They say our hearts are our books, and our šeiḫs tell us everything from the second Adam until now and the future. When they see the sun rise, they kiss the spot where the first rays fall; they do the same at sunset, where its last rays fall.
Likewise, they embrace the place where the moon casts its first rays and where it casts them last. They think, moreover, that by multiplying gifts to šeiḫ and idols, they ward off troubles and afflictions.
There is a big difference between the ḳôchaks, they contradict each other. Some say: "Melek Ṭâ'ûs appears to me and reveals to me many revelations". Others say, “We appear to people in different ways. Some believe that the Christ is Šeiḫ Šams himself. They say they have had prophets of all times; the ḳôchaks are the prophets.
One of the kochaks says in one of his prophecies: “I was in Jonah's boat, where a spell was cast in my presence. He ran into Jonah; and he was cast into the sea, where he remained forty days and nights. Another said, "I sat with the great God, who said, 'I hope the time will come when I will send Christ to the world.' I told him: 'Yes.' Then he sent it.
After making a sign to the sun, Christ descended to earth. He appeared to go our sect only, and made for us seven circles, which are at Šeiḫ 'Adî. Now it has appeared to us because we observe the necessary order, which the other sects do not observe. Their origin and race are unknown; ours is known. We are emirs and sons of emirs; we are šeiḫs and sons of šeiḫs; we are ḳôchaks and sons of ḳôchaks, etc.
But Christians and Muslims make themselves priests and mullas of those who had none of their relatives in these functions before, and will never have any thereafter. We are better than them. We are allowed to drink wine; our young men can also desire it when they devote themselves, in the company of women, to dances and religious games. Some ḳôchaks and šeiḫs, however, are not allowed to drink it.
When someone is about to die, he is visited by a ḳôchaks, who places some dust of Šeiḫ 'Adî in his mouth. Before being buried, his face is anointed with it. In addition, sheep dung is placed on his grave. Finally, food is offered in the name of the dead. The ḳôchaks pray for the dead at the graves, a service for which they are paid.
They tell the relatives of the dead what they see in dreams and visions, and the condition of their dead, whether they have been transferred to the human race or the animal race. Some people hide silver or gold coins which they plan to withdraw in case they are born for the second time into this world. Some believe that the spirits of many righteous people travel through the air.
These spirits make revelations to the ḳôchaks, who know the world of mysteries and secrets. Life and death are in their hands.
Therefore, the fate of the people depends on the gratitude and honor they show to the ḳôchaks. According to the Yazidis, hell does not exist. It was created in the time of the first Adam, they say, when our father, Ibrîḳ al-Aṣfar, was born.
Due to his generosity and noble deeds, Ibrîḳ had many friends. Now, when he saw hell, he became very sad. He had a small baḳbûḳ aṣfar, in which, while weeping, his tears fell. In seven years it was filled. He then threw him into hell, and all his fires were extinguished so that mankind would not be tortured. This incident relates to one of the noble deeds of our first father, Ibrîḳ al-Aṣfar.
They have many more upright men of noble deeds. One such is Mohammed Rašân, whose resting place is behind Mount Šeiḫ Mattie. He (Rašân) is extremely strong, so the most sacred oaths are taken by him. If someone falls ill, he takes refuge by making wishes to ḫasin, i.e. idol pillars. There is now a religious shrine called Sitt Nafisah. This place is a mulberry tree in Ba'ašîḳa village.
Another such place is called 'Abdi Rašân and is in the villa of Ḳarabek. A third place of pilgrimage is in the Baḥzanie village, which is called Šeiḫ Bakû. Nearby is a spring, and next to it is a mulberry tree. Whoever is afflicted with fever, goes to this tree, hangs a piece of cloth from his clothes on its branches, and throws bread at the source for the fish. He does all this to be healed.
They maintain the belief that anyone who unties or shakes one of the shreds of fabric will catch the disease the man was afflicted with when he hung it up. There are many such trees in Ba'ašîḳa village and other places. There is also a spring of water, called in the common language 'Ain aṣ-Ṣafra (Yellow Spring). The Yazidis call him Kanî-Zarr.
In this bath those who are afflicted with the disease of abû-ṣafar (jaundice.) But those who are disturbed by dropsy go to be treated at the house of the Pir who lives in the village of Man Reš.
