Aljiwah2

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CHAPTER IIMASHAF RE? (THE BLACK BOOK)

AL- JILWA H (THE REVELAT ION)

Befor e all cr eation th is r evelation wa sw ith M e lek Tâ’û s, w ho s e nt ‘Abd Tâ’ûs toth is wor ld that he might s e par ate tr u th k n o w nto his par ticu lar p eople .

This w a sd one, f irst of all, by means of oral tr a dition, a n daf terward by means of th is book, Al- Jilwah, w h ic h the outs ider s m a yneither r ead nor b e hold.

CHAPTER I

I was, a mnow, a n dshall ha v en oe n d. I exer cise d o miniono ver all creatures a n do ver

the affairs of all w ho ar e u nder the p rotection of m yi m a g e .I a m ever p re s e nt to h e l pall w ho tr u st in m ea n dc all u po nm ein t im e of ne ed. Ther e is n op la c ein the univer s e

that k n o w snot m ypr e s ence. I par ticipate in all the affair s w h ic h those w ho ar ew ithout c all evil b ec au se th e ir natur e is not s uc h a st h ey ap pr o ve. Every a g e h a s it so w nm ana ger, who directs af f air s a c c o r din g to m ydec rees. This of f ice is changeablefr om gener ation to gener ation, that the r uler of th is wor ld andh is ch ie f s maydischargethe du t ies of t h e ir r e s p ectiveoffices eve ry o n ein h is o w ntu rn. I al low

every o n eto follow the dictates of h is o w nnatur e, b ut he that op pos es m ew ill r egr et itsorely. No g o dhas a right to interf er e in m yaf f air s, a n dI h a ve ma d eit a nimp er ative r ule that every o n es hall r efr ain fr om wor sh i p ing all gods. All t he bo o k sof those who a re without are altered by them; a n dthey havedeclinedf r om them,

although th ey w ere writ ten by the pr ophets a n dthe apostles. That ther e areinter polations is s e en in t he fact that eachsect e n dea v o rsto pr o ve that the othersare wr ong a n dto destroy their bo oks. T o m etr uth a n df alseho od are known. Whentemptatio n c o mes, I g i v e m y c o v e n a n tto h im that tr usts in me. Moreo v er , I giv e

c ouns el to t he skil led dir ector s, for I ha v eap pointed th em for p er iods that ar e knownto me. I remember neces sary af f air s a n dexecute them in due time. I tea ch a n dguide

those who f ollow m yinstruction. If a n y o n eobe ym ea n dc o nfo rm to m y c o m m a n d ments,

he shall ha v ejo y, delight, a n dg o o dnes s.

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I requite the descend ants of Ad a m, an d re wa rd them with various re wa rds that Ialo ne k n ow. Moreo ver , power a nd d o minion o ver all that is on earth, both that which

is abo ve an d that wh ich is be n eath, a re in my hand. I do not allow f r iendly associationwith other people, nor do I depr ive them that a re my ow nan d that obe yme of a n yth ing that is g o od f or them. I p la ce my af f air s in the ha n ds of those whom I hav e

tr ied an d who a re in a c c o r d with my desires. I ap pear in divers m an n ers to those who

are f aithf ul a nd under my c o m m a n d. I give a nd take awa y; I enrich a nd impoverish; Ic au se both h a p p in ess an d misery. I do all this in k e ep in gwith the characteristics of ea ch epo ch. And n o ne has a right to interf er e with my m an agement of af f air s.Those who op pose me I af f l ict with disease; but my ow nshall not die likethe so ns of Adam that ar e w ithout. None s hall l ive in th is wor ld longer than the time set by me;

an d if I so desire, I se n da person a sec on d or a thir d time into this world or into so m e

oth er by the tr ansmigr ation of sou l s .

CHAPTER III

I lead to the straight path without a revealedbo ok; I direct aright my belo ve dan d m ychos en ones by uns e en means. All my teach ings ar e easily ap p licable to all t imes and

all conditions. I p unish in anoth er wor ld all w ho do contr ar y to my w ill. Now the sonsof Adam do not k now the s tate of th ings that is to come. For th is r eason they fallin to m any e r rors. The beasts of the earth, the birds of hea ve n, an dthe f ish of the

s ea ar e all under the contr ol of my hands. All tr eas ur es an d h id de nth ings ar e knownto me; andas I desire, I take them f r om oneand bestow them u pon another. I revea lmy won der s to those who se e kthem, a n d, in due time my miracles to those who receive

them f r om me. But those who a re without ar e my a d ve rsar ie s, h e nce th ey op pose me.

