Yezidi Texts (Continued) Author(s): Isya Joseph Reviewed work(s): Source: The American Journal of Semitic Languages and

Literatures, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Apr., 1909), pp. 218-254 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/527929 . Accessed: 22/09/2012 05:59
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YEZIDI

TENTS

(Conttnued)

BY ISYA JOSEPH
New York City, N. Y.

TRANSLATION

In the Came of the Most Compassioneite God! With the help of the Most lIigh God, and under his direction, we write the historyof the Yezidis,their doctrines,and the mysteriesof their religion, as containedin their books, which reachedour handwith their own knowledge andconsent. In the time of Al-MuktadirBillah, A. H. 295,48 there lived Mansur-al-li[allaj,40 the wool-carder, and Seih 'Abd-al-Kadir of Jllan.50 At that time, too, there appeared a manby the nameof Seih 'Adl, from the mountainof E[akkari,5l originally from the region of Aleppo or Baalbek. lIe came and dwelt in Mount Lalis,52 near the city of Mosul,aboutnine hours distant from it. Somesay he was of the peopleof tlarran,and relatedto Marwan ibn-al-lF;lakam. lIis full nameis Sarafad-DlnAbu-l-Fad. all, 'Ad bn Musafirbn Ismael bn Mousabn Marwanbn Al-tlasan bn MarwAn. lIe died A. H. 558 (A. D. 1162--63). lIis tomb is still visited; it is near Ba'adrei, one of the villagesof Mosul,distant elevenhours. The Yezidisare the progenyof thosewhowerethe murids (disciples) of geib 'Adi. Some trace their origin to Yezid,53 othersto lilasan-Al-Basrl.54
AL-JILBrAH (TlIE REVELATION)

Before all creationthis revelation was with MelekTa'us,who sent 'Abd Ta'us to this worldthat he might separate truthfrom errorand maketruth knownto his particular people. This was done, first of all, by means of oral tradition,and afterward by meansof this book,Al-Jilwah,which the outsidersmay neither readnor behold.
See the January issue of this Jouracglfor the Arabic text. 218

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CHAPTER I I was,am now, and shall have no end. I esercise dominion over all creaturesand over the afEairs of all who are under the protectionof my image. I am ever presentto help all who trust in me and call upon me in time of need. There is no place in the universethat knowsnot my presence. I participate in all the affairswhich those who are withoutcall evil becausetheir nature is not such as they approve. Every age has its own manager, whodirectsaffairs according to mydecrees. Thisofficeis changeable from generationto generation,that the ruler of this world and his chiefs may dischargethe duties of their respective offices every one in his own turn. I allow everyoneto follow-thedictates of his own nature,but he that opposes me will regret it sorely. No god has a right to interferein my afEairs, and I have madeit an imperative rule that everyoneshall refrainfromworshiping all gods. All the books of those who are withoutare altered by them; and they have declined from them, although they werewrittenby the prophetsand the apostles. That there are interpolations is seen in the fact that each sect endeavors to provethat the others are wrong and to destroytheir books. To me truth and falsehoodare known. When temptationcomes,I give my covenantto him that trusts in me. Moreover, I give counselto the skilled directors,for I have appointedthem for periodsthat are knownto me. I remember necessary afEairs and execute them in due time. I teach and guide those who follow my instructiol. If anyone obey me and conformto my commandments, he shall havejoy, delight, and goodness. CHAPTER II I requite the descendantsof Adam, and rewardthem with warious rewards that I aloneknow. Moreover, powerand dominion over all that is on earth,both that which is above and that which is beneath,are in my hand. I do not allowfriendlyassociationwith otherpeople,nor do I deprivethem that are my own and that obeyme of anythingthat is good for them. I placemy affairsin the hands of those whomI have tried and who are in accord with my desires. I appearirl diversmanners to thosewho

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are faithful and under my command. I give and take away; I enrichandimpoverish;I causeboth happiness and misery. I do all this in keepingwith the characteristics of each epoch. And none has a right to interferewith my management of afEairs. Thosewhoopposeme I afflictwith disease; but my own shall not flie like the sons of Adamthat are without. None shall live in this worldlongerthan the time set by me; and if I so desire,I send a person a secondor a third time into this worldor into someotherby the transmigration of souls.
CHAPTER III

I lead to the straight path withouta revealedbook; I direct aright my beloved and my chosen ones by unseenmeans. All my teachingsare easily applicable to all times and all conditions. I punishin anotherworldall who do contrary to my will. Now the sons of Adamdo not knowthe 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 controlof my hands. All treasuresand hidden things are knownto ule; and as I desireI take them from one and bestow them upon another. I reveal my wondersto those who seek them, and in due time my miraclesto those who receive them from me. But those who are withoutare my adversaries, hence they opposeme. Nor do they knowthat such a courseis against their owninterests,for might,wealth,and richesare in my hand, andI bestowthemuponeveryworthydescendant of Adam. Thus the government of the worlds,the transitionof generations, and the changes of their directorsare determinedby me from the
. * .

neglnnlng.

CHAPTER IV I will not give my rights to other gods. I have allowedthe creationof foursubstances, four times,and fourcorners;because they are necessarythings for creatures. The booksof Jews, Christians, and Moslems, as of those who are without,acceptin a sense,i. e., so far as they agreewith,and conform to, my statutes. Whatsoever is contraryto these they have altered;do not accept it. Threethings are against me, and I hate three things. But

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those who keep my secrets shall receive the fulfilment of my promises. Those 51vho suffer for my sake I 51vill 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 cornmandments 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. CHAPTERV 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 nvithout 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 Mashaf Res, i. e., the Black Book.
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MASHAFRES (THE BLACKBOOK) In the beginning God created the White Pearl out of his most precious essence. He also created a bird named Angar. lIe placed the White Pearl on the back of the bird and dwelt on it for forty thousand years. On the {irst day, Sunday, God created Melek Azazll, and he is Ta'us-Melek,the chief of all. On Monday he created Melek Dardael, and he is SeiX lF;lasan.Tuesday he created Melek Israfel, and he is Seib Sams [ad-Dln]. Wednesday he created Melek W{ihael, and he is Seih Abu Bakr. Thursday he createdMelek Azrael, and he is Sajad-ad-Dln. Friday he crented Melek Semnael, and he is Nasir-ad-Din. Saturday he created Melek Surael, and he is Yadin [Fahr-ad-Dln]. And he made Melek Ta'us ruler over all.55 After this God made tlle form of the seven heavens, the earth, the sun, and the moon. But Fahr-ad-Dln created man and the

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animals,and birds and beasts. He put them all in pocketsof cloth,andcameout of the Pear]accompanied by the angels. Then he shoutedat the Pearlwith a loud voice. Thereupon the White Pearl brokeup into fourpieces,and fromits midst cameout the waterwhichbecame an ocean. The worldwasrotlnd, andwasnot divided. Then he created Gabriel and the image of the bird. He sent Gabriel to set the fourcorners. He alsomadea vesseland descendedin it for thirty thousandyears. After this he came and clweltin MountLalis. Then he criedout at the world,and the sea becamesolidifiedand the land appeared, but it began to shake. At this time he commanded Gabrielto bring two pieces of the White Pearl; one he placedbeneaththe earth,the other stayed at the gate of heaven. He then placed in them the sun and the moon; and froznthe scatteredpiecesof the White Pearl he createdthe starswhichhe hung in heaven as ornaments. He also created fruit-bearing trees and plants and mountainsfor ornaments to the earth. He cnreated the throneover the carpet.56 Then the Great God said: "O Angels, I will create Adam and Eve; and fromthe essenceof Adamshall proceedSeharbn Jebr, and of him a separatecommunityshall appearuponthe earth, that of Azazll,i. e., that of Melek Ta'us,whichis the sect of the Yeziclis. Then he sent Seih 'Adl bn Musafirfrom the land of Syria,and he came [ancldweltin Mount]Lalis. Then the Lord camedown to the BlackMountain. Shouting,he createdthirty thousandMeleks,and dividedthem into three divisions. They worshiped him for forty thousand years,whenhe deliveredthem to Melek Ta'us, who went up with them to heaven. At this time the Lordcamedownto the Holy Land (al-Kuds), and commanded Gabrielto bring earthfromthe fourcornersof the world, earth,air, fire, and water. He createdit and put in it the spirit of his own power,and calledit Adam. Then he comrnanded Gabrielto escort Adam into Paradise, and to tell him that he could eat from all the trees but not of wheat.57Here Adamremained for a hundred years. Thereupon, Melek Ta'us asked God how Adam could multiply and have descendantsif he were forbidden to eat of the grain. God answered, "I have put the wholematterinto thy hands." There-

