YARSAN RELIGION: Updating Assorted Information

[Anthea]

YARSAN RELIGION
Author Mehdî Kakeyî

It is necessary to point out that the Yarsan religion is an extension of the beliefs of the ancestors of the Kurds, such as the Sumerians, the Hurrians - Mitanni, the Hittites and the Kakeyî. So, it is useful to define the ancestors of the Kurds, Hurrians for their relation to the subject



Dr. Jamal Rashid Ahmed says that the Hurrian appeared since the third millennium BC, and it was mentioned in the cuneiform records in the second millennium BC that the Hurrians were the inhabitants of the areas located on the Little Zab River and the plains of (Bitwana), (Kirkuk), (Mosul), (Wan), (Al-Jazeera), and the valleys of the Khabur River, reaching the current city of (Aleppo) and its outskirts.

Dr. Jamal Rashid Ahmed indicates that "Geiger" mentions that the name of the Hurrian is linked to the name of the god (Khawar “HVAR") the god of the sun, as the name of the sun in the Kurdish language is still "Khor". This naming in Subartu and its deepening with a religious concept and then with a national concept for all the people who believed in the sun and light god in Subartu from Gutians, Lulus and Kassites, has a great historical significance, as it means that this human group worshipped a common god and performed common religious rituals.

The religions that were prevalent in Subartu claimed the priority and greatness of the sun god among other gods. Dr. Jamal Rashid Ahmed continues in his talk that the name of the sun god still remains in the same region in the form of "Khormatoo" (The town of Khormato, Taza Khormato), as is the case with the name "Baghdadtu" which was transformed into (Bagadad "Baghdad") meaning the gift of Baga (God).

Thus, the sanctification of nature and the worship of its powers were prevalent in the beliefs of the Subarians (Hurrians), as the equilateral Hurrians-Mitanni cross was a symbol of the god "Mithra". This cross is still drawn on the bodies of sick children and placed on the necks of children and pets, and is also drawn on household items, as sun worship was a prevalent worship among the peoples of the Middle East and Egypt.

The worship of the sun still remains in the Yarsan religion. The sun was the first God of the Subarians (Hurrians), and then the other planets, especially Venus and the moon, come after the sun in sanctity and worship, so the Subarians and other ancient Zagros peoples made the graves of their dead facing the sunrise as a result of their veneration of the sun God and they buried the belongings of the deceased person with him in his grave.

It is also useful to say that the Subarians respected other religions, in addition to preserving their religious beliefs and they prevented extremism and violence.

We conclude from the above that Yarsanism is an extension of the beliefs of the ancestors of the Kurds, such as the Sumerians, the Hurrians - Mitanni, the Hittites and the Kakeyî, as the word (Khor) and (Hor) remain in the Kurdish language and mean (sun). The name (Hurrians) indicates that they are followers of the solar religion.

As mentioned above, the Hurrians moved from the Zagros Mountains to the plain areas of Kurdistan around 3000 BC, which means that the Yarsan belief is much older than 5000 years, as they must have also been followers of the Yarsan belief in their original homeland (the Zagros Mountains) before migrating to the plain areas of Kurdistan.

On the other hand, the ancestors of the Mitanni Kurds established their kingdom around 1450 BC, and they followed the Mithraic religion. The Mitanni merged with the Hurrians and acquired the sun veneration and the Hurrian language from the Hurrians.

This means that the Yarsan belief is much older than the Mithraic religion and that Mithraism is an extension of the Hurrian belief. Mithra, who was a Mitanni, adopted the Hurrian beliefs. Mithra made some modifications to the Hurrian beliefs, especially the gods.

This Mitanni religion is called Mithraism, which preserved the Hurrian sun worship, as Mithra became the sun God. Accordingly, Mithra can be considered the renewer of the Hurrian beliefs, or rather, Mithraism is a branch of the Hurrian beliefs.

[Anthea]

YARSAN RELIGION (con)
Mehdî Kakeyî

Reincarnation

My hypotheses about the reminiscence of few people their previous lives and most people who do not remember their previous lives after their souls are transferred to other people after their death

I believe that human thought is limited and therefore man is unable to answer many questions about the phenomena and evidences that occur and that need answers. Man is still unable to know the secret of life and the appearance of planets and their precise astronomical systems and about life and the philosophy of human birth and disappearance. Therefore, I believe that due to the limited human intellectual capacity, there are matters and events that may occur in the environment of human society without man being able to sense them through his senses that are not developed to a high degree that can monitor these events that occur in secret for him.