When they gather at Šeiḫ 'Adî, no one is allowed to cook anything. Everyone must eat at Šeiḫ 'Adî's table. As for the ḳôchaks, each of them is seated alone, as one is seated in prayer. It is to them that the laity go, seeking help. They give them money on making their request, and swear to the stone on which the ḳôchak sits, sheep and oxen, each according to his means.
Now, at New Year places are given contractually. When they get together at New Year, they dance and play with instruments of joy. Before eating the kabdûš, that is to say the vowed ox, they bathe in the water of Zamzam, a source coming from under the temple of Šeiḫ 'Adî. Then they eat in a hurry, tearing the meat from the pot like fanatics, so that their hands are frequently burned.
This practice is in accordance with their rules. After eating, they climb the mountain firing their guns, then return to Šeiḫ 'Adî. Each of them takes a little dust and preserves it for the time of marriage and death. They wear intertwined belts which they call the back ties (belt).
They baptize these and the sanjaḳs with Zamzam water. The one called Jawiš wears a stole which is woven from goat hair. It is nine bays in length and around it are sansûls (garlands).
When the meeting comes to an end, they collect the money from the ḳôchaks and contractors, and bring it to the emir. After each has taken according to his rank, the rest goes to the emir.
They have another gathering which takes place on the feast of Al-Hijâjj. During this pilgrimage, they go up to the mountain which is called Jabal al-'Arafât. After staying there for an hour, they hurry towards Šeiḫ 'Adî. He who arrives there before his companions is greatly praised. Therefore, everyone is trying to excel. The successful one receives abundant blessings.
They have yet another congregation. This is called "the route of the ḳôchaks", when everyone, putting a rope around his neck, climbs the mountain. After collecting wood, they bring it to Šeiḫ 'Adî, carrying it on their backs. The wood is used for heating purposes and for the emir's cooking.
During these assemblies, the sanjaḳ are distributed. First, they are washed with acidulated sumac water in order to be cleaned of their rust. Water is distributed in drinks for the purpose of blessing. In exchange money is taken. Secondly, the kôchaks walk around with the sanjaḳ to collect money.
In their preaching, the šeiḫs tell the people that all kings come from their descent, like Nisroch, who is Nasr-ad-Dîn, and Kamuš who is Fahr-ad-Dîn, and Artâmîs, who is Šams-ad-Dîn , and many others, such as Shabur and Yoram; and many of the royal names of the ancient kings, as well as their own (Yazidi) kings, came from their seed.
The sign of the Yezidi is that he wears a round-breasted shirt. It differs from that of other people, whose shirts chest is open all the way down.
There is an occasion when no Yezidi will swear falsely, that is when one draws a circle on the ground, and is told that this circle belongs to Ṭâ'ûs-Melek, Šeiḫ 'Adî, and Yezîd, and baryshabaḳei.
He places him in the middle of the circle, then tells him that Melek Ṭâ'ûs and all those mentioned above will not intercede for him after his death, and that the shirt of the Jew Nasim will be on his neck, and that Nasim's hand be on his neck and his eyes, and let Nasim be his brother for the next world, and let him be for a šeiḫ and a pir if he does not speak the truth.
So if he swears to tell the truth, he can't hide anything. For an oath made under such conditions is considered greater than one made in the name of God, and even than one made in the name of one of their prophets.
They fast three days a year from morning to evening. The fast falls in December, according to the Eastern calendar. They have no prayer except what is mentioned above, such as that referring to the sun and the moon, and asking for help from the šeiḫ and the holy places when they say: "O Šeiḫ 'Adî, O šeiḫ Šams. " etc.
They are all forbidden to teach anything to their children except for two stanzas which they teach their children out of necessity and because it is traditional.
A story is told about them by reliable people. Once, while Šeiḫ Naṣir was preaching in a village on Mount Sinjar, there was a Christian Mason in attendance who, seeing the house full of people, thought they were going to pray. He then pretended to take a nap, in order to have fun with what he would hear.