Nor do they k now that s uch a c our se is a g ainst their ow ninterests, f or might,wealth, an d riches a re in my hand, an d I bestow them u pon ever y worthy descend antof Ad a m. Thus the g o vernment of the worlds, the tr ansition of generations, an dthe

changes of their directors are determined by me f r om the begin ning.

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CHAPTER IV

I w ill not give my r ights to oth er gods. I ha ve al low ed the cr eation of four s u b s tance s ,

f our times, an d f our c o mers; bec au se they are neces sary things f or c reatures. The

books of Jews, Christians, a nd M oslems, as of those who a re without, a c cept in as ens e, i .e ., so f ar as they a g r ee with, an d c onf o rm to, my statutes. Whatsoever isc ontrary to these they ha ve altered; do not a c cept it. Three things are a g ainst me,

an d I hate thr ee things. But those w ho ke ep my s ecr e ts s hall r eceive the fulfi lment of my pro mis e s. Those w ho s u ff er for my sak e I w ill s urely r ewar d in oneof the wor lds. Itis my des ire that all my fol low er s s hall unite in a bon dof unity, lest those w ho ar ewithout pr evail a g ainst them. Now, then, all ye who ha ve f ol lowed my c o m m a n d ments

andmy tea chings, reject all the tea ching

s

an ds

ayings

of s uch as a re without. I hav en o ttaught these teachings, nordo the y p r o c e e df r o m m e .Do n o tm e ntion m ynam e

nor my attr ibu t e s, le st ye r egr et it; for ye do n ot k n ow what those who a re withoutm ay d o .

CHAPTER V

O ye that ha ve beli eve din me, honor my sy mbol and my im a ge , for they r emind youof me. Observe my laws an d statutes. Obey my servants an d listen to whatever they

m ay dictate to you of the h id den things. Receive that that is dictated, anddo notcarry it bef ore those who a re without, Jew s, Christians, Mos lems, an d oth er s; for th ey k now not the natur e of my tea ch ing. Do not give th em y our bo oks, le st t h e yalter them w ithout your knowledge. Lear n by h ear t the gr eater par t of them, l e s tth ey be alter ed.

Th us endeth the bo ok of Al- Jilwah, w h ich is fol low ed by the bo ok of Mas haf Reš ,

i .e ., the B lack Book.

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In the beginningGod cr eated the White Pearl out of h is m ost pr ecious es sen ce. He

also c reated a b ird na med Angar. He p la ce dthe White Pearl on the ba ck of the

bird, anddwelt on it f or f orty thousand yea rs. On the f irst d a y, Sund a y, Godcr eated Melek Anzaz îl, an d he is Tâ’û s-Melek, the chief of all, On Mond ay h e

c reated Melek Dardâel, andhe is Šeih Hasan. Tuesd ay he c reated Melek Israf el,andhe is Šeih Šams (ad-Dî n). Wednesd ay he c reated Melek Mihâel, andhe isŠeih Abû Bakr . Thur sd ay he c reated Melek Azrâel, andhe is Sa ja d-a d-Dî n.Fr id ay he c reated Melek Šemnâel, andhe is Nasir-a d-Dî n. Saturday he c reatedMelek Nurâel, andhe is Ya din (Fahr-a d-Dî n). And he m a de Melek Tâ’ûs ruler o ver all.

After th is God m a de the for m of t he s even h ea ve n s, the eart h, the s u n, an d th em o o n. But Fahr -a d-Dî n c reated m an a nd the a nimals, a nd b irds a nd beasts. He putthem all in pockets of cloth, and c a me out of the Pearl a c c o mpaniedby the Angels.Then he shouted at the Pearl with a loud v oice. The r e u pon the White Pearl br oke

up into f our pieces, a nd f r om its midst c a me out the water wh ich bec a me an o cean .The world was r ound, an d was not divided. Then he c reated Gabr iel an d the ima g eof the bir d. He s e nt Gabr iel to set the four cor ner s. He also m a de aves s el anddescended in it f or thir ty thousand yea rs. After this he ca me an d dwelt in MountLališ. Then he c rie d out at the world, an dthe se abec a me solidif ied an d the landap pea red, but it beg an to sha ke. At this time he c o m m a n ded Gabr iel to br ing two

