 121, 122, 128 of this book. - -Furthermore, the theory of this school is neutralized by the fact that -none of the Arab historians mentions the son of the first Calif in the -Omayyid dynasty as a founder of any heretical sect. On the contrary, -they all agree that he was not only a Mohammedan but a successor of the -prophet, being the second calif in the Omayyid dynasty. Ibn Ḫallikan -mentions his name two or three times, and says that his works were -collected. He says nothing, however, as to his founding any religious -schism. - -There is still another school among the western orientalists. I mean -those who hold that the religion of the devil-worshippers is of Persian -origin. They are of two wings. There are those who take their method -of procedure from the name Yezid or Yazd. They argue that this term in -Persian, Yazd (pla Yazdān), Avestan Yezata, ‘worthy of worship’, means -God, or good spirit, over against Ahriman, the evil principle. Hence, -the name Yezid, according to them, indicates the people that believe -in this good god. To the objection that the Yezidis worship the evil -spirit, answer is made that Yezid Ferfer is the name of the attendant -of the evil spirit among the Parsees.[99] Others believe that the -word “Yezid” signifies God. It indicates in the plural the observers -of superstitious doctrines as may be seen by the idol Yezid, which -the Bishop of Nagham overthrew.[100] Still others say that in the -tradition of these people Yezid must have been an abbreviated form of -Aez-da-Khuda, that is, created of God. In support of this theory, it is -claimed that in reality the Yezidis worship God and not the devil. It -is thought by many, too, that the Yezidis derive their name from Yazd, -or Yezid, a name of a town in Central Persia, of which the Parsees form -the principal part of the inhabitants.[101] - -The other wing of the second school attempts to trace the origin of -the devil-worshippers to a Persian source on the basis of certain -resemblances between the two religions. Conspicuous among the -representatives of this school is Professor A. V. Jackson, of Columbia -University. This distinguished scholar is considered an eminent -authority on Iranian religions, and particularly an eye-witness -authority on the Yezidi question. His views, therefore, not only -deserve careful consideration, but they demand their full share in -solving such an important problem as the one under discussion. I have -preferred his discussion of this theory to that of others because he -has expressed himself clearly and consistently and without rendering -himself liable to misapprehension on the part of the reader. Briefly -stated, Dr. Jackson’s position is as follows: “The Yezidis may actually -show some surviving traces of old devil-worship in Mazandaran, which -Zoroaster anathematized so bitterly,” and “some old reminiscences -of common Iranian faith.” To verify this hypothesis, he proceeds to -point out many instances. One example he cites is that “the Yezidis -are shocked if one spits upon the earth, because they interpret this -as an insult to the devil.” He traces this abhorrence to “Zoroastrian -prescription, forbidding the earth in any way to be defiled.” “The -Daevayasna or devil-worshippers in Avesta,” he goes on to say, “may -indirectly have had a kindred notion, _i. e._, not mentioning the name -of Satan.” Moreover this American critic is informed that the Yezidis -“believe in a father primeval, that lived before Adam, and did not -fall into sin.” And this information leads him to think that such a -notion helps “the Zoroastrian student to recognize at once a far-off -reminiscence of Avestan Gaya-Mashai, the Iranian Adam and Eve.”[101] - -One noticeable thing in favor of the two schools is that their method -is strictly scientific, in the modern sense of the term. It is a -posteriori and not a priori; it is inductive. Yet however scientific -their method may seem to be their conclusions cannot be accepted -as final. For the inductive method, according to the great French -scientist, Poincaré, cannot give us exact knowledge because its -experiments do not cover all the instances in a given case. There -can be only a partial verification. There will always remain some -phenomena that cannot be brought within the sphere of a particular -observation.[102] Now, this is exactly the case in the subject under -consideration. Only in some phases does the Yezidi religion resemble -that of the old Persians. There are other beliefs which do not come -under this category, and which seem to bear the traces of some other -religions. What are we to do with these?[103] The advocates of the -theory in question admit that such is the case, but they assert that -“the resemblances of the Yezidi religion to Christianity and Islam are -accidental”; that “owing to the residence of the Yezidis among the -Mohammedans, the sect naturally has much in common with Islam.”[104] -But why are the resemblances to Iranism not to be accounted for in -the same way as those to other religions? Why may not equally strong -inference be made from the likeness to Christianity? And what is -the basis of such a discrimination? On these questions we are left -entirely in the dark. Now, it is this lack of ground for their method -of procedure that leads one to seek the solution of the problem on some -other verifiable hypothesis. - -There is still another school among the western orientalists. I refer -to those who maintain that the Yezidi sect was founded by Šeiḫ ‘Adi. -A modern writer who holds this theory, after critically reviewing the -views held by the different scholars, proceeds to advance his own idea. -To emphasize it, and leave no room for further criticism, he claims -that the theory has been “generally” accepted. To quote: - -“It is generally agreed upon that the sect of the Yezidis was founded -by Šeiḫ ‘Adi. He is a historical personage, but it is exceedingly -difficult, and almost impossible, to establish any historical facts out -of the mist of very fantastic stories current about him.”[105] - -He supports his notion by an appeal to an Arab author, Kasi Ahmad -ibn-Ḫallikan, from whom, according to this writer, an extract relating -to Šeiḫ ‘Adi was published by one who for years was a resident of -the city of Mosul.[106] This statement that Ibn Ḫallikan gives the -biography of ‘Adi is a fact that cannot be questioned; but that ‘Adi -founded the Yezidi sect is a theory that is by no means “generally -agreed upon.” Nor can it be substantiated. To justify this position, -let me quote in full what the Arab biographer and two other Mohammedan -scholars have to say on the problem. - -1 What Ibn Ḫallikan has to say on Šeiḫ ‘Adi: - -“The Šeiḫ ‘Adi Ibn Masafir Al-Hakkari was an ascetic, celebrated for -the holiness of his life, and the founder of a religious order called -after him Al-‘Adawiah. His reputation spread to distant countries, -and the number of his followers increased to a great multitude. Their -belief in his sanctity was so excessive that, in saying their prayers, -they took him for their ḳibla; and imagined that in the next life they -would have in him their most precious treasure and their best support. -Before this, he had as a disciple a great number of eminent šeiḫs and -men remarkable for their holiness. He then retired from the world and -fixed his residence among the mountains of the Hakkari, near Mosul, -where he built a cell (or a monastery) and gained the favor of the -people in that country to a degree unexampled in the history of the -anchorites. It is said that the place of his birth was a village called -Bait Far, situated in the province of Baalbek, and that the house in -which he was born is still visited (as a place of sanctity). He died -A. H. 557 (A. D. 1162), or as some say A. H. 555, in the town where -he resided (in the Hakkari region). He was interred in the monastery -that he had erected. His tomb is much frequented, being considered -by his followers one of the most sacred spots to which a pilgrimage -can be made. His descendants continue to wear the same distinctive -attire as he did and to walk in his footsteps. The confidence placed -in their merits is equal to that formerly shown to their ancestor, -and like him they are treated with profound respect. Abu Ibarakat -ibn Al-Mustawfi notices the Šeiḫ ‘Adi in his history of Arbela, and -places him in the list of those persons who visited that city. Muzaffar -Ad-Din, the sovereign of Arbela, said that when a boy he saw the Šeiḫ -‘Adi at Mosul. According to him, he was a man of medium size and tawny -complexion; he related also many circumstances indicative of his great -sanctity. The šeiḫ died at the age of ninety years.”[107] - -2 What Mohammed-Amin-Al-‘Omari has to say on Šeiḫ ‘Adi: - -“They say that the šeiḫ ‘Adi was one of the inhabitants of Ba‘albek; -that he transported himself to Mosul, and from thence to Jabal Laš, a -dependency of this city (Mosul), where he resided until his death. They -also say that he was from Ḥawran, and that his lineage goes back as -far as Marwan bn al-Ḥakam, also that he is Šaraf ad Din Abou´l Faḍail -‘Adi bn Masafir bn Isma‘il bn Mousa bn Marwan bn al Ḥasan bn Marwan bn -Mohammed bn Marwan bn al Ḥakam, who died in the year 558. His grave, -which is well known, is the object of pious pilgrimages.” - -“God tried him by a calamity, to wit, the appearance of a sect of -apostates, called the Yezidis, because they claim to be descended -from Yezid. They adore the sun and render worship to the devil. The -following are some of the precepts of their faith that I found in a -small tract made by one of the inhabitants of Aleppo, who knows their -religion: - -I. Adultery becomes lawful when committed by (mutual) consent. - -II. They pretend that when the day of judgment comes, the šeiḫ ‘Adi -will put them into a wooden basin which he will place on his head -in order to cause them to enter into Paradise while uttering these -contemptuous words: ‘I do this (or, I make them do this) by compelling -God or in spite of him.’ - -III. The visit which they pay to the tomb of Šeiḫ ‘Adi is for them a -pilgrimage which the devotees accomplished no matter how far distant -the country is that they inhabit, and without being concerned about the -expenses that the journey carries with it.”[108] - -3 What Yasin Al-Hatib-al-Omari-Al-Mausili has to say on Šeiḫ ‘Adi: - -“In this year 557 died the saint and the pious devotee ‘Adi bn Musafir, -who performed miracles. His death took place in the city Hakkariya, -one of the dependencies of Mosul. His origin is from Ba‘albek, which -he left in order to come to Mosul, that he might consecrate himself to -God. He passed a solitary life on the mountains and in caverns where -lions and other wild beasts visited him often.” - -“It is said that he was descended from the family of Omayyids, and -this is the lineage which he attributed to himself: ‘Adi bn Musafir bn -Isma‘il bn Mousa bn Marwan bn al-Ḥasan bn Marwan bn al-Ḥakam bn Al-‘Ass -bn Omayya.” - -“He was versed in the knowledge of the divine law. God tried him by a -calamity by raising the Yezidis, who pretended that this šeiḫ is God, -and who have made his tomb the object of their pilgrimage. They arrive -there every year at the sound of drums in order to give themselves to -games and debauchery.” - -“The Christians of the land, and especially the partisans of the -Nestorians are far from having the same opinion of the Šeiḫ ‘Adi as -have the Moslems or the Yezidis. The following passage which one reads -in a Chaldean manuscript entitled ‘Awarda’[109] and which I saw some -time ago in the Church of Karmalis,[110] proves this sufficiently. This -is the translation of the passage which I have extracted from a song -composed by a bishop of Arbil, in honor of Rabban Hormuzd[111] and -other saints, and in which the author makes mention of ‘Adi in these -terms: - -“‘Great misfortunes have followed, falling upon us; a formidable enemy -came to torment us. He was a descendant of Hagar, the slave of our -mother. This enemy who made our life unfortunate was a Mohammedan, -called ‘Adi. He deceived us by vile tricks, and has finished by taking -possession of our riches and of our convent, which he consecrated to -things that are illicit (to have a strange worship). An innumerable -multitude of Mussulmen have attached themselves to him and have -vowed to him a blind submission. The renown of his name, which is -Šeiḫ ‘Adi, has spread down to our days in all the cities of all the -countries.’”[112] - -These are the accounts which we have of Šeiḫ ‘Adi in his relation to -the Yezidis, and they deserve our special attention. For not only -are the writers scholars of the highest authority, but they are to a -certain extent eye-witness authorities. The last two are from the city -of Mosul, which is the only city in the Mohammedan world whose widely -spreading scholarship has acquired for it the name “Dar-al-‘Ulum,” -_i. e._, the home of sciences. Moreover, they come from a family -whose members are known as ‘Olama, highly intellectual, broad-minded -Mohammedan gentlemen. While at Mosul, I had the honor of calling often -on Ḥasan Efendi al ‘Omari, and especially on Suleiman Efendi al ‘Omari. -Ibn Ḫallikan as a trustworthy biographer needs no further introduction -than the mere mentioning of his name. What adds to his reputation as a -scholar is the fact that, being a resident of Arbila in the province of -Mosul, he had at his command firsthand information. - -Another noteworthy fact is that all three of these scholars agree in -their account of Šeiḫ ‘Adi, in their tracing of his genealogy, in -describing him as the most perfect model of hermits, in praising him -for his manner of life, which they regard as a life of holiness. They -agree also in their definition of the common people’s attitude toward -the Šeiḫ: that he was deified and that his tomb has been made the -object of pilgrimage. And finally they are silent about his supposed -founding of the sect in question. There is no intimation that he was a -heretic, or that he established such a schism. To be sure, Ibn Ḫallikan -makes mention of a religious order which was called after the Šeiḫ’s -name, but he designates them as ‘Adawia and not as Yezidis. This might -have been such an order as the Brotherhood of Assanusi, called after -Mohammed ibn ‘Ali as-Sanusi, or as many other orders of dervishes and -šeiḫs of mystical type, that have taken rise from time to time in the -religious history of Islam. The other two speak of the appearance of -the Yezidis, but they look at the incident as a calamity to the šeiḫ -because they deified him and worshipped at his tomb. Their remarks -tend to show that the Yezidi sect were known as such before the time -of ‘Adi; that their appellation was based on the pretension that they -were descendants of Yesid; that they were apostates from Islam; that -they were some of those who were attached to ‘Adi by reason of his wide -reputation as a saint, and were led by their ignorance to take him for -a god; and that they were worshippers of the sun and the devil. It is -inconceivable to us, if we apply the principles of modern criticism to -what we know of the character of the Mohammedan historians, that they -should write the life of one who is responsible for the rise of a sect, -the foundation of whose religion is the devil, and not curse him and -the devil with him a hundred million times. - -Such are the theories that have been advanced in the discussion -relating to the religious origin of the Yezidi sect, and we have found -not only that they are far from reaching the solution of the problem, -but also that the method that they employ does not seem to be the -proper one for solving such a question. The tradition of the Yezidis -that they are descended from Yezid bn Mu‘Awiya which has been accepted -as the fact by some western scholars is only a myth, without historical -justification. As to the Christian tradition, all that can tell us is -that some Yezidis might have been at one time Christians; but as to who -was the founder of the sect it gives us no light. Likewise, all that -we can learn from the theory advocated by the second school is that -some phases of the Persian religion might have survived with that of -the devil-worshippers. We may admit, I think, that some Yezidis are -Persian in their origin. But as to who was the originator of their -religion this theory helps us not a whit. So also we have found that -the relation of Šeiḫ ‘Adi to this sect is not that of a founder. He is -only one of many whom their ignorance led to class as deities. - - - - -IV - -THE DOGMATIC VIEW OF MOHAMMEDAN SCHOLARS - - -While the Yezidi myth regards the sect as descendants of Adam, of -Yezid bn Mu awiya, or of a colony from the north, while the Christian -tradition of the East traces them to a Christian origin, while among -the western orientalists some say that they were founded by Yezid bn -Mu awiya, others that they are of Persian origin, etc., the Mohammedan -dogmatics, on the other hand, assert that they are _Murtaddoon_, that -is, apostates from Islam. To understand the significance of this term, -I must mention the several words used for those who are considered as -infidels according to Mohammedan theology. _Kafir_ is one who hides -or denies the truth; _Mushrik_ is one who ascribes companions to God; -_Mulhid_ is one who has deviated from the truth; _Zandik_ is one who -asserts his belief in the doctrine of dualism; _Munafik_ is one who -secretly disbelieves in the mission of Mohammed; _Dahri_ is an atheist; -_Watani_ is a pagan or idolator; and finally _Murtadd_ is one who -apostasizes from Islam. The Yezidis are put in the category of those -who, after once accepting the religion of Islam, later rejected it. - -One author, of those to whose writings I had access, in an -explicit statement regards these people as apostates. I refer to -Amin-al-‘Omari-al Mausili (of Mosul). After praising Šeiḫ ‘Adi, -the Mosulian goes on to say, “God tried him (_i. e._, ‘Adi) by a -calamity, to wit, the appearance of Al-Murtaddoon, called the Yezidis -because they pretended to have been descended from Yezid.[113] -Another Mohammedan scholar that mentions these people is Yasin -Al-Ḫatib-al-‘Omari-al Mausili. Writing on Šeiḫ ‘Adi, and praising him -as the former writer does, he says, “He was versed in the knowledge of -the divine law. God tried him by a calamity by raising up the Yezidis, -who pretend that this Šeiḫ is God, and who have made his tomb the -object of their pilgrimage.