Yarsanism

Religious beliefs

The Yarsanism follow the mystical teachings of Sultan Sahak. From the Yarsanis point of view, the universe is composed of two distinct yet interrelated worlds: the internal (Bātinī) and the external (zāhirī), each having its own order and rules. Although humans are only aware of the outer world, their lives are governed according to the rules of the inner world. Among other important pillars of their belief system are that the Divine Essence has successive manifestations in human form (mazhariyyat) and the belief in transmigration of the soul (dunaduni in Kurdish). There is an assumption that some aspects of the Yarsani faith suggest the divinity of Ali, although it can be identified as Kurdish esoterism which emerged under the intense influence of Bātinī-Sufism during the last two centuries. by becoming Iran to Iran Islamic Republic some groups were created to harm Yarsanis. their leader was called Hajj Nematollah Jeyhounabadi which his son was called Nur Ali Elahi also they have written many books which all are opposite to Yarsanis holy book Kalâm-e Saranjâm according to Yarsanis point of view, the cause of creating these groups was to change Yarsan to Islam also some people think the Yarsanis are a part of Islam but they don't do the Islamic necessity and they don't do the things on Islamic way . this decade some yarsan leaders were manipulated and became the spy for the government so they told their people to say that "they are part of Islam and pray the Islamic way" but according to Yarsan holy book every man needs to do what it has been written in Kalâm-e Saranjâm otherwise they are not part of Yarsan. also it says everyone can choose to be yarsan or not.

In Yarsanism philosophy has been told that Yarsanis believe in the Evolution of the universe in different levels that these levels are:

1. First level: "Shari'at" which includes the period from Adam and Eve till Muhammad rasulullah known as "The Prophet" period.

2. Second level: "Tariqat" which includes the period from Ali ibn Abi Talib till Shah khoshin known as "doctrine" period.

3. third level: "Marefat" which includes the period from Shah khoshin till Sultan Sahak known as "Mysticism" period.

4. Last level: "Haqiqat" which includes the period from Sultan Sahak untill now, which is knows as the Truth period.

About the Divine Essence in Yarsanism, the Divine manifestation (mazhariyat) has appeared several times in human form. for Example: Jesus Christ in "Shari'at", Ali ibn Abi Talib and Bahlool kufi in "Tariqat" , shah fazlullah veli , Baba Sarhang Dudani, Baba Naous and Shah Khoshin in "Marefat" finally Sultan Sahak and Sayed Heidar Guran (Asayed Berake Guran) in "Haqiqat".

According to Ahl-i Haqq legend after Sultan Sahak, the last great Divine Manifestation, had completed the revelation of his esoteric teachings (haqiqat) to his first disciples among the Guran he took his leave of them. Disappearing from the Guran country without a trace, he reappeared in Anatolia in the form of Haji Bektash Veli. He taught mystical doctrines and techniques (tariqat) in those lands for almost a hundred years, and then returned to the Guran country. In the perception of his disciples there, he had been away for only an hour.

Ahl-e Haqq (Yarsani) faith

The Yarsani faith's features include millenarism, Innatism, egalitarianism, metempsychosis, angelology, divine manifestation and dualism. Many of these features are found in Yazidism, another Kurdish faith, in the faith of Zoroastrians and in Shī‘ah fringe groups; certainly, the names and religious terminology of the Yarsani are etymologically of Islamic origin, but with a unique, linguistic morphology. Unlike other indigenous Persianate faiths, the Yarsani explicitly reject class, caste and rank, which sets them apart from the Yezidis and Zoroastrians.

The Yarsani have a famous saying about death; "Men! Do not fear the punishment of death! The death of man is like the dive which the duck makes." Human beings go through a cycle of 1001 incarnations. During this process, they may become more purified based on their actions.

The Yarsani are emanationists and incarnationists, believing that the Divine Essence has successive incarnations in human form known as mazhariyyats (similar to the Hindu avatars). They believe God manifests one primary and seven secondary manifestations in each of the seven epochs of the world. The mazhariyyats of the First Epoch closely matched by name the archangels of the Semitic religions; the mazhariyyats of the Second Epoch, which begin with Ali as the primary avatar, also includes all Muslim figures except for one, Nusayr - either referring to the "Nazarene" (i.e. Jesus), or Nârsh, the minor avatar who later came to be known as Theophobus. (See Nazarene (sect), Mandaeism)

In the Fourth Epoch, the primary mazhariyyat is held to be Sultan Sahak. It is said that he was given birth by Dayerak Rezbar or Khatun-e Rezbar, a Kurdish virgin, and as in the case of Mary, it was a virginal conception. While sleeping under a pomegranate tree a kernel of fruit fell into her mouth when a bird pecked the fruit directly over her. Although some mistake this as an incarnation of the Virgin Mary and of the mother of Ali, it echoes Mithraic and Zoroastrian beliefs, of the birth of the Saoshyant, the savior of Zoroastrianism born of a virgin, impregnated by the seed of Zoroaster or Zarathushtra in Lake Hamun in Sistan. Mithra was also believed to be both Savior and son of God, born out of a rock - wearing only a phrygian cap (Median).