p ieces of the White Pearl; on ehe p la ced ben eath the earth, the oth er stayed at th egate of heaven. He then p lacedin them the s un a nd the m o o n; a nd f r om the

scattered p iece sof the White Pearl he c reated the sta rs wh ich he h un g in hea ve na s

o rnaments. He also c reated f r uit-bearing tr e es an d plants an d m ountains f or

or naments to the ear th. He cr eated the th ron e o ve r th ecarp e tThe n th eGreatGod said: "O Angels, I w ill cr eate Adam and Eve; andfr om t he e s s ence of Ad am shall pr o ceed Šehar bn Jebr , a nd of h im a separate c o m munity shall appear u pon the ear th, that of Azaz îl, i .e ., that of M elek Tâ’û s, w h ich is the s ect of th eY e z idis. Then he s e nt Š e ih ‘Ad î bn Musâf ir f r om the land of Syria, a nd he c a m e

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(and dwe lt in Mount) Lališ. Then the Lor d c a me d own to the B la ck Mountain.Shouting, he cr eated thirty thou san dMeleks, an d divide d th em into thr ee divis ions .

They w o r s h i pe d h im f or f orty thousand year s, w h en he delive red th em to MelekTâ’ûs w ho w e nt up w ith t h em to h ea ve n. At th is time the Lor d c a me d own to th eHoly Land (al-Kuds), a nd c o m m a n dedGabr iel to br ing earth f r om the f our c o mersof the world, earth, air, f ire, an d water. He c reated it an d put in it the spir it of hisow npower, andcalled it Ad a m .

Then he c o m m a n ded Gabr iel to escort Ad am into Paradise, a nd to tell h im that he

could eat fr om all the tr e es but not of wheat. Here Ad am rem aine df or a h undredyea rs. Ther eupon, Melek Tâ’ûs askedGod how Ad am could multiply an dhav e

descend ants if he w ere f orbid den to eat of the grain . G od answer ed, "I ha ve put the

whole m atter into thy hands." Ther eupon Melek Tâ’ûs visited Ad am an d said "Ha v ey ou eaten of the grain?" He answer ed, "No, God f orba de me." Melek Tâ’ûs

repliedand said, "Eat of the g rain an d all shall go better with the e." Then Ad a mate of the g rain an d im mediately h is belly was inf lated. But Melek Tâ’ûs d r o ve himout of the g a rden , an d lea vin g h im, asce nde d into heaven. Now Ad am was tr oubledb ec au se h is b e l ly was inflated, for he had n ooutlet. God theref or e s e nt a b ird to h imwh ich peck e dat h is anus a n d m a de an outlet, an d Ad am was rel ieved.

Now Gabr iel was away f r om Ad am f or a h und red yea rs. And Ad am was sad andw e ep ing. Then God c o m m a n ded Gabr iel to c reate Eve f r om under the left shoulder

of Ad a m., Now it c a me to pas s, af ter the c reation of Eve and of all the animals,that Ad am an dEve quarreled o ver the question whether the h um an ra ce should be

desce nde d f rom h im or h e r, for ea ch w i s h ed to be the sole begetter of the race. Thi s

quarrel originated in their observation of the f act that a m on ganimals both the m alean d the f em ale w ere factor s in the pro duct ion of their r e s p ective s p ecie s. After a

l ongd iscuss ion Ad am an dEve a g r ee d on this: ea ch should c ast h is se e dinto a jar,close it, an d seal it with h is ow nseal, an d wait f or ninem onths. When they openedthe ja rs at the c o mpletion of this perio d, they f ound in Ad a m's jar two child ren, m alean df em ale. Now f r om these two our sect, the Yezidis, are descended. In Eve's jar they found naught but r otten wor ms emitting a foul odor . And God c au s ed nip p l e s

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to g row f or Ad am that he might suckle the chi ldren that pr o ceeded f r om h is

jar. This is the r eason w hy m an has nip p l e s .

