Fakhradin: The Yazidi Holy Being of the Moon
- Daniel R
- 21 hours ago
- 13 min read
Introduction
Fakhradin, known in Kurdish as Sheikh Fexredin, is one of the most revered holy figures of the Yazidi faith: one of the Seven Holy Beings of the Heft Sirr, the personification of the Moon, and a great author of the sacred hymns, the qewls.
In the Yazidi faith, the one God created seven Holy Beings, the Heft Sirr, to whom he entrusted the world, and these are made manifest in the world through their holy earthly representatives, the great saints of the faith. Fakhradin is one of these Holy Beings, and his earthly manifestation is honoured as one of the four sons of Ezdina Mir, the brother and counterpart of Sheikh Shems, and the patriarch of one of the four Shemsani sheikh lineages of the Yazidis.
As a living religion of the Kurdish people, Yazidism deserves to be understood accurately and with respect, on its own terms. Fakhradin is among its most beloved and revered holy figures, the Holy Being of the Moon and a foundational author of the sacred poetry of the faith. To know Fakhradin is to understand something of the heart of the Yazidi sacred order and its holy beings.
Contents
Who Is Fakhradin?
Fakhradin, in Kurdish Sheikh Fexredin or Melek Fexredin, is one of the Seven Holy Beings of the Yazidi faith, the members of the Heft Sirr to whom God entrusted the affairs of the world. He is the personification of the Moon, and his earthly manifestation is honoured as one of the four sons of Ezdina Mir, alongside Sheikh Shems, Nasirdin, and Sejadin, the four who are the patriarchs of the four Shemsani sheikh lineages of the Yazidis and are understood as the earthly manifestations of holy beings. Fakhradin is especially revered as a great poet, philosopher, and scholar, and as one of the foremost authors of the sacred hymns of the faith, the qewls, of which he is said to have composed a vast number. He is honoured, too, as the personification of the Moon, the counterpart of his brother Sheikh Shems, the Sun. As one of the Seven Holy Beings, the Holy Being of the Moon, and a foundational author of the sacred poetry, Fakhradin holds a central and beloved place in the Yazidi faith, one of its most revered holy figures.
One of the Seven Holy Beings
Fakhradin's deepest significance is as one of the Seven Holy Beings, a member of the Heft Sirr, the seven holy emanations of the one God to whom God entrusted the care of the world.
In the Yazidi faith, the one God created seven Holy Beings or angels, the Heft Sirr, from his own light, and entrusted to them the affairs of the world; these seven are made manifest in the world through their holy earthly representatives, the great saints of the faith. Fakhradin is one of these Seven Holy Beings, and his earthly manifestation, the great saint Sheikh Fexredin, is understood as the incarnation or representative of the holy being in the world. As one of the Seven, Fakhradin shares in the holy and sacred character of the Heft Sirr, the holy emanations of the one God through whom the divine cares for the world. The other holy beings of the Seven are likewise manifest in the great saints of the faith, among them Sheikh Shems, the Holy Being of the Sun, who is Fakhradin's brother in the earthly manifestation. This standing as one of the Seven Holy Beings is the deepest aspect of Fakhradin's significance, marking him as one of the holy emanations of the one God, a sacred being of the Heft Sirr made manifest in the great saint of the faith. It is as one of the Seven Holy Beings that Fakhradin holds his sacred and central place in the Yazidi faith, one of the holy emanations of the one God.
Key Takeaways
Fakhradin (Sheikh Fexredin) is one of the Seven Holy Beings of the Yazidi faith.
He is the personification of the Moon, counterpart of Sheikh Shems the Sun.
He is a great author of the sacred hymns, the qewls.
His earthly manifestation is one of the four sons of Ezdina Mir.
He is the patriarch of one of the four Shemsani sheikh lineages.
He is among the most revered holy figures of the Yazidi sacred order.
Quick Facts
Name: Fakhradin; Kurdish Sheikh Fexredin, Melek Fexredin
Faith: Yazidism, a monotheistic Kurdish religion
Nature: One of the Seven Holy Beings (Heft Sirr)
Personifies: The Moon (counterpart of Sheikh Shems, the Sun)
Renowned as: A great poet, scholar, and author of the qewls
Father: Ezdina Mir, ancestor of the Shemsani sheikhs
Brothers: Sheikh Shems, Nasirdin, Sejadin
Role: Patriarch of one of the four Shemsani lineages
Era: 12th century
Heritage: A living religious tradition of the Kurdish people
The Personification of the Moon
One of the most beautiful aspects of Fakhradin is that he is the personification of the Moon, the counterpart of his brother Sheikh Shems, who is the personification of the Sun.