As for the transmigration of souls, apart from religious beliefs, it is now a school of thought, a lot of scientific research is being conducted on it and there are tens of thousands of books that deal with it, as well as almost weekly television programs in Western countries on this subject. There are also hundreds of people who have the ability to recall another life they lived in precise detail, and such people also exist in Kurdistan. We look forward together to getting to know this phenomenon more precisely over time to reach its truth.

As for the transfer of a specific soul to a specific person, there may be types (codes) similar in the people to whom the same soul is transferred through reincarnation, as is the case with human genes (DNA) which are unique in every human being, so the soul is transferred to the body of the newborn child who carries the code of that soul. The soul is an energy that carries information codes, allowing a person to remember his previous life after the soul has moved to the body of another person.

So, the first hypothesis to explain the reminiscence of few people their previous lives and most people who do not remember their previous lives after their souls are transferred to other people after their death, is that each soul may have its own code on our planet Earth. People whose souls find their codes remember their previous lives, and the souls of those whose codes are not found do not remember their previous lives.

My second hypothesis is that people who remember their previous life cycle lived during their previous life cycle on the current Earth that we live on now and their souls move to the bodies of people who also live on Earth, meaning that their previous life cycle and their current life cycle are both on Earth and therefore the person remembers his past in this case.

People who do not remember their previous life cycle lived their previous life on another planet (another universe or another dimension) and therefore when their souls move to the bodies of people on Earth, they do not remember anything from their previous life cycle. This means that the majority of people, have had their souls moved from another planet or another universe or another dimension to Earth and therefore they do not remember our previous life, while a few people live on Earth and die and then are reborn on Earth (their souls move to the bodies of people on Earth) and therefore they remember their previous life because they also lived it on Earth.

The third hypothesis for a person's memory of his previous life, which is that the information in the human brain may be stored after death in the form of energy (the soul), as the soul is energy, which can be transformed into matter and retain information. The majority of people have their brain information destroyed for unknown reasons, and people whose brain information remains intact remember their previous lives.

[Anthea]

YARSAN RELIGION cont:
Mahdi Kakei



Religious classes in order of religious rank from highest to lowest

1. (Pîr): Each (Pir) is a descendant of the reformer of Yarsan religion, (San Sahak), a source of religious and social information. One of his duties is to be a memorizer of all religious supplications to be ready at all times to conduct religious meetings for making vows and offerings and reading their own supplications.

He must also attend the religious ceremonies related to the baptism and naming of the children of his disciples and the marriage of his disciples, and to recite the supplications for these occasions, and the guide must attend the i.e., the guide of the disciple as well to assist (Pir) in performing the required duties during these special religious ceremonies.

Pir should also be well conversant with the rules, etiquette, and ceremonies of religious meetings. As possible, he should attend the burial of his disciples and read the supplication for the burial of the dead over them, and he should be patient, tolerant and have a broad heart while managing religious meetings. One of the duties of (Pir) also is to advise his disciples through his guide to learn the pillars and etiquette, read the Yarsan religious books and understand their content and be in contact with his disciples, visiting them and constantly asking about their conditions.

2. (Bawa): He is also (Pîr) and has the same duties, except that (Bawa) is not a descendant of the reformer of Yarsan religion (San Sahak).

3. (Mam): He a guide and among the duties of (Mam) is that he should be well acquainted with the pillars and etiquette of the Yarsani religion and the ordinances of religious meetings and that in cooperation with (Pir) they guide their disciples and solve their problems and that (Mam) teaches his followers how to perform religious duties and read religious songs and narrates to them the reincarnation of the souls of (San Sahak) and his companions, and teaches them the etiquette and pillars of meetings, religious ceremonies, fasting, naming and baptizing a child.

4. The public: They are the last class that represents the common people who embrace the Yarsani religion and perform the religious duties entrusted to them, in addition to being familiar with the history, laws, occasions, etiquette and ceremonies of the Yarsani religion.