After this Ad am k n e wEve, an d s he bo re two chi ld re n ,m ale an df em ale; an d f r o m

t h e se the Jew s, the Christians, the Moslems, an dother nations an d sects aredescended. But our f irst f ather s a re Šeth, Noah, an dEnosh, the righteous ones,

who w ere descended f r om Ad am only.

It c a me to pass that tr ouble a rose betwe en a m an an d h is wif e, resulting f r om the

denial on the part of the w o m an that the m an was her h usban d. The m an persisted inh is claim that s he was h is w i f e. The tr oub le b e t w e en the two was se ttled, how ever ,

through o ne of the righteous men of our sect, who dec re e dthat at ever y w ed ding a

d rum and a p ipeshould be pla ye d as a te

stim ony to the f act that, s uch a m an ands uch a wo m an w ere marr ied leg ally.

Then M elek Tâ’ûs c a me d own to ear th for our s ect (i . e ., the Yezidis), the cr eatedones, an d appointed kings f or us, besides the kings of ancient As syria, Nisr o ch, who

is Naš ir -a d-D î n; Kamus h, w ho is Melek Fahr -ad-D î n, an d Ar tâm î s, w ho is Mele kŠams-(a d-)Dî n. After this w ehad two kings, Šabur (Sapor) First (224-272 A.D.) an dSec ond (309-379), who reignedonehundred and f ifty years; and our a mir s

d own to the p re s e nt d ay ha ve b e en desce nde dfrom th e ir s e ed. B ut we hated four kings.

Bef ore Christ c a me into this world our religion was pa g anism. King Ahab was f r o m

a m on gus. And the god of Ahab was c al le d Be elzebub. Nowa d a ys w ec all h im Pir

Bub. We had a kin g in Babylon , whose nam ewas Bahtnasar; another in Persia,w hose na me was Ahšur aš; and still anoth er in Constantinople, w hose na me was

Agr ikâlu s. The Jew s, the Chr istians, the Mos lems, andeven the Persians, fought

us; but they f ailed to

s

ubdue us, f or in the

s

trength of the L

ord w epr evailed a g ains

tth em. He tea ch es us the fir st an d last science. And on eof h is teach ings is :

Bef ore hea ve nan d earth existed, God was on the sea, as w ef ormer ly wr ote y ou. He

m a de himself a ves se lan d tr a veled in it in kunsiniyat of the s eas, th us e njo ying h imse lf in h imself. He th en cr eated the White Pearl an d ru le d o ver it f or f orty yea rs.

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Afterward, g rowin g ang ry at the Pearl, he kickedit; an d it was a great surprise to

s ee t he mountains for med out of its cr y; the hills out of its wonders; the h eavens outof i ts sm oke. Then God ascended to h eaven, sol idified it, e s tab l i shed it w ithoutpi l lar s. He th en s pat u pon the gr ound, and taking a p en in hand, b eg an to write anarr ative of all the cr eation.

In the begin nin g he c reated s ix g o ds f r om himself an d f r om h is light, an dtheir cr eation was as on e lights a light fr om anoth er light. And God said, "Now I have

cr eated the h ea ve n s; l et so me on eof y ou go up an d c reate so mething ther ein."Ther eupon the sec o nd g od ascen de d a nd c reated the sun; the thir d, the m o o n; the

fourth, the vault of h eaven; the fifth, the far Ÿg (i .e., the m o r nin g star ); the sixth,par a dis e; the s eventh, h e l l. We ha ve alr ea dy told you that af ter th is th ey cr eated Ad am an dEve.

And k n ow that bes ides the f lo od of Noah, ther e was another f lo od in this world.Now our sect, the Yezidis, are descended f r om Na‘umi, an hono re d person, kingof pea ce. We call him Melek Miran. The other sects are descended f r om Ham, who

d e s p i s ed h is father. The s h ip r ested at a vil la ge called ‘Ain Sifni, distant fr om

M osul about f ive pa rasa n gs. The c au se of the f irst f lo od was the m o c kery of those

who w ere without, Jews, Christians, Moslems, an d others descended f r om Ad a man dEve. We, on the other hand, are descended f r om Ad am only, as alrea d yindicated: This s ec ond flo od c a me u pon our s ect, the Y e z idis. As the water r ose andthe s h ip f loated, it c a me abo ve Mount Sin jar, wher e it r an a g r oun d an d was pier cedby a r ock. The s er pent t w i s t ed it s e lf l ik e a c ak ean d s top p ed the hole. Then the s h i p

m o ved on a nd rested on M ount Judie.