In the Yazidi sacred vision, the great lights of the heavens are bound up with the holy beings, and Fakhradin is honoured as the personification of the Moon, while his brother Sheikh Shems is the personification of the Sun. The pairing of the two brothers as Moon and Sun is a beautiful expression of the Yazidi vision, in which the holy beings are connected with the great lights and powers of the natural world, the Sun and the Moon that order the day and the night and the seasons. Reverence for the Sun is a well-known feature of Yazidi devotion, and the Moon, too, has its place, personified in the holy being Fakhradin. This connection of the holy beings with the great lights reflects the Yazidi reverence for the works of the one God in the natural world, the Sun and Moon being honoured as bound up with the holy beings. The ancient Iranic world, too, honoured the Moon as a divinity, as in the figure of Mah, the Moon yazata, reflecting a wide and ancient reverence for the heavenly lights. As the personification of the Moon, Fakhradin holds a distinctive and beautiful place among the holy beings, the holy being of the Moon and the counterpart of his brother the Sun, one of the most evocative aspects of his significance in the Yazidi faith.
The Great Author of the Qewls
Fakhradin is especially revered as a great poet, philosopher, and scholar, and as one of the foremost authors of the sacred hymns of the Yazidi faith, the qewls, the holy poetry in which the sacred knowledge of the tradition is preserved.
The sacred knowledge of the Yazidi faith is preserved and transmitted chiefly in sacred hymns and poems, the qewls and other sacred verse, sung in the Kurdish tongue and passed down through the generations by the holy reciters of the tradition. Fakhradin is honoured as one of the foremost authors of this sacred poetry, a great poet, philosopher, and scholar who is said to have composed a vast number of the qewls and other sacred verse, a foundational figure of the sacred literature of the faith. The Yazidi tradition holds that a great body of this sacred poetry was composed by Fakhradin, of which, sadly, only a portion survives, much having been lost through the centuries of persecution and hardship suffered by the Yazidi people. The sacred qewls are holy and deeply revered, the treasured sacred literature of a living faith, and they are named and honoured here with the respect due to the holy poetry of the Yazidis, rather than treated as mere material. As the great author of the qewls, Fakhradin holds a foundational place in the sacred literature of the Yazidi faith, the holy being who is honoured as one of the foremost composers of the sacred poetry through which the knowledge of the tradition is preserved. It is as the great author of the sacred hymns, as well as the holy being of the Moon, that Fakhradin is especially beloved and revered in the Yazidi faith.
Son of Ezdina Mir, Patriarch of a Lineage
Fakhradin's earthly manifestation is honoured as one of the four sons of Ezdina Mir, and as the patriarch of one of the four Shemsani sheikh lineages of the Yazidis, binding him to the sacred social and religious order of the faith.
In the Yazidi tradition, the earthly manifestation of Fakhradin, the great saint Sheikh Fexredin, is honoured as one of the four sons of Ezdina Mir, a prominent figure who in the tradition ruled over the Yazidis, alongside his brothers Sheikh Shems, Nasirdin, and Sejadin. These four sons are honoured as the earthly manifestations of holy beings and as the patriarchs and ancestors of the four Shemsani sheikh lineages, one of the principal groupings of the sacred sheikh families of the Yazidis. Fakhradin is thus the patriarch and ancestor of one of these four Shemsani lineages, binding the holy being to the sacred social and religious order of the Yazidi faith, in which the sheikh families hold a special religious role. This connection to Ezdina Mir and to the Shemsani lineage roots the holy being Fakhradin in the sacred order and structure of the faith, as son, patriarch, and ancestor. It is as one of the four sons of Ezdina Mir and the patriarch of a Shemsani lineage that Fakhradin holds his place in the sacred order of the Yazidi faith, binding the Holy Being of the Moon to the religious structure and the holy families of the tradition.
The Holy Family of Fakhradin
Fakhradin is bound up, too, with other revered holy figures of the Yazidi faith, among his children, who are honoured as saints in their own right, reflecting the richness of the Yazidi sacred order.