[114] - -While these authors throw some light on the subject that the sect in -question derives its appellation from a historic person, they leave us -entirely in the dark as to who that person was, as the Arab historians -mention many prominent men who bore the name Yezid. - -This obscurity regarding the person of the founder of the sect is made -clear by one whose work is equally, if not more, authoritative than -that of any other Mohammedan scholar on matters pertaining to religious -and philosophical sects. This authority is Mohammed Aš-Šahrastani. -He is the only Mohammedan writer that I could reach that, in a clear -language, traces this most interesting sect to its founder. - -“The Yezidis are the followers of Yezid bn Unaisa, who [said that -he] kept friendship with the first Muhakkama before the Azariḳa, and -he separated himself from those who followed after them with the -exception of Al-Abaḍia, for with these he kept friendship. He believed -that God would send an apostle from among the Persians and would reveal -to him a book that is already written in heaven, and would reveal the -whole (book) to him at one time,[115] and as a result he would leave -the law of Mohammed, the Chosen One, may God bless and save him!—and -follow the religion of the Sabians mentioned in the Koran. But these -are not the Sabians who are found in Ḥaran and Wasit. But Yezid kept -friendship with the people of the book who recognized the Chosen -One as a prophet, even though they did not accept his (Mohammed’s) -religion. And he said that the followers of the ordinances are among -those who agree with him; but that others are hiding the truth and give -companions to God and that every sin, small or great, is idolatry.”[116] - -It is clear, then, that Aš-Šahrastani finds the religious origin of -this interesting people in the person of Yezid bn Unaisa. He calls them -his _Aseḥab_, _i. e._, his followers, a term by which he designates the -relation between a sect and its originator. Al-Ḥaraṯiyah he describes -as “Aseḥab al-Ḥareṯ,” and “Al Ḥafeziyah Aseḥab Hafez,” and so on. We -are to understand, therefore, that to the knowledge of the writer, bn -Unaisa is the founder of the Yezidi sect, which took its name from him. - -Mohammed Aš-Šahrastani states also, in a logical way, the theological -views of the head of the Yezidis. Yezid, he says, is on the positive -side, in sympathy with the first Muḥakkamah before the Azariḳa. -Now, the first Muhakkamah is an appellative applied to the Muslim -schismatics called Al-Ḫawarij, because they disallowed the judgment of -the Hakaman, _i. e._, the two judges, namely ‘Abd Mousa al-Aš-‘Aree -and Am ibn-al-‘As; and said that judgment belongs only to God. And -Al-Azariḳa were a heretical Muslim sect called Al-Ḫawarij or Ḥeroriyah, -so named in relation to Nafi‘ ibn-Al-Azraḳ. They asserted that ‘Ali -committed an act of infidelity by submitting his case to arbitration, -and that the slaying of him by Ibn Muljama was just; and they declare -that the companions (of the Prophet) were guilty of infidelity. Yezid -moreover, is said to have been in sympathy with Al-Abaḍiyah, a sect -founded by ‘Abd-Allah ibn Ibad, who taught that if a man commits a -kabirah or great sin he is an infidel and not a believer. - -It is evident, therefore, that according to this exposition the Yezid -in question was one of Al-Ḫawarij, and their principle is expressly -attributed to him: every sin, small or great, is idolatry. According -to this it might be inferred that the Yezidis were originally a -Ḫarijite sub-sect. They still hold to the Ḫarijite principle. (Cf. -their position to the Ottoman Government, pp. 71-74). As we said some -Mohammedan writers other than Ashahr-Astani also (pp. 118-119) regard -them as apostate Moslems, Aš-Šahrastani himself classes them with the -Moslem heretics. Now Al-Ḫawarij were the first to rebel against ‘Ali at -Ḥaroora, a certain suburb of Al-Koofa, from which it is distant two -miles. They are called also Al-Ḥeroriyah, because they first assembled -there and accepted the doctrine that government belongs only to God. -And one sect of Al-Ḫawarij was An-Nâṣibiyah who made it a matter of -religious obligation to bear a violent hatred to ‘Ali. Such is the -place of bn Unaisa among the Moslem heretics, but this is only one side -of his religious system.[117] - -There is another side to Yezid’s doctrine. He held that God would -send an apostle from Persia, to whom he would reveal a book already -written in heaven. This apostle was to be an opponent of the prophet -of Islam in that he would leave Mohammed’s religion and follow that of -the Ṣabians mentioned in the Koran. These are referred to by Mohammed, -together with the Christians and the Jews, in three different places in -the Book. One such reference is in Surah 2, 59: “They who believe as -well as Jews, Christians and Sabeans, whoever believeth in God and in -the Last Day, and do that which is right, shall have their reward with -their Lord.” - - Surah 5, 73, also: - - “They who believe as well as Jews, Christians and Sabeans, whoever of - them believe in God and the Last Day, and do what is right, on them - shall no fear come; neither shall they be put to grief.” - - And Surah 22, 17: - - “They who believe as well as Jews, Sabeans and Christians and the - Magians, and those who join gods with God, verily God shall decide - between them on the Day of Resurrection.” - - * * * * * - -In these passages Mohammed seems to regard the Sabians of the Koran as -believers in the true God and in the resurrection. And in Surah 22, -17, he seems to distinguish them from Magians and polytheists. Hence, -we are to infer that the Apostle of whom Yezid bn Unaisa says that he -will come from the land of the ´Ajam (Persian), will identify himself -with the religion of the Ṣabians. This implies that he will believe in -the true God and in the Day of Resurrection. But from some Arab writers -we learn more of these Ṣabian beliefs than the Prophet of Islam has -mentioned. According to some the Ṣabians were a sect of unbelievers who -worshipped the stars secretly, and openly professed to be Christians. -According to others, they were of the religion of Ṣabi, the son of -Seth, the son of Adam; while others said they resembled the Christians, -except that their _ḳiblah_ was toward the South, from whence the wind -blows. In the _Kamûs_ it is said that they were of the religion of -Noah. Al-Baiḍawi says that some assert that they were worshippers -of angels, and that others say that they are the worshippers of -stars. Al-Bertuni calls the Manichaeans of Samarḳand Sabians. Bar -Hebraeus[118] asserts that the religion of the Sabians is the same as -that of the ancient Chaldeans. In commenting on Surah 2, 59, Zamaḫšari -(Al-Keššaf) says that the name Ṣabian comes from a root meaning one -who has departed from one religion to another religion, and that the -Ṣabians were those who departed from Judaism and Christianity and -worshipped angels. On this same verse, Šams Ad-Din Mohammed Al-Ḥarrani -(Jami Al-Bijan fi Tafsir Al-Koran) says: “The Ṣabians, _i. e._, those -who departed from one religion to another religion, stood between the -Magians and the Jews and the Christians without having any revealed -religion of their own. According to some they were people of the Book; -according to others they were worshippers of angels; while others -say, they believed in one God but followed no Prophet.” This same -commentator on Surah 5, 73, says: “The Ṣabians were a Christian sect; -some say that they were worshippers of angels; others assert that they -worshipped God alone, but had no revealed religion.” On this same -verse Zamaḫšari remarks, “The Ṣabians were those who departed from all -religions.” - -Now what Mohammed Aš-Šahrastani really means by the Ṣabians of the -Koran, I am unable to state. In his general discussion of Ṣabianism -however (vol. 2, pp. 201-250), he seems to speak of two main Ṣabian -sects. He refers to one together with the ancient philosophers; and -declares that the Ṣabians followed rational ordinances and judgments -which originally they may have derived from some prophetic authority, -but that they denied all prophecy. The philosophers followed their own -devices and took their system from no prophetic source. The authority -we are quoting calls this sect “the original Ṣabian sect,” and -says that it followed Seth and Enoch. In another place (vol. 1, p. -24) he writes, “The Jews and the Christians follow a revealed Book; -the Magians and the Manichæans, a like Book; the original Ṣabian -sect, ordinances and judgments, but accepts no Book; the original -philosophers, the atheists, the star-worshippers, the idol-worshippers, -and the Brahmans believe in none of these.” - -The other main Ṣabian sect is mentioned together with the Jews, the -Christians, and the Moslems. The difference between these religious -bodies, according to Aš-Šahrastani, is that “the Ṣabians do not follow -the Law (of God) or Islam; the Christians and the Jews believe in -these, but do not accept the Law (religion) of Mohammed; while the -Moslems believe in them all. - -Aš-Šahrastani, moreover, derives the name Ṣabian (p. 203) from a root -meaning one who turns aside, deviates; and declares that the Ṣabians -were those who turned aside from the statutes of God, and deviated from -the path of the prophets. He seems to regard the notion that man is -incapable of approaching God, and that therefore he is in constant need -of intercessors and mediators, as a controlling idea in Ṣabianism. This -belief, the writer points out, has manifested itself in three different -forms: in the veneration of angels among what he calls the followers of -angels; the adoration of stars among the followers of stars; and in the -worship of idols among the followers of idols, heathens (pp. 203, 244). -The last two, we are told, are polytheists, and referred to in the -Koranic statement: - -(“When Abraham said to his father, Azar, ‘Dost thou take idols -for gods?’—Surah 6, 74. Said he—Abraham—‘Do ye serve what ye hew -out?’—Surah 37, 93. When he—Abraham—said to his father, ‘Oh my sir! -why dost thou worship what can neither hear nor see nor avail thee -aught?’—Surah 19, 43.”) - -And in the following references: - -(“And when the night overshadowed him he saw a star and said, ‘This is -my Lord.’ And when he saw the moon beginning to rise he said, ‘This is -my Lord.’ And when he saw the sun beginning to rise he said, ‘This is -my Lord, this is greatest of all.’”)—Surah 6, 76, 77, 78. - -But Mohammed Aš-Šahrastani makes mention of another Ṣabian sect which -he names Al-Ḫarbâniyah (pp. 248-250). Its distinctive feature, he says, -is the belief that the Creator indwelleth in other beings. They held -that God is one in his essence, but many in his appearances. He dwells -in the seven planets, and in the earthly beings that are rational, -good, and excellent in righteousness. Human body is his temple; he may -abide within it and live and move as a man. He is too good, we read, -to create anything evil. God is the source of good, and evil is either -an accidental and necessary thing, or related to the evil source. -They believed also, our authority informs us, in the transmigration -of souls, and taught that the Resurrection of which the prophets had -spoken was only the end of one generation and the beginning of another -here on earth. This doctrine, the Mohammedan critics affirm, is alluded -to in the passages: - -(“Does he promise you that when ye are dead, and have become dust and -bones, that then ye will be brought forth? Away, away with what ye are -promised,—there is only our life in the world! We die and we live and -we shall not be raised.”)—Surah 23, 37-39. - -Now I cannot say which of the Ṣabian sects are those that “are -mentioned in the Koran,” which Yezid bn Unaisa says, the Persian -Apostle will follow; nor can I say which are those that “are found -in Ḥarran and Wasit.” One thing, however, is clear: according to -Aš-Šahrastani the Ṣabians of the Koran differ in their faith from -those of Ḥarran. The Ḥarranians were remnants of the old heathen of -Mesopotamia; they were polytheistic, and star-worship had the chief -place in their religion, as in the worship of the older Babylonian and -Syrian faiths. They were regarded as such by the Mohammedans, so that -under Al-Mamûn, they sheltered themselves under the name, Ṣabians, that -they might be entitled to the toleration which the Ṣabians of the Koran -have because they were considered among the people of the Book.[119] -Another thing to be noticed is that there is a close resemblance -between the belief of the Ṣabian sect which Aš-Šahrastani calls -Al-Ḫarbâniyah and that of the Yezidi sect. - -Such is, in the main, the religion of the Persian Apostle and is -logically the religion of Yezid bn Unaisa which announces the coming -of such a messenger. We may conclude, therefore, that the founder -of the Yezidi sect believed in God and in the Day of Resurrection; -that he, perhaps, honored the angels and the stars, and that he was -neither polytheistic nor a true believer in the Prophet of Islam. This -last point is referred to also explicitly in the statement quoted, -that Yezid associated himself with those of the people of the Book -who recognized Mohammed as a prophet though they did not become his -followers. This is the negative aspect, so to speak, of bn Unaisa’s -religious views. He is also said to have claimed that the followers of -the ordinances[120] agreed with him. This statement tends to indicate -that he might have accepted some phases of the Muslim faith. And the -fact that he belonged to _Al-Ḫawarij_ implies that he was one of those -who were “condemning and rejecting ‘Ali for his scandalous crime of -parleying with Mu‘awiya, the first of the Omayyid line, and submitting -his claims to arbitration.” Such are in brief the fundamental elements -in the religious system of one who may be held responsible for the rise -of the sect in question. - -There can be no doubt, it seems to me, that the Yezidis are the -followers of Yezid bn Unaisa. The statement of our authority, Mohammed -Aš-Šahrastani (see pp. 119-120), is so clear that it can bear no -other interpretation. And what is far more important, it comes from -the pen of one who is considered of the highest authority among the -Arab scholars on questions relating to philosophical and religious -sects. In his bibliographical work Ibn Ḫallikan speaks of his profound -scholarship in the highest terms: “Aš-Šahrastani, a dogmatic theologian -of the ‘Ašarite sect, was distinguished as an Imam and a doctor of the -law. He displayed the highest abilities as a jurisconsult. The Kitab -al-Milal wa n-Niḥal (treatise on religions and sects) is one of his -works on scholastic theology. He remained without an equal in that -branch of science.” Now, Mohammed Aš-Šahrastani (A. H. 467-549) A. D. -1074-1133 was a contemporary of ‘Adi (A. H. 465-555) A. D. 1072-1162, -yet he makes no allusion to him when he refers to the rise of this -most interesting sect; nor does he make mention of any other supposed -founder except the one he records. For these reasons I accept the -historical assertion of this distinguished author. - -I am of the opinion, therefore, that the Yezidis received their name -from Yezid bn Unaisa, their founder as a kharijite sub sect in the -early period of Islam; that, attracted by Šeiḫ ‘Adi’s reputation, they -joined his movement and took him for their chief religious teacher; -that in the early history of the sect and of ‘Adi many Christians, -Persians, and Moslems united with it; and that large survivals or -absorptions of pagan beliefs or customs are to be found in modern -Yezidism. In other words the actual religion of the Yezidis is -syncretism in which it is easy to recognize Yezidi, Christian, Moslem, -especially sufism and pagan elements. - -Like the master they believe in the true God and in the Resurrection, -honor the angels and the stars, disbelieve in the mission of Mohammed -and ignore ‘Ali, regard every sin, small or great, as idolatry or -infidelity, and expect the appearance of a prophet from Persia. The -fact of their connection with such a religious leader explains the -reason why they are hated by both the Sunnites and the Shiites. The -followers of bn My‘awiya can only be despised by the latter; but the -believer such a heretical one as the son of Unaisa are necessarily -condemned by the former also. For he was, as I have already stated, -anti-Mohammed and anti-‘Ali. And it is worth remembering also that the -fourth Calif is more honored among the Moslems of Persia than his son -Ḥusein is; and consequently any contemptuous attitude toward the father -will give rise to more bitter feeling on the part of his followers than -the murder of the son would occasion. - -There is one question, however, which does not appear to be very -easy to answer; namely, how the Yezidis came to trace their origin -to Yezid bn Mu‘awiya and not to Yezid bn Unaisa. Three explanations -may be given. One is that their ignorance led them to mistake the -former for the latter, as they have identified many of their šeiḫs -with angels and deities. Among ignorant people, as these are, without -record and without any one who can read, the occasion of such an -error is not strange. Another answer is that they intentionally made -the identification in order to escape the persecution of the Sunnites, -among whom most of them lived. Though specious, this idea is not -tenable, for it is not their habit to deny their origin for the sake of -safety. Even in that case, they would still be hated by the Shiites. -The third theory is that they have a notion that they are descended -from a noble personage, and the second Calif being such a personage, -their ignorance led them to take him for their founder. And the -identity of the two names, of course, helped much toward the formation -of the legend. - -It is to be noticed that the religion of this Yezid contained, from -its inception, a fundamental doctrine which appealed to the pagans of -Persia more than it did to Al-jahaleen of Arabia. In its very structure -it insulted the latter country by despising its prophet. On the other -hand, it expressed its sympathy with a prophet from Persia and with his -religion. This declaration magnified Persia and its inhabitants and -gave them preëminence, thereby making an impression on the attitude -of the people toward Yezidism. Therefore they looked on it not as -a foreign but as a native cult. The entertaining of such a view, -consequently, led many fire, or devil-worshippers and the followers of -Zoroastrianism to embrace the new religion (Al-mašrik, vol. 2, p. 35). -And if the predicted teacher arose, we can imagine the great success -which he must have had among his countrymen. This fact not only -accounts for the existence of traces of old