He knew the Kurdish language. When the Christian seemed asleep, but was truly awake and listening, Šeiḫ Naṣir began to preach, saying, “Once the great God appeared to me in vision. He was angry with Jesus because of an argument with him. So he caught him and imprisoned him in a pit without water. In front of the mouth of the pit, he placed a large stone. Jesus stayed in the pit for a long time, calling on the prophets and saints for help and asking for their help.
Everyone Jesus asked for help would beg the great God to release him. But God did not grant their requests. Jesus therefore remained in a painful state, not knowing what to do. After this the preacher remained silent for a quarter of an hour, and so a great silence reigned in the house.
Then he went on to say, “O poor Jesus, why are you so forgotten, so neglected? Don't you know that all the prophets and all the saints do not have the favor of the great God towards Melek Ṭâ'ûs? Why did you forget about him and didn't call him? Saying this, the preacher remained silent again as before. Afterwards, he continued again: “Jesus remained in the pit until the day when he remembered Melek Ṭâ'ûs.
He then asked for her help, praying, 'O Melek Ṭâ'ûs, I have been in this den for some time. I am imprisoned; I sought the help of all the saints, and none of them could deliver me. Now rescue me from this lair. When Melek Ṭâ'ûs heard this, he descended from heaven to earth faster than the blink of an eye, removed the stone from the top of the pit and said to Jesus: “Go up, behold, I have brought you out. Then both ascended to heaven.
When the great God saw Jesus, he said to him, “O Jesus, who brought you out of the pit? Who brought you here without my permission? Jesus answered and said, 'Melek Ṭâ'ûs brought me out of the pit and up here.' Then God said, “If it had been another, I would have punished him, but Melek Ṭâ'ûs is much loved by me; stay here for my honor. So Jesus stayed in heaven. »
The preacher added: “Notice that those who are outside do not like Melek Ṭâ'ûs. Know that in the resurrection he will not love them either, and he will not intercede for them. But, as for us, he will put us all in a tray, carry us on his head, and take us to heaven, while we are in the tray on his head. When the congregation heard this, they stood up, kissed his clothes and feet, and received his blessing.
Now, the views of the Yazidis regarding the birth of Christ and the explanation of the name of the Apostle Peter, are found in one of their stories, which goes like this: "Truly Mary, the Virgin mother of Jesus, begot Jesus in a different way than she begot him from the right side, 31 between his clothes and his body.
At that time, the Jews had a custom that if a woman gave birth, all her relatives and neighbors brought her gifts. The women were calling, carrying in their right hand a plate of fruit that was to be found in this season, and in their left hand they carried a stone. This custom was very old.
This is why, when Mary the Virgin gave birth to Jesus, the wife of Jonas, who is the mother of Peter, came to her; and, according to custom, carried a plate of fruit in his right hand and a stone in his left. As she entered and gave the dish to Mary, behold, the stone that was in her left hand begat a male. She called his name Simon Cifa, meaning son of stone. Christians don't know these things like we do. »
They have a story explaining the word heretic. It is this: When the great God created the heavens, he placed all the keys of the treasures and the mansions in the hands of Melek Ṭâ'ûs, and ordered him not to open a certain mansion. But he, unbeknownst to God, opened the house and found a piece of paper on which was written.
“You will worship only your God, and he alone you will serve. He kept the paper with him and didn't let anyone else know about it. So God created a ring of iron and hung it in the air between heaven and earth. Then he created Adam first. Melek Ṭâ'ûs refused to worship Adam when God commanded him to do so. He showed the writing paper he took from the mansion and said, “See what is written here. »
Then the great God said: “You may have opened the house that I forbade you to open. He replied, “Yes. Then God said to him, "You are a heretic, because you have disobeyed me and transgressed my commandment." »
From this we know that God speaks in the Kurdish language, that is to say the meaning of this saying: "Enter the iron ring which I, your God, have made for whoever acts contrary to my command and disobeys me”.
When one criticizes a story like this saying that God cast Melek Ṭâ'ûs out of heaven and sent him to hell because of his pride before God the highest, one does not admit that this is the case. They answer: “It is possible that one of us in his anger drives his child out of his house and leaves him to wait until the next day before bringing him back? Of course not. Similar is the relationship of the great God to Melek Ṭâ′ us.
