Yazidism, or Yezidism also known as Sharfadin, is a monotheistic ethnic religion. It developed through a complex historical process involving a pre-Islamic Kurdish religious substratum and the teachings of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir. Scholars generally regard it as an independent religious tradition with deep roots in ancient Iranian beliefs, shaped by later Sufi influences.; ; ; ; ; ; Its followers, called Yazidis, or Yezidis, are a Kurdish-speaking community.
Yazidism is based on belief in one God who created the world and entrusted its guardianship to seven self-emanated angels.. Preeminent among these angels is Tawûsî Melek (; also spelled ), who is the leader of the angels and has the greatest authority over the world.
Etymology The Yazidis' own name for themselves is or, in some areas, , although the latter, strictly speaking, is a tribal name. Some western scholars derive the name from the Umayyad Caliph Yazid ibn Muawiyah (Yazid I, ). However, all Yazidis reject any relationship between their name and the caliph. The word Yazidi means 'the servant of the creator'. Although Yazidism was not named after Yazid ibn Muawiyah, the caliph was revered in Yazidism.The Yezidis: The History of a Community, Culture and Religion, Birgül Açikyildiz, 2014, pp. 37Liminal Minorities: Religious Difference and Mass Violence in Muslim Societies, Günes Murat Tezcür, 2024, pp. 79 Other scholars derive it from Old Iranian , Middle Persian , "divine being".Philip G. Kreyenbroek, "Yazīdī" in Encyclopedia of Islam, s.v. Another derivation of the word origin relates to ('Created me'): Yazidis also refer to ('God created me') and to ('We are the Ezdayi nation').
History
Principal beliefs
Yazidis believe in one God, to whom they refer as , , , (), and, less commonly, and . According to some Yazidi hymns (known as ), God has 1,001 names; in others, he has 3,003 names. In Yazidism, fire, water, air, and the earth are sacred elements that are not to be polluted. During prayer, Yazidis face towards the Sun, which is why they were often called "sun worshippers". The Yazidi creation myth begins with the description of the emptiness and the absence of order in the Universe. Before the universe's creation, God created a ('white pearl') in spiritual form from his own pure light and alone dwelt in it. First, there was an esoteric world, and after that, an exoteric world was created. Before the creation of this world God created seven divine beings (oftentimes referred to as the Seven Angels in the Yazidi literature) to whom he assigned all the world's affairs; the leader of the Seven Angels was named Melek Taus (; ).. The end of Creation is closely connected with the creation of humankind and the transition from mythological to historical time.
Tawûsî Melek
The Yazidis believe in a divine triad. The supreme, hidden God of the Yazidis is considered to be remote and inactive in relation to his creation, except to contain and bind it together within his essence. His first emanation is Melek Taus (), the "Peacock Angel", who functions as the ruler of the world. The second hypostasis of the divine triad is the Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, and the third is Sultan Ezid. These are the three hypostases of the one God. The identity of these three is sometimes blurred, with ibn Musafir considered to be a manifestation of and vice versa; the same also applies to Sultan Ezid. Yazidis are called ('the nation of ').
Muslims and Christians have erroneously associated and identified the Peacock Angel with their own conception of the unredeemed evil spirit Satan, a misconception that has incited centuries of violent religious persecution of the Yazidis as "devil-worshippers". Persecution of Yazidis has continued in their home communities within the borders of modern Iraq.
Yazidis, however, believe is not a source of evil or wickedness. They consider him to be the leader of the archangels, not a fallen angel.
Sheikh Adi
Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir (born 1072/1078, died 1162) was a 12th-century mystic, ascetic and theologian who is the central saint in the Yazidi religion, considered as the reformer, renewer or founder of Yazidism. His tomb at Lalish, Iraq is the holiest site in Yazidism and the focal point of annual Yazidi pilgrimage. In Yazidi belief, Sheikh Adi is venerated as an earthly incarnation of God.
Sheikh Adi's religious background is a subject of active debate. Islamic literature and Western scholarship traditionally describe him as a Sufi mystic of Islamic background who gathered followers known as the Adawiyya. Some scholars dispute this Islamic framing, and Yazidis themselves reject any claim of an Islamic background.
After settling at Lalish, Sheikh Adi united the scattered Yazidi tribes around him and returned to them their ancient temple, which members of other faiths had occupied. The Yazidi religion was revised and reestablished between the 12th and 13th centuries on the basis of Sheikh Adi's teachings, which drew from a mixture of ancient traditions and rites and blended them with the mysticism in which he believed. The caste structure that came to define Yazidi social and religious life is conventionally traced to Sheikh Adi's reforms: Sheikhs (şêx), who fulfill spiritual and administrative functions; Pirs (pîr), who fulfill religious and pastoral functions; and Murids (mirîd), the laypeople and followers.
Sheikh Adi occupies the central position in Yazidi religion as the earthly incarnation of God, a manifestation of God who descended into human form. His own poems are preserved in the oldest surviving Yazidi documents (mişûrs) dating to the 13th century, which are highly revered by Yazidis and express a pantheistic self-understanding and self-identification as God: "In the secret of my knowledge there is no God but me."