The members of the 'Pir' and 'Bawa' classes are 'Pir' and at the same time they are 'disciples' of each other. For the members of the (Mam) class, they are also (guides) and at the same time (disciples) to each other, since every Yarsani must have a (Pir) and (Dalil) (guide), i.e. (guide) regardless of the class to which he belongs. It is not permissible for (Pir) to marry his disciple.

[Anthea]

YARSAN RELIGION con:
By Mahdi Kakei

The Sun is the Symbol of the Yarsan Religion



The sun, which has 21 rays, is the symbol of the Yarsan religion.

The sun and the number 21 have great cultural and religious significance in the Yarsan religious faith.

The Yarsan religion, which is the original religion of the Kurdish people, is extension of the priestly beliefs of the ancestors of the Kurds, Hurrians and Sumerians who lives before more than five thousand years ago, and its adherents worshiped the sun.

The ancestors of the Kurds, Mitanni who lived in the middle of the second millennium BC, borrowed sun worship from the Hurrians and Sumerians and made the sun a symbol of the God (Mitra).

In the Yarsan faith, the soul of a deceased person is transferred to the body of another person through the transmigration of souls 21 days after the death of the person.

Also, March 21 coincides with the Sumerian Akiti festival, which is now Newroz and the Kurdish New Year.

Also, the reformer of the Yarsani religion, (Sha khoshin), was born on Newroz, March 21.

[Anthea]

YARSAN RELIGION
Mahdi Kakei

The historical appearance of Yezdan (God) in Yarsan religion

1. The era of Sajnar: (Sajnar) is that sacred place in which the Yarsan religion appeared, as it was created by (Xawenkar) meaning (God) when he came out of Dura and created the angels. This cycle is also called the (Ya) cycle, as the name (Xawenkar) was (Ya) before he created the universe. In this period the universe was not created, there was only darkness, there were no earth, sky, or creatures. In this era, saints and angels were only spirits. In this era, for the first time, a Yarsani religious meeting (Jam) was held, during which the saints and angels embraced the Yarsani religion, established its legislation, and determined its duties, ceremonies, and rituals.

2. The era of Balool Dana: ("Dana" in Kurdish means "philosopher"). In the second half of the eighth century AD, (Xawenkar) (God) self-appeared in (Balool) in the form of a Sufi human being to spread the Yarsan religion in Kurdistan, where a number of supporters gathered around him such as (Baba Lorra), (Baba Rajab), (Baba Njoom) and (Baba Hatim). He created a special constitution for the Yarsan religion and a brotherhood system for the religion. Balool was from the Kurds of Lorestan, was the first person who renewed the Yarsani religion. He declared the revolution against the Arab-Islamic occupation in the Kurdistan region of Horaman and defended the Yarsani religion.

3. The era of Shakhoshin (977 - 1015 AD): This innovator of the Yarsani religion was born on the day of Newroz. Therefore, this Kurdish holiday is a sacred holiday for Yarsani in addition to being a Kurdish national holiday and a Kurdish New Year. In the time of (Shakhoshin), music advanced in Kurdistan a lot, especially in East Kurdistan because (Shakhoshin) was very interested in music, especially playing the tanbur.

4. The era of Baba Sarhangi Dawdan: It is one of the manifestations of the Creator. He was born in the tenth century AD and spread the Yarsani religion in Kurdistan.

5. The era of Baba Jalil Dawdan: He was born at the beginning of the eleventh century AD. This innovator of the Yarsan religion continued in his role to spread the Yarsan religion in Kurdistan.

6. The era of Baba Naws: He was born in the late eleventh century AD in the village of (Sarkat) in Horaman and died in the middle of the first half of the twelfth century AD. This reformer, in turn, took the path of the previous reformers in spreading and consolidating the Yarsan religion in Kurdistan.

7. The era of Saiday Shyani: He was born at the end of the twelfth century AD in the city (Halabja) in southern Kurdistan, who continued to spread the Yarsan religion.

8. The reign of San Sahak (1316-1394 AD): (Sheikh Isa) and his brother (Sheikh Musa) fled from the Mongol invasion in Hamadan to Hawram, and then built a Yarsani (Jamkhana جەمخانە) in Barzanja. Later, for fear of ISIS that time, the religion went into a secret phase. The (Jamkhana جەمخانە) was turned into a mosque and the believers of the Yarsan religion were considered Muslims, which continues to this day.

[(San Sahak) or (Sultan Ishaq) 1316 – 1394 AD] was the son of (Nurbakhsh Isa/Sheikh Isa Barzanji) son of (Bawa Ali Hamadani) son of (Bawa Yousef Hamadani).

Here we see that the ancestry of Sheikh 'Isa and Sheikh Musa Barzanja, who were two brothers, goes back to the Yarsani class, (Bawe باوە). This proves that Sheikh 'Isa and Sheikh Musa were Yarsani and had nothing to do with the descendants of Imam Musa Kazim and the Muslim Arabs.

In his book (Maruj al-Dhahab), published in 934 AD, (Massoudi) calls all mountain Kurds Kakeyis (کاکەیی). This book was published 382 years before the birth of San Sahak. So, until about 800 years ago, the majority of Kurds were Yarsani

[Anthea]

Naming the child

The child is named when he/she reaches the age of 7 days, by holding a religious meeting for this occasion

Before bringing the child to the religious meeting for this occasion, the child must be bathed and dressed in clean clothes. The child's parents are present with the child. The prayer for naming the child is read over his/her head and then the parents are asked if they have chosen a name for their baby girl/boy. Then the parents mention the name chosen for the baby girl/boy. Then a special saying is said near the child's ear, and those present express their welcome to him/her and wish him/her success and good luck in his/her life while mentioning his/her name.

Then the child's lips are wiped with a portion of (Xawendkar “God”)’s vows offered in the meeting, which are usually sweets. After that, the child is carried and presented to each participant in the religious meeting session, where they congratulate him/her and wish him/her success, happiness and good luck in his/her life. After that, the child is taken out of the meeting room and the religious meeting closing ceremony is held.

[Anthea]

Life and Death
Mahdi Kakei

Yarsanians believe in the transmigration of souls
therefore there is no such thing as "death" in their religion

When a person dies, their soul does not die, but rather transfers to another person or animal, depending on the person's actions. A Yarsani wishes to remain as a Yarsani in his or her next life by having their soul transferred after death to the body of another Yarsani, i.e., born into a Yarsani family, or even to the body of an animal owned by a Yarsani family

The Yarsan religion views death and life like a duck swimming in water. The duck's disappearance underwater represents death, and its emergence to the surface represents the person's return to life. Therefore, when children are born, their family welcomes their arrival. When someone "dies," mourning the deceased is discouraged, because according to the Yarsan religion, only their body dies, while their soul lives on, transferring to another person's body and continuing to live. For this reason, the deceased is buried to the sounds of the tanbur and the recitation of religious hymns.

Heaven and Hell

According to the Yarsan religion, Heaven and Hell exist in this world. Therefore, Yarsanists do not expect reward and punishment after death. Reward and punishment occur in this world, but they do not necessarily have to be in this life. Rather, they may occur during other life cycles. Throughout the cycles of human life, a person learns from their various lives, gaining experience, knowledge, and wisdom. Ultimately, they become a complete human being, and then become a part of the God.

[Anthea]

YARSAN RELIGION
By Mahdi Kakei

Common Beliefs between the Hurrians and Yarsanis

The Yarsan religion is an ancient Kurdish religion. The Kakeyîes, who comprised numerous tribes thousands of years ago, embraced this religion.

Sadly however, most of them were forced to convert to Islam today, leaving only a few million who still adhere to their Yarsan religion.

The Kakeyîes were contemporaries of the Sumerians, Elamites, Hurrian-Mitannis, and Medes. Indeed, the Medes were Yarsanis, as the Yarsan religion, which was called (Magos) was the official religion of the Median Empire. Therefore, Yarsan beliefs share many similarities with Sumerian, Hurrian-Mitanni, and Elamite beliefs.

1. The name of the Hurrian people is linked to the name of the sun god "Khvar" (Hvar), as the name for the sun in the Kurdish language is still "Khor". The veneration of the sun remains in the Yarsan religion, as the Yarsani stands facing the sun in supplication at sunrise and sunset, repeating a special invocation for this supplication. Yarsanis also swear by the sun.

2. The name of the Hurrian god (Yamma) appears in the Old Testament of the Bible during the narration of the "underground incantation," alongside the ritual of offering birds as sacrifices to him. The Hurrian title (Yam) is also frequently used in Old Testament texts, especially in the story of the woman possessed by a demon (Chapter 28 of the First Book of Samuel), where Yam is called the lady (Ōb), meaning "the path of the underworld." In the Yarsan religion, there was (Xawendkar) the god in the form (Ya). There was no earth, no sky, and no sound, as the process of creation took place in two stages, the stage of creating the spiritual world and the stage of creating the material world.

3. Hurrian texts indicate that music and singing accompanied religious rituals when offering sacrifices to the gods and providing food and drink to temple officials in Kurdistan. Hurrian temples also had hearths where sacrificial offerings were performed. Yarsanism shares these religious rituals with the Hurrians.

4. The Hurrians believed that the gods were the centre of movement in existence and that the manifestations of good and evil emanated from them. In order to ward off evil, people would make vows, such as releasing a bird into the sky (called a bird omen) or slaughtering a sheep and cleaning its entrails inside the temple, as offering birds as sacrifices was an ancient Hurrians ritual.

Yarsanis also offer sheep as sacrifices, which they cook and distribute at a religious gathering (jam) in the cemxane, which is the Yarsan temple and religious meeting place for offering vows and sacrifices, certifying marriages, naming children, baptizing a person to officially become a Yarsani, and other religious ceremonies.

[Anthea]

YARSAN RELIGION

Refuting the claims of those who claim that the Yarsan religion, practiced by the Kakeyîs, is an Islamic sect

The Yarsan faith has deep historical roots, so it is wrong to claim that this religion was "founded" during the Islamic era. This religion is an extension of Kurdish beliefs dating back more than five thousand years.

During the Islamic era, some people renewed this religion, not "founded it," because this religion existed thousands of years before that. (Balûlî Dana بالولی دانا), born in (834) AD, a Kurd from eastern Kurdistan; (Shaxoşîn شاخۆشین), whos e real name was Mubarak Shai Luristanî, whose surname suggests he was from Loristan, born around (1055) AD; and finally, the renewer of the Yarsani religion, (San Sehak سان سەهاك), born in (1316) AD, also from Loristan, all of these renewed the Yarsani religion.

The Yarsanis do not follow Ali ibn Abu Talib or his sons. All that matters is that these Shiite figures were introduced into the Yarsani religion during the Safavid era, who were Shiites, to protect the Yarsanis from genocide and murder and to preserve the continuity of this religion.

The incorporation of Shiite Islamic figures into the Yarsan religion may also be due to the influence of Shiite clerics on some Yarsan clerics during the Safavid rule, as the Safavids embraced Shiism. It is worth noting that Ali ibn Abi Talib and his sons were converted to Yarsan through the transmigration of souls. This means that Yarsan religious figures carry the souls of Ali and his sons. Therefore, these Yarsan figures are not related to these Islamic figures; rather, they are independent figures and other individuals.

Let us leave aside history and religious texts and compare the Yarsan religion with Islam to confirm the absence of any connection between the two religions:

1. The first pillar of Islam is the “Shahada”. Yarsanis officially embrace the Yarsani religion after their birth by performing a special religious ceremony. They recite the following saying in Kurdish: "The beginning is Yazdan, 'God,' and the end is Yazdan. We believe in the Yazdan religion."

The Islamic shahada is: "I bear witness that there is one God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." Shiites add: "And I bear witness that Ali is the guardian of God." We see that there is no connection between the two religious shahadas.

2. The second pillar of Islam is praying. In the Yarsani religion, there is no praying. Instead, Yarsanis practice a praying in which they face the sun at sunrise and sunset. This praying is a Yarsani ritual practiced by the Kakeyî tribes thousands of years ago, and it is similar to the Sumerian and Hurrian sun rituals, whose adherents worshipped the sun.

3. The third pillar of Islam is fasting during the month of Ramadan. Yarsanis fast for three days, in the forty days to forty two days of winter. The last renewer of the Yarsan religion, San Sahak, was forced to fast for three days from the forty days of winter in the cave where he disappeared, as a result of the persecution of his family and relatives due to his call to the Yarsan religion.

The Yarsan holiday, which ends their fast during the forty days of winter, is an extension of the Sumerian, Hurrian, Hittite, and Kakeyî occasions. During this time of winter, the day begins to lengthen and the length of the night begins to decrease.

The Sumerians, Hurrians, Hittites, and Kakeyîs also celebrated this occasion to commemorate the beginning of the decrease in the length of the night (darkness) and the increase in the length of the day (light). From this, we can see that the age of the Yarsan religion is thousands of years.

4. The fourth pillar of Islam is the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Yarsanis do not make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Instead, they make the pilgrimage to the shrine of San Sahak in (Hewreman هەورەمان), eastern Kurdistan, and they do not perform the Islamic rituals that occur during the Hajj.

5. The fifth pillar of Islam is zakat. Zakat does not exist in the Yarsani religion. Instead, Yarsanis give offerings in private religious gatherings, which often consist of fruits and pastries. These rituals are Yarsani rituals, practiced by the Kakeyî tribes thousands of years ago, and are similar to the Sunny Sumerian and Hurrian rituals.

6. Yarsanis believe in the transmigration of souls. Here, they share similar beliefs with Hindus and Buddhists, who also believe in the transmigration of souls. This suggests a common origin for these three religions, while the concept of transmigration does not exist in Islam.

7. In the Islamic religion, there is an Arab messenger sent by the Creator, while there is no prophet in the Yarsan religion. Yazdan grants humans reason to choose their lives and actions, and through the incarnation of the Divine Self, the Creator governs humans, not through messengers.

8. Yarsanis keep moustaches, while Muslims keep beards.

9. In the Yarsan religion, baptism makes a Yarsan person legally and officially a member of the Yarsan religion, while baptism does not exist in Islam.

10. Every Yarsani has a brother or sister in the faith, while Islam lacks such brotherhood.

11. Kurdistan is the homeland of the Yarsan religion, and all its reformers are Kurds. Islam emerged in the Arabian Peninsula and was preached by Arabs.

12. The Yarsan holy book (Sarangam) is written in Kurdish, while the Quran is written in Arabic.

13. The renewer of the Yarsani religion (San Sahak) was born on Newroz. Therefore, Newroz is a religious holiday for Yarsanis, in addition to being a Kurdish national holiday, a Kurdistani national holiday, and the Kurdish New Year. Thus, we see the organic connection between the Yarsani religion and the Kurdish people: language, culture, heritage, history, and faith. Indeed, the Yarsani religion is the spirit of the Kurdish language, culture, beliefs, mythology, heritage, and history of the Kurdish people, and represents the authentic Kurdish identity and character.

14. All musical instruments in the Yarsan religion are sacred and respected. Even during the burial of the deceased, the deceased is sent away with the music of the tambour, but music is considered forbidden in Islam.

15. Singing and dancing are considered good in the Yarsan religion. Singing and dancing can give people joy and courage. Music is part of the ancient culture of the religion, but it is forbidden in Islam, music is not allowed to be played or listened.

16. Hijab is not existent in Yarsan religion, but in Islam, girls and women must wear hijab from the age of three or four years.

17. In the Yarsan religion, men and women shake hands when they meet and it means friendship and they consider it as a condition of brotherhood and sisterhood, while in Islam, shaking hands is forbidden, men and women cannot shake hands with each other.

18. In Yarsan religion, the women have the same right as the men, but in Islam, two women are considered against one man. At the same time, in Yarsan religion, the man is not allowed to marry more than one wife, but in Islam, man is allowed to marry two or even four wives.

19. The sun and fire are considered sacred in Yarsan religion and Yarsanis even swear by the sun and fire, but this is considered forbidden in Islam.

If the Yarsani religion was an Islamic sect, some Islamic pillars would still exist within it. From the above, we see that there is no connection between the Yarsani religion and Islam, as Yarsanism is an ancient and authentic Kurdish religion. This categorically denies the claim by some that the Yarsani religion is a Shiite Islamic sect.

I hope that the above facts will put an end to the false claims in this regard by parties and individuals who aim to separate Yarsani adherents from their Kurdish people, and to the false claims spread by parties and individuals among the Islamist Yarsanis who aspire to assume positions of power, obtain wealth, and live off the crumbs of the occupiers of Kurdistan and the enemies of the people of Kurdistan, or who feel inferior in their affiliation with the ancient Kurdish people or their adherence to the civilized, Sunny Yarsani religion.