Persian religion, but it -gives the reason why the Kurdish predominates over the Arab element in -Yezidism. - -The new sect appears to have existed as a very loose organization after -the death of its founder: this looseness put them in a condition to -follow any one who would exhibit some qualifications for leadership. -Therefore, when they heard about ‘Adi they naturally flocked to him. -And it is very likely that, entertaining the idea of a coming prophet -as they still do, they might have thought him the promised one. What -might have added to the confirmation of this notion was his fame as a -saint, to whom a number of miracles were attributed. Even the lions -and the serpents which lived in his neighborhood and paid him frequent -visits were endowed, it is said, with supernatural sweetness. - -From what we know of ‘Adi’s movement, we have sufficient reason to -conclude that many Moslems and Christians followed him. The historians -of both faiths bear witness to the fact that ‘Adi’s reputation was -widespread, and that people of every condition followed him (see pp. -111-115). The Nestorian bishop of Arbela, whom Yasin Al-‘Omari quotes -(see p. 114), asserts that innumerable multitudes flocked to him, -deplores the situation of the Christian church resulting from this -uprising, and complains of the possession by the Šeiḫ of a monastery -belonging to his denomination. Moreover, as has been shown, there -exist among the Yezidis certain Moslem and Christian practices which -cannot be accounted for on any other ground, since, so far as we know -their character, they make no compromise in matters of religion. - -Not only Yezidi, Persian, Moslem, and Christian elements are to be -found in modern Yezidism, but there are many remains of the old pagan -religions which find expression in the devil-worshippers of to-day. -Such is the notion of the sacredness of the number seven, an idea which -belongs to the common stock of the ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia. -The Yezidis have seven sanjaks, each has seven burners; their cosmogony -shows that God created seven angels or gods; their principal prayer -is the appeal to God through seven šeiḫs; the sceptre engraved on the -front of the temple of their great saint has seven branches. This -reminds us at once of the Ṣabians who adored seven gods or angels -who directed the course of seven planets; the seven days of the week -were dedicated to their respective deities. Moreover, we note in the -Babylonian-Assyrian poem, the seven gates through which Ištar descended -to the land without return. Likewise, the number seven played an -important part in the religious system of Israel. - -Further, like the Ḥarranians, the modern _Šatan-parast_ worship the -sun and the moon at their rising and setting. The sun was worshipped -also in Canaan, I Sam. 6: 9. The horses of the sun were worshipped -in the temple at Jerusalem, II Kings 25: 5, 11. The worship of the -host of heaven (the sun, the moon, the planets), were found in Judea. -In Babylon, there were at least two shrines to sun-god Šamas, one at -Sippar, and the other at Larsa. - -Other survivals of the ancient religions found in Yezidism are the -worship of birds (see p. 150); the special importance attached to the -New Year because of its bearing on individual welfare by reason of the -good or evil decision of the gods rendered them (see pp. 46, 174); and -the belief in occurrences of nuptials in the heavens (see p. 174). - -Moreover, many religious beliefs of the Pre-Islamic Arabs survive among -the modern Yezidis. Such is the belief in sacred wells in connection -with sanctuaries found in all parts of the Semitic region, the most -conspicuous of which is that of Mecca. Gifts were cast into this holy -water of Zamzam, as they were cast into the sacred wells of other -places. When the grandfather of Mohammed ‘Abd Al-Muttalib cleaned out -the well, he found two golden gazelles and a number of swords. The -water of such holy springs was believed to possess healing power, and -was carried home by pilgrims, as the water of Zamzam now is (Yaḳut I, -434).[121] An impure person, furthermore, dared not approach the sacred -waters. A woman in her uncleanness was afraid for her children’s sake -to bathe in the holy water at the sanctuary of Dusares. According to -Ibn Hišam “A woman who adopts Islam breaks with the heathen god by -purifying herself in this pool.” This was taken to mean that her act -was a breach of the ritual of the spot. And all the pilgrims changed -their clothes when they entered the sacred precinct.[122] - -Another common heathen practice in the time of Al-jahliya was the -worship of holy trees. According to Tabari there was a date-palm tree -at Nejran. It was adored at an annual feast, when it was hung all -around with fine clothes and women’s ornaments. A similar tree to -which the people of Mecca resorted annually, and hung upon it weapons, -garments, ostriches’ eggs, and other things, is spoken of in the -tradition of the prophet under the name of “dhat anwat,” or “tree to -hang things on.”[123] The Goddess Al-‘Ozza was believed to reside in a -tree. According to Yaḳut (III, 261), the tree at Hadaibiya, mentioned -in the Koran (sura XLVIII, 18) was visited by pilgrims who expected to -derive a blessing from it, till it was cut down by the Calif Omar lest -it should be worshipped like Al-Lat and Al-‘Ozza. It was considered -deadly to pluck a twig from such sacred trees. - -The prevalence of stone-worship is another sign of paganism existing -before Islam, and noteworthy is the theory advanced by the Mohammedan -writers to account for its origin. According to Ibn Hišam[124] the -beginning of this idolatry was that “the Meccans when their land -became too narrow for them spread abroad over the country, and all took -stones from their sanctuary, the Kaaba, out of reverence for their -temple, and they set them up whenever they formed a settlement; and -they walked around them as they used to go about the Holy House. This -led them at last to worship every stone that pleased their fancy.” - -It is to be noticed, furthermore, that poly-demonism, _i. e._, the -belief in divine powers, in spirits, is the most characteristic feature -of the old nomad religions. Many traces of this belief have been -preserved in the Old Testament, and also in the popular religion of -the Syria and Palestine of to-day. There are many instances in the Old -Testament of the belief in divine powers inhabiting springs, trees, -stones. We may refer to the sacred wells at ḳadeš (Gen. 14: 7) and at -Beeršeba (Gen. 21, 28, 30, 31); to the sacred oracular tree at Shekem -(Gen. 12, 6; Deut. 11, 3); to the sacred stone of Bethel, which gave -the place its name, as it is called “a house of God” (Gen. 28, 22).[125] - -Now, the traces of all these religious beliefs are found in modern -Yezidism. In connection with the temple of Šeiḫ ‘Adi, there is a sacred -spring, and there are similar ones in different parts of the Yezidi -districts. The water of these springs is held to have healing power, -and is carried by pilgrims to their homes. In these pools, especially -in that of ‘Adi’s, the Yezidis cast coins, jewelry, and other presents, -which, they think, the chief saint takes from time to time; and to this -day no one may enter the holy valley with its sacred fountain, unless -he first purify his body and clothes.[126] The devil-worshippers adore, -likewise, sacred trees. They make pilgrimages to them, hang things -on them, and entertain the belief that whoever unties or shakes off a -shred of cloth will be afflicted with disease. Again, the Yezidis kiss -the stones that satisfy their imagination, and make vows to them (see -pp. 41, 50). Nor is this all. The shouting of the Yezidi pilgrims, as -they reach the sacred territory, and the noisy ceremony of their ḥajj, -with its dancing[127] and its excitement—a rite which has brought -against them all sorts of accusations[128]—are nothing but the remnants -of Pre-Islamic paganism.[129] - -Such, then, are the steps which the religion of Yezid took before it -came to shape itself into its present form. It is made up of five -different elements, pagan, that contributed by the founder, Persian, -Mohammedan, and Christian. Does not such a state of affairs find -a historical parallel in some other religions? Take, for example, -Christianity. In it we find that the distinctive characteristics of the -founder have been wrapped up in many foreign elements brought in by -those who came from other religions. - - -NOTES ON CHAPTER I - - [71] This may be traced to the Mohammedan myth that when the primal - pair fell from their estate of bliss in the heavenly Paradise, Adam - landed on a mountain in Ceylon and Eve fell at Jiddah, on the western - coast of Arabia. After a hundred years of wandering, they met near - Meccah, and here Allah constructed for them a tabernacle, on the site - of the present Kaaba. S. M. Zwemer, _Arabia_, p. 17; Aš-Šahrastani, - II, 430. - - [72] Anistase: _Al-Mašrik_, vol. 2, p. 33. - - [73] Cf. p. 35. - - [74] Cf. p. 34. - - [75] Cf. p. 37. - - [76] _Al-Mašrik_, vol. 2, p. 33. - - [77] Scottish Geog. Mag., vol. 14, p. 295. - - [78] Layard: _Nineveh and Its Remains_, vol. 11, p. 254. - - [79] Layard: _Nineveh and Babylon_, p. 94. - - [80] S. G. M., vol. 14, p. 300. - - [81] Fraser: _Mesopotamia and Persia_, p. 287. - - [82] Fraser: Ibid., p. 147. - - [83] Rich: _Residence in Kurdistan_, vol. II, p. 69. - - [84] _Al-Mašrik_, vol. II, p. 396. - - [85] Ibid, vol. III, p. 493. - - [86] Fraser: Ibid; Rich, ibid. - - [87] Badger: _Nestorians and Their Rituals_, vol. I, p. 111; Fraser, - ibid., p. 285. - - [88] _Al-Mašrik_, ibid, p. 36. - - ‘Abdišŭ was at one time bishop of Sinjar; cf. Fardaisa de ‘Eden, ed. - by B. Cardaḥi, Beirut, 1889, p. 5. - - [89] Ibid, pp. 56, 110, 832. - - [90] Ibid. This rite is practiced by the Yezidis of Ḫalitiyeh, a - dependency of Diarbeker, where the Yezidis are few in number. - - [91] Southgate: _A Tour Through Armenia_, etc., vol. II, p. 179. - - [92] See p. 42 of this book. Badger, ibid, p. 128. - - [93] I mean by the philosophical method the attempt to prove certain - assumption by theorizing, and by the historical method the endeavor to - verify a theory by obtaining data from historical sources. The former - method is based on speculation; the latter on historical inquiry. - - [94] The Enc. of Mission, p. 797. In his letter to me of date August - 6, 1907, the Rev. A. N. Andrus, of Mardin, says: “The Yezidis may be - related in religious cult with the Guebres of India.” - - [95] Muir: _Life of Mohammed_, vol. IV, p. 151. - - [96] Fraser: ibid, p. 205. - - [97] Badger, ibid, p. 129. - - [98] S. G. M., vol. 14. - - [99] Eugene Bore: _Dict. des Religions_, T. IV, _Art. Yezidis_, - Southgate, ibid, p. 317. - - [100] Fraser, ibid, p. 289. - - [101] Jackson: _Persia, Past and Present_, p. 10; J. A. O. S., 25, p. - 178, New Int. Enc. “Yezidis.” - - [102] H. Poincaré: _Science and Hypothesis_. Trans., G. B. Halsted, p. - 5 seq. - - [103] The fact that the importance of the method of comparative - religion has been generally recognized in the scientific world - has led to the danger of rushing into the other extreme of paying - attention exclusively to points of similarity and resemblance, and of - entirely disregarding, or at any rate thrusting into the background as - unimportant that which is dissimilar. - - [104] Southgate, ibid, p. 317; Jackson, J. A. O. S., vol. XXV, p. 171. - - [105] Victor Dingelstedt, S. G. M., vol. XIV, p. 295. - - [106] Siouffi, who was for about twenty years a French vice-consul in - Mosul. - - [107] Ibn Ḫallikan, vol. I, p. 316. - - [108] Manhal Al-Uliya wa Mašrab-ul-Aṣfia, “Šeiḫ ‘Adi,” quoted by M. N. - Siouffi, Journal Asiatique, 1885, p. 80. - - [109] Warda, “the rose,” is the name of a collection of hymns composed - by George Warda (1224 A. D.), Bishop of Arbila; cf. Bar Hebraeus, - Chron. Eccl., vol. II, p. 402. Warda is one of the most conspicuous - writers of hymns in the thirteenth century which was the age of song - with the Nestorian church. His poems have entered so largely into the - use of the Nestorian church that one of their service books is to this - day called the Warda; Badger, _The Nestorians_, vol. II, p. 25. Some - of his hymns speak of the calamities of the years 1224-1227. A few - specimens are given by Cardaḥi in _Liber Thesauri_, p. 51. Badger has - translated one in his _Nestorians_, vol. II, pp. 51-57. Warda’s poems - have been edited by Heinrich Hilgenfeld, _Ausgewählte Gesänge des - Giworgis Warda von Arbil_, Leipzig, 1904, and by Manna, Mosul, 1901. - - [110] The village Karmalis is about twelve miles distant from Mosul, - and is inhabited by Chaldeans, that is, Romanized Nestorians. - - [111] Rabban Hormuzd is a Chaldean monastery at Alkoš, a village about - twenty miles north of Mosul. - - [112] Al-Der-Al-Makn‘un fi-l-Miater Al-Maḍiyat min Al-ḳerun, “Šeiḫ - ‘Adi,” quoted by M. N. Siouffi, Journal Asiatique, 1885, p. 81. - - Yaḳut (vol. IV, p. 374) also regards Šeiḫ ‘Adi an orthodox Mohammedan; - “Šeiḫ ‘Adi bn Musafir Aš-Šafe‘e, šeiḫ of the Kurds and their Imam.” - ‘Adi’s orthodoxy is seen also in his writing. He wrote ‘Itiḳad - Ahl Al-Sunna “Belief of the Sunnites,” the Wasaya “Consuls to the - Cailifs,” and two odds both of them mystic in their conception. They - are all preserved in the Berlin Library; cf. Clement Huart, _History - of Arabic Literature_, p. 273. - - [113] Manhal-al-Uliya wa Mašrab ul Aṣfiya, “Šeiḫ ‘Adi,” quoted by - M. N. Siouffi, Journal Asiatique, 1885, p. 80. - - [114] Al-Der-Al-Makn‘un fi-l-Miater Al-Maḍiyat min Al-ḳerûn, “Šeiḫ - ‘Adi,” quoted by M. N. Siouffi, Journal Asiatique, 1885, p. 81. - - [115] Contrary to Mohammed to whom, according to Moslem belief, the - Koran was revealed at intervals. - - [116] Kitab Al-Milal wa n-Nihal, vol. I, p. 101 seq. - - Ḥarran was a city in the north of Mesopotamia, and southeast of - Edessa, at the junction of the Damascus road with the highway from - Nineveh to Carchamish. The moon-god had a temple in Ḥarran, which - enjoyed a high reputation as a place of pilgrimage. The city retained - its importance down to the time of the Arab ascendency, but it is now - in ruins. Yaḳut (vol. II, p. 331) says: “It was the home of Ṣabians; - that is, the Ḥarranians who are mentioned by the authors of Kutub - Al-Milal wa n-Nihal.” As to Wasit this same Yaḳut (vol. IV, p. 881) - mentions about twenty different places bearing this name. The most - prominent one is that built by Al-Hajjaj in 83 A. H. It is called - Wasit “the intermediate” because it was situated midway between Kufa - and Basrah. Another place Yaḳut (p. 889) mentions is Wasit ul-Raḳḳat, - a town on the western side of the Euphrates, and about two days’ - journey from Ḥarran. Perhaps this is the Wasit that Aš-Šahrastanî - means. - - [117] On these sects, see Aš-Šahrastanî, ibid, vol. II, pp. 85, 87, - 89, 100 (42). His history, ed. Sachau, Leipzig, 1878, p. 207. - - [118] At-Tarih, ed. Alton Salhanî, Beîrut, p. 266. - - [119] Fihrist, p. 320. The Arabs used to call the Prophet Aṣ-ṣabi, - because he departed from the religion of the Koreish to Al-Islam; cf. - Al-Keššaf on Surah XXII, 17. - - [120] Hudud, pl. of Hadad, restrictive ordinances, or statutes, of God - respecting things lawful and things unlawful. The Hudud of God are of - two kinds: First, those ordinances respecting eatables, drinkables, - marriage, etc., what are lawful thereof and what are unlawful. - Second, castigations, or punishments, prescribed, or appointed, to - be inflicted upon him who does that which he has been forbidden to - do. The first kind are called Hudud because they denote limits which - God has forbidden to transgress; the second, because they prevent - one’s committing again those acts for which they are appointed as - punishments, or because the limits thereof are determined. See Lane’s - Arabic Dictionary in Loco. - - [121] Cf. also W. R. Smith, _Religion of the Semites_, p. 167, and - D. B. Stade’s _Biblische Theologie des Alten Testaments_, pp. 111 and - 290. - - [122] R. Smith, ibid, p. 49; cf. Ex. 3: 5, “And he said, Draw not nigh - hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon - thou standest is holy ground”; and Josh. 5: 15, “And the captain of - the Lord’s host said unto Joshua: Loose thy shoe from off thy feet, - for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.” - - In idolatrous days the Arabs did not wear any clothing in making - the circuit of the Kaaba. In Islam, the orthodox way is as follows: - Arrived within a short distance of Mecca, the pilgrims put off their - ordinary clothing and assume the garb of a hajjee. Sandals may be worn - but not shoes, and the head must be left uncovered. In Mandeanism, - each person as he or she enters the Miškana, or tabernacle, disrobes, - and bathes in the little circular reservoir. On emerging from the - water, each one robes him or herself in the rasta, the ceremonial - white garment.—_The London Standard_, Oct. 19, 1894. Prayer Meeting of - the Starworshippers. - - [123] Cf. R. Smith, ibid, p. 185, and Stade, ibid, p. 111 seq. - - [124] Weil’s translation, p. 39. - - [125] Cf. R. Smith, ibid, pp. 203-212; S. I. Curtiss’ _Primitive - Semitic Religion To-day_, pp. 84-89; Stade, ibid, p. 114, seq.; see - also II Sam. 5: 24, and John 5: 2, 3. - - The original idea might have been that the waters, the stones, and - the trees themselves were divinities. In Jud. 5: 21, we have the - statement: “The river Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the - river Kishon.” Now Kais was the name of an Arabian god in Pre-Islamic - time. In Num. 5: 17 seq., an accused woman is tested by a sacred - water. In Deut. 32: 4, “He is the rock,” “rock” is as much a term for - God as El, or elohim; cf. verses 15, 18, 30, 31; II Sam. 23: 3. In Ps. - 18: 2, the word rock is used of God, “the Lord is my rock.” Jacob took - the stone which he had put under his head as a pillow, and raised it - up as a pillar, poured oil upon it and called it the “house of God,” - Gen. 28: 18, 19, 22. “The sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry - trees” (II Sam. 5: 24), for which David was to wait, was nothing less - than the divine voice speaking to David in accordance with ancient - conceptions. - - [126] Layard: _Nineveh and Its Remains_, vol. I, p. 280. - - [127] Dancing might have been also a religious ceremony in the - Pre-Kanaanitic religion of Israel. - - [128] The people in the East are under the impression that the - Yezidis violate the law of morality during their festivals. According - to Hurgronje (vol. 2, pp. 61-64), immorality is practised also in - the sacred mosque of Mecca. This practice may be a survival of the - institution of Kadeshes, who offered themselves in honor of the Deity - in the sacred places where license usually prevailed during the - festivals (Gen. 38: 21, and Deut. 23: 18). - - [129] Cf. R. W. Smith, ibid, p. 432. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN YEZIDISM - - -Although comparatively few in number, ignorant, and practically without -a literature of any sort, the followers of Yezid are not without -definitely formulated doctrines of faith which bind them together as -a sect, and distinguish them from every other religious body. They -cherish two fundamental beliefs. They believe in a deity of the first -degree, God; and in a deity of the second degree, who, they seem to -think, is composed of three persons in one, Melek Ṭâ´ûs, Šeiḫ ‘Adi and -Yezid.[130] - - -I - -THE YEZIDI VIEW OF GOD - -It is not easy to discover whether the conception of God, which exists -to-day among the Yezidis, however shadowy, has come from Mohammedan or -Christian sources, or whether it comes from that primitive stage where -the worship of God and of inferior deities exists side by side. One -thing, however, is apparent, and that is that the Yezidi notion of God -does not seem to be influenced by any “positive religion” which traces -its origin to the teachings of a great religious founder, who spoke as -the organ of a divine revelation, and deliberately departed from the -traditional religion. The Yezidis’ idea of God is rather an image left -on their mind than the result of any reflection. Hence, simple as it -is, this conception is not so easy to define. The notion, so prominent -in Greek philosophy, of God as an existence absolute and complete in -himself, unchangeable, outside of time and space, etc., is unknown -in Yezidi theology. So also the theocratic conception of Jehovah in -Judaism is foreign to the dogma of this sect. Not even the Mohammedan -idea of God as an absolute ruler, and the distinctive notion which the -Christians have of God as Christ-like in character, are to be found in -the religion of the devil-worshippers. And we have accustomed ourselves -to think of the Supreme Being in these conventional terms. There is -one element, however, which may be traced to Judaism, Christianity -and Islam, namely, the belief in a personal God. But Yezidism holds -that this deity is only the creator of the universe and not its -sustainer. Its maintenance, according to this system, is left to the -seven gods. Another element which may be said to be a remnant of some -other religions is the idea of a transcendent God. But in this point, -as in the other, the notion of transcendentalism in the religion of -the devil-worshippers is not of the same degree as that of the other -religions. The former conceives of the Almighty as retiring far away, -and as having nothing to do with the affairs of the world, except -once a year, on New Year’s day, when he sits on his throne, calls the -gods unto him, and delivers the power into the hands of the god who -is to descend to the earth. To sum up, the Yezidis’ conception of a -personal God is transcendental and static of the extreme type. In this -it resembles somewhat the Platonic idea of the absolute. They call God -in the Kurdish Khuda, and believe that he manifested himself in three -different forms; in the form of a bird, Melek Ṭâ´ûs; in the form of an -old man, Šeiḫ ‘Adi; and in the form of a young man, Yezid. They do not -seem to offer him a direct prayer or sacrifice. - - -II - -THE DEITY OF THE SECOND DEGREE - - -1. MELEK Ṭ´ÛS - -A distinguished modern scholar (see the printed text, p. 80, lines -12-35) argues that Ṭâ´ûs is the god Tammuz. His argument is that the -word Ṭâ´ûs must embody an ancient god, but owing to the obscurity in -which the origin of Yezidism and the being of Melek Ṭâ´ûs are wrapped, -it is very difficult to say which god is meant. And to determine this, -he assumes that the term does not come from the Arabic word Ṭâ´ûs, -but was occasioned by some “folk-etymology,” and that we must look, -therefore, for some god-name which resembles the word Ṭâ´ûs. Taking -this as a starting point, the critic calls attention to the fact that -in Fihrist, p. 322, l. 27f, which treats of the feasts and gods of the -Ḥarranians, we read that the god Tauz had a feast in middle of Tammuz. -He infers from this that the god Tauz is identical with Melek Ṭâ´ûs. -And to the question who this god Tauz is, he answers it is Tammuz. To -justify his explanation, the writer contends that the Yezidis speak in -Kurdish, and according to Justi’s _Kurdische Grammatik_, p. 82ff, the -change of meem to waw in this language is frequent.[131] - -However plausible this process may seem to be, philologically it -cannot here yield a satisfactory conclusion. For it is based on wrong -premises. It is not true that the word Ṭâ´ûs signifies an ancient -deity. It denotes the devil and nothing else. This is so clear to -the Yezidis, or to anyone acquainted with their religion, as to -leave no need for further discussion. And to question the religious -consciousness of a sect is to engage in pure speculation. Likewise, -the method of determining this supposed god by the name of some deity -resembling it is objectionable. There are many such names. One might -also infer that the sect worship Christ under the form of the devil. -This theory has actually been advanced.—_Theatre de la Turquie_, -364. The statement that in Kurdish the letter meem is changed to waw -frequently is untenable, if one would set it up as a grammatical rule -to explain such phenomena. What is more, the Kurds pronounce the -name tammuz, and nothing else, unless some one has a physiological -difficulty which will not permit him to close his lips, so that instead -of saying tammuz, he would mutter taouz. The following are a few of -many instances to show that meem is not changed to waw in Kurdish, -even in words of Arabic origin: ‘Amelie ṣaliḥ (good works), zamanie -aḫerat (the last day), the well of Zamsam, Mohammed, and Mustafa (the -chosen one), when applied to the prophet, Melek (king), when applied to -Ṭâ´ûs. Further the assumption that Ṭâ´ûs does not come from the Arabic -Ṭâ´ûs is unverifiable. Unquestionably the attempt to trace this term -to tauz, then to Tammuz, was suggested to Professor Lidzbarski by the -fact that ammuz was the name of an ancient Babylonian god, and that -Abu Sayyid Wahb ibn Ibrahim, quoted by an-Nedim, an Arab author of the -tenth century, states that the god Tauz has a feast in his honor on the -fifteenth of Tammuz (_Fihrist_, p. 322). But according to the author of -“_Die Sabier und Sabismus_” (p. 202) the original form of this word is -unknown. - -Not only the inference which identifies Ṭâ´ûs with Tammuz is based on -wrong premises; but, in the Yezidi conception of Melek Ṭâ´ûs, there are -no traces of the notion which is held respecting Tammuz. The latter -was originally a sun-god, and son of Ea and the goddess Sirdu, and -the bridegroom of the goddess Ištar. The legendary poems of Babylonia -described him as a shepherd, cut off in the beauty of youth, or slain -by the boar’s tusk in winter, and mourned for long and vainly by the -goddess Ištar. The god Tammuz made his way to Canaan, Cyprus, and -thence to Greece. “He had ceased to be the young and beautiful sun-god, -and had become the representative of the vegetation of spring, growing -by the side of the canals of Babylonia, but parched and destroyed by -the fierce heat of the summer. Hence in Babylonia his funeral festival -came to be observed in the month of June, and in Palestine two months -later. Tammuz had changed his character in passing from country to -country, but the idea of him as a slain god, and of his festival as -the idealization of human sorrow, a kind of “All Souls Day,” was never -altered wherever he was adored.”[132] Such beliefs are not found in the -Yezidi view of their King Peacock. On the contrary his festival is for -them the occasion of joy and pleasure. - -I conclude, then, that Ṭâ´ûs is the Arabic word meaning peacock, just -as Melek is the Arabic word meaning king or angel. The sect write it, -pronounce it, and believe it to be so. The faith of the sect finds -expression in the fact that they represent their angel Azazil in the -form of the peacock. - -It seems to me that the real question is not what Melek Ṭâ´ûs is, but -how the devil-god came to be symbolized by the image of a bird. This -question finds an answer in the fact that the worship of a bird appears -to have been the most ancient of idolatry. It is condemned especially -in Deut. 4: 16, 17: “Lest ye corrupt yourselves and make a graven -image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of any winged fowl -that flieth in the air.” And Layard, in his _Nineveh and Its Remains_, -vol. II, p. 462, gives the sketch of a bird from one of the slabs dug -up at Nimrud. He remarks that the Iyuges, or sacred birds, belonged to -the Babylonian and probably also to the Assyrian religion. They were -a kind of demons, who exercised a peculiar influence over mankind, -resembling the feroher of Zoroastrianism. The oracles attributed to -Zoroaster describe them as powers anointed by God. - -Their images, made of gold, were in the palace of the king of -Babylonia. According to Philostratus they were connected with magic. -In Palestine the dove was sacred for the Phoenicians and Philistines. -The Jews brought accusation against the Samaritans that they were -worshippers of the dove. Sacred doves were found also at Mecca. Nasar -(eagle) was a deity of the tribe of Ḥamyar.[133] - -A question suggesting itself is how the Yezidi god came to be -designated by the form of a peacock. This bird is a native of Ceylon, -and not of Mesopotamia or Kurdistan where the Yezidis live.[134] The -answer may be found in the Muslim tradition[135] that when the first -parents forfeited heaven for eating wheat, they were cast down upon -earth. Eve descended upon ‘Arafat; Adam at Ceylon; the peacock at -Gabul, and Satan at Bilbays. In this myth the devil and the peacock -are figured as sharing the same penalty at the same time. According to -Surah 2, 28-31, the crime of the former was pride, but nothing is said -about the guilt of the latter. We learn, however, from other sources, -that the bird in question is thought of as a symbol of pride. In his -article “Peacock,” in the Enc. Brit., vol. 18, p. 443, Professor A. -Newton says: “The bird is well known as the proverbial personification -of pride. It is seldom kept in large numbers for it has a bad -reputation for doing mischief in gardens.” Hence we may infer that the -notion of the peacock as a symbol of pride together with the Koranic -idea of Satan’s sin led to the formation of the myth; that this story -was current among the followers of Yezid bn Unaisa; and that, under the -influence of the devil-worshippers of Persia the old tradition lost -its original significance, and came to be understood to represent the -peacock as a symbol of the god-devil. - -Among the three branches of the deity in the second degree, Melek -Ṭâ´ûs holds an important place in the theology of the Yezidis. The -language used in his praise is so elevated that one is led to think -that he is identical with God. Some scholars deny this theory on the -ground that the principal prayer of these people is directed to God -and no mention is made of King Peacock. Hence they contend also that -no direct worship is offered to the latter deity.[136] It seems to -me that such a contention is not justifiable. In the first place, -the people themselves confess their loyalty to the chief angels. -Moreover, the expression in this prayer, “Thou hast neither feather, -nor wings, nor arms, nor voice” (see p. 74) is more applicable to the -symbol Peacock than to God. There can be no doubt, I think, that in -the conception of the sect ‘Azazil appears to be identical with God. -This fact finds definite expression in the Book of Jilwah. In Chapter -I he is represented as being from eternity to eternity, as having -absolute control of the world, as being omnipresent and omnipotent and -unchangeable. In Chapter II he is said to appear in divers manners to -the faithful ones; and life and death are determined by him. And in -Chapter III he is declared to be the source of revelation. While this -is true, there are other phrases which refer to Ṭâ´ûs as being inferior -to the great God, but superior to all other gods. He was created, and -is under the command of God; but he is made the chief of all. - -It is not quite easy to understand the underlying idea in worshipping -the devil. Some[137] explain this by supposing he is so bad that he -requires constant propitiation; otherwise he will take revenge and -cause great misery. For this reason, it is claimed,[138] they do -not worship God, because he is so good that he cannot but forgive. -This is the usual interpretation, and it is confirmed by the nature -of the religious service rendered. It seems to partake much more of -a propitiatory than of a eucharistic character, not as the natural -expression of love but of fear. This reminds us at once of the -Babylonian religion. According to this religion, when any misfortune -overtook the worshippers, they regarded it as a sign that their deity -was angry, and had therefore left them to their own resources or had -become their enemy. To be thus deserted was accounted a calamity -because of the innumerable dangers to which the soul was exposed from -the action of the powers seen and unseen. So that as a matter of -precaution, it was well to maintain a propitiatory attitude. Hence -the great object of worship was to secure and retain the somewhat -capricious favor of the deity.[139] This is in accord with the natural -feeling of man in his primitive state, which leads him rather to dread -punishment for his sin than to be thankful for blessings received. - -Others[140] hold that the Devil-worshippers believe that their Lord is -a fallen angel, now suffering a temporary punishment for his rebellion -against the divine will because he deceived Adam, or because he did not -recognize the superiority of Adam as commanded by God. But it is not -for man to interfere in the relations of God with his angels, whether -they be fallen or not; on the contrary man’s duty is to venerate them -all alike. The great God will be finally reconciled to Ṭâ´ûs, and will -restore him to his high place in the celestial hierarchy. - -Still others[141] assert that the sect does not believe in an evil -spirit but as a true divinity. This theory is not generally accepted, -but seems more probable than the preceding ones. For there is nothing -in the sacred book to indicate that Melek Ṭâ´ûs is an evil spirit or -a fallen angel. On the contrary the charge that he was rejected and -driven from heaven is repudiated. The mentioning of his name is looked -upon as an insult to and blasphemy against him because it is based, the -Yezidis think, on the assumption that he is degraded. Finally, he is -declared to be one of the seven gods, who is now ruling the world for a -period of 10,000 years. - -It is interesting to note that, in the history of religion, the god of -one people is the devil of another. In the Avesta, the evil spirits are -called daeva (Persian Div); the Aryans of India, in common with the -Romans, Celts, and Slavs gave the name of dev (devin, divine, divny) -to their good or god-like spirits. Asura is a deity in the Rig Veda, -and an evil spirit only in later Brahman theology. Zoroaster thought -that the beings whom his opponents worshipped as gods, under the name -of daeva, were in reality powers by whom mankind are unwittingly led to -their destruction. “In Islam the gods of heathenism are degraded into -jinn, just as the gods of north semitic heathenism are called šĕirim -(hairy demons) in Lev. 17: 7, or as the gods of Greece and Rome became -devils to the early Christians.”[142] - -The Yezidis’ veneration for the devil in their assemblies is paid to -his symbol, the sanjaḳ. It is the figure of a peacock with a swelling -breast, diminutive head, and widespread tail. The body is full but -the tail is flat and fluted. This figure is fixed on the top of a -candlestick around which two lamps are placed, one above the other, -and containing seven burners. The stand has a bag, and is taken to -pieces when carried from place to place. Close by the stand they put -water jugs filled with water, to be drunk as a charm by the sick and -afflicted. They set the sanjaḳ at the end of a room and cover it with a -cloth. Underneath is a plate to receive the contributions. The ḳawwal -(sacred musician) kisses the corner of the cloth when he uncovers -Melek-Ṭâ´ûs. At a given signal, all arise, then each approaches the -sanjaḳ, bows before it and puts his contribution into the plate. On -returning to their places, they bow to the image several times and -strike their breasts as a token of their desire to propitiate the evil -principle. - -The Yezidis have seven sanjaḳs, but the Fariḳ (Lieut.