The "Haft Tan" (The Seven Archangels) are key figures in the Yarsani belief system and their history. The only female among them is Khatun-e Rezbar, the mother of Sultan Sahak.

1. Pir Dawud (David) Notice slang called Daoo(Diva/Dawa?), the incarnation of the archangel Michael;
2. Pir Benjamin,or Benyam considered the incarnation of the archangel Gabriel;
3. Pir Mustafā', the incarnation of archangel Azrael;
4. Pir Musi, incarnation of the Recording angel;
5. Shah Ebrahim; embodies of Anahita
6. Baba Yadegar;
7. Khatun-e Razbar.

The traditions of the Yarsani are preserved in poetry known as Kalam-e Saranjam (The Discourse of Conclusion), divinely revealed narratives passed down orally through the generations. These traditions are said to have been written down by Pir Musi, one of the seven companions of Sultan Sahak (also the angel in charge of recording human deeds). The collection consists of the epochs of Khawandagar [God], ‘Alī, Shah Khoshin and Sultan Sahak, the different manifestations of divinity. The epoch of Shah Khoshin takes place in Luristan and the epoch of Sultan Sahak is placed in Hawraman near the Sirwan River, the land of the Goranî. The sayings attributed to Sultan Sahak are written in Gorani Kurdish, the sacred language of the Ahl-e Haqq. Some of their literature is written in the Persian language.

Relationship with similar groups

A group of native, allegedly Iranian, but archaeologically Mesopotamian, monotheistic religions practiced by Kurds consisting of Yarsani and Êzidî along with Chinarism/Ishikism (Ishik Alevism) are claimed as "Yazdânism" by Mehrdad Izady.

An excerpt from the French Review of the Muslim World describes the difficulty in nomenclature for Yarsanism and related Shi'ite mysticism. The English translation reads:

First of all, we must clear up the confusion resulting from the variety of names given to the sect of "Ahlé-Haqq", which are liable to be misunderstood. Like any religion, the one we are dealing with considers itself to be the only true and orthodox one, and it is natural that its adherents give themselves the name of "People of Truth" (Ahlé-Haqq or Ahlé-Haqîqat). This term lacks precision, as other sects, for example the Horoufis, occasionally apply it to themselves. Still, the name Ahlé-Haqq to refer to the sect of our particular interest has every advantage over appellations such as "Gholat", "Alî-Allâhi", and "Noséïri" that the Muslims and most European travellers use in speaking of them. The first term, which encompasses all of the extremist Shi’ites, is too broad and too vague. The second term, "deifiers of Ali", has the same fault and emphasizes what is only a detail in the religious system under discussion. Finally, the name "Noséïri" belongs to that well-defined Syrian religion, which, despite some resemblances with the doctrines of the Ahlé-Haqq (the worship of Ali, the communion, etc.), appears to present a complex of quite different old beliefs.

Relations with Islam

The Ahl-e Haqq do not observe Muslim rites and rituals. They neither believe the prophecy of the Islamic prophet Muhammad ibn Abdallah, nor accept the prophecy of others like Jesus, Abraham, and Moses. Furthermore, the Qur'an is not considered as the collection of holy verses of Allah. As a result, Druze and Bahá'í convictions (both consider the Quran to be divinely inspired and Muhammad to have been a prophet) are considered much closer to Islam than the Yarsanis', despite the latter's religious syncretism.

The 12 families of the Ahl-e Haqq

The original 7 families or Sadat-e Haqiqat established during the time of Sultan were Shah Ebrahim, Baba Yadegar, Ali Qalandar, Khamush, Mir Sur, Seyyed Mosaffa and Hajji Babu Isa. The 5 families established after Sultan Sahak are Atesh Bag, Baba Heydar, Zolnour, Shah Hayas and Hajj Nematollah.

Notable adherents

The Iranian musician and mystic, Nur Ali Elahi, was a high-ranking member of Ahl-e Haqq and published a book titled Burhan al-Haqq, one of the major and most reliable sources on the subject. Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji, the self-proclaimed King of the Kingdom of Kurdistan after World War I, claimed to be descended from the brother of Sultan Sahak in the twelfth generation.

Goran Kurds

There are also large communities of people of Ahl-e Haqq in some regions of Iranian Azerbaijan. The town of Ilkhichi (İlxıçı), which is located 87 km south west of Tabriz is almost entirely populated by Yarsanis. For political reasons, one of which was to create a distinct identity for these communities, they have not been called Goran Kurds since the early 20th century. They are called under the various names, such as Ali-Ilahis and Ahl-e Haqq. Groups with similar beliefs also exist in Iranian Kurdistan. Interestingly, both the Dersim (Zazaki / Zaza) people and the Gorani, who speak a language that is considered to belong to the Hawramani branch of the North West Iranian languages, adhere to a form of Kurdish Alawi faith which resembles the religions of the Yezidi, Ali-Ilahians or Druze.