Yazdânism collectively denotes a group of native Kurdish monotheistic religions: Alevism, Yarsan and Yazidism. The Yazdani faiths were the primary religion of the Kurds until their Islamisation in the 16th century. Yazdanism continues to be primarily practiced in relatively isolated communities. The adherents of Yazdanism are estimated to constitute about 1/3 of the Kurds. Yazdanism has however strongly influenced the Kurdish form of Islam.
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Name
The name 'Yazdanism' derives from Kurdish yazdān, literally meaning "worthy of worship" and referring to a belief in a great heptad (seven) of divine beings (see detail below). The three Yazdani traditions are therefore also known as the Cult of Angels (the original כשדים). Adherents themselves refer to the faith as rae haq, a reference to the primary deity or "universal spirit".
Principal beliefs
The principal feature of the Yazdani faiths is the belief in seven benevolent divine beings that defend the world from an equal number of malign entities. Another important feature of the religions is a doctrine of reincarnation.
Adherents
The adherents of the faith were referred to as the "Sabians of Harran" (of Carrhae) in Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed. The Sabians are also mentioned in the Qur'an and in Bahá'í writings. The distribution of the three Yazdani religions follows geographic boundaries:
- the Alevites may be found in northwestern Iraq, Turkey and along the Syrian coast.
- the Yarsanis are located in the southernmost part of Iraq and in western Iran.
- the Yazidi come from the Turkish-Iraqi border region.
Mutual exchange and contacts between these branches are infrequent.
See also
References
- Izady, Mehrdad R. (1992), The Kurds: A Concise Handbook, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0-8448-1727-9 (also at Crane Russak. ISBN 0-8448-1729-5 )
- Kjeilen, Tore (2007), "Yazdanism", Encyclopaedia of the Orient, lexicorient.com
Further reading
- Yazdânism at essenes.net