In truth, he loves her extremely. You don't understand the books you read. The Gospel says: 'No one has ascended to heaven except he who has descended from heaven.' No one descended from heaven except Melek Ṭâ'ûs and Christ. From there we know that the great God was reconciled with Melek Ṭâ'ûs, who ascended to heaven, just as God descended from heaven and ascended. »
Here is the story of a kôchak: It is said that at one time there was no rain in the village of Ba'ašîḳa. In this village there was a Yezidi who was called Kôchak Berû. There were also saints and visionaries who lived there.
They (the people) gathered to ask Berû to take care of the rain. He told them, “Wait until tomorrow so I can take care of it. They approached him the next day and said, “What have you done about the rain issue? We are extremely alarmed because she is being restrained. He replied, “I ascended to heaven last night and entered the couch where the great God, Šeiḫ 'Adî, and some other šeiḫ and righteous men were seated.
The priest Isaac sat next to God. The great God said to me: “What do you want, O Kôchak Berû; why did you come here? I said to him, 'My lord, this year the rain has been denied us so far, and all your servants are poor and needy. We beg you to send us rain according to your custom. He remained silent and did not answer me.
I repeated the speech twice and three times, begging him. Then I turned to the šeiḫ who were sitting there, asking for their help and intercession. The great God answered me: “Go away until we think about it. I descended and I don't know what happened after I descended from heaven. You can go find the priest Isaac and ask him what happened after my descent. »
They went to find the priest and told him the story, and asked him what had been said after the descent of Kôchak Berû. This priest Isaac was a great prankster. He answered them: “After the descent of the kôchak, I begged God of the rain for you. It was agreed that after six or seven days he would send it. They waited accordingly, and by a strange coincidence, at the end of the period it was raining like a downpour for some time.
Seeing this, the people believed what they were told and honored the priest Isaac, considering him one of the saints and thinking that he must have Yazidi blood in him. For over twenty years this story has been told as one of the tales of their saints.
Once, Šeiḫ 'Adî bn Musâfir and his murids were entertained by God in heaven. When they arrived, they found no straw for their animals. This is why Šeiḫ 'Adî ordered his murids to carry straw from his threshing floor to the earth.
While being transported, some fell on the way and have remained as a sign in the sky to this day. It is known as the Strawman Road.
They think prayer is in the heart; that is why they do not teach it to their children. And in their book there is also no rule regarding prayer, nor is prayer considered a religious obligation.
Some say that at one time Šeiḫ 'Adî, together with šeiḫ 'Abd-al-Ḳâdir, made a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he remained for four years. After his absence Melek Ṭâ'ûs appeared to them (the two šeiḫs) in his symbol. He dictated to them some rules and taught them many things. Then it was hidden from them.
Four years later, Šeiḫ 'Adî returned from Mecca; but they refused it and did not accept it. They claimed he either died or ascended to heaven. He remained with them, but was without his former respect.
When the moment of his death came, Melek Ṭâ'ûs appeared to them and declared: “It is Šeiḫ 'Adî himself, honor him. Then they honored and buried him with due reverence, and made his grave a place of pilgrimage. In their estimation, it is a more excellent place than Makkah.
Everyone is required to visit it at least once a year; and, on top of that, they give a sum of money through the šeiḫ to obtain satisfaction (so that Šeiḫ 'Adî will be pleased with them). He who is not is disobedient.
Moreover, it is said that the reason why the pilgrimage to his tomb is considered excellent by us and by God is that at the resurrection Šeiḫ 'Adî will carry in a tray all the Yazidis on his head and take them to paradise, without requiring them to be accountable or answerable. Therefore, they regard the pilgrimage to his tomb as a greater religious duty than the pilgrimage to Mecca.
There are domes, huts, around the tomb of Šeiḫ 'Adî. They are there for the purpose of receiving the blessings of the tomb. And they are all attributed to the great Šeiḫs, like the hut of 'Abd-al-Ḳâdir-al-Jîlânî; the hut of Šeiḫ Ḳadîb-al-Bân; the hut of Šeiḫ Šams-ad-Dîn; the hut of Šeiḫ Manṣûr-al-Ḥallâj, and the hut of Šeiḫ Ḫasan-al-Baṣrî. There are also a few other huts. Each hut has a calico banner. It is a sign of conquest and victory.
Eating deer meat is forbidden to them, they say, because the eyes of the deer resemble the eyes of Šeiḫ 'Adî. In truth, its virtues are well known and its commendable qualities are traditions handed down from generation to generation. He was the first to accept the Yezidi religion. He gave them the rules of the religious sect and founded the office of the šeiḫ.
In addition to this, he was renowned for his devotion and religious exercise. From Mount Lališ, he used to hear the preaching of 'Abd-al-Ḳâdir-al-Jîlânî in Baghdad. He used to draw a circle on the ground and say to the monks: "Whoever wants to hear Al-Jîlânî's preaching, let him enter this circle." The following custom, which we have, started with him: If we want to swear to someone, a šeiḫ draws a circle, and the one who has to take the oath enters it.
At one point, passing by a garden, Šeiḫ 'Adî asked about lettuce; and, as no one answered, he said: "Huss" (shh). For this reason, lettuce is prohibited and not eaten.
Regarding fasting, the month of Ramaḍân is said to be dumb and deaf. That is why, when God ordered the Muslims to fast, he also ordered the Yazidis, saying to them in the Kurdish language “sese”, which means “three”. The Mohammedans did not understand this; they took it for "se", "thirty". For this reason, they (Yazidis) fast for three days.
Additionally, they believe there is eating, drinking, and other earthly pleasures in the afterlife. Some hold that the rule of heaven is in the hands of God, but the rule of the earth is in the hands of Šeiḫ 'Adî. Being extremely loved by God, he granted it according to 'Adi's desire.
They believe in the transmigration of souls. This is evidenced by the fact that when Manṣûr-at-Ḥallâj's soul separated from his body when the Caliph of Baghdad killed him and threw his head in the water, his soul floated on the water. By a wonderful coincidence and a strange fact, the sister of the said Manṣûr went to fill her jar. His brother's soul entered it.
Without knowing what had happened, she came with her to the house. Tired, she was thirsty and drank from the jar. At that moment her brother's soul entered her, but she only noticed it when she was pregnant. She gave birth to a son who looked like Šeiḫ Manṣûr himself. He became his brother by birth and his son by imputation.
The reason they don't use drinking vessels that have a narrow mouth or a net-like lid is that when you drink water from them, they make a noise. When Šeiḫ Manṣûr's head was thrown into the water, it gurgled. In his honor we do not use small jars with narrow necks.
They claim that they are waiting for a prophet who will come from Persian that he annuls the law of Mahomet and abrogates Islam. They believe that there are seven gods, and that each god administers the universe for ten thousand years; and that one of these gods is Lasiferos, the chief of the fallen angels, who also bears the name of Melek Ṭâ'ûs.
They make a carved image of him in the form of a rooster and worship him. They play the tambourine and dance in front of him to make him rejoice with them. They (ḳawwâls) travel to the villages of the Yazidis to collect money, at which time they bring it to homes for it to bless and honor them. Some say that Šeiḫ 'Adî is a deity; others that he is like a vizier for God. It is to him that all things are referred. It is the age of Melek Ṭâ'ûs.
The reigning and administrative power is in his hands until the thousandth year. When time comes to an end, he will hand over power to the next god to rule and administer until the end of another thousand years, and so on until the seventh god.
And yet there is agreement and love between these gods, and none is jealous of him who can rule and administer the world for a period of ten thousand years. They have a book called Al Jilwah which they attribute to Šeiḫ 'Adî, and they do not allow anyone who is not one of them to read it.
It is mentioned in some of their books that the First Cause is the Supreme God who, before creating this world, was playing on the seas; and in his hand was a large white pearl, with which he was playing. So he resolved to throw it into the sea, and then this world was created.
Moreover, they think that they are not of the same seed from which the rest of mankind came, but that they are begotten from the son of Adam, who was born to Adam from his spitting. For this reason, they imagine themselves more noble and more pleasing to the gods than others.
They say they have taken fasting and sacrifice from Islam; baptism of Christians; prohibition of Jewish food; their mode of worshiping idolaters; concealment of the doctrine of the Rafiḍis (Shiites); human sacrifice and transmigration of the pre-Islamic paganism of the Arabs and Sabians. They say that when a man's spirit leaves his body, he enters another man if he is righteous; but if he is unjust, as an animal.
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