Now the s pecie sof the serpent inc reased, andbegan to bite m an an d anim al. It was

f inally c aught an d b urn ed, an df r om its as he sf leas w ere c reated. Fr om the time of the flood until now ar e s eve nthou sand year s. In eve ry thou sand year s on eof the s eveng o ds de sce nds to establish rules, statutes, an d laws, af ter wh ich he returns to hisabo de. Whi le below, he so journs w ith u s, for we ha ve every k ind of holy pla ce s. Thi s

last time the g od dwelt a m on g us longer than an y of the other g o ds who c a me bef oreh im. He conf ir med the saints. He s pok ein the Kur di sh language. He als o

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illuminated Moham med, the pr op h et of the Is hm aeli te s, w ho had a s er vant namedMu‘âwiya, When God saw that Moham med was not upright bef ore h im, he

af f licted h im with a hea d a che. The pr ophet then a s k e d h is servant to s ha ve h is head,for M u‘âwiya k n ew how to s ha ve. He s ha ved h is m as ter in has te, an d with some

diff iculty. As a result, he cut h is head an d m a de it ble ed. Fearing that the blo o dmight dr opto the gr ound, Mu‘âw iya lickedit w ith h is tongu e. Wher e u ponMoham med ask ed, "What a re y ou d oing, Mu‘âwiya?" He replied, "I lickedthy blo o dw ith my tongu e, for I fear ed that it might dr op to the gr ound." Then Moham medsaid to h im, "You ha ve s i n n ed, O M u‘âwiya, y ou s hall dr aw a nation af ter y ou. Yous hall op pose my s ect." Mu‘âw iya ans w ered an d said, "Th en I w ill not enter the wor ld; Iw ill not marr y!'

It c a me to pass that af ter so me time God sent sco rpio ns u pon Mu‘âwiya, wh ich bith im, c au s in g h is face to break out with poison. Physicians urge d h im to marr y le st h e

die.Hearing this, he c onsented. They br ought h im an old wo m an, eighty yea rs of a ge. in o rder that nochi ld might be bo rn . M u ‘âw iya k n ew h is w ife, an d in the mor n i n gs he ap p ear ed a wo m an of t w e n ty-five, by the pow er of the gr eat God. And s h e

conceivedandbore our g od Yezid. But the f oreign sects, ignorant of this f act, saythat our g od c a me f r om heaven, d e s p i se dand driven out by the great God. For this

reason they blasp h eme him. In this th ey ha ve er r ed. B ut w e, the Y e z idi s ect, believethis not, f or w ek n ow that he is o ne of the abo ve-mentioned seve ng o ds. We k n ow the

for m of h is p er son a n d h is im a ge . It is the for m of a c o ck w h ich we pos s e s s.None of us is al low ed to u tter h is name, nor anyth ing that r es embles it, s uch as š e i tân

(Satan), kaitân (cor d), šar (evil), šat (rive r), an d th elik e .Nor do w ep ronounce

m al‘ûn (a ccursed ), or la‘anat (cur se), or na‘al (ho rseshoe), or a ny wo rd that has as imi lar sound. All t h e se ar e for bidden us out of r e s p ect for h im. So hass (lettuc e) isdebarr ed. We do not eat it,. for it sou nds l i ke t he na me of our prophetess Has s iah .F ish is proh ib ited, in honor of Jonah the prophet. L i ke w ise deer , for de er ar e th es he e pof o ne of our pr ophets. The p e a c o ck is f orbid den to our Šeih a nd h is disciples,

for the sake of our Tâ’û s. Squash also is debarr ed. It is for bidden to pass water while sta n din g, or to dress up wh ile sitt ing d own, or to go to the toi let ro o m, or to

take a bath ac cor ding to the custom of the p eop le.Whosoever d oes contr ar y to th is

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is an infidel. Now the oth er s ects, Jew s, Christians, Mos lems, an d oth er s, k now nott h e se th ings, bec au se th ey dis like M elek Tâ’û s. He, theref or e, d oes not tea ch th em,nor d oes he vis it them. B ut he dwe lt a m on gu s; he delivered to us the doctr ines, th erules, an d the tr a ditions, all of wh ich ha ve bec o me an inheritance, hande d d ow nf r o m

father to son. After th is, Melek Tâ’ûs r etur ned to h eaven.