-Gen. of the -Turkish Army), who tried to convert them to Mohammedanism in 1892, -took five of them. Some deny, however, that they were real ones; they -say they were imitations. Each sanjaḳ is given a special place in the -Emir’s palace, where it is furnished with a small brazen bed and a -vessel in the form of a mortar placed before it. They burn candles and -incense before it day and night. Each sanjaḳ is assigned a special -district, the name of which is written on a piece of paper and placed -on its shoulder. On the shoulder of the first the district of Šeiḫan, -which comprises the villages around Mosul, is indicated; on the second -Jabal Sinjar; in the third the district of Ḫalitiyah, which is one of -the dependencies of Diarbeker; on the fourth the district of Ḫawariyah, -_i. e._, the Kocḥers; on the fifth the district of Malliah, the -villages around Aleppo; on the sixth the district of Sarḥidar, which -is in Russia; and the seventh remains at the tomb of Šeiḫ ‘Adi. - -When sent from village to village of its respective district, a sanjaḳ -is put in a hagibah[143] (saddle-bag) and carried on a horse that -belongs to a pir (religious teacher). On nearing a certain place, a -messenger is sent to announce in Kurdish “Sanjaḳ hat,” “the Sanjaḳ has -come.” Then all the people don their fineries and go out to welcome -it with tambourines. As the representative of Melek Ṭâ´ûs reaches the -town, the pir cries out in Kurdish language, “Sanjaḳ mevan ki sawa?” -(literally: “Whose guest shall the sanjaḳ be?”). On hearing this, each -person makes a bid for the privilege of entertaining it. Finally he who -bids the highest receives the image. At that moment the accompanying -pir takes the hagibah off the horse’s back and hangs it on the neck of -the person who is to keep the symbol of the devil over night. - -The Yezidis say, that in spite of the frequent wars and massacres to -which the sect has been exposed, and the plunder and murder of the -priests during their journeys, no Melek Ṭâ´ûs has ever fallen into the -hands of the Mohammedans. When a ḳawwal sees danger ahead of him, he -buries the Melek Ṭâ´ûs and afterwards comes himself, or sends some one -to dig up the brazen peacock, and carries it forward in safety. - -Besides revering the devil by adoring his symbol, the Yezidis venerate -him by speaking with great respect of his name. They refer to him as -Melek Ṭâ´ûs, King Peacock, or Melek al-ḳawwat, the Mighty King. They -never mention his name; and any allusion to it by others so irritates -and vexes them that they put to death persons who have intentionally -outraged their feelings by its use. They carefully avoid every -expression that resembles in sound the name of Satan. In speaking of -shatt (river) they use the common Kurdish word Ave, or the Arabic ma -(water). In speaking of the Euphrates, they call it Ave ‘Azim, or ma -al-kabir, _i. e._, the great river, or simply al-Frat. - - -2. Šeiḫ ‘Adî - -Next to the devil in rank comes Šeiḫ ‘Adi. But he is not the historical -person whose biography is given by the Mohammedan authors. He is -identified with deity and looked upon as a second person in a divine -trinity. He is sent by Melek Ṭâ´ûs to teach and to warn his chosen -people lest they go astray. He is conceived to be everywhere, to be -greater than Christ; and, like Melek-Ṣedek, has neither father nor -mother. He has not died and will never die. In verse ten of the poems -in his praise, he is distinctly said to be the only God. His name -is associated with all the myth that human imagination can possibly -create about a deity. To express the Yezidi dogma in terms of Christian -formula, Šeiḫ ‘Adi is the Holy Spirit, who dwells in their prophets, -who are called kochaks. He also reveals to them truth and the -mysteries of heaven. - -The entertaining of such views has led some modern critics to think -‘Adi the good and Melek Ṭâ´ûs the evil principle. In the poem (30-32), -he is represented as the good deity and the source of all good. Others -identify him with Adde or Adi, a disciple of Manes or Mani. Still -others regard his name as one of the names of the deity. In this -case, his tomb is a myth and the prefix “Šeiḫ” is added to deceive -the Mohammedans, and thus to prevent them from desecrating the sacred -shrine, just as the Christians call Mar Mattie, Sheikh Mattie, and the -convent of Mar Behnan, ḫuder Elias.[144] But the most ingenious theory -is that advanced by the Rev. G. P. Badger. He queries whether the -Yezidi ‘Adi be not cognate with the Hebrew Ad, the two first letters -in the original of Adonai, the Lord, and its compounds, Adonijah, -Adonibezek. The writer is aware, however, that “This derivative is open -to objection on the ground that the Yezidis write the word with ‘ain -and not with alif.” But he explains: “They write so only in Arabic, -of which they know but very little, and not in their own language -(Kurdish) in which they do not write it at all. Moreover, they may have -assimilated the mode of expressing the title of their deity in bygone -days to that of ‘Adi, one of the descendants of the Merawian Califs, -with whom, from fear of being persecuted by the Mohammedans, they -sometimes identified him.” Having thus expounded his own view, this -English scholar proceeds to repudiate the suggestion that Šeiḫ ‘Adi “is -the same Adi,” one of the disciples of Mani, since there is no proof, -according to him, that Mani himself was deified by his followers. - -So far as the application of the method of comparative philology is -concerned, Badger’s theory is more reasonable and tenable than that of -Lidzbarski, who, by the same method, attempts to identify Melek Ṭâ´ûs -with Tammuz. Nevertheless, the inference of the former is beyond any -possible justification. For such a starting-point is misleading when -it is not supported by historical proof. A failure to support it thus -cannot be regarded as other than deficiency in treatment. Now, while -one may be misguided by the Yezidi myth surrounding the personality -of Šeiḫ ‘Adi, the critical mind can find much in it to aid him in his -efforts to discover the true identity of the man. In verse fifty of -his poem, for our critic draws his conclusions in the light of this -poem, the Šeiḫ receives his authority from God who is his lord; in -verse fifty-seven he is a man, ‘Adi of Damascus, son of Musafir; in -verse eighty he declares that the high place which he had attained is -attainable by all who, like him, shall find the truth. To justify my -criticism, I need only ask the reader to recall the description by the -Mohammedan biographers of the person in question. - -The Yezidis offer their worship to Šeiḫ ‘Adi, usually when they -assemble at his shrine. This is his tomb within a temple. The latter -lies in a narrow valley which has only one outlet, as the rock rises -on all sides except where a small stream forces its way into a large -valley beyond. The tomb stands in a courtyard, and is surrounded by a -few buildings in which the guardians and the servants of the sanctuary -live. In the vicinity are scattered a number of shacks, each named -after a šeiḫ, and supposed to be his tomb. Toward sunset these sacred -places are illuminated by burning sesame oil lamps, putting one at the -entrance to each tomb in token of their respect; the light lasts but a -short time. There are also a few edifices, each belonging to a Yezidi -district, in which the pilgrims reside during the time of the feast; so -that each portion of the valley is known by the name of the country of -those who resort thither. On the lintel of the doorway of the temple, -various symbols are engraved,—a lion, a snake, a hatchet, a man and -a comb.[145] Their mystical meaning is unknown. They are regarded as -mere ornaments placed there at the request of those who furnished money -for building the temple. The interior of the temple is made up of an -oblong apartment which is divided into three compartments, and a large -hall in the centre which is divided by a row of columns; and arches -support the roof. To the right of the entrance are a platform, and a -spring of water coming from the rock. The latter is regarded with great -veneration, and is believed to be derived from the holy well of Zamzam -at Mecca. It is used for the baptism of children and for other sacred -purposes. Close by there are two small apartments in which are tombs -of the saints and of some inferior personage. In the principal halls a -few lamps are usually burning, and at sunset lights are scattered over -the walls. - -The tomb of Šeiḫ ‘Adi lies in the inner room, which is dimly lighted. -The tomb has a large square cover, upon which is written Ayat al-Kursi, -that is, the verse of the throne, which is the 256th verse of -surat-al-Baḳarah, or Chapter II of the Koran. - -“God. There is no God but He, the Living, the Abiding. Neither slumber -nor sleep seizeth Him. To Him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and -whatsoever is on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him but by -His own permission? He knoweth what has been before them and what shall -be after them; yet naught of His knowledge do they comprehend, save -what he willeth to reveal. His throne reacheth over the heavens and the -earth, and the upholding of both burdeneth Him not. He is the High, the -Great.” - -It is related (in the Mishkat, Book IV, 1. 19, Part III) that ‘Ali -heard Mohammed say in the pulpit, “That person who repeats the Ayat -al-Kursi after every prayer shall in no wise be prevented from entering -into Paradise, except by life; and whoever says it when he goes to his -bedchamber will be kept by God in safety together with his house and -the house of his neighbor.” Šeiḫ ‘Adi might have been in the habit of -repeating this verse; and this, perhaps, led to its inscription on the -tomb. - -In the center of the inner room, close by the tomb, there is a square -plaster case, in which are small balls of clay taken from the tomb. -These are sold or distributed to the pilgrims, and regarded as sacred -relics, useful against disease and evil spirits. It is said that there -are three hundred and sixty lamps in the shrine of ‘Adi, which are lit -every night. The whole valley in which the shrine lies is held sacred. -No impure thing is permitted within its holy bounds. No other than the -high priest and the chiefs of the sect are buried near the tomb. Many -pilgrims take off their shoes on approaching it, and go barefooted as -long as they remain in its vicinity. - -Such is the sanctuary of ‘Adi, where they offer him their homage. Their -worship may be divided into two kinds, direct and indirect. The former -consists of traditional hymns sung by the ḳawwals, the sacred musicians -of the sect. They are chanted to the sound of flutes and tambourines. -The tunes are monotonous and generally loud and harsh. The latter kind -consists in celebrating their religious rites with great rejoicing on -the feast day of their great saint. And their ḳubla, the place to which -they look while performing their holy ceremonies, is that part of the -heaven in which the sun rises. - -The great feast of Šeiḫ ‘Adi is held yearly on April fifteenth to -twentieth, Roman calendar, when the Yezidis from all their districts -come to attend the festival celebration. Before entering the valley, -men and women perform their ablutions, for no one can enter the sacred -valley without having first purified his body and his clothes. The -people of the villages are gathered and start together, forming a -long procession, preceded by musicians, who play the tambourine and -the pipe. They load the donkeys with necessary carpets and domestic -utensils. While marching they discharge their guns into the air and -sing their war cry. As soon as they see the tower of the tomb, they all -together discharge their arms. - -The šeiḫs and the principal members of the priesthood are dressed in -pure white linen, and all are venerable men with long beards. Only the -chief and the ḳawwals and two of the order of the priesthood enter the -inner court of the temple, and they always go in barefooted. They start -an hour after sunset.[146] The ceremony begins with the exhibition of -the holy symbol of Melek Ṭâ´ûs to the priests. No stranger is allowed -to witness this ceremony or to know the nature of it. This being done, -they begin the rite. The ḳawwals stand against the wall on one side of -the court and commence a chant. Some play on the flute, others on the -tambourine; and they follow the measure with their voices. The šeiḫs -and the chiefs form a procession, walking two by two; the chief priest -walks ahead. A faḳir holds in one hand a lighted torch, and in another -a large vessel of oil, from which he pours into the lamp from time -to time. All are in white apparel except the faḳirs, who are dressed -in black. As they walk in a circle, they sing in honor of Šeiḫ ‘Adi. -Afterward, they sing in honor of ‘Isa (Jesus). As they proceed the -excitement increases, the chants quicken, the tambourines are beaten -more frequently, the faḳirs move faster, the women make tahlil with -a great shouting, and the ceremony comes to an end with great noise -and excitement. When the chanting is ended, those who were marching -in procession kiss, as they pass by, the right side of the temple -entrance, where the serpent is figured on the wall. Then the emir -stands at this entrance to receive the homage of the šeiḫs and elders -who kiss his hand. Afterward all that are present give one another the -kiss of peace.[147] After the ceremony the young men and women dance in -the outer court until early in the morning. - -In the morning the šeiḫs and the ḳawwals offer a short prayer in the -temple without any ceremony and some kiss the holy places in the -vicinity. When they end, they take the green[148] cover of the tomb -of Šeiḫ ‘Adi and march with it around the outer court with music. -The people rush to them and reverently kiss the corner of the cloth, -offering money. - -After taking the cover back to its place, the chiefs and priests sit -around the inner court. Kochaks at this time bring food and call the -people to eat of the hospitality of Šeiḫ ‘Adi.[149] After they have -finished their meal, a collection is taken for the support of the -temple and tomb of their saint. All people that come to the annual -festival bring dishes as offerings to their living šeiḫ. After he has -indicated his acceptance of them by tasting, these are given to the -servants of the sanctuary. When the feast comes to an end, the people -return to their several abodes. - - -(3.) YEZID - -The third essential element in the religion of the devil-worshippers -is the belief that their sect has taken its origin from Yezid, whom -frequently they call God and regard as their ancestral father, to whom -they trace their descent. No other worship is offered him. He is given, -however, a place of honor in the court of the temple, where, on one -side, there is the inscription “Melek Yezid, the mercy of God be upon -him”; on the other side “Šeiḫ ‘Adi, the mercy of God be upon him.” In -the corner of this court a lamp is kept burning all night in honor of -the two. - - -NOTES ON CHAPTER II - - [130] P. Anastase: _Al-Mašrik_, vol. II, p. 151; Bedrus Efendi - Ar-Riḍwani, his letter to A. N. Andrus, April 22, 1887. - - [131] Lidzbarski, Z. D. M. G., vol. LI, p. 592; he is followed by - Makas, _Kurdische Studien_, p. 35. - - [132] See “Tammuz” in Jastrow’s Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, and - Cheney’s Dictionary of the Bible. - - [133] R. W. Smith: _Religion of the Semites_, p. 219; Aš-Šahrastanî, - vol. II, p. 434. Yaḳut (vol. IV, p. 780) says: Originally nasr was - worshipped by the people of Noah, and from them was brought to the - tribe of Ḥamyar. According to the Syriac doctrine of Addai (Ed. George - Philips, p. 24) the people of Edessa worshipped “the eagle as the - Arabians.” - - [134] So far as I am aware no writer on the Yezidis has ever raised - this question. - - [135] Hughes: _Dictionary of Islam_, p. 21. - - [136] Victor _Dingelstedt_, SGM, vol. XIV. - - [137] Badger: _The Nestorians_, vol. I, p. 125; Layard, Nineveh, vol. - I, p. 297. - - [138] P. Anastase: _Al-Mašrik_, vol. II, p. 152. - - [139] The Hibbert Journal, vol. V, No. 2, Jan., 1907, p. 337. - - [140] Layard: Ibid; _Victor Dingelstedt_, Ibid, p. 299. - - [141] Dingelstedt: Ibid. - - [142] R. W. Smith: _Religion of the Semites_, p. 120; Fihrist, p. 322, - 326, calls the gods of the Ḥarranians devils. - - [143] _Hagibah_ is a Turkish word, meaning a saddleback. - - [144] Badger: Ibid, p. 247. (137) Ibid, p. 112. - - Mr. Badger seems to contend that the Kurdish-speaking people do not - pronounce the letter ‘ain. This is not true, the Kurds pronounce - this letter as well as other gutturals. They sometimes even change - the Arabic Alif to ‘ain. This is to be said, however, that in some - localities the ‘ain is pronounced alif, just as the ḳaf is changed to - alif, but this is not confined to the Kurds, such changes are made by - the Arabic-and the Syriac-speaking people also. - - [145] The figures of the bull and of the serpent, or of the bull and - of the lion were placed at the right and left of the palaces of the - Assyrian kings to protect their path. Layard, Nineveh and Babylon, p. - 162; Nineveh, vol. II, p. 315; B. F. Harper, Assyrian and Babylonian - Literature, pp. 139, 148, 153. The lion was both an ornament and - support in the throne of Solomon, Layard, Nineveh, vol. II, p. 301. - The hatchet was among the weapons of those who fought in chariots, and - carried in the quiver, with the arrows and short angular bow, Nineveh, - vol. II, p. 343. - - [146] The Mandeans, the star-worshippers, also begin their rasta - ceremony after the sunset, and continue it through the night.—_London - Standard_, October 19, 1894, Al-Mutaḳtataf, 23, 88. - - [147] The kiss of the peace is a regular part of the church service in - the East. - - [148] In Mohammedanism, green is the color of šeiḫs. - - [149] This is a communal meal. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -OTHER DEITIES AND FESTIVALS - - -I - -THE SO-CALLED SEVEN DIVINITIES - -Besides their great saint, the Yezidis believe in seven other šeiḫs -through whose intermediation they invoke God. These are also deified -and assigned places of honor at Šeiḫ ‘Adi’s side. In their case as in -that of their chief, the tradition has led some critics to believe -that they are archangels; others, different attributes of God; and -still others, the seven Amshaps of Zoroaster, or immortal spirits of -the Avesta. The last conjecture is made by Victor Dingelstadt.[150] -Cholsohn goes a step further in making the assertion, “Der Tempel des -sheikh Shams ist ohne allen Zweifel ein Sonnentempel der so gebaut -ist, dass die ernsten Strahlen der Sonne so häufig als möglich auf ihn -fallen.” The ground for this positive statement is, we are told “Layard -berichtet.”[151] Now, the English scholar seems to base his contention -on the fact that the building is called the sanctuary of Šeiḫ Šams; -that the herd of white oxen which are slain on great festivals at Šeiḫ -‘Adi’s are dedicated to Šams; “that the dedication of the bull to the -sun” was generally recognized in the religious system of the ancients, -which probably originated in Assyria; and that the Yezidis may have -unconsciously preserved a myth of their ancestors.[152] To my mind the -ground for such a view is the apriori assumption that the religion of -the devil-worshippers is the remnant of an ancient cult, and that every -phenomenon in it is to be regarded, therefore, a survival of the past -system. For certain reasons I hold that such is not the case. - -One reason, as Badger rightly remarks, the Yezidis so designate the -place for the sake of brevity, is the entablature over the doorway -records the name in full, “Sheikh Shams Ali Beg and Faris.” Two persons -are mentioned in the inscription.