Sheikh Sherfedin: The Yazidi Saint of Sinjar

Introduction

Sheikh Sherfedin is one of the great holy figures of the Yazidi faith: Sharaf ad-Din ibn al-Hasan, the son and religious heir of the great Sheikh Hasan, a leader who defended and renewed his people in a time of trial, especially revered in the Sinjar region, where his great temple is honoured as one of the holiest of all Yazidi sites.

In the Yazidi tradition, Sheikh Sherfedin, in Kurdish Şerfedîn, was a leader of the community in the 13th century, the son and heir of Sheikh Hasan, who led his people in a time of great hardship and is remembered as a defender of the faith. In sacred tradition he is awaited too as a figure of hope, and his temple on Mount Sinjar is a heart of Yazidi devotion.

To know Sheikh Sherfedin is to encounter the way the Yazidi faith honours its leaders and defenders as holy figures, and the deep bond between the community, especially of Sinjar, and the saint whose great temple is among the holiest of their sacred places.

Who Is Sheikh Sherfedin?

His Name and Lineage

Key Takeaways

Quick Facts

Son and Heir of Sheikh Hasan

Leader in a Time of Trial

The Saint of Sinjar and His Temple

Awaited as a Figure of Hope

Meaning and Significance

Sheikh Sherfedin and the Kurds

Debates and Misconceptions

Who Is Sheikh Sherfedin?

Sheikh Sherfedin, in full Sharaf ad-Din ibn al-Hasan and in Kurdish Şerfedîn, was a holy figure and leader of the Yazidi faith in the 13th century, the son and religious heir of the great Sheikh Hasan, the Master of the Pen. Upon the death of his father, Sherfedin became the head of the community and its religious order, leading his people in a time of great hardship and persecution, and he is remembered as a defender of the faith who, for a time, recovered and renewed the fortunes of his people. He died in the troubles of that age, amid the upheavals that befell the region. He is especially revered in the Sinjar region, where his great temple, the Sharfadin temple, stands as one of the oldest and holiest of all Yazidi sites, a heart of pilgrimage and devotion. In sacred tradition, expressed in a hymn devoted to him, Sherfedin is awaited as a figure of hope who will appear at the end of time. As the son and heir of a great holy figure, a defender of his people, and the saint of the holy temple of Sinjar, Sheikh Sherfedin holds a high and beloved place among the holy figures of the Yazidi faith.

His Name and Lineage

Sheikh Sherfedin, Şerfedîn, bears a name of honour and belongs to the inmost holy lineage of the Yazidi faith, as the son of Sheikh Hasan and the grandson of the line of Sheikh Adi.

The name Sherfedin is the Kurdish form of Sharaf ad-Din, a name of honour and dignity. His lineage is among the very highest of the Yazidi faith: he is the son of Sheikh Hasan, the Master of the Pen and one of the great holy figures, and thus a descendant of the line of Sheikh Adi, the great reformer of the Yazidi faith. As the son and religious heir of Sheikh Hasan, Sherfedin inherited the leadership of the community and its religious order, the head of the holy family in his generation. His own son, Zayn ad-Din, is also remembered in the tradition, though in the troubles of the age the leadership passed to Sherfedin's uncle, the great Sheikh Fakhradin. To belong to this lineage is to stand at the very heart of the Yazidi holy families, the line of Sheikh Adi and Sheikh Hasan. The name and lineage of Sherfedin thus mark him as a holy figure of the highest standing, the son and heir of a great holy figure and a leader of the community. To know his name and lineage is to know his standing, the honoured son and heir of the great Sheikh Hasan.

Key Takeaways

Sheikh Sherfedin (Sharaf ad-Din) is a great holy figure of the Yazidi faith.
He was the son and religious heir of the great Sheikh Hasan.
He led the community in a time of great hardship in the 13th century.
He is especially revered in the Sinjar region of the Yazidi homeland.
His great temple at Sinjar is one of the oldest and holiest Yazidi sites.
In sacred tradition, he is awaited as a figure of hope at the end of time.

Quick Facts

Name: Sheikh Sherfedin (Sharaf ad-Din ibn al-Hasan; Şerfedîn)
Venerated in: Yazidism
Father: Sheikh Hasan, the Master of the Pen
Lineage: The holy line of Sheikh Adi
Role: Religious heir and leader of the community
Era: The 13th century
Especially revered in: The Sinjar region
His temple: The Sharfadin temple, among the holiest Yazidi sites
In sacred tradition: Awaited as a figure of hope at the end of time
Heritage: A great holy figure of the Yazidi faith

Son and Heir of Sheikh Hasan

Sheikh Sherfedin was the son and religious heir of the great Sheikh Hasan, the Master of the Pen, and upon his father's death he