One of the s e ve n g o ds m a de the san jaks (stan d a r ds) a nd g a ve them to Solo m on the

wise. After h is death our kings receivedthem. And whe nour g o d, the barbarianYez î d, was born, he received th e se san jaks w ith gr eat rever e nce, an d bestowed t h e mu pon our sect. Moreo ver , he c o mpose dtwo s o n gs in the Kurdish la n gua ge to be sun gbefor e the san jakas in this langua ge, wh ich is the m ost ancient an d a c ceptable one.

The meanin gof the son gis th is :

Ha l le lujah to the jealous God.

As th ey s ing it, they mar ch befor e the san jaks w ith timbr els a n d p i p e s. The se san jaksrem ain with our emir , who sits on the throne of Yez id. When t h e se ar e s e nt away,the kaw wâls as semb le with the emir , an dthe gr eat gener al, t he š e i h, w ho is th er e p r e s e n tative of Šeih Nas i r -ad-Dîn, i .e ., Nisr o ch, god of the ancient As syrians.

They visit the san jaks. Then th ey s e nd ea ch sanjak in car e of a kaw wâl to its own

p la ce; on eto Ha latan eye, on e to A le ppo, oneto Rus s ia, andoneto S injar. The s esan jaks are givento f our kaw wâls by contr act. Befor e they ar e s e n t, th e; ar ebr ought to Šeih ‘ Adî 's to mb, wher e they a re baptized a mid great singing andd ancing. After this ea ch of the c ontracto rs takes a load of dust f r om Šeih ‘ Adî 's -

tomb. He fas h ions it into sm all balls, ea ch about the siz eof a gall nut, an d carr ie s

th em alon g w ith the san jaks to give th em away as b le s s ings. When he ap pr o a ch es atown, he s ends. a cr ier b e f or e h im to pr e par e the p eop le to a c cept the kaw wâl an d hissanjak w ith r es p ect an d honor . All tur n out in fine cloth e s, carr ying incense. The

wo men shout, and all together sing joyful songs. The kaw wâl is entertained by the

peop le with whom he stops. The rest give him silver presents, everyone ac c o r din g to hismea ns.

B e s ides t h e se four san jaks, ther e ar e th ree oth e r s, s eve nin all. The se th ree ar e k e p t

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in a sacr ed p la ce for p urpos es of h ealing. Two of th em, how ever , r emain w ith Šeih

‘ Adî , an dthe thir d rem ains in the village of Bahazanie, wh ich is distant f r om Mosulabout four hours. Every four m onths th e se kaw wâls tr avel about. One of th em mus t

tr avel in the pro vince of the emir . They tr a vel in a f ixed order, diff ering ea ch year.Every t ime he g oes out, the traveler mu st clean se h imself w ith water m a de sour wi thsum m ak (s um a c) an d anoint himself with an oil. He must also light a la mp at ea ch ido lthat has a cha mber. This is the law that pertains to the san jaks.

The f irst day of our newyear is called the Ser sâl ie, i .e ., the begin nin g of a yea r. Itfalls on the Wedne sday of the first w e ek in Apr il. On that d ay ther e mu st b e

meat in ever y f amily. The wealthy must slaughter a la mb or an ox; the po or must kill

a ch ickenor so mething el

se. The

se

s

hould be c o o ked on the night, the m o r ning of wh ich is Wednesd a y, New Year's d a y. With the br eak of day the f o od should be

bles sed. On the f irst day of the year alms should be give n at to mbs wher e the soulsof the dead lie.