[153] In like manner, the word Šams -frequently enters into the construction of Mohammedan names. The most -celebrated one that bore this name was Šams ud-Din of Tabriz, the -friend and spiritual guide of Jalal ad-Din, who flourished during the -first half of the 13th century of our era. - -Moreover, round about the tomb of Šeiḫ ‘Adi are many such abandoned -shrines, each of which is dedicated to a similar deified šeiḫ. Many of -these šeiḫs are known to be historical personages. Take for example, -Šeiḫ ‘Abd al-ḳadir of Gilan. He is Šeiḫ Muḥiyy ud Din ‘Abd al ḳadir of -Gilan in Persia, the founder of the ḳadiri order of dervishes. He was -born in A. H. 471 (A. D. 1078-9) and died A. H. 516 (A. D. 1164-5). -So also Šeiḫ ḳaḍib al-Ban. He was from Mosul, and was a contemporary -of Šeiḫ ‘Adi. In giving the life of Muḥi ad Din aš-Šharnozuri, Ibn -Ḫallikan (v. 2,651) says, “His corpse was removed to a mausoleum built -for its reception outside the Maidan Gate of Mosul, near the tomb of -ḳadib al-Ban, the celebrated worker of miracles.” Further, Manṣur -al-Ḥallaj was a celebrated mystic, revered as a saint by the more -advanced sufis. He was put to death with great cruelty at Bagdad in A. -H. 309 (A. D. 921-2) on a charge of heresy and blasphemy, because he -had said in one of his ecstacies, “Ana-l-Ḥaḳḳ, I am the truth, God.” -All biographers of sufi saints speak of him with admiration. - -There are still others who are mentioned even among the seven šeiḫs -enumerated in the principal prayer. Šeiḫ Ḥasan (written also Šeiḫisin) -was from Baṣrah. He was a celebrated theologian and died in A. D. 728. -His life is given by Ibn Ḫallikan. He was noted for self-mortification, -fear of God and devotion. And Faḫr ad-Din is ibn Abd Allah Mohammed Ibn -Amar al-Ḥuṣain Ibn al-Ḥasan, Ibn ‘Ali Al-Taim al-Bakri al-Taberstani -ar-kai-zi (native of Kai in Tabarestan), surnamed Faḫr ad-Din (glory -of faith). He was a doctor of the Shafite sect, a pearl of his age, a -man without a peer. He surpassed all his contemporaries in scholastic -theology, and preached both in Arabic and Persian. He would draw floods -of tears from his eyes. His virtues and merits were boundless. He was -born at Kai, 25th of Ramadan, A. H. 544 (A. D. 1150), and died at -Ḥerat, the first of Shawal, A. H. 606 (March A. D. 1210). (See ibn -Ḫallikan in loco.) - -In the light of these facts, I conclude, then, that those who cannot -be identified—for many bear the same name, and we do not know which is -which—are also historical personages. - -This is what I mean by the statement that in order to yield -satisfactory results the inductive method must be supported by -historical investigations. - -In a question like this, however, the philosophical method also, when -carried on critically, may yield a satisfactory result. Accordingly, -observations should be made in the sphere of religious consciousness. -Now one of the characteristics of the human mind is the tendency -to defy man. This is shown in the titles which men gave to their -superiors. In the Tell-al-Amarna tablets, we find various kinglets -of Syria, in writing to the king of Egypt, address him as “my gods” -(ilani-ia). Thus Abimilki of Tyre writes: “To my lord, the king, my -son, my god.” What is more, a superhuman character is attributed to -the dead. This appears from the attitude which the primitive mind -entertained towards the deceased. At first, the relation to the dead -was hostile, hence their spirits were feared. Gradually, the relation -became familiar, so that their association was sought and sacrifices -and gifts were offered to them. They came to be looked upon as elohim, -who knew the future events. Thus we find that in the Old Testament, -worship was offered to the dead, and that the tombs of ancestors and -heroes frequently appear as places of worship, as, _e. g._, the grave -of Miriam at Kadish (Num. 26: 1). Even to-day tombs of saints are -common in Arabia, and thousands of people visit them annually to ask -the intercession of the saints. Likewise, the Nuṣairiyeh of Syria have -deified ‘Ali, the Drus their chief Hakim, the Babis their Beha, and the -Christians their saints.[154] We cannot, therefore, be surprised that -the Yezidis have deified their šeiḫs and heroes. They have only shown -that common trait of the mind—the tendency to deify man. - -It is to be noticed, further, that in the historical development of -religions we find that when the stage of the mere belief in spirits is -past, individual deities stand out from the great mass of the spirits, -and these are plainly imagined to be personal gods, such as Astarte and -Ba‘al by the side of Hadad and Aschirat.[155] Now this is practically -what we find in the evolution of modern Yezidism. Out of many šeiḫs and -murids, seven, next to šeiḫ ‘Adi, stand out as individual divinities. - -Yearly festivals in honor of these šeiḫs are commemorated in April at -different villages with the same rites as those observed at Šeiḫ ‘Adi’s -tomb. Lamps are nightly lighted and left to burn in the shacks called -after the names of their respective šeiḫs; and in those to which a room -is attached, ḳawwals assemble at sunset every Tuesday and Thursday, -when they burn incense over each tomb; and after watching a short -time, and smoking their pipes, they return home. - -An interesting festival is that of Šeiḫ Mohammed, celebrated by the -people of Ba‘šiḳa, where his tomb exists. They say that they are -solemnizing the nuptials of Šeiḫ Mohammed, whom they believe to be -married once a year. The men and women dance together while the -ḳawwals play on their flutes and tambourines. They bring Melek Ṭâ´ûs -in procession from Baḥazanie to Ba‘šiḳa amid rejoicing and sound of -music. Two pirs precede the bearer of the sacred peacock, carrying in -their hands lighted candles which they move to and fro. As they pass -along the bystanders bow in adoration and, immersing their hands in the -smoke, perfume with it their arms and faces. They carry the image of -Melek Ṭâ´ûs to the house of the one who is the highest bidder for the -honor of entertaining it. Here it remains two days, during which all -profane festivals are suspended and visits are paid to it. - - -II - -THE DAY OF SARSAL - -In addition to the festivals mentioned above is the one observed on -New Year’s day, the first Wednesday in April. On this day, the Yezidis -say, no drums are to be beaten, for God sits on the throne, holding a -conference at which he decrees the events of the year. They also stick -wild scarlet anemones to the entrance of their houses. The refraining -from the sound of instruments of pleasure on the part of orientals -signifies a state of contrition. Hence, it is very likely that the -Yezidis entertain the view that on this day God is decreeing their -destiny for the coming year; that they must now, therefore, adjust -their relation to him with sincere sorrow for sin. If this is so, the -significance of the hanging of the flowers at the entrance of their -houses can be taken as intended to propitiate the Evil Principle, -and to ward off calamity during the coming year. Such a belief has a -parallel in many religions. According to Babylonian mythology human -destiny was decreed on New Year’s day and sealed on the tenth day -thereafter. It was therefore necessary to placate the deity, or at -least to make sure of one’s relation to him, before this particular -day. The New Year period was held, therefore, to be of special -importance because of the bearing on individual welfare by reason of -the good or the evil decision of the gods. Our modern custom of wishing -our friends a Happy New Year has perhaps some connection with this -idea.[156] - -The Day of Atonement (Lev. 23: 27; 25: 29) had a most important place -in the Jewish ecclesiastical year. This was the occasion of a thorough -purification of the whole nation and of every individual member thereof -in their relation to Yahweh. It was designed to deepen afresh the -national and individual sense of sin and dread of the judgment of God. -According to Talmud (Mišna, Roš hašana, vol. I, 2) Roš hašana is the -most important judgment day, on which all creatures pass for judgment -before the Creator. On this day, three books are opened wherein the -fate of the wicked, the righteous and those of the intermediate class -are recorded. Hence prayer and works of repentance are performed on the -New Year from the first to the tenth that an unfavorable decision might -be averted (Jewish Ency., art. Penitential Day). R. Akiba says: “On New -Year Day all men are judged; and the degree is sealed on the Day of -Atonement (Ibid, art. Day of Judgment). - -Moreover, the red lilies of the doors of the Yezidis remind us at -once of the blood sprinkled on the doorposts of the dwellings of the -Israelites in Egypt as a sign for the Destroying Angel to pass over. -This notion is found also in a similar practice among the Parsees of -India, who hang a string of leaves across the entrances to their houses -at the beginning of every new year. - -In the light of what has been said, the Yezidis’ idea in giving food -to the poor at the grave on the day of Sarsal (New Year day), is to -propitiate God on behalf of the dead, who are, according to their -belief, reincarnated in some form or other.[157] - - -NOTES ON CHAPTER III - - [150] S. G. M., ibid. - - [151] _Die Sabien_, I, 296. - - [152] _Nineveh and Its Remains_, vol. II, p. 239. - - [153] _Nestorians and Their Rituals_, vol. I, p. 117. - - [154] S. J. Curtis: _Primitive Semitic Religion To-day_, p. 96; - J. A. O. S., vol. 8, 223. - - [155] Cf. Marti’s _Die Religion des A. T._, pp. 28-29. - - [156] The Hibbert Journal, ibid. - - [157] For different interpretation of the Yezidi New Year, see - Brockelmann in Z. D. M. G., vol. 55, p. 388. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -SACRAMENTS, RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES AND SACERDOTAL SYSTEM - - -I - -SACRAMENTS - -Circumcision, the Eucharist and baptism are the three religious rites -administered by the followers of Yezid. The first rite is optional. But -with baptism the case is different; it is a matter of obligation. When -a child is born near enough to the tomb of Šeiḫ ‘Adi to be taken there -without great inconvenience or danger, it should be baptized as early -as possible after birth. The ḳawwals in their periodical visitations -carry a bottle or skin filled with holy water to baptize those children -who cannot be brought to the shrine. The mode of baptism is as follows: -A šeiḫ carries the baby into the water, takes off his clothes, and -immerses him three times. After the second time, putting his hand on -the child’s head, he mutters, “Hol hola soultanie Azid, tou bouia berḫe -Azid, saraka rea Azid.” (“Hol hola![158] Yezid is a sultan. Thou hast -become a lamb of Yezid; thou mayest be a martyr for the religion of -Yezid.”) The parents are not admitted to the domed shack of the spring; -they remain outside. The šeiḫ is paid for his services by the father -of the child. If the baby be a male, the gift must be more valuable -than if it be a female. - -Within twenty days from the time of baptism, a male child is -circumcised. To perform the rite, two šeiḫs are employed. One holds the -child in his lap, the other performs the operation. Before starting, -he asks the child to say: “As berḫe Azide Sarum.” (“I am the lamb of -illuminating Yezid.”) If he be too small to repeat, the šeiḫ who holds -him repeats the sentence for him. All this is done in the presence of -the parents, the relatives and the friends, amid rejoicing with the -sound of the flute and the tambourine. When the ceremony is ended, the -father of the child entertains all those present for seven successive -days, during which period they dance, sing and eat the food sent to -them by the friends and neighbors of the circumcised child. When this -comes to an end, the two šeiḫs are presented with gifts. Then every one -returns home. The reason why they observe the two rites, they say, is -that if one does not work the other may, and neither is harmful. - -As to the Eucharist,[159] its observance is local. It is usually -administered by the Yezidis of a place called Ḫalitiyeh, a dependency -of Diarbeker. It is observed in the following manner: They sit around -a table. The chief among them holding a cup of wine, asks in Kurdish, -“Ave Chia.” (“What is this?”) Then he himself answers, “Ave Kasie -‘Isaya.” (“This is the cup of Jesus.”) He continues, “Ave ‘Isa naf -rounishtiya.” (“Jesus is sitting and present in it.”) Having first -partaken himself, he passes the cup around. The last person drinks all -that is left in the cup. - -There is another sacrament among the Yezidis. I refer to the rite of -repentance. When persons quarrel, the guilty one, covering his face -with his hands, betakes himself to the most venerable šeiḫ to confess -his sin. The latter, giving the penitent instructions, enjoins him to -kiss the hands of his enemy and those of the members of the priesthood. -This having been done, if still no reconciliation be effected, the -offending person, whoever he may be, must undergo again the same -exercises. When peace is established, the penitent one slaughters a -sheep and offers wine to the reconciled one and the clerical body. This -rite of repentance, however, is not obligatory.[160] - - -II - -SOME OTHER RELIGIOUS PRACTICES - -Fasting is one of the religious observances. It is kept for three -successive days in the month of December, when they profess to -commemorate the death of Yezid. Some observe also the forty days’ fast -in the spring of the year, when the Eastern Christians celebrate the -memory of Christ’s abstinence from food at the time of his temptation -in the wilderness. One person in a family may fast for the rest. During -this period fasters abstain from animal food. The chief šeiḫ fasts -rigidly one month in the year, eating only once in twenty-four hours -and immediately after sunset. - -Prayer is not considered a religious duty. They never pray; they do not -even have a form of prayer, and acknowledge that they do not pray. It -is said that when Šeiḫ ‘Adi came from Mecca, he told his followers in -one of his sermons: “God commanded me to tell you that there is no need -of prayer; believe in the power of Melek Ṭâ´ûs and ye shall be saved.“ -They have, however, what is called morning recital, which the devout -among them mutters in Kurdish as he rises up from his bed. It is as -follows: - -”_Chand-il-manhatie sobayaka rošh halatie. Hatna mesarmen dou jaladie, -meskino raba. Beda šade šada dina mine eik Allah melek šeih-sin Habib -Allah maḳlub al-mergie ṣalaḥ maḳlub w-mergie al-jem´s ṣalaḥ Al-bani -ma-ieh al-jem´sieh wal jot ḳuobaieh Kwa-šamsi Tauris wal-Fahra-Dinn, -washeikho Pir. Kawata deira sor, hanpouteka deira chankulie wa-Kabri -Zaman wa-ahro douni, Amin._”[161] - -“How often two executioners came upon me as the morning sun arose. O -poor man, stand up and bear witness! Witness for my religion. God is -one; the angel Šeiḫ ‘Adi and upon his congregation; upon the great -shack and the shack of Šeiḫ Tauris and Faḫr ad-Din and to every šeiḫ -and pir, and the power of Deir Zor and Deir Chankalie (two Christian -monasteries), and the grave of time (mysterious power), and the Last -Day.” - - -III - -THE SACERDOTAL ORDERS - -The hierarchical orders of the Yezidi sect are four. The head šeiḫ -is the patriarch of the sect. He directs all the religious affairs -of the community and leads them in their rites. He is also the -principal interpreter of their religion, the chief spiritual judge, a -sacred person, whose hearth is regarded as a sanctuary, only second -in importance to Šeiḫ ‘Adi’s temple, and whose will must be obeyed. -His powerful weapon is excommunication. He presides over a tribunal -composed of ecclesiastical superiors, which has jurisdiction in -religious offences, in questions relating to marriage, and in disputes -between the clergy. His charge is hereditary, in direct succession; but -if his eldest son be considered unworthy, he may appoint another to -succeed him. He is said to be descended from Šeiḫ ‘Adi, and is believed -to be endowed with supernatural power for healing diseases, and for -blessing cattle and crops. Twice a year he visits the neighboring -villages to collect contributions, and sends his ḳawwals to far -distant districts for the same purpose. Occasionally he takes part in -celebrating the marriage of persons of distinction in his community. -He is also at times solicited to preside over funeral rites, which are -generally conducted by the ḳawwals and šeiḫs. The chief šeiḫ wears a -black turban and white garments. - -Besides the head šeiḫ, the Yezidis have many other šeiḫs. Each has -a parish to look after. Twice a year he visits his parishioners to -receive their free-will offerings. If a member of a congregation does -not satisfy his šeiḫ, he is anathematized by his spiritual leader, and -no one will speak to him or eat with him. Every one of these šeiḫs -is supposed to possess a special power, such as the power to drive -scorpions away by praying over water and sprinkling it in the corners -of the house. They have one called Šeiḫ Deklie, that is, Šeiḫ of the -Cocks. His office is to go from village to village to collect chickens. -Several of these šeiḫs always reside at Šeiḫ ‘Adi’s. - -The next in dignity are pirs, from the Persian meaning an old man. They -wear red turbans and black garments. Then come the ḳawwals, from the -Arabic, meaning one who speaks fluently, an orator. And lastly, the -fakirs, from the Arabic poor. These are the lowest order in the Yezidi -priesthood. (For the different offices of the last three orders, (see -p. 69.) - -The clergy of all ranks enjoy particular respect. Their persons -and homes are held inviolate. They take precedence at public -gatherings. And the šeiḫs and pirs possess the much dreaded power of -excommunication. - -Besides the above, the Yezidis have a temporal chief, who is called -amir. His dignity is also hereditary and confined to one family. He -is believed to be a descendant of Yezid. He exercises a secondary -authority over the Yezidis. He is a mediator between his sect and the -Turkish government. He has the power to cut off any refractory member -from the community. He has charge of fifty ḳawwals who try to collect -for him at their annual visits to each Yezidi district a certain amount -of money. The money received by them is divided into two equal parts, -one of which goes to the support of the tomb of Šeiḫ ‘Adi, and the -second part is divided, one-half being for the amir, the other half -being shared equally by the ḳawwals. - -The name of the present amir is ‘Ali, and he resides in Ba‘adrie. - - -NOTES ON CHAPTER IV - - [158] Hol Hola is an interjection, or exclamation, expressing sudden - emotion, excitement, or feeling, as “Oh!” “Alas!” “Hurrah!” “Hark!” in - English. - - [159] P. Anastase: _Al-Mašrik_, vol. II, p. 309. - - [160] Ibid, p. 311. - - [161] Ibid, p. 313. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THEIR CUSTOMS - - -I - -MARRIAGE - -The Yezidis are endogamic. They forbid union between the secular and -the religious classes, as also within certain degrees of relationship. -A šeiḫ’s son marries only a šeiḫ’s daughter; so pirs’ sons, pirs’ -daughters. A layman cannot marry a šeiḫ’s or a pir’s daughter, but he -may take for a wife a ḳawwal’s or a kochak’s daughter; and ḳawwals’ or -kochaks’ sons may marry laymen’s daughters. But if a layman marries a -šeiḫ’s or a pir’s daughter, he must be killed. Marriage is for life, -but it is frequently dissolved, divorce being as easy to obtain among -them as among Moslems. When a man wants to get rid of his wife, he -simply lets her go. Polygamy is allowed, but usually confined to rich -men, who generally have two wives. The number of wives is limited to -six, except for the amir. A man must have money or cattle in order -to be able to get married. The price is called ḳalam. A respectable -girl will not sell herself at a low price. Parents get rich if they -have several pretty girls; they are the father’s property. The ḳalam, -dowry, is usually thirty sheep or goats, or the price of them. The man -must give presents to the relatives of his bride, parents, brothers, -etc. If a couple love each other and cannot marry because the man has -no money to pay his sweetheart’s father, then they elope. They usually -make arrangements before elopement as to where they will stay for a few -weeks to escape detection. Some strong men accompany them when they -elope. The father of the girl with his relatives follow. If they catch -the fugitives, bloodshed may ensue. But if they succeed in escaping, -they return after some time and are then forgiven. According to a -Kurdish proverb everything is pardoned the brave. - -The couple choose one another. The girl informs her mother that she -loves so and so. The latter informs her husband. The father acquaints -the father of the young man with the fact. When they agree, and the -daughter is given to the young man, his kindred come to the house of -the bride’s father on an appointed day, and give the girl a ring; then -they dance, rejoice all night, play, wrestle, and eat black raisins. -After that the young couple are allowed to arrange nuptial meetings in -the company of a matron, who is presented with a gift. - -When the time of marriage comes, the family of the bridegroom invites -the relatives. Each takes with him a silk handkerchief as a present -for the bride. For three days they drink “ărak,” sing and dance to the -sound of flutes and drums at the house of the young man. After that, -the women, two by two, ride on horseback together, and likewise the -men. The men take with them their children, who ride behind them. In -this manner they go to the bride’s house, discharging their guns as -they proceed. When they reach the house they all discharge their guns -together. Hearing the sound, the father comes out and according to the -custom, asks the visitors what they want. They respond “Your daughter,” -all answering at once. Then he goes in and tells his wife. After -putting upon their daughter a scarlet ḫailiyah (veil), which covers her -from head to foot, they bring her out. Everyone of the children takes a -spoon from the bride’s house and sticks it in his turban. After being -brought to the house of the bridegroom, the bride is kept behind a -curtain in the corner of a darkened room for three days, and the young -man is not allowed to see her during this period. - -On the third day, the bridegroom is sought early in the morning, and -led in triumph by his friends from house to house, receiving at each a -small present. He is then placed within a circle of dancers, and the -guests and bystanders wetting small coins stick them to his forehead. -The money is collected as it falls in an open handkerchief held by his -companions. After this ceremony a number of the young men, who have -attached themselves to the bridegroom, lock the most wealthy of their -companions in a dark room until they are willing to pay a ransom for -their release. The money thus taken is added to the dowry of the newly -married couple. - -On the evening of the third day the šeiḫ takes the bridegroom to the -bride. Putting the hand of one in that of the other, and covering the -couple with a ḫailiyah, he asks the bride, “Who are you?” “I am the -daughter of so and so,” responds she. Then he asks the bridegroom the -same question. After receiving an answer, the šeiḫ asks, “Will you -take this young woman as a wife,” and “Do you want this young man as a -husband?” After hearing each say “Yes,” the šeiḫ marks their shoulders -and foreheads with red ink, and hands them a stick. As each holds one -end of it, he asks them to break it in the middle, leaving one-half in -the hand of each. Then the šeiḫ says, “So you remain one until death -breaks you asunder.” - -When this is done, he takes the couple to a room and locks them in, -waiting at the door. After a while the bridegroom knocks at the door -three times. Understanding the signal, the priest discharges his gun, -and all the bystanders outside follow his example. After shouting and -dancing for some time, the šeiḫ sends them home. When they first meet, -the newly wedded husband strikes his young wife with a small stone as -a token of his superiority over her. For seven days, they stay at home -and do no work. Now, if the husband dies first, the wife goes to her -father’s house. - -With the Yezidis, the family bonds are stronger than those of the -tribe. The family proper consists of parents and their children, -married, and unmarried, living in the same house. Respect for parents -and elder persons is considered a virtue, as it is among all the -eastern people. The head of the family is the sole proprietor of -the possessions of the family, and holds full control over his wife -and children, who are bound to obey him. Only personal objects and -dress are the property of the wife. He can punish his wife and the -children. If a son leaves his father’s house, he is beyond the father’s -authority, but not beyond his moral influence. A father is to maintain -his family, defend it, and answer charges brought against its members. -Next to the father in authority stands the eldest son. - -Women are inferior to men; married women must obey their husbands. They -work like men; they till the ground, take care of cattle, fight the -enemy and are courageous and very independent. This enables the young -women to choose their sweethearts and run away with them. They converse -with men freely. A woman does not conceal her face unless she is stared -at, when she draws a corner of her mantle over her face. - -Married women are dressed entirely in white, and their shirt is of -the same cut as the man’s, with a white kerchief under their chin, -and another over their heads, held by the ‘agal or woollen cord of -the Bedouins. The girls wear white skirts and drawers, and over them -colored zabouns, long dresses open in front and confined at the -waist by a girdle ornamented with pieces of silver. They bind fancy -kerchiefs around their heads and adorn themselves with coins as well -as with glass and amber beads. - -The men wear shirts closed up to the neck, and their religious law -forbids them to wear the common eastern shirts open in front. Their -shirt is the distinctive mark by which the Yezidi sect is recognized -at once. They are clothed besides with loose trousers and cloaks, both -of white, and with a black turban, from beneath which their hair falls -in ringlets. They usually carry long rifles in their hands, pistols in -their girdles, and a sword at their side. - -In their physical characteristics they are like the Kurds, wild, rough, -uncultured. They are muscular, active, and capable of bearing great -hardship. In general, they are a fine, manly race: tall or of medium -stature, with large chest; strong deep voice, audible afar; clear, keen -eye; frank and confident, or fierce and angry; nose of moderate length, -and fairly small head. Their legs are rather short, but the soles of -their feet are large. Their complexion is usually dark and their eyes -are black. But there are different types. The predominant type is tall, -with black hair, fine regular nose, and bluish brown eyes. The rest -are of shorter stature, with longer features; light, bright eyes; and -large, irregular nose. The Yezidis sometime shave the hair off their -head, leaving only a long, thin forelock. - - -II - -FUNERALS - -If a young or well-known man dies, they make in his likeness a wooden -form and clothe it in the dead man’s clothes. Then the musicians play -mourning tunes, while the relatives stand round the model. After -wailing for a while, they walk in procession in a circle around the -form, and now and then kneel down to receive a blessing from it. Those -who come to the scene, according to their custom, ask the parents of -the dead man, “What have you?” They reply, “We have the wedding of our -son.” They continue wailing for three days. Afterward they distribute -food on behalf of the dead. For a year they give a plate of food with -a loaf of bread daily to some person, thinking that thereby they are -feeding their own dead. On the seventh and fortieth day from the time -of death, they visit the grave to mourn over their lost one. Now, if -the dead be a common man, he is not honored with such a ceremony. He is -usually buried an hour or two after his death. - -The funeral rites are simple. The body of the Yezidi, like that of a -Mohammedan, is washed in running water. After being laid on a flat -board, they dress him with his former clothes, close the openings in -his body with pieces of cotton, place the sacred clay of Šeiḫ ‘Adi in -his mouth, on his face and forehead, under his shoulders and eyes, -and on his stomach. This done, they carry the dead on the board to -the cemetery. The ḳawwals, burning incense, lead the procession; the -immediate relatives, especially the women, following, dressed in -white and throwing dust over their heads, and accompanied by male and -female friends and neighbors. If the dead be a man, they then dance, -the mother or the wife holding in one hand the sword or shield of the -dead, and in the other, long locks cut from her own hair. They bury him -with his face turned toward the north star. Everyone present throws a -little dust over the grave while saying, “O man, thou wert dust and -hast returned to dust to-day.” Then the šeiḫ says, “When we say, ‘Let -us rise and go home,’ then the dead man will say, ‘I will not go home -with the people.’ And when he tries to get up, his head will strike the -stone, when he will say, ‘O, I am among the dead.’” When they return -home, the family slaughters oxen and sheep and gives meat to the poor. -The poor kill four or five sheep; the rich, a hundred. The kochaks -prophesy of the dead, whether he will return to the earth or will go to -another world. - -They hold that some will be eternally condemned, but that all will -spend an expiatory period; and that the dead have communion with -the living, in which the good souls dwelling in the heavens make -revelations to their brethren on earth. - - -III - -NATIONALITY - -Four different theories have been advanced as to the race to which the -Yezidis belong. There are those who think them to be of Indo-European -origin, for there is a type among them that has a white skin, a round -skull, blue eyes and light hair. And there are those who suppose them -to be Arabs on the ground that the color of skin of another type is -brown, their eyes are wide, their lips are thick and their hair is -dark. The western writers, moreover, have in the past always taken them -for Kurds because of the close resemblance of the two in appearance -and manners. In his “La Turquie d’Asie,” Vital Cunet says that though -the Yezidis have been taken for Kurds, they can no longer be regarded -as such, for in many ways they resemble other nationalities. On the -other hand Hormuzd Rassam, in his “Asshur and the Land of Nimrud” -seems to agree with those who suppose them to be of Assyrian origin. -He bases this inference on the independent and martial spirit which -they possess, and their tendency to rebel against their oppressors, -which, according to him, may be taken as an indication of ancestral -inheritance.[162] - - -IV - -LOCALITY - -The Yezidis dwell principally in five districts, the most prominent -among these being that of Šeiḫan. This term is the Persian plural of -šeiḫ, an old man; and it signifies the country where šeiḫs dwell. This -district lies northeast of Mosul, covering a wide area in which are -many villages. It is their Palestine. In it lies their Mecca, Lalish, -where their sacred shrine, the tomb of Šeiḫ ‘Adi, is. Lališh is the -centre of their national and religious life. It is situated in a deep, -picturesque valley. Its slopes are covered with a dense wood, and at -the bottom of it runs the sacred water. Other notable places here are -the two adjoining villages, Ba‘ašiḳa and Baḥazanie, at the foot of the -mountain of Rabban Hormuzd, a six hours’ ride from Mosul. The former is -the center of the tombs of their šeiḫs; the latter is their principal -burial place, to which bodies are carried from all the various -districts. It was formerly a Christian village with a monastery. And -Ba‘adrie, northeast of the City of Mosul, about ten hours’ ride away, -is the village where their amir resides. It is close to Šeiḫ ‘Adi’s. - -Next in importance is Jabal Sinjar. The term “Sinjar” is Persian, -meaning a bird, perhaps an eagle. It signifies that its inhabitants -are, like the eagle, safe and cannot be caught.[163] Sinjar is about -three days’ journey from Mosul. It is a solitary range, fifty miles -long and nine miles broad, rising in the midst of the desert. From -its summit, the eye ranges on one side over the vast level wilderness -stretching to the Euphrates, and on the other over the plain bounded -by the Tigris and the lofty mountains of Kurdistan. Nisibin and Mardin -are both visible in the distance. One can see the hills of Ba‘adrie and -Šeiḫ ‘Adi. Among the sacred places of this district are two villages: -Assofa, where two ziarahs are found, and distinguished from afar by -their white spires, and Aldina, where one ziarah exists. In almost -every Sinjar village, there is to be found a covered water which they -use as a fortress during their fights with the Kurds or with the -Turkish army. The devil-worshippers of this locality are commonly -called Yezidis, while those of Šeiḫan are known both as Yezidis and -Dawaseni. - -Another district is Ḫalitiyeh, which includes all the territory north -and northeast of the Tigris in the province of Diarbeker. The Malliyeh -region includes all the territory west of the Euphrates and Aleppo. -And the Saraḥdar section includes the Caucasus in southern Russia. -Some regard the Lepchos of India also as Yezidis, who, in the early -appearance of the sect, went there to proselyte the Hindoos.[164] - - -V - -DWELLINGS - -In regard to their dwellings, the Yezidis are divided into two classes: -Ahl al-ḥaḍar, the people of the villages or cultivated land, and Ahl al -Wabar, the people of the tents. The villages are built of clay, stone -or mud, and unburned brick. A village consists of about sixty houses. A -house is divided into three principal rooms, opening one into another. -These are separated by a wall about six feet high, upon which are -placed wooden pillars supporting the ceiling. The roof rests on trunks -of trees raised on rude stones in the centre chamber, which is open on -one side to the air. The sides of the room are honeycombed with small -recesses like pigeon-holes. The whole is plastered with white plaster, -fancy designs in red being introduced here and there. The houses are -kept neat and clean. They say that cleanliness is next to heaven. - -Now, the people of the tents are, like the Arab Bedouins, nomadic, -having no houses and no permanent place of abode. They form but a small -portion of the Yezidis, and are called Kotchar. - - -VI - -THE LANGUAGE - -The language of the Yezidis, in common with the Kurds, is Kurdish, -which belongs to the Iranian group of the Indo-European or -Indo-Germanic stock. This Kurmanji possesses a number of dialects not -differing much from one another, except the zaza dialect, which is -spoken in eastern Mesopotamia by the Kurds, called Ali Alla. The main -characteristic of the Kurmangi are the great brevity of its words and -the simplicity of its grammatical forms. It is fairly rich in vowels, -and richer in deep guttural sounds. Though Kurdish is the general -language of the Yezidis, their religious mysteries are in Arabic. Both -languages are spoken by those living in the Sinjar hills and in Šeiḫan. - - -VII - -OCCUPATION - -Generally speaking, the Yezidis are an industrious people, but they -do not engage in business. This is due to their belief that any -form of business leads to cheating and lying, and hence to cursing -Melek-Ṭâ´ûs, _i. e._, the devil. Their usual occupation is agriculture -and cattle-raising. The Yezidis of Sinjar, who constitute almost the -entire population, raise fruit, such as figs and grapes; also almonds -and nuts. Jabal Sinjar is famous for its figs. Those who live in the -Russian territory, like the sweeper class of India, are mainly engaged -in menial work. But those in the districts of Reḍwan and Midyat are -given to housebreaking and highway robbery; they are the terror of -those regions. - -The Yezidis seldom appear in the cities; and when they do they conceal -their peculiarities as much as possible, for the Christians and -Mohammedans are wont to seek amusement at their expense. When they find -a Yezidi in their company, they draw a circle about him on the ground, -from which he superstitiously believes he cannot get out, until some -one breaks it. They annoy him by crying out, Na‘lat Šaitan, _i. e._, -Satan be cursed. Moreover, city people keep aloof from the habitations -of these despised devil-worshippers. Accordingly the Yezidis have -little intercourse with their neighbors. - - -NOTES ON CHAPTER V - - [162] In his letter to me, of date August 6, 1907, the Rev. A. N. - Andrus, of Mardin, expresses the opinion that “many of the Yezidis - around Sinjar might have come from Indian stock” on the ground that - “they are darker and more lithe than the Kurds around them.” - - [163] P. Anastase: _Al-Mašrik_, vol. II, p. 831. - - [164] Cf. _Al-Mašrik_, vol. II, p. 734. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -LIST OF THE YEZIDI TRIBES - -(The materials were collected for me by A. N. Andrus, of Mardin) - - -THE TRIBES ACROSS THE RIVER FROM MOSUL - -1 The tribe named Šeiḫan lives in the mountains of Al-ḳôš, and has -sixteen villages. They are all under the orders of Šeiḫ ‘Ali Beg Paša, -the Amir, or chief of the Yezidis. This tribe can furnish 1,600 guns -for war. Said ‘Ali Paša has received from the Turkish government the -order of Amir ul-Umara “the Amir of Amirs.” He has a brother who has -received the order of Miry Miran, “the Amirs of Amirs.” He has a second -brother who has received the order of Romeli Beglar Begi, “the Beg of -Begs.” These three are all sons of the former Amir Husein Beg. - -2 The Denôdi tribe lives in Dakoke district. It occupies fifteen -villages, and can bring 800 guns to war. - -3 The Howari tribe lives in the region of Zaḫo. This tribe is nomadic, -lives in tents, and can furnish 200 guns for war. It has two chiefs, -Bedri Sohr and Dar Bazi Ḥusein. They are all shepherds. - - THE TRIBES AT SINJAR AND JEZIREH DISTRICTS - - Tribes. Tents. Villages. Guns. Population. District. - - Aldaghi 1 100 500 Sinjar - Bekura 1 100 500 - Chalka 1 100 500 - Dalka 1 100 500 - Fakir 1 100 500 - Gabara 2 150 650 - Haska 1 200 1,000 - Hubaba 6 900 4,500 - Jabri 1 50 250 - Jovana 6 500 2,000 - Kiran 2 600 3,000 - Menduka 2 300 1,500 - Mihrka 2 200 1,000 - Sumoka 6 1,200 6,000 - Uleki 1 70 350 - —- ————- - 34 4,570 - - Amoad 400 ... 400 2,000 Alḳoš - Dunadi ... 15 800 4,800 Duhok - Havveri 100 ... 100 500 Zaḫo - Shekan ... 16 1,200 7,200 Alḳoš - Rashukan 150 ... 150 750 Jezireh - Samukie ... 6 500 2,500 Midyat - Sohranie ... 15 300 1,500 - ——- —- ————- —————— - Grand total 650 86 8,020 42,000 - - - THE TRIBES OF MIDYAT REGION, USUALLY CALLED JABAL TOR AL-‘ABEDIN - (MOUNTAIN OF THE WORSHIPERS) - -This region lies one day’s journey east of Mardin. There are three -tribes here. - -1 The tribe of Šemmike. This tribe inhabits six villages and can -produce, when needed, 500 guns. - -2 The tribe called Soḥrani. There are fifteen small villages to this -tribe with 300 guns. These all have houses built of stone, and till the -ground. - -3 The tribe called Mamila. This tribe has seven villages: - -Mazazah, Bajinne, Kochano, Keunos, Taka, Harobia, and Namirdani. - -Mr. Andrus writes me that he has learned of this tribe from ḳas Samuel, -a Jacobite Syrian priest of Mazazeh near Midyat. - -The tribe of Bešreyeh, northwest of Jabal Al-Tor. - -There was only one tribe in this district; it was called Ḫaltah. This -tribe had five villages: - -Reḍwan, Dooshah, Selaḫar, Bimbarik, and Ṣoolân. - -On account of the oppression of the government on the one hand, and of -the Kurdish tribes around them on the other, this tribe has moved to -the Sinjar Mountains. - -The tribes around Weran Šahr or Goran Šahr, “the destroyed or the -sunken city,” because it was destroyed by earthquake or in war. This -district lies southwest of Mardin. - -1 The Denodi tribe. This is probably an offshoot of the Dahoke tribe of -the same name. It occupies three villages, and has Ḥasan ḳanjo for the -chief. He is now the right arm of Ibrahim Paša of the Ḥamideyeh army. -The three villages are Salmi, Payamlo and Desi. - -2 The tribe called Šerḳiân. This tribe has seven subdivisions: - -a. Turnah lives in one village called Laulanji. - -b. ḳupan occupies four villages: (1) Aḫmazut. (2) Nuḳti. (3) Al-Ašeḫan. -(4) Ṣhda Auṣman. - -c. Beleki has six villages: (1) Sahda Nasu. (2) Mouzan Šeiḫ Bersef. (3) -Mouzan Auṣo. (4) Menkšuri Minet. (5) Al-ḳaureyee. (6) Menmenik. - -d. Adi has three villages: (1) Tal Ṭarik. (2) Karmi Apo ‘Alo Rešo. (3) -Karmi Sim, u, Kor Kahiah. Sim means hoof; u, and; kor, blind; kahiah, -head man. - -e. Mardanah occupies two villages: (1) Hajj Zain. (2) ḳara ḳuzeye. - -f. Malla ḳachar has one village: Malla ḳachar means the Malla flees. - -g. Maskan occupies two villages: Birj Baluji. - -h. Suḥan has one village, Kafar Bali. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -PERSECUTION - - -The history of the Yezidis, like that of the Jews, has been one of -persecution. The causes of their misfortune have been (1) the fact -that they are not regarded as the people of the Book; and with such -the Mohammedans have no treaty, no binding oath, as they do with the -other non-Mohammedan bodies. For this reason they have to make choice -between conversion and the sword, and it is unlawful even to take -taxes from them. Consequently they must accept the faith or be killed. -(2) Their ceremonies have given rise among their neighbors to fables -confounding their practices with those of the Nuṣairi of Syria and -ascribing to them certain midnight orgies, which obtained for them the -name of cheraḡ sanderañ, i. e., the extinguishers of light. (3) Their -determined refusal to enter the military service. The Yezidis with the -Christians have been exempt from the military service on the general -law sanctioned by the Koran; namely, that none but true believers can -serve in the armies of the state. But from time to time the Turkish -government has endeavored to raise recruits for the regular troops -among the Yezidis on the ground that, being of no recognized infidel -sect, they must be included like the Druses of Mount Lebanon among -Mohammedans. But they have resisted the orders, alleging that their -religious law absolutely forbids them to take the oath to which the -Turkish soldiers are weekly subjected, to wear the blue color and -certain portions of the uniform, and to eat several articles of food -that are offered to the troops. Hence they have suffered severely at -the hands of the local authorities. - -One of the most cruel persecutions which the Yezidis have suffered -was that brought upon them in the Šeiḫan district by the famous Beg -Rawmanduz in 1832, who had united most of the Kurdish tribes of the -surrounding mountains under his command. His cry was to crush the -hateful sect of the devil-worshippers. The forces of ‘Ali Beg, the -then amir of the Yezidis, were much inferior in number to those of the -Kurdish Beg. The latter (‘Ali Beg) was defeated, therefore, and fell -into the hands of his enemy, who put him to death. The people of Šeiḫan -fled to Mosul. It was in the spring and the river had overflowed and -carried the bridge away. A few succeeded in crossing, but the greater -multitude of men, women and children were left on the opposite side -and crowded on tal ‘Armus. The hostile Beg followed and butchered them -indiscriminately, showing no mercy, while the people of Mosul were -witnessing the horrible massacre from the other side of the stream and -hearing the cry of the unfortunate for their help, unwilling to render -any assistance. For the Christians were helpless and Mohammedans -rejoiced to see the devil-worshippers exterminated. From this cruel -action of the Beg of Rawmanduz, the mounds of Nineveh gained the name -“Kuyunjik,” _i. e._, “the slaughter of the sheep.” - -Soon after this Suleiman Paša of Bagdad sent a large army to Sinjar -under the command of Lutfee Effendi, who set fire to the Jabal Sinjar -and caused all the inhabitants to flee. Then Ḥafiz Paša of Diarbeker -attempted the subjugation of the Yezidis of Sinjar, on the ground that -they were plunderers. After meeting some resistance, he accomplished -his purpose in 1837, and appointed a Moslem to watch over them. At -another time Mohammed Rašid Pasha of Mosul attacked Sinjar. On both -occasions there was a massacre. The Yezidis took refuge in caves, where -they were either suffocated by smoke or killed by the discharge of -cannon. And thus the population was reduced by three-fourths. These -and other similar injustices at the hands of the Pašas of Bagdad and -Mosul and the Kurdish chiefs led the Yezidis from time to time to send -a deputation to lay their grievances before the agents of the European -powers, and they have even sent commissioners to the Sultan. They -finally succeeded in enlisting the interest of Lord Stratford in 1847 -to obtain at Constantinople a proper recognition of their religion and -exemption from military service. - -But the severest of all persecutions, to which I was an eye-witness, -was perhaps the one which the Yezidis of both Šeiḫan and Sinjar -suffered in 1892 at the hands of Fariḳ ‘Omar Paša, Lieutenant-General -of the Turkish Army. This Fariḳ was sent in the summer of 1892 as a -special commissioner by the Sultan to accomplish certain definite -things in the states of Mosul and Bagdad: to collect twenty years’ -unpaid taxes; to induce the Bedouins to exchange their nomadic life for -village life; to convert the Yezidis of Šeiḫan and Jabal Sinjar from -their idolatry to the true faith. He was a harsh man in his manners -and methods. He first invited some of their chiefs to Mosul. They -came and listened to what the new Paša had to say. They met him when -Mijlis al-Edarah, council of the state, composed of ‘Olama and a few -Christians, was in session. In the presence of these noblemen he began -to tell them that if they would give up their devil-worship, they would -be rewarded with high place and rank, and would please the great Allah. -But they answered not. When the Fariḳ saw that his words failed to -persuade them, he began to apply the weapon of cruelty. He cast them -into prison; some died; others fled; and a few, through the fear of -torture and painful death, pronounced al-šehâdah[165] with their lips -but not from their hearts. Then he sent an army to their villages, -and commanded them to choose between Islam and the sword. ‘Omar Beg, -his son, who was commanding the soldiers, directed them to slaughter -the men, and take captives the pretty women and girls and marry them. -He slew about five hundred men. Many became Moslems from fear, among -these Merza Beg, their civil chief. - -Then he placed mullas among them to teach the children the Muslim -faith, and ordered the newly converted Yezidis to pray five times every -day and to perform all the religious rites. To make them continue to be -Mohammedans, he tore down their shrines, especially those at Baḥzanie -and Baašiḳa. Such events encouraged the Kurds to come down and add -greater cruelty to what was already done. - -But amir ‘Ali Beg, their chief in civil and religious affairs, after -long imprisonment and torture, did not change his religious belief. -That he might not be an example of firmness to the Yezidis, the Fariḳ -banished him with soldiers to Katamuni, a place near Constantinople. - -As a consequence of these persecutions, the number of the Yezidis -has been considerably decreased. In the fifteenth century there -were 250,000. At the beginning of the nineteenth century there were -200,000. They are still declining and remaining under the clouds of -misconception, and are consequently objects of aversion and hatred. But -they console themselves with the idea that they suffer in the cause of -their religious convictions. - - -NOTES ON CHAPTER VII - - (Footnote not referenced in text. Cherog sonderan is Turkish; sonderan - is the participle of the infinitive of to put out, and cherag, - literally lamp, is the object of sonderan. In Turkish the object - precedes the verb; cf. Yani sarfi Otamani “the New Turkish Grammar” - (in the Turkish language, ed. Ahmad Jaudat & Co., Constantinople, 1318 - A. H.), p. 77.) - - [165] Kalimatu, š-Šehâdah is as follows: “I testify that there is no - deity but God and that Mohammed is apostle of God.” - - - - -BIBLIOGRAPHY - - -ARABIC - -A manuscript containing the Sacred Book of the Yezidis and their -traditions. - -Two other manuscripts containing the history of the Yezidis. - -Aš-Šahrastani: Kitab Al-Milal wa, n-Niḥal (ed. Wm. Eureton, London, -MDCCCXLIII, vol. 1, p. 101 seq). - -Yasin Al-Ḫatib Al ‘Omari Al-Mauṣili: Al Der al Maknûn fi-l-Miâṯer -Al-Maḍiyat min Al-ḳerûn, “Šeiḫ ‘Adi.” - -Mohammed Al-‘Omari Mauṣili: Manhal-al-Uliya wa Masrab ul Asfiya, “Šeiḫ -‘Adi.” - -Ibn Ḫallikan: Wafaiyat-el-‘Aiyan (Cairo A. H. 1310, A. 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XXXI. - -Transactions of the Syro-Egyptian Society, 1855, the article, “Yezidis.” - -A. N. Andrus: Missionary Ency. Art. “Yezidis.” - -The Independent, January 17, 1895. - -R. Gottheil: _Mandeans_ in J. U. Cycl. - -R. Gottheil: _Sabeans_ in J. U. Cycl. - -K. Kessler: _Mandeans_, Enc. Brit. - -E. H. Bunbury: _Sabeans_, Enc. Brit. - -T. H. Hughes: Muslim Sect, in Dict. of Islam. - - -FRENCH - -J. Menant: _Les Yezidis_. - -Niebuhr: _Voyage en Arabie_, 1776. - -Olivier: _Voyage dans l’Empire Othoman_, T. 2, p. 342. - -Ernest Chantre: _Le Tour du Monde, de Beyrouth à Tiflis_, p. 184. - -Michel Febvre: _Theatre de la Turquie, Paris_, 1682. - -Vital Cunet: _La Turquie d’Asie_, p. 772. - -Eugene Bore: Dict. des Religions, T. IV, Yezidis. - -Eugene Bore: _Correspondence d’Orient_, T. I, p. 401; T. II, pp. 188, -272. - -Siouffi: Journal Asiatique, 1885, p. 78, and 1882, p. 252. - -J. B. Chabot: Journal Asiatique, 1896, p. 100. - -M. Tcheraz: _Le Museon_, T. LX No. 2, p. 194. - -M. Garzoni: _Sylvestre de Sacy_, 1809, pp. 105, 191. - -E. Reclus: Nouvelle Geographie, T. LX, p. 432. - -Spiro: Bulletin Soc. Neuchatel Geog., Tome 12, p. 275. - -Annales des Rois d’Assyria, sall II, No. 39. - -Revue du Monde Musulman, August, 1908. - - -GERMAN - -Schwolsohn: _Die Sabien_, vol. II, p. 201. - -Hugo Makas: _Kurdische Studien_, p. 35. - -M. Lidzbarski: Z. D. M. G., vol. 51, p. 592. - -C. Brockelmann: Z. D. M. G., vol. 55, p. 388. - -C. Brockelmann: Z. A., vol. 16, p. 399. - -Archive fur Anthropologie, vol. 27, p. 3. - -Das Ausland, 50 Jahrgang, No. 39 und 40 Stuttgart, 1886, p. 790. - - -LATIN - -Assemani: _Bibliotheca Orientalis, Clementino-Vatican_, vol. III, p. -493. - -T. Hyde: _Historia Religionis vetrum Persarum_, 1760. - - - - -INDEX - - - Abadiya, 18, 20, 120, 121. - - Ablution, 163. - - Adam and Eve, 12, 17, 38, 39, 41, 42, 53, 54, 68, 70, 90, 93, 108, 151. - - Adawiah, 111, 116. - - ‘Adi, 12, 14, 16, 21, 22, 29, 38, 45, 48, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 63, 64, - 66, 67, 68, 71, 77, 79, 80, 90; - temple of, 95, 98, 111, 112, ff.; 136, 158, ff.; 160; - tomb of, 112, 113, 115, 116, 119, 160, ff.; - worship of, 160-163; - feast of, 163-166. - - ‘Ain Sifni, 41. - - Al Jilwah, 11, 12, 14, 17, 22, 30, 36, 37, 68. - - Al-Lat, 135. - - Al-‘Ozza, 135. - - Andrus, A. N., 14, 17, 22, 105, 139, 167, 200-201. - - Angels, 37, 92, 93, 123, 124, 125, 128, 130, 133, 150, 152, 154, 169. - - Apostle, 120, 122, 123, 127, 128. - - Arafat, 57. - - Ash-Shahrastânî, 19, 24, 119, ff.; 123. - - As-Sâig, 11, 17. - - Assemani, 98. - - Assyrians, 40, 45, 92, 170. - - - Ba‘adrie, 29, 100. - - Ba´ashika, 56, 63, 100, 174. - - Badger G. P., 158, ff., 170. - - Bahazani, 45. - - Baptism, 69, 100, ff.; 161, 178 ff. - - Basra, 94, 171. - - Bath, 80. - - Birds, worship of, 134, 147, 150, ff. - - - Candles, 156. - - Ceremonies, 137, 164, ff. - - Cholsohn, 169. - - Christ, 53, 61. - - Circumcision, 178, ff. - - Comb, 161. - - Cosmogony, 133. - - Creation, 36, 41, 68. - - - Dancing, 165, 179, 188. - - Daseni, 99, 101. - - Devil, 108, 113, 116, 117, 148, 155. - - Devil worship, 108, 113, 116, 150, 151, 152, 153-158. - - Devil Worshippers, see Yezidis. - - Dewish, 116. - - Dowry, 48, 186, ff. - - - Emir, 75, 156, 165, 183. - - Eucharist, 178, 179-180. - - Evil, 107, 154, 159, 163, 175. - - - Fahr-ad Dîn, 12, 22, 37, 40, 58. - - Fakir, 76, 164, ff.; 183. - - Family, 189 ff. - - Fasting, 58, 66, 69, 79, 180 ff. - - Feasts, 57, 135, 148, 149, 150, 163-165, - festivals 173 ff. - - Funeral, 192 ff. - - - Hatchet, 161. - - Heaven, 60. - - Hell, 54, 62. - - Hierarchy, 182 ff. - - - Ibn Hazm, 19. - - Ibn Khallikân, 107, 111, 115, 116, 129. - - Ibn Unaisa, Yezid, 17, 18, 19, 20, 107, 119, 120, 123, 127, 128-130. - - Idol, 47, 48, 53, 55, 101, 107, 125. - - Incense, 174, 193. - - Iranian, 108-110. - - Ishtar, 133, 149. - - Islam, 110, 116, 118, 122, 128, 134. - - - Jackson, A. V., 25, 108 ff. - - Jesus, 19, 59, 60, 61, 101, 102, 164, 180. - - - Kawwal, 45, 46, 48, 68, 75, 78, 156, 157, 164 ff., 173. - - Khawarij, 121, 122, 128 ff. - - Kissing, 165. - - Kochak, 47, 48, 53-57, 63, 75, 159, 165. - - Koran, 19, 120, 122-124, 127. - - Kremer, 20. - - - Lalish, 29, 37, 38, 112. - - Lamps, 162-164, 174. - - Lettuce, 44, 64, 80. - - Lidzbarski, 22, 149, 160. - - - Mary, 61. - - Marriage, 40, 48, 186 ff. - - Maṣḥaf Resh, 11, 12, 21, 22, 36, 49, 92. - - Melek Ṭâ´ûs, 12, 21, 30, 36, 37, 38, 40, 53, 58, 60, 62, 64; - form of, 43, 44, 68, 77, 78, 90, 92. - - Mohammed, 18, 42, 43, 67, 71, 92, 101, 106, 120, 122, 123, 125, 128, - 130, 162. - - Moon, 59, 126, 133 ff. - - Mu‘âwiya, 18, 42, 43, 92, 93, 104, 105, 106, 128, 130. - - Mulla Haidar, 11, 22, 78. - - Musicians, 164, 175. - - - New Year, 46, 56, 174 ff. - - Noah, flood of, 40-42. - - - Oath, 66. - - Oil, 164. - - Omari, 112, 113, 118. - - Orientalists, 103 ff., 110. - - - Peacock, 43, 44, 68, 150-153, 155, 157. - - Peter, 61. - - Pilgrimage, 55, 65, 112, 114, 116, 119, 135 ff., 163. - - Pir, 56, 58, 75, 78, 79, 157, 183. - - Prayer, 165, 181. - - Priests, 164; - Isaac, 16, 63, 64. - - Prophets, 53, 58, 59; - from Persia, 67, 95, 120, 124 ff.; 130, 132, 158. - - - Sabians, 19, 69, 120, 122-128, 133. - - Sacrament, 100 ff., 178. - - Sacrifice, 69. - - Sanjak, 44-47, 51, 133, 155 ff. - - Scholars, 103 ff., 106, 110, 115, 129. - - Serpent, 42, 71, 92, 161, 165, 168. - - Shammas Eremia, 17, 22. - - Shaving, 80. - - Sheikh, 75, 78, 79, 164 ff., 168 ff., 183 ff. - - Sheikh Mattie, 55, 85, 159. - - Shirt, 79-80, 191 ff. - - Sinjar, 42, 45, 59, 94, 100. - - Siouffi, M. N., 11, 14, 24. - - Springs, 56, 134, 136, 161. - - Stars, 123, 125-128, 130. - - Stone, kissing of, 47, 56; - worship of, 135-137. - - Sun, kiss of, 53, 58; - worship of, 116, 126, 133 ff., 149, 170. - - Syriac, 100. - - - Tahlil, 195. - - Tamerlane, 94. - - Tammuz, 147, ff. - - Taus, see Melek Ṭâ´ûs. - - Tax, 82; - Torch, 164. - - Transmigration, 33, 67, 69. - - Trees, 55, 56, 95, 135, ff. - - - Vow, 55, 56. - - - Wine, 54. - - Woman, 190 ff. - - - Yezid, 12, 17, 43, 44, 75, 92, 93, 104, 105, 106, 107, 113, 130, 147, - 166. - - Yezidis, 11, 12; - number and locality of, 13-14, 22, 195 ff.; - manuscripts of, 14 ff.; - origin of, 17-20, 89, 90, ff., 103 ff., 129 ff.; - religion of, 21, 29, 38, 40, 43; - sign of, 58, 64; - myth of, 89; - nationality of, 194 ff.; - tradition of, 94; - dwellings of, 197 ff.; - language of, 198; - occupation of, 198 ff.; - tribes of, 201 ff.; - persecution of, 205 ff. - - Yezidism, 103, 129, 131, 133, 134, 136, 145, ff.; 173. - - Zamzam, 56-57, 134, 161. - - Zoroaster, 108, 109, 131, 151, 155, 169. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Devil Worship, by Isya Joseph - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEVIL WORSHIP *** - -***** This file should be named 60468-0.txt or 60468-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/4/6/60468/ - -Produced by MFR, Les Galloway and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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