In the Yazidi tradition, Fakhradin is honoured as the father of holy figures who are themselves revered as saints. Among his children, the tradition honours a son who is revered as an important holy figure, associated in the tradition with the sacred serpent and honoured as a protector, reflecting the sacred and protective place of the serpent in Yazidi lore, as also in the wider Kurdish reverence for the sacred serpent seen in figures such as Shahmaran. Fakhradin is also honoured as the father of a revered female saint, who is honoured in the tradition as a guardian of birth, of expectant mothers, and of fertility, in whose honour Yazidi women observe a fast. These holy children of Fakhradin are revered saints in their own right, and they reflect the richness and depth of the Yazidi sacred order, in which holy beings and saints are bound together in sacred families and lineages. The holy family of Fakhradin, with its revered saintly children, is thus a further aspect of his significance, binding the Holy Being of the Moon to other beloved holy figures of the faith. It reflects the rich and interwoven character of the Yazidi sacred order, in which Fakhradin holds a central and beloved place, both in himself and through his holy family.
Symbolism and Meaning
Fakhradin embodies, above all, the Yazidi vision of the holy beings made manifest in the great saints, one of the Seven Holy Beings of the Heft Sirr manifest in the revered saint of the faith. As the personification of the Moon, he embodies the connection of the holy beings with the great lights of the heavens.
Fakhradin embodies, too, the sacred poetry of the Yazidi faith, as one of the foremost authors of the qewls, and the sacred order and holy lineages of the faith, as son of Ezdina Mir and patriarch of a Shemsani lineage. In this, he represents the richness of the Yazidi sacred order, in which holy beings, great saints, sacred poetry, and holy lineages are bound together. In all this, Fakhradin is among the most revered and beloved holy figures of the Yazidi faith, embodying the holy beings made manifest, the connection with the heavenly lights, the sacred poetry, and the holy order of the faith. He is the Holy Being of the Moon, one of the Seven, a great author of the sacred hymns, and the patriarch of a holy lineage, one of the most distinctive and beloved figures of the religious heritage of the Kurds, honoured alongside his brother Sheikh Shems the Sun. The vision of the holy beings made manifest in the great saints is among the most beautiful features of the Yazidi tradition.
Fakhradin in Kurdish Heritage
Fakhradin belongs to Yazidism, one of the most ancient and distinctive religious traditions of the Kurdish people, a living faith of great antiquity and beauty. As one of the Seven Holy Beings and a foundational author of the sacred poetry, he holds a special place in the religious heritage of the Kurds.
Yazidism is a faith followed by Kurds, chiefly the Kurmanji-speaking Yazidis, and it is one of the most distinctive and ancient religious traditions of the Kurdish people, preserving a vision of the divine of great antiquity. Fakhradin, as one of the Seven Holy Beings, the Holy Being of the Moon, and one of the foremost authors of the sacred qewls, is thus a central part of the religious heritage of the Kurds, both as a holy being and as a foundational figure of the sacred literature composed in the Kurdish tongue. The Yazidi faith and its holy beings, saints, and sacred poetry have been preserved by the Yazidi community through many centuries, often in the face of grave persecution and the loss of much of the sacred literature, and the tradition deserves to be known and understood accurately and with respect, as a living religion of great depth and antiquity. As one of the most distinctive religious traditions of the Kurdish people, Yazidism, with its holy beings such as Fakhradin, is a precious part of the spiritual heritage of the Kurds. In presenting Fakhradin, then, we present one of the most beloved holy figures of this living Kurdish religious tradition, the Holy Being of the Moon and the great author of the sacred hymns, understood as the Yazidis themselves understand him.
Debates and Misconceptions
Is Fakhradin a god, a saint, or an angel? In the Yazidi understanding, Fakhradin is one of the Seven Holy Beings, the Heft Sirr, who are the holy emanations of the one God, made manifest in the world through their holy earthly representatives. Fakhradin is thus best understood as a holy being, an emanation of the one God, manifest in the great saint Sheikh Fexredin. He is not a separate god, for Yazidism is monotheistic, centred on the one God; nor merely a historical holy man, for he is revered as one of the Seven Holy Beings. He is, in the terms of the faith itself, a holy being of the Heft Sirr, manifest in a revered saint.
Does the reverence for the Sun and Moon mean the Yazidis worship the heavens? No; this would be a misunderstanding. Yazidism is monotheistic, centred on belief in one God, the creator of all. The reverence for the Sun and Moon, personified in the holy beings Sheikh Shems and Fakhradin, is part of the Yazidi reverence for the works of the one God in the natural world and for the holy beings connected with them, not the worship of the heavens in place of God. The Sun and Moon are honoured as bound up with the holy beings and as the good works of the one God, within a firmly monotheistic faith.
Is the sacred poetry to be freely quoted or treated lightly? No; the qewls and other sacred verse of the Yazidi faith are holy and deeply revered, the treasured sacred literature of a living faith, and they are treated with the greatest respect. In presenting Fakhradin as one of the foremost authors of the qewls, we name and honour the sacred poetry with the respect due to the holy literature of a living faith, rather than treating it as mere material. The reverence due to the holy beings such as Fakhradin and to the sacred qewls is part of understanding the Yazidi faith rightly, as the Yazidis themselves understand it.
Related Topics
The Heft Sirr: the Seven Holy Beings, of whom Fakhradin is one
Sheikh Shems: the Holy Being of the Sun, brother of Fakhradin
Ezdina Mir: the father of Fakhradin and the Shemsani sheikhs
Tawuse Melek: the Peacock Angel, chief of the holy beings
Sheikh Adi: the great saint of the Yazidi faith
Mah: the Moon divinity of the ancient Iranic tradition
Shahmaran: the sacred serpent queen of Kurdish lore
Newroz: the new-year festival of the Kurdish world
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Fakhradin in the Yazidi faith?
Fakhradin, in Kurdish Sheikh Fexredin, is one of the Seven Holy Beings of the Yazidi faith, the members of the Heft Sirr to whom God entrusted the affairs of the world. He is the personification of the Moon, counterpart of his brother Sheikh Shems the Sun, and a great author of the sacred hymns, the qewls. His earthly manifestation is honoured as one of the four sons of Ezdina Mir and the patriarch of one of the four Shemsani sheikh lineages.
Why is Fakhradin associated with the Moon?
In the Yazidi sacred vision, the great lights of the heavens are bound up with the holy beings, and Fakhradin is honoured as the personification of the Moon, while his brother Sheikh Shems is the personification of the Sun. The pairing of the two brothers as Moon and Sun beautifully expresses the Yazidi connection of the holy beings with the great lights and powers of the natural world, honoured as the good works of the one God.
What are the qewls, and what is Fakhradin's role?
The qewls are the sacred hymns of the Yazidi faith, the holy poetry, sung in the Kurdish tongue, in which the sacred knowledge of the tradition is preserved and transmitted across the generations. Fakhradin is honoured as one of the foremost authors of this sacred poetry, a great poet, philosopher, and scholar said to have composed a vast number of the qewls, of which only a portion survives due to centuries of persecution. He is a foundational figure of the sacred literature.
Who was Fakhradin's father?
Fakhradin's earthly manifestation is honoured as one of the four sons of Ezdina Mir, a prominent figure who in the tradition ruled over the Yazidis. His brothers were Sheikh Shems, Nasirdin, and Sejadin, and the four sons are honoured as the earthly manifestations of holy beings and as the patriarchs and ancestors of the four Shemsani sheikh lineages, one of the principal groupings of the sacred sheikh families of the Yazidis.
Does honouring the Sun and Moon mean Yazidis are not monotheists?
No; Yazidism is monotheistic, centred on belief in one God, the creator of all. The reverence for the Sun and Moon, personified in the holy beings Sheikh Shems and Fakhradin, is part of the Yazidi reverence for the works of the one God in the natural world and for the holy beings connected with them, not the worship of the heavens in place of God. It belongs within a firmly monotheistic faith.
Is Fakhradin part of Kurdish heritage?
Yes; Fakhradin belongs to Yazidism, one of the most ancient and distinctive religious traditions of the Kurdish people, followed chiefly by Kurmanji-speaking Yazidis. As one of the Seven Holy Beings, the Holy Being of the Moon, and a foremost author of the sacred qewls composed in the Kurdish tongue, he is a central part of the religious heritage of the Kurds. Yazidism is a living religion of great depth and antiquity, deserving to be understood accurately and with respect.
References and Further Reading
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