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uponMelekTalzus visitedAdamand said, "Have yotl eatenof the grain?" IIe answered,';No, God forbademe." Melek Tal'us repliedand said, "Eat of the grain and all shall go better with thee." Then Adam ate of the grain and immediately his belly wasinflated. But MelekTal'us drovehim out of the garden,and leaving him, ascendedinto heaven. Now Adam was troubled becausehis belly wasinflated,for he had no outlet. God thereforesent a birdto him whichpeckedat his anusandmadean outlet, and Adamwas relieved. Now GabrielwasawayfromAdamfor a hundredyears. And Adam was sad and weeping. Then God commanded Gabrielto createEve fromunder the left shoulderof Adam. Now it came to paSs, after the creation of Eve andof all the animals, thatAdam and Eve quarreledover the question whether the humanrace shouldbe *lescended fromhim or fromher,for each wishedto be the sole begetterof the race. This quarreloriginatedin their observation of the fact that amonganimalsboth the male and the femalewerefactorsin the production of their respective specises. Aftera long discussion AdamandEve agreedon this: each should cast his seed into a jar, close it, and seal it with his ownseal,and waitfor nine months. Whenthey openedthe jars at the completion of this period,they found in Adam'sjar two children,male and female. Now from these two our sect, the Yezidis, are descended. In Eve's jar they fotlnd naught but rotten worms emittinga foul odor. And God caused llipplesto growfor Adam that he might suckle the childrenthat proceededfrom his jar. This is the reasonwhy manhasnipples. After this Adamknew Eve, and she bore two children,male and female; andfromthesethe Jews,the Christians, the Moslems, andothernationsand sects are descended. But our first fathers are Seth, Noah, and Enosh, the righteous ones, who were de scendedfromAdamonly. It cameto pass that troublearosebetweena manand his wife, resultingfromthe denialon the part of the woman that the man was her busband. The man persistedin his claim that she was his wife. The trouble between the two was settled, however, throughoile of tlle righteousmenof our sect,who decreed that at

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everyweddinga drumanda pipe shouldbe playedas a testimony to the factthatsucha manandsucha woman weremarried legally. Then MelekTa'uscamedown to earth for our sect [i. e., the Yezidis], the createdones, and appointedkings for us, besides the kings of ancient Assyria, Wisroch,who is Wasir-ad-Dm; Kamush,who is Melek FabLr-ad-Din, and Artamls,whois Melek Sams-[ad-] Dln. After this we had two kings, Sabur (Sapor) First (224-272 A. D.) and Second (309-379), who reigned one hundredand fifty years; and our amirsdownto the presentday have been descendedfromtheir seed. 13utwe hatedfourkings. BeforeChristcameinto this worldour religionwaspaganism. King Ahab was from among us. And the god of Ahab was called Beelzebub. Nowadayswe call him Pir Bub. We had a king in Babylon,whosenamewas Balltnasar; anotherin Persia, whose name was Ahsuras;atld still anotherin Constantinople, whosenamewasAgrikalus. The Jews, the Christians, the Moslems, and even the Persians,fought us; btltthey failed to subdue us, for in the strength of the Lord we prevailedagainst them. Ee teachesus the firstand last science. And of his teachingsis: Before heaven and earth existed,God was on the sea, as we formerly wroteyou. He madehimselfa vessel and traveledin it in kunstniyat58 of the seas, thtls enjoyinghimselfin himself. He then createdthe White Pearl and ruled over it for forty years. Afterward, growingangry at the Pearl,he kickedit; and it was a great surpriseto see the mountainsformedout of its cry; the hills out of its wonders;the heavensout of its smoke. ThenGod ascendedto heaven,solidifiedit, establishedit without pillars. He then spat uponthe ground,and taking a pen in hand,began to writea narrative of all the creation. In the beginninghe createdsix gods from himself and from his light, andtheircreation was as one lights a light fromanother light. And God said,"Now I havecreated the heavens;let some one of you go up and createsomethingtllerein.'' Thereupon the second god ascendedand createdthe sun; the third,the moon; the fourth, the vault of heaven; the fifth, the farg (i. e., the morningstar); the sixth, paradise;the seventh,hell. We have alreadytold you that afterthis they createdAdamand Eve.

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And know that besides tlle flood of Noah, there wasanother flood in this world. Now our sect, the Yezidis,are descended from Natum;,an honoredperson,king of peace. We call him Melek Miran. The other sects are descendedfrom Ham, who despisedhis father. Theship restedat a villagecalledtAinSifni,53 distantfromMosulaboutfive parasangs. The cnause of the first floodwasthe mockery of thosewhowerewithout, Jews,Christians, Moslems, and othersdescended fromAdamand Eve. We, on the otherhand,are descended fromAdamonly, as alreadyindicated. This secondfloodcameuponour sect, the Yezidis. As the water rose and the ship floated,it came above MountSinjar,60 whereit ran agroundand was pierced by a rock. The serpent twisted itself like a cake and stoppedthe hole. Then the ship movedon and restedon MountJudie. Now the species of the serpent increased,and began to bite manand animal. It wasfinallycaughtand burned,and fromits ashes fleaswerecreated. From the time of the flood until now are seventhousandyears. In every thousandyears one of the seven gods descends to establishrules,statutes,and laws,after which he returnsto his abode. While below,he sojournswith us, for we have everykind of holy places. Thislast tinaethe god dwelt among us longer than any of the other gods who came beforehim. IIe confirmed the saints. He spokein the Kurdish language. He also illuminatedMohammed, the prophetof the Ishmaelites,who had a servant named Mu'9wiya. When God saw that Mollammed wasnot uprightbeforehim, he afflicted him with a headache. The prophetthen askedhis servantto shave his head,for Mutawiya knewhowto shave. Ee shavedhis master in haste,and with somedifficulty. As a result,he cut his head and madeit blee?d. Fearing that the blood might drop to the ground,Mu'Awiya lickedit withhis tongue. Whereupon Mohammedasked,"What are you doing, Mutawiya9" Ee replied,"I lickedthy bloodwith my tongue,for I fearedthat it might drop to the ground." ThenMohammed said to him, ;'Youhavesinned, O Mu'9wiya, you shalldrawa nationafteryou. You shalloppose my sect." Mutawiya answeredand said, "ThenI will not enter {lle world; I will not marry."

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It cameto pass that aftersometime God sent scorpionsupon Mutalwiya, which bit him, causing his face to break out with poison. Physicians urged him to marrylest he die. IIearing this, he consented. They brought him an old woman,eighty years of age, in order that no child might be born. Mll'alwiya knew his wife, and in the morning she appeareda womanof twenty-five, by the powerof the great God. And she conceivf3d and boreour god Yezid. But the foreign sects, ignorantof this fact, say that our god came from heaven,despisedand driven out by the great God. For this reason they blasphemehim. 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 whichwe possess. None of us is allowedto utter his name,nor anything that resemblesit, such as steitan (Satan), 7caitatt (cord), sar (evil), sat (river), and the likf3. Nor do we pronounce mal'un (accursed),or la'-anat (curse), ol ta'al6' (horseshoe),or any wordthat has a similarsound. All these are forbidden us out of respectfor him. So hass (lettuce) is debarred. We do not eat it, for it soundslike the nameof our prophetessgassiah. 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 ourSeih andhis disciples, for the sake of our Tal'us. Squash also is debarred. It is for-biddento pass waterwhile standing,or to dress up while sitting down,or to go to the toilet room,or to take a bath accordingto the customof the people.62 Whosoever does contrary to this is an inficlel. Now the other sects, Jews, Christians,Moslems,and others,knownot these things, becausethey dislike Melek Tal'us. Ee, therefore, does not teachthem,nor does he visit them. But he dwelt among us; he deliveredto us the doctrines, the rules, and the traditions,all of which have become an inheritance, handed down from father to son. After this, Melek TA'us returnedto heaven. Oneof the sevengods madethe sanja7us63 (standards) andgave them to Solomonthe wise. After his death our kings received them. And when our god, the barbarian Yezld,64 was born, he

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receivedthese sanjaks with great reverence, and bestowedthem uponour sect. Moreover, he composed two songs in the Kurdish languageto be sung beforethe sawzjaks in this langllage, whichis the mostancientand acceptable one. The meaningof the song is this: Hallelujah to thejealous God. As they sing it, they marchbeforethe sanjaks with timbrelsand pipes. These sanjaks remainwith our emir, who sits on the throneof Yezld. When these aresent away,the 7.cawwals assemble with the emir, and the great general, the se?ih, who is the representative of Seih Nasir ad-D1n,i. e., Nisroch, god of the ancientAssyrians. Theyvisit the sanja7cs. Thentheysend each sanjakin careof a kawwal to its own place; one to l:J:alataneye, one to Aleppo,one to Russia,and one to Sinjar. Thesesanjaks are given to four kawwals by contract. Before they are sent, they are brought to Seib 'Adl's tomb, where they are baptized amidgreat singing and dancing. After this each of the contractors takesa loadof dust fromSeib 'Adi's tomb. He fashionsit into smallballs,each aboutthe size of a gall nut, andcarriesthem along withthe sanjaksto give themawayas blessings. Whenhe approaches a town, he sends a crierbefore him to preparethe people to accept the katowAl and his sanpakwith respectand honor. A11 turn out in fine clothes, carrying incense. The womenshout,and all togethersing joyful songs. The 1cawwal is entertained by the peoplewith whomhe stops. The restgive him silverpresents,everyoneaccording to his means. Besidesthese foursanjaks,there are threeothers,sevenin all. These three are kept in a sacredplace for purposes of healing. Two of them, however,remain with Seib 'Adi, and the third remainsin the village of Bah. azanie,whichis distantfromMosul aboutfourhours. Everyfourmonthsthesekawwals travelabout. Oneof them musttravelin the province of the emir. Theytravel in a fixed order,dif3eringeach year. Every time he goes out, the traveler must cleanse himself with water made sour with summak(sumac) and anoint himself with an oil. He mustalso light a lam-p at eachidol that has a chamber This is the law that pertainsto the sanjaks.

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Th^ first day of our new year is called the Sers4Ziei. e., the beginningof a year. It falls on the Wednesday of the first week ;11April.65 On that day there must be meat in every family. The wealthymustslaughter a lambor an ox; the poormustkill a chickenor something else. Theseshouldbe cookedon the night the morningof whichis Wedllesday, New Year's day. With the breakof day the food shouldbe blessed. On the firstday of the year,altnsshonldbe given at tombswherethe soulsof the deadlie. Now the girls, large and small are to gather from the fields flowers of everykindthathavea reddishcolor. Theyareto make them into bundles,and, afterkeeping them threedays, they are to hangthemon the doors66 as a sign of the baptism of the people living in the houses. In the morningall doorswill be seen well decoratedwith red lilies. But womenare 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 kctwwazs, they are to go around the tombs with timbrelsX singing in the Kurdishlanguage. For so doing they are entitled to money. On the above-mentioned day of Ser$atie no instruments of joy are to be played,becauseGLod is sitting on the throne(arratlging decrees for the year)67 and commandingall the wise and the neighborsto come to him. And whenhe tells themthat he will comedownto earthwith song and praise,all ariseand rejoicebeforehim and throwuponeachother the squashof the feast. Then God sealsthem with his own seal. And the great God gives a sealed decisionto the god who is to come down. He moreovergrants llim powerto do all things according to his own will. God prefersdoing good and charity to fasting and praying. The worshipof any idol such as Seyedad-Dmor geih tams is betterthan fasting. Some laymanis to give a banquet to a kichak afterthe fastingof the latter40 days, whetherit be in summer or in winter. If he (the kichak) says this entertainment is an almsgiven to the sanpak, then he is nof releasedfromhis fasting. Whenit comesto pass thatthe yearly tithe-gatherer findsthatthe peoplehavenot fully paid theirtithes, he whips them till they becomesick, and some even die. The peopleareto give the k(3chaks money to fightthe Romanarmy,and thussave the Ssect (Yez;dis)fromthe wrathof the manof the yearb

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EveryFridaya load of gifts is to be broughtas an oSeringto an idol. At that time, a servantis to call the peoplealoud from the roof of a kichak's house,saying,it is the call of the prophet to a feast. All are to listen reverently and respectfully;and, on hearingit, everyone is to kiss the groundand the stoneon which he happensto lean. It is our law that no kawwal shall pass a razorover his face. Ourlaw regardingmarriage is that at the titne of the weddinga loaf of breadshall be taken from the houseof a kichak and be dividedbetweenthe bride and the bridegroom, each to eat onehalf. They may, howexer, eat some dust from Seih 'Adl'stomb insteadof the breadfor a blessing. Marriagein the monthof Aprilis forbidden, for it is the first monthof the year. Thisrule, however, does not applyto 7cawwals;they may marry duringthis month. No layman is allowed to marry a kichak's daughter. Every oneis to takea wifefromhis ownclass. But ouremirmay have for a wife anyone whomhe pleasesto love. A laymanmay marry between the ages of ten and eighty; he maytake for a wife onewoman afteranotherfor a periodof one year. On her way to the houseof the bridegroom, a bridemustvisit the shrineof every idol she may happento pass; even if she pass a Christian churchb she mustdo the same. On her arrivalat the bridegroom's house, hf3musthit her with a small stone in tokenof the fact that she mustbe underhis authority. Moreover, a loaf of breadmustbe brokenoverher head as a sign to herthat she mustlove the poor and needy. No Yezidi may sleep with his wife on the night the morningof which is Wednesday, and the night the morningof whichis Friday. Whosoever does contrary to this commandment is an infidel. If a mansteal the wife of his neighbor,or his own formerwife, or her sister or mother,he is not obligedto give her dowry, for she is the booty of his hand. Daughtersmay not inherit their father'swealth. A young lady may be sold as a:n acreof land is sold. If she refusesto be married, then she must redeemherself hy payingher fathera sum of moneyearnedby her serviceand the laborof her hand. Here ends KitAbRes, which is followedby several storiese someof whichare told secretly,someopenly.

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APPENDIX They say our heartsareour books,and our seihs tell us everything from the secondAdamuntil now and the future. When they noticethe sunrise,theykiss the placewherethe raysfirstfall; they do the sameat sunset,whereits rayslast fall. Likewise they kiss the spot wherethe moonfirstcasts its rays and whereit last casts them. They think,moreover, that by the multiplication of presentsto seihsandidols they keeptroublesand afflictions away. Thereis a greatdifference amongthe kicha7cs; they contradict one another. Somesay, "MelekTa'usappears to me and reveals to me manyrevelations." Otherssay, "We appearto peoplein many differentways." Some believe that Christis Seih Sams himself. They say that they have had prophets in all times; the kichaks are the prophets, Oneof the kichakssays in one of his prophecies:"I was in Jonall'sship, wherea lot was cast in my presence. It. fell on Jonah; and he was throwninto the sea, where he remainedforty days and nights." Anothersaid: "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, (:hrist came down to the earth." He appeared to our sect only, and madefor us sevencircles,which are at SeiX 'Adf. Now he appeared to us becausewe observethe necessary order,whichthe other sects do not observe. Their origin and raceare unknown; ours are known. We are emirs and sons of emirs; we are seihs and sons of seihs; we are Acichaks and sons of 7cichaks, etc. But Christiansand Moslemsmakepriestsand mullas for themselves out of those whohad noneof their kindredin those officesbefore, and never will have afterward. We are better than they. We are allowed to drinkwine; ouryoungmen alsomaydesireit when they, in companywith women, engagein religious dancing and playing. Someof the 72Icha7us andseibs,however, arenot allowed to drinkit. Whenone is aboutto die, he is visitedby a AcOchak, who placesa bit of Seih 'Adl's dust in his mouth. Beforehe is buriedhis face is anointedwith it. Moreover, the dung of sheep is placedoil his tomb. Finally,food is offeredon behalf of the dead. The kichaks prayfor the deadat the graves,for which

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service they are paid. They tell the relativesof the dead what they see in dreamsand visions, and the conditionof their dead whetherthey have been translatedto the humanor to the animal race. Somepeoplehide silver or gold coins that they plan to take out in case they are born the second time in this world. Somebelievethat the spiritsof manyrighteouspersonstravelin the air. Those spirits makerevelations to the kOchctks, who are acquaintedwith the world of mysteriesand secrets. Life and deathare in their hands. Hencethe fate of the people depends on the gratitude and honor which they show the Acichaks. According to Yezidis,hell has no esistence. It wascreatedin the time of the firstAdam,they say, whenour father,Ibrik al-Asfar, nvas born.68 By reasonof his generosityand noble deeds,Ibrlk had many friends. Now, when he viewed hell he becamevery sad. He hada smallbakbE7c into which,as he kept weeping, his tearsfell. In seven yearsit was filled. He then cast it into hell, and all its fireswereput out that mankindmightnot be tortured. This incidentrelatesto one of the noble deeds of our firstfather,Ibrlk-al-Asfar. They havemanymore such upright men of noble deeds. Such an one is Mohammed RasAn,whose restingplaceis behindthe mountof $3eih Mattie.70 He (RasAn) is exceedingly strong,so that the most sacredoaths are swornby him. If any one becomes sick, he takesrefugein makingvowsto hasin, i. e., pillars of idols. Norv there is a place of religious pilgrimage whichis calledSitt Nafisah. This placeis a mulberry treein the villageof Ba'asika. Another suchplaceis called'Abdi RasAn, and is in the village of Karabek. A third place of pilgrimageis irl the village of Bahzanie, whichis calledteih Baku. Nearbyis a spring,and besidethis is a mulberry tree. Whoever is afflictedwith fever, goes to that tree, hangs on its branches a piece of cloth from his clothes,and casts breadin the springfor the fish. All this he does that he maybe cured. Theyentertain the belief that whoeveruntis3s or shakesoff one of the shredsof cloth will catchthe diseasewith whichthe manwas afflicted when he hung it up. There are many such trees in the village of Ba'asika,and in some other places. There is also a spring of water, called in the commonlanguage 'Ain as-Safra (Yellow
.sfar,69

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Spring). The Yezidis call it Keni-Zarr.71 In this swim those who are a fflicted with the diseaseof abu-safar (jaundice). But those who are troubledwith dropsygo for cure to the house of the Pir that lives in the village of ManRes. Whenthey assembleat Seih 'Adl's,no one is allowedto cook anything. Everyoneis to eat fromiBeih'Adl'stable. As to the kichaks,everyone of them sits on a stone,as one sits in prayer. To them the laity go, seeking succor. They give them money while makingtheir petition and vow to the stone on which the kichak sits sheep and oxenSeveryoneaccordingto his means. Now, at the New Year the places are given in contract. When they assemble at the New Year,they danceand play with instrumentsof joy. Beforeeating the kabdus,i. e., the vowedox they swimin the waterof Zamzam, a springcomingfrombeneaththe temple of Seih 'Adl. Then they eat in haste, snatching meat from the pot like fanatics,so that their hands are frequently burned. This practiceis in accordance with their rules. After eating, they go up the mountain, shootingwith their guns, and then returnto geih 'Adl. Everyoneof them takes a little dust and preserves it for the times of weddingand death. They wear entwined girdles which they call the ties of the back (belt). They baptizethese and the sanjakswith the waterof Zamzam. He who is called Jawis72 wearsa stole whichis wovenfromthe hair of a goat. It is nine spans in length and aroundit are sansuts (tinsels). Whenthe gatheringcomesto an end they collectthe money from the kOchaks and the contractors, and bring it to the emir. Aftereveryone has takenaccording to his rank,the remainder goes to the emir. They have anothergatheringwhichtakesplaceat the feastof Al-HijAjj. At this pilgrimagethey go up to the mountain which is calledJabal al-'ArafAt.73 After remainingthere an hour,they hasten towardteiX 'Adf. He who arrivestherebeforehis companionsis praisedmuch. Hence everyonetries to excel. The one whosucceedsreceivesabundant blessings. They still have another assembly. This is called"the roadof the kichaks,"wheneachfputtinga ropearound his neckfgoes up

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the mountain. After collecting wood they bring it to geih 'Adit carrying it on their backs. The wood is used for heating purposes and for the emir's cooking. During these assemblies the sanjaks 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 purposesof blessing. In return money is taken. In the second place, the kichaksgo around with the sanjaksto collect money. In their preaching, the seibs tell the people that all kings have come from their descent, such as Wisroch,74 who is Wasr-ad-DlnS and Kamus who is Fahr ad-Dinpand Artamls, who is Sams adDin, 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 Ta'us-Melek, Seih 'Adl, and Yezid, and baryshabakei.'5 He places him in the middle of the circle, and then tells him that Melek Ta'us and all those who were mentioned above will not intercede for him after his death, and that the shirt of the Jewish Wasim76 be on his neek, and that the hand of Nasim be on his neck and eye, and that Wasim be his brother for the next world, and let him be to him for a seib 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 ill 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 prayer77 except what is mentioned above, such as that referring to the sun and the moon, and asking help from seibs and holy places when they say, "O teib 'Adi, O teih Sams," and the like. They are all forbidden to teach their children anythinge

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with the exception of two stanzas which they teach their children out of necessity and because it is traditional. A story is told about thetn by reliable people. Once when Seib Nasir 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 (:hristian seemed to be asleep, but was really awake and listening, Seib Nasir began to preach saying: "Once the great God appeared to me in vision. IIe 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 remainedin the den a loIlg 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 like unto Melek TA'us ? Why have you forgotten him and have not called upon him?" Saying this, the preacher again remained si]ent as before. Afterward he again continued: "Jesus remained in the den till one day when he happened to remember Melek TA'us. IIe then sought his aid, praying, 'O Melek Ta'us, 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 TA'us 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 TA'usbrought me out of

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the den and up here. Then God said, 'Had it been another, I would have punished him, but Melek TA'us is much beloved by me; remain here for the sake of my honor.' So Jesus remained in heaven." The preacher added, C4Noticethat those who are without do not like Melek Ta'us. 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 {ray, 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 explanationof 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?76 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 britlg 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 thear 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, came3 to her; and, according to the custom, carried a plate of fruit in her right hand and a stone in her left. As she entere?d and gave Mary the plate, behold, the stone which was in her left hand begat a male. She called his name Simon (Difa,that is, son of the stone. (:hristians 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 therein in the hands of Melek Ta'us, 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." IIe 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

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Ta'us refused to worship Adam when God commandedhim 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 saidX"It may be that you have opened the mansion which I forbade you to opeJn." IIe answered," Yes." Then God said to him, "You are a heretic, because yoal have disobeyed ule and transgressed my commandment." From this we know that God speaks in the Kurdisll lallguage, that is, from the meaning of this saying, "Go into the iron ring which I, thy God, have made for whosoexrer does contrary to my commandmentand disobeys me." When one criticizes such a story as this by saying that God drove Melek TA'us 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 allger 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 Ta'us. Verily he loves him exceedingly. You do not understand the books which you read. The Gospel says, ' No one aseendedup to heaven but he who canze down from heaven.' No one came down from heaven but Melek Ta'us and Christ. From this we know that the great God has been reconciled to Melek Ta'us, wllo went up to heaven, just as Cllrist came down from heaven and went up again." The following is a story told of a 1cIchak:It is related that at one time there was no rain in the village of Bataslka. In this village there was a Yezidi whose name was K6chak Beru. There were also some saints and men of vision dwelling there. They (people) gathered to ask Beru to see about the rain. He told them, "Wait till tomorrowthat 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, teib 'Adl, and some other seibs and righteous men were sitting. The priest Isaac was sitting beside Ciod. The great God said to me, sWhat

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do you want, O KOchakBeru; why have you come here ?' I said to hirn, '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 twiceSand thrice, beseeching him. Then I turned to the seihs who sat there, asking their help and intercession. The great Gkodanswered me, 'Gko 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 KOchakBeru came down. This priest Isaac was a great joker. He answered them, "After the kichctk came down, I begged God for rain on your behalf. It was agreed that after sis 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 thev 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 Seih 'Adi bn Musafir and his muridswere entertained by God in heaven. When they arrived, they did not find straw for their animals. Therefore Seih 'Adl ordered his mtlridsto 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 books neither is there any rule regarding prayer, nor is prayer considered a religious obligation. Some assert that at one time Seih 'Adl, in company with Seih Abd-al-Kadir, made a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he remained four years. After his absence Melek Ta'us appearedto them (the two seibs) in his symbol. He dictated some rules to them and taught them many things. Then he was hidden from them. Four

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yearslater Seit 'Adi returned fromMecca; but they refusedhim and wollld not accept him. They assertedthat he had died or ascendedto heaven. He remainedwitll them,but was without his formerrespect. Mrhenthe time of his death came, Melek Ta'usappeared to them and declared,"This is SeiX'Adi himself, honorhim." Then they honoredhim and buriedhim with due veneration, and madehis tomb a place of pilgrimage. In their estimationit is a moreexcellentspot than AIecca. Everyoneis underobligationto visit it once a year at least; and,in addition to this, they give a sum of moneythroughthe seihs to obtainsatisfaction(that Seih 'Adl may be pleasedwith them). Whoever does this not is disobedient. Moreover, it is said that the reasonwhy the pilgrimageto his tomb is regardedas excellent by us and by God is that in the resurrection geib 'Adi will carryin a tray all the Yezidis upon his head and take theminto paradise, without reqlliringthem to give accountor answer. Thereforetlley regardthe pilgrimage to his tomb as a religious duty greater than the pilgrimageto Mecca. There are some domes,huts, aroundthe tomb of Seih 'AdI. They are there for the purposeof receivingblessingsfrom the tomb. And they are all attrIbuted to the great Seibs, as the hut of VAbd-al-Kadir-al-JllAni;79 the hut of Seih Kadib-al-Ban; the hut of Seih Sams-ad-Dln;the hut of SeiX W1ansur-al-gallaj, and the hut of Seih lJasan-al-Basrl. There are also some other huts. Each hut has a bannermade of calico. It is a sign of coilquestand victory. Eating of deer'smeatis forbidden theel, they say, becausethe deer's eyes resemblethe eyes of teiX 'Adl. Verily his virtues are well-knownatld his praiseworthyqualities are traditions handeddownfromgeneration to generation. He wasthe firstto acceptthe Yezidireligion. He gavethemthe rulesof the religious sect and foundedthe officeof the seib. In additionto this, he vvas renowned forhis devotion andreligiousexercise. FromMount Lalis, he used to hear the preachingof 'Abd-al-Kadir-al-Jllani in Bagdad. He used to drawa circle on the groundand say to the religious ones, "Whosoever wantsto hear the preaching of

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cuslet him enterwithin this circle." The follc)wing Al-J1lAni, anyto tom,whichwehave,began with him: If we wish to swear one, a seih drawsa circle, and he who is to take an oath, enters into it. At one tinle, passing by a garden, Seib 'Adi asked about he said, "IIuss" (hush). For lettuce; and, as no one answered, and not eaten. this reasonlettuceis forbidden that As regardsfasting,they say aboutthe monthof Ramadan the commanded God when it was dumb and deaf. Therefore, the Yezidis, saying to Moslemsto fast, he likewisecommanded meaning "three." The themin the Kurdishlanguage, "thirty." it; theytookit for didnotunderstand Mohammedans they Moreover, days. For this reason,they (Yezidis) fast three in believethere are eating, drinking,and otherearthlypleasures the next world.80Some hold that the rule of heavenis in God's hands, but the rule of the earthis in Seih 'Adi'shands. Being to uponhim according exceedinglybelovedby God, he bestowed 'Adi'sdesire. of souls. This is evinced They believein the transmigration partedfrom Mansur-al-lilallAj of soul by the fact that when the his body whenthe Caliphof Bagdadkilled him and casthis head into the water, his soul floatedon the water. By a wonderful chanceand a strange happening,the sister of the said Mansur enteredit. Without wentto fill her jar. The soulof herbrother knowing what had happened,she caule with it to the house. Being tired, she felt thirsty and drank from the jar. At that momentthe soul of her brotherenteredher, but she did not perceive it until she becamepregnant. She gave birth to a son who accordhimself. IIe becameher brother Seih Mansur resembled ing to birth and her son accordingto imputation. The reason mouthse whichhave narrow why they do not use drinking-vessels they them from water or a net-likecover,is that whenonedrinks was throwninto makea sound. When the headof Seib Mansur the water it gurgled. In his honor they do not use the small necks. jars with narrow They assert that they expect a prophetwho will come from Islam. They andabrogate Persiato annulthe law of Mohammed
"sese," "se7"

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believethat thereare seven gods, and that each god administers the universefor ten thousand years; and that one of tllesegodsis Lasiferos,the chief of the fallen angels, whobearsalso the name MelekThSus. They makehim a gravenimageafterthe formof a cockSland worshipit. They play the tambourine and dance beforeit to makeit rejoicewith them. They (#ctww4z.S) travel within the Yezidis'villages to collect money,at whichtime they take it into the housesthat it may bless and honorthem. Some say that Seih Adi is a deity; others that he is like a Vizierto God. To him all things are referred. This is the Melek Ta'us age. The ruling and administrative poweris in his handsuntil the thousandthyear. When the time comes to an end he will deliver the powerto the next god to rule and administer until anotherthousand yearsshallbe ended,andso on until the seventh god. And yet there is accordand love amongthese gods, and none is jealousof the onewhoulayrule and administer the world for a periodof ten thousand years. They have a booknamedA1 Jilwah that they ascribeto Seib 'Adi, and they suSerno one who is not one of them to readit. Alention is madein someof their booksthatthe First Causeis the SuE)reme Gkod, wllo beforehe created this world,wasenjoying himselfoverthe seas;82 and in his handwas a great White Pearl, with whichhe wasplaying. Then he resolvedto cast it into the sea, arldwhenhe did so this worldcameinto being. Moreover, they think themselvesnot to be of the same seed fromwhichthe restof mankind sprung,but thatthey arebegotten of the son of Adam,whowas born to Adam of his spittle. For this reasonthey imaginethemselvesnoblerancimorepleasingto the gods thanothers. They say they have taken fasting and sactrifice from Islam; baptismfrom Christians;prohibitionof foods from the Jews; their way of worship fromthe idolaters;dissimulation of doctrine from the Rafidis (Shititt?s);humansacrificeand transmigration fromthe pre-Islamic paganism of the Arabsandfromthe Sabians. They say that when the spirit of man goes forth fromhis body, it enters into anotherman if it be just; but if unjust,into an animal.

YEZIDITEXTS
TIIE POEM IN PRAISE OF SEI13[ 'ADt Peace Be unto Htm 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 3U. 36. 37. 38. 39.

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My understanding surroundsthe 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 sayingS And I am the just judge and the ruler of the earth. And I am he that men worship in my g]ory, Coming to me and kissing my feet. And I am he that spread osTer 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 rnen come In obedience to kiss my feet. I bring forth fruit from the first juice of earlv 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 burnislg fire. And I am he that guided Ah. med 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 WIypurpose, 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,

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And made to burst from its sides the sweetest of waters. 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 springs83to 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 esists. And I am he that caused the mountains to bow, To move under me and at my will.84 And I am he before whose majesty the wild beasts cried; They turned to me worshiping, and kissed my feet. And I am 'Adi as-Sami, the son of Musafir. 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 nvilland 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 be 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 confirmingtruth; And by the like truth shall they, like myself, possess tbe highest place.

YEZIDI TEXTS THE PRINCIPAL PRAYER OF THE YEZIDIS Amen, Amen, Amen! Through the intermediationof Sams-ad-Dln, FabLr ad-Dln, Nasir-ad-Dln Sajad ad-Din, Seih Sin (Husein), iBeihBakr, Kadir ar-Rah. man. 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 terrorand 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!

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 2o. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42.

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Theyaredividedintosevenclasses,andeachclasshasfunctions peculiarto itself that cannot be discllargedby any of the other classes. They are: I. Seib. Ile is the servantof the tomb,and a descendant of Imam:Uasan al-Basri. No one can give a legal decisionor sign any document except the seih who is thtsservantof Seih 'Adi's tomb. He has a sign by which he is distinguishedfromothers. The sign is a belt whichhe puts on his body,andnet-likeglovese whichresemble the haltersof camels. If he goes amonghis peoplee they bowdownand payhim their respects. The se;hssell a place in paradise to anyonewho wishesto pay rnoney. 2. Emir. The emirship specifically belongsto the descendants of Yezid. They have a genealogicaltree, preserved frorntheir fathers and forefathers, which goes up to Yezld himself. The emirshave chargeof the temporaland governmental affairs,and have the right to say, "Do this and do not that." 3. Kawwal. IIe has charge of tambourines and flutes and religioushymns. 4. Plr. To him appertain the conductof fasts, the breaking of fasts, and hair-dressing. 5. KOchak. To him appertain the dutiesof religiousinstruction, and sepulture,and interpretation of dreams, i. e., prophecyv 6. Faklr. To him appertainthe dutiesof instruction of boys and girls in playingon the tambourines, in dancingand religious pleasure. IIe servesSeih 'Adi. 7. Mulla. To him appertain the dutiesof instructing childrenv IIe guardsthe booksand the mysteriesof religionand attendsto the aWairs of the sect. At one time (A. H. 1289; A. D. 1872), the Ottomanpower wantedto draftfromamongthem an armyinsteadof takingthe tax whichwasits due. They presented to the government all the rules that prevented them from complying. Theseall pertainto religion and are moral obligationsupon tllem. 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 Ta'us three times a year

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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 Ta'us, he is an infidel.
ARTICLE II If any memberof our sect, big or little, visit not his highness Seih 'Adi bn MusAfir-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.

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 ARTICLE IV Every member of our sect must daily kiss the hand of his brother, his brother of the nest world,namely, the servantof the Mahdi, and the hand of his seih or pfr. If any one do this not, he is regarded as an infidel ARTICLE
V

According to our religion it is something intolerablewhen the Moslem in the morning begins to say in prayer, God forbid! "I take refuge in! God, etc.''85 If any one of us hear it, he must kill the one who says it and kill himself; otherwise he becomes an infidel. VI When one of our sect i8 on the point of death, if there be no brother of the next world and his seih, or his pfr and one of the kawwAls with him to say three sayings over him, viz.: "O servantof Melek Ta'us, whose ways are high, you must die in the religion of the one we worship,who is Melek Ta'us, whose ways are high, and do not die in any other religion thant his. And if some one should come and say to you something from the Mohammedanreligion, or Christian re]igion, 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, AIelekTa'us, you shall die an infidel," he becomes an infidel.
ARTICLE

ARTICLE VII We have something called the blessing of Seih 'Adl, that is, the dust of the tomb of Seih 'Adl-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

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at the time of death, if he possess not some of that dust intentionally, he dies atl 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 seih and his pfr, and there he must begin to fast; and when he breaks his fast, likewise, he must go to the house of his seih and his pfr, and there break the fast by drinking the holy wine of the seih or the ptr. 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 afterwardreturnto his place, then his wife is forbiddenhim, and none of us will give him a wife. If anyone give him a wife, that one is an infidel. ARTICL EX 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.86 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 waterwhich is to be found at the shrine of his highness Seih 'Adi--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 Seih 'Adl. Then it is lawful for us to shave our heads. But if we shave our heads without the razorhaving beell washed in that water, we become infidels. ARTICLE XIII No Yezidi may enter the water-closetof a Moslem,or take a bath at a Moslem's house, or eat with a Moslem 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.87

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ARTICLE XIV Concerningfood, there is a great dif3Cerence between U3and the other sects. We do not eat meat of fish, squash, bamia (okra),fasulia (beans), cabbage, or lettuce. We cannot even dwell in the place where lettuce
iS sown.88

For these and other reasons,we cannot enter the military service, etc. The names of those who affixed their signatures: THE1IEADOFTHE YEZIDI SECT, THE EMIROF SEIVAN, HUSEIN. THERELIGIOUS SEIVOFTHE YEZIDI SECT OFTHE DISTRICT OFSEIVANS SEIH NASIR. THECHIEF SEIHOF THE VILLAGE OFMAD1: RESAN! PSR SULEIMAN . THEVILLAGE CHIEF OFMUSEAN, MURAD. " " " " HATARAH, AYYTB. " " " " BEIBAN, HUSEIN. " " " " DAHKAN, HASSAN. " " " " HUZRAN, NU D1:O. " " " " BA1IASRA, ALI. " " " " BA ASZKA, JAMO. ' " " " HOSABA, ILIAS. " " " KREPAHIN, SAGD. " " " " KABAREH, KOCHA1i. 44 44 44 44 KASO. ' SINA, ABDO. " " " " AINSIFNI, GURGO. " 4' 4' " KASRIZZ-AD-DIN. <4 " " " BEIRO. " " " " KIBERTO, TAHIR. AND OTHERS.

These are they whose nameswere in the petitionabovementioned,and fromwhichwe copieda few things. The result was that when they presentedthis petition,they wereexempted frommilitaryservice,but they paida tax in money as did the Christians. NOTES
1. Al-Jilwah is said to have been written in 558 A.H.,by Seih Fahrad-Dln, the secretary of Aeih '&dt, at the dictation of the latter. The original copy, wrapped in linen and silk wrappings, is kept in the house of Mulla IIaidar, of Baadrie. Twice a year the book is taken to SeiX 'Adl's shrine. (Letter from gammas Jeremia Samir to Mr. A. N. Andrus, of Mardin, dated October 28,1892.)

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2. The BlackBook is said to have been writtenby a certainHasan al-Basrl, in 743 A. H. The oliginalcopyis kept in the house of Kehyah (chief)'AliS of Kasr'Az-ad-Dln, one hourwest of Semale,a village east of Tigris. The book rests upona throne,havingoverit a thin covering of red broadeloth, of linen,and otherwrappings. Then is disclosedthe binding,which is of wood. (SammasJeremiaSamir,as above; A. N. Andrusn letter,datedNovember 9, 1901.) 3. The exactnumber of the Yezidisis unknown. See alsoSociBtB de G6ographie de l'Est, Bulletzn, 1903,p. 284; A1Masrik, II, 834. 4. For a fuller accountof the literature on the Yezidis,consult J. Menant,Les Y4zidis, and Paul Perdrizet,Socidt de Gdographie de l'Est, Bulletin, 1903,pp. 281ff. 5. SociBtB de G6ographie df3 l'Est, Buttetin, 1903, p. 297. 6. Fraser, Mesopotamia and Persia, pp. 285,287; Rich,Residence in Kurdistan, II, 69; Al Masrik, II, 396; Badger, The Nestorians and their Rituals, IS111; Assemani, Btbliotheca Orientalis, III, 439. 7. MichelFebvre,Thdatre de la Turquie, p. 364; Socibtbde G6ographie de l'Est,Bulletin, 1903, pp. 299,301; cf. alsoJ. Menant, Les Y4zidis, pp. 52, 86, 132. 8. Oppenheim, TzomMittelmeer zum JpersischenGolf, 1900 II, 148; VictorDingelstedt,Scotti.sh Geograbphical Magazine, XIV, 295; Southgate, A Tottr throteghArmenia, II, 317; A. V. WilliamsJackson, "Yezidis," in the New International Encyclopedia, XVII, 939; Perdrizet, loc. cit., p. 299. 9. A. V. BTilliams Jackson,Persia Past a^d Present, p. 10, New International EncycloSpedia,"Yezidis; " Perdrizetloc. cit. 10. Dingelstedt,loc. cit.; Revue de l'Orient Chrdtien, I, "Kurdistan." 11. SocidtB de GBographie de l'Est, loc. cit.; EncycloSpediaof Missions, "Yezidis;"A. V. WilliamsJackson,loc. cit. 12. On these sects consultAs-ahrastanl,I, 86 89, 100. 13. Not like Mohammed to svhom, accordingto Moslembelief, the Koranwasrevealed at intervals. 14. On the $abians of the Koran,see Baidawi and Zamahsari on Suras 2, 59; 5, 73; 22, 17. 15. Onthe Sabiansof Harran see FihristS p. 190; on the $abiansin generalconsult As-Sahrastani, II, 203; on the locationof HarrAn and Wasit,see YakAt, II, 331,and IV, 881. 16. To get moreparticular information in regardto Yeztdbn Unaisa? I wroteto Xtosul,Bagdad,and Cairo,the three centersof Mohammedan learning, and strangeto say, none could throw any light on the subject. 17. Al-Haratiyah he describesas Ashab Al-Haret(I, 101),al-Hafaziyah, AshAb Hafez(ibid.j, etc.

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18. Ibn Ballikansays: ''As-Sahrastanl, a dogmatic theologian of the Asaritesect,was distinguished as an Imamand a doctorof the law. He displayedthe highest abilities as a jurisconsult. The Kitab al-Milal wa-n-Nihal (this is the book in whichAs-Sahrastanl tracesthe Yezidi sect to Yezldbn Unaisa)is one of his workson scholastictheology. lIe remained withoutan equalin that branchof science." 19. It is to be noticedalso that the name "Unaisa"is verycommon amongthe Arabs;cf. Ibn Sa'ad(ed. Sachau), III, 254,260,264,265,281, 283,287,289; Musnad, VI, 434; Mishkat, 22, 724. 20. ProfessorC. C. Torrey,of Yale University, kindly examined the manuscript on this point. 21. Geschichteder herrschendenIdeen des lslams, p. 195. 22. Ibn :Wallikan (Egyptianedit.,A. lI. 1310), I, 316; Mohammed al'Omari, al-XIausili, andYastnal-E[atib al-'Omari al-Mausili, "Seih'Adl,'' quotedby M. N. Siouffi, Journal asiatique. 1885,80; Yakut,IV, 374. 23. 'Itikad Ahl as-Sunna,"Belief of the Sunnites,"the Was. aya, "Counsels to the Califs;" cf. C. Huart,History of Arabic Literature, p. 273. 24. See p. 239of this paper. 25. As-Sahrastanl regardsthema garijite sub-sect. 26. Layard,Nineveh and its Remains, II, 254. 27. Mohammed al-'Omari al-Mausili andYasinal-Batibal-'Omari alMausili,"Seih 'Adi,"quotedby WI. N. Siouffi,Journal asiatique, S6rie viii, V (1885), 80. 28. George Warda,Bishop of Arbila,Poems, edited by Heinrich Hilgenfeld,Leipzig,1904. 29. Such as their ceremonies at Seih 'Adl (Badger, The Nestorictns, I, 117),whichhasJe obtainedfor themthe nameCheragSonderan, "The Extinguishers of Light." Bar Hebraeus (Chronicon Eccles., ed. Abeloos-Lamy, I, 219) speaksof similarpractices amongwhat he calls "Borborians," a branch of the Manichaeans, and calls them --S> 9i_, "The Extinguishers of Light." This name is applied to other easternsects also; see Abhandlungen fur die Kunde des Vorgenlandes, V, 124. 30. ProfessorJackson,of Columbia University, seemsto trace it to the "old devil-worship in Mazanderan" (JAOS, XXV, 178). But it is not certainthat the Yezidisbelievein MelekTa'usas an evil spirit. In the historyof religion the god of one people is the devil of another. Asurais a deity in the Rig Vedaandan evil spiritonly in laterBrahman theology. In Islam the gods of heathenismare degradedinto jinns, just as the gods of North Semiticheathenism arecalled se'lrlm(hairy demons) in Lev. 17:7; or as the gods of Greeceand Romebecamedevils to early Christians. See W. R. Smith,Religion of the Semites, p. 120; Fihrist,pp. 322,326.

The Arabic

MS of Samir (p.

12)

has 24 xot

, "from

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Professor XI.Lidzbarski (ZDMG, LI, 592), on the other hand, argues that Ta'us is the god Tammuz. His contention is based on the assumption that the word Ta'us must embody an ancient god; that in Fihrist, 322, the god Tauz jnlb has a feast on the 15th of Tammuz (July); that in Kurdish, the language of the Yezidis, xn 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 nbis frequently changed to w is not true, if one would set it up as a grammatical rule to explain such phenomena; the Kurdish-speakingpeople neverpronounceTammuz, "Tauz;" and, finally, in the Yezidi conception of Melek Ta'us there are no traces of the notion held respecting Tammuz. 31. Such a state of aSairs finds a historicalparallel in other religions. Take, for example, Christianity. In it we find that the distinctive char acteristics of the founder have been wrappedup in many foreign elements brought in by those who came from other religions. 30.* The whole sentence in which the phrase, <51l l, occurs is not found in Chabot, Parry, the Syriac manuscript which was written by Priest Ishak and published by Samuel Giamil (Rome, 1900), nor in the Arabic manuscriptof Samir. The Syrian Malkites called the mountainon which the convent of Mar Elia was built Wol liW, "Black Mouiltain." This mountain is identified by some with the Greek Aok (Alixis, XII, 12) and with the Arabic name ;WwA3t, and the Syriac Wc?, which Assemani thinks a corruption of the Arabicterm for Jerusalem; see Journal of Theological Studies, II, 176-78. 31.* The Syriac text of Giamil, Monte Singar, 12, identifies Naumi with Noah.l 32. ) is a translation of the Syriac Lso;s (7rpo(rcl)rov), 'face, person; ' cf. Giamil, loc. cit. 33 ),St) +t The Syriac text of Chabot (p. 103), the Arabic MS of Samir (p. 12), and Parry's translation (p. 381), show that it was Noah who caught and burned the serpent. 34. s5t) aL>tn reads si 18 lol t w 1oo, . The Syriac text of Chabot(p. 104) "a nation shall be drawn after you."

thee shall come forth a people and a nation; Parry (Six Months in a Syrian Monastery, 381) agrees with the reading of Samir.
1By an oversight in the numbering of the notes, 30 and 31 have been repeated; 30* and 31* refer to the Arabic text, p. 124, l. 1, and p. 126, last line, respectively.

35. b is a transliteration of the Syriac -^S? a denominative

YEZIDI TEXTS

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verb from ^^\? 'to oppose, to contradict;'cf. also Giamil,p. 15; Chabot, p. 104. The MS of Samirreads ro <5jlj; Parry'stranslation agreeswiththis. 36. Giamil (p. 48) has: iSv it<'? + => ? on el1, ''Yezlddescended fromKing Sapor." 37. Cf. Bar Hebraeus,C7hronicon Eccles., ed. Abeloos-Lamy, I, 219, wherehe speaksof the Borborians; see also note 29. 38. rL.t xt t+. The text seemsto be corrupt, so also the Syriactext of Chabot(p. 108),and cf. Parry (p. 383). Giamil(p. 33), seems to have the right reading: Es 11 A< \ -^ H vs1 =o 1AD? I;Ho 1s1?w? ik ol CAD? ILj o. 39. ilFor is Kurdish. It is an equivalent to the Arabict g ), ::w;: :g, "new year." 40 U is the Hebrew word 7pui, "detestation, detestable thing;" cf. Lev. 7:21. l:he Syriactext of Chabot(p 113) has . Browne says: "The MS has Shuqus and Shaqs. He substitutesShuhtc,sand Shahs, "personages," or "images," Parry,op.cit., pp. 384,385,386. The Hebrewwordis an opprobrious termfor idols, and used to expressthe deepestabhorrence of them. See EncycloSpaediaBiblica, "Idol." 41. ;lS is an obscure term. The same reading is found in Samir's MS; see also Chabot, p. 113. Browneregardsit a corrupt form the Arabic B;.J. "treasury" (Parry,p. 385). 42. q<Sv The Syriactext of Chahot(p. 14),and Giamil(p. 12), have _o; the Arabic MSof Samir Q<)v(P 16). Browne (Parry, p. 386)readsgardush andregards it a corruption of the Persian gargusht. 43. ,< is a transliteration of the Syriac I;ol (cl)papzoV) "stole;" cf. Giamil,p. 77. Chabot(p. 115) has li;n; Samir(p. 16) )>j "girdle," and so Browne(Parry,p. 386). The Syriactext of Chabotadds which is a corruption of *, "a bond;" the ArabicMS of Samir (p. 16) has Xlb (so Parry, p. 386),which is a transliteration of the Syriac. 44. SlZ . Chabot(p. 15)has 13^-' t^; gamir(p. 17) ,>1 , and so Parry (p. 387); but he reads shamashil, and regardsit "an Arabic formof pluralfromshemshal." I cannotconjecture the etymologyof
Ln

45. It is the nameof somereligiouspractice. Cf. Giamil,p. 75.

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47. <*ifl is Kurdish. ,rst is imperative singular second person, meaning ' go !' )9 "into the ring;" the final X is locative. 47.* 7,g (e>ntlo ) is Latintucifer(Isa.14:12). The compiler, Daud As-Saig, was a Romanized Syrian, and was probably familiar with the Latin Lucifel. 48. A. H. 295 (A. D. 807-8). This is the date of Al-Muktadir'saccession, who reigned till A. H. 320 (A. D. 932); cf. W. Muir, The Cali?hate, p. 559. 49. The life of Mansur-al-Hallaj is given in Fihrist (ed. Flugel), p. 190. 50. The life of 'Abd-al-Ktidirof Jilan is given in Jamis Nafahat (ed. Lee), p. 584. 51. The Hakkari country is a dependency of Mosul, and inhabited by Kurds and Nestorians; cf. p. 104. Ibn lffiaukal,Kitab al-Masalik walMamalik (ed. M. J. De Goeje), pp. 143 f. 52. Yakut, IV, 373, calls it Lailes (e4), and says that Seih 'Adi lived there. 53. Presumably Yezid bn Mu Awiya,the second caliph in the C)mayyid dynasty, who reigned, A. D. 680-83; cI. W. Muir, l'he (:aliphate, p. 327. 54. The life of Hasan al-Basri is given in Ibn ilJallikan- He is not to be identified with Hasan al-Basri (died 110 A. H.), who, according to Mohammedantradition, first pointed the Koran text, with the assistance of Yahya bn Yamar. 55. In Menant's Yezidis, 48, the names of these seven angels are somewhat differently given. According to Mohammedantradition Zazil or Azazil was the original name of the devil. 56. By the "throne' (QWXtz ) here is meant the throneof God, and by the ;'carpet" (Le}I ) the earth; cf. Sura 60:131. 57. Acoordingto WIoslem belief, wheat was the forbidden fruit; see Baid. awi on Sura, ii, 33. 58. Kunsiniyat is an obscure term. 59. 'Ain Sifni is about five miles from Ba'adrie; cf. Layard, Nineveh, I, 272. 60. Yakut (III, 158) mentions a similar tradition. 61. These are indications of Mohammedan influence and censorship, for no Yezidi will ever write in his sacred book such words as Seitan, XSar, etc. 62. That is, those of other religions. 63. Sanjak Jisi is a Turkish word, meaning a banner; it is the name by which the Yezidisgenerally designate the sacred image of Melek Ta'us. 64. See notes 28 and 39.
$

No. 47is acciderltallyrepeated.

YEZIDITEXTS

2a^'S

65. The HarranianNew Year fell on the first day of April, and on the sixth day they slaughtered an ox and ate it; cf. F5ihrist, 322. 66. A similar practice is found among the Parsees of India, who hang a string of leaves across the entrancesto their houses at the beginning of everv New Year. 67. According to Babylonian mythology, human destiny was decreed on the New Year's day and sealed on the tenth day; cf. the Hzbbert Journal, V, January, 1907. And accordingto Talmud (Misna,Ros hasana, 1:2), New Year's is the most important judgment day, on which all creaturespass for juflgment 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 performedat the New Year from the first to the tenth days, that an unfavorable decision might be averted; cf. Jevwtsh 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 Judgment." 68. Ibrlk al-Asfar means ' the yellow pitcher.' 69. Bakbuk is a pitcher with a narrowspout. 70. Mar Mattie is a Syrian monastery about seven hours' ride east of. AIosul,generally known by the name of Seib Mattie, in accordancewith the general custom of sheltering a Christiansaint beneath a Moslem title. Elijah is known as Al-:Suder,"the green one." Aphraateswas bishop of Seih Mattie. The church of this monastery is a large buildingnchiefly interesting as containing the tomb of the great Bar Hebraeus, known as Abu-l-Faraj, who was ordained at Tripolis, and became in 1264 A. D. Metropolitanof AIosul. He lies buried, with his brother Barsom, in the "Beth Kadiseh (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 Maklub). 71. 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 M.ethodfor Teaching Persian (in the Turkish language, ed. Kasbar, Constantinople,A. H. 1312), p. 18. 72. Jawis ( U;;q:lo ) is a Turkish word, signifying a sergeant. 73. This ceremony, as well as the names 'Arafat, Zamzam,etc., seems to be a mere copy of the Meccah Pilgrimage. 'ArafAt(<ljas) "The Mountof 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 afternoonprayer. The Mohammedanlegend 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

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Jiddah(the portof Mecca) in Arabia;and that, after separation of 200 years,Adamwas conductedby the Angel Gabrielto a mountain near WIecca, wherehe foundandknewhis wife,the mountain beingthennarned 'Arafat, 4'Recognition." 74. The god Nisrochof Scripture, II Kings 19:37; IsaX 37: 38. 75. See note47. 76. A superstitious namesignifyingan ill omen. 77. Thatis, publicprayerslike thoseof the Mohammedans anciof the Christians; cf. Al Masrik, II, 313. 78. The text has aJ 4' her.hand.' 79. Whilethe Yezidisrenerate'Abd al-Kadirof JllAn,the Nusairis cursehim; cf. JAOS, VIII, 274. 80. This beliefis takenfromMohammedanism. 81. The Arabsworshiped a deity under the form of a nasr (eagle), As-Sahrastanl, II, 43<L; Yakut, IV, 780; T heSyriacDoctri.we of Addai(ed. GeorgePhilips),p. 24. 82. Cf. Gen. 1:2, and the Babylonian Creation Epic. 83. That is the springof Seib 'AdI. 84. The reference is to Jabal MaklAb, which,according to the Yezidi belief,movedfromits placenear Lalis to enableeveryYezidi,whereve he maybe, to directhis morning prayerstoward the tombof 'Adi. 85. The Moslem beginshis prayerby cursingthe devil. 86. Thatis a personof the samefaith,a Yezidi. 87. A Nusairi,on the contrary, maybecomea Mohammedan with a Mohammedan, a Christianwith a Christian, and a Jew with a Jew; cf. JAOS, VIII, 298. 88. The $abiansdid not eat purslane, garlic,beans,cauliflower, cabbage, and lentils; cf. Bar IIebraeus,At-TArih, ed. A. $alhani, Beirut, 1890,266.