Following his departure, the leadership of the Yazidi community passed to his nephew Sakhr Abu l-Barakat ibn Sakhr al-Hakkari, whom Sheikh Adi had named as his successor. His descendants, the Adanî clan of sheikhs, continue to hold some senior religious offices of the community.
Holy figures
Yazidis believe in Seven Angels—considered the emanations of God—who, in the Yazidi creation myth, were created by God from his own light () before the creation of Earth. God assigned all of the world's affairs to the Seven Angels, and was appointed as the leader. The angels are also referred to as ('the Seven Mysteries'). The Seven Angels are believed to have parts of God in themselves. Another word that is used for this quality is (or ; ), which denotes a divine essence from which the angels were created. The divine essence has its own personality and will and is also called ('the of God'). This term refers to the essence of the Divine itself (i.e., God), which the angels share with God. In Yazidism's religious literature, the Seven Angels are sometimes referred to as Cibrayîl, Ezrayîl, Mîkayîl, Şifqayîl, Derdayîl, Ezafîl, and Ezazîl. Figures other than the Angels are better known by their earthly incarnations: Fexredîn, Sheikh Shems, Nasirdîn, Sicadîn, Şêxûbekir, and Şêxisin.
The Yazidi pantheon contains a total of 365 holy figures, designated by religious terms including , , and . Yazidi theology holds that God is almighty and absolute, and that the are part of his power. Moreover, regarding the natural world, Yazidis believe in , which correspond to most natural elements and phenomena; they are regarded as divine powers that control these phenomena. In Yazidi mythology, the appeared after the creation of the world for the four elements of nature and their manifestations.
Rebirth and concept of time Yazidis believe in the rebirth of the soul. Like adherents of Ahl-e Haqq, the Yazidis use the metaphor of a change of garment to describe the process, which plays an exceptional role in Yazidi religiosity and is called the "chang[ing] of [one's] shirt" (). There is also a belief that some events repeat themselves in a wheel of time. In Yazidism, different concepts of time coexist:.
An esoteric time sphere (). This term denotes a state of being before the creation of the world. According to Yazidi cosmogony, there is God and a pearl in this stage. or (a cyclic course of time): it means literally 'change, changing' or 'turning, revolution' and in the Yazidi context denotes a new period of time in the history of the world. Therefore, it may also mean 'renewing' or 'renewed' and designates the start of a renewed period of time. A linear course, which runs from the start of the creation by God to the collective eschatological end point. Three ('storm' or 'flood'; i.e., disasters), which are intended to play a purificatory role, improving the quality of life. Each catastrophe, which ultimately brings renewal to the world, takes place through a classical element: the first through water (), the second through fire (), and the last is connected with wind or air (). It is believed that the first has already occurred in the past and that the next will occur through fire. According to this perception, the three sacred elements, namely water, fire, and air, purify the fourth one, the earth. These events, however, are not considered eschatological. They occur throughout a person's life. Although the purificatory events cause many deaths, ultimately life continues. In Yazidism, the older original concept of metempsychosis and the cyclic perception of the course of time is harmonised and coexists with the younger idea of a collective eschatology.
Cosmogony and beginning of life The Yazidi creation myth is recorded in several sacred texts and traditions. It can therefore only be inferred and understood through an overall view of the sacred texts and traditions. The cosmogony can be divided into three stages:
Enzel – the state before the pearl burst (). Developments immediately after the burst – cosmogony The creation of the earth and man – anthropogony
The term Enzel is one of the most frequently mentioned in religious vocabulary and appears numerous times in the religious hymns, known as Qewls. For instance, in :"" ('Oh, Creator of the Enzel, you are infinite')
And : ('I am a follower of God, I come from an "" [pearl])
Thus, the term Enzel can also be referred to as a "pure, spiritual, immaterial and infinite world", "the Beyond", or "the sphere beyond the profane world". The Enzel stage describes a spaceless and timeless state and therefore illustrates a supernatural state. In this stage, initially there is only a God, who creates a pearl out of his own light, in which his shining throne () is located.
(My King created the white pearl from himself)
(The shining throne in the pearl)
The Yazidi qewls describe the universe as originating from a white pearl that existed in pre-eternity. At the beginning of time, before creation, God emerged from the cosmic pearl, which rested on the horns of a bull standing on the back of a fish. After God and the pearl separated, the universe burst out of the pearl and became visible as waves rippled across from the pearl to form the primeval Cosmic Ocean. As the pearl burst open, the beginning of the material universe was set in motion. ('love') came into being and was laid as the original foundation; colors began to form, and red, yellow, and white began to shine from the burst pearl.
The Yazidi religion has its own perception of colours, which is reflected in its mythology and shown through clothing taboos, religious ceremonies, customs, and rituals. Colors are perceived as symbols of nature and the beginning of life; this emphasis is found in the creation myth. In particular, the colors white, red, green, and yellow are frequently emphasized. White is considered the color of purity and peace and is the main color of Yazidi religious clothing.