Now the girls, la rge an d small, a re to gather from the f ields f lowe rs of every kindthat ha ve a red dish c olor. They are to m ak ethem into bundles, and, af ter ke epingth em th ree d a ys, th ey ar e to hang th em on the d o o r s as a sign of the baptism of the

p eop le l ivin g in the hou s e s. In t he mor nin

g all do or s

w i ll be s e en w e ll dec

or ated w ith

r edl i l ie s. B ut wo me nar e to feed the poor an d ne edy w ho pass by an d ha ve n o food; this i s

to be d on e at the g ra ves. But as to the kaw wâls, they ar e to go ar ound the tombs

w ith t imbr els, s ingin gin the Kur di sh language. For so d oin g th ey ar e entitled tom o ney. On the abo ve-mentioned day of Ser sâl ie n o instrum e nts of joyar e to be

pla yed, bec au se God is sitt ing on the throne (a rranging dec rees f or the year), andc o m m a n dingall the wise a nd the neigh bo rs to c o me to h im, And whe n he tells them

that he w ill c o me d own to ear th w ith son gan d prais e, all ar i se an dr e joice b e f or e h im

an d throw u pon ea ch the squash of the feast. Then God s eals th em w ith h is ow ns eal. And the great God gives a sealed decision to the g od who is to c o me d own. He,

mor eover , gr ants h im pow er to do all th ings ac cor ding to his ow nw il l. God pr efer sd oin g g o od and charity to f asting an d pr a ying. The wo rs h ip of any idol, s uch a s

Seyed-a d-Dî n or Šeih Šams is better than f asting. So me l a y m an is to give a

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banqu et to a k ô chak af ter the fas ting of the latter for ty d a ys, w h e th er it be ins ummer or in w inter. If he (the k ô chak) sa ys t h is enter tainment is an alms give n to th esan jak, t h en he is not r eleased fr om h is fasting. When it c o me s to pass that th eyear ly t i the-gath er er finds that the p eop le ha ve not f u l ly paid their t i t hes, he w h i p s

th em till th ey b ec o me s ick, an d so me even die. The p eop le ar e to give the k ô chaksm o ney to f ight the R o m an a rmy, and th us sa ve the sect (Yezidis) f r om the wr athof the m an of the year.

Ever y Fr id ay a load of gifts is to be br ought as an of f ering to an id ol. At thattime, a servant is to call the peop le aloud f r om the roof of a k ô chak's h o u s e, saying, itis the c all of the prop h et to a feast. All ar e to li s ten r ever ently an d r es p ectfully;and, on hea rin g it, ever y on e is to kiss the g roun d an dthe stone on wh ich he hap pens

to lean.

It is our law that n o kaw wâl shall pass a razor o v er h is f ac e. Our law regardin gmar r iage is that at the time of the w ed din g a loaf of br ead shall be taken f r om the

hou se of a k ô chak a nd be divided betwe en the br ide a nd the br idegro o m, ea ch to cato ne-half . They m a y, however, eat so me dust f r om Šeih ‘ Adî 's to mb instead of the

bread for a b l e s s ing. Marr ia ge in the m onth of Apr il is for bidden, for it is the fir stm onth of the year . This r ule, how ever , d oes not app ly to kaw wâls; they m ay marry

dur ing th is m onth. No l a y m an is allow ed to marr y a k ô chak's d aughter. Ever y one isto take a wif e f r om h is ow nclass. But our emir m ay ha ve f or a wif e a ny o ne whom he

p lease sto love. A l a y m an m ay m a rr y betwe en the a ges of ten an d eighty; he m a ytake f or a wif e o ne wo m an af ter an other f or a period of o ne year. On her way to

the hou se of the br idegro o m, a br ide must visit the shrine of ever y id ol s he m ay hap pento pas s; even if s he pass a Christian chur ch, s he mu st do t he same. On her arr ival atthe br idegro o m's house, he must hit her with a small sto ne in token of the f act that

s he mus

t be under h is authority. Moreo ver , a loaf of br ead mus

t be br o ken o ver her head as a s ip to her that s he must lo ve the po or an d n e ed y. No Yezidi m ay s le e pwithh is wif e on the night the m o r ningof which is Wednesd a y, an d the night the m o r ningof wh ich is Fr id a y. Whosoever d oes contrary to this c o m m a n d ment is an inf idel. If am an steal the wif e of h is neighbor, or h is ow nf ormer wif e, or her sister or m other, he

is not obl iged to give h er dowr y, for s he is t he booty of h is hand. Daughter s m ay not

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in h er it their father 's w ealth. A y ou ng la dy m ay be sold as an acr e of land is sold. If s he ref uses to be m a rr ie d, then s he mu st r ede em h e r s e lf by pa ying h er father a s u m

of m on e yearn e dby h e rs e r vice andthe labor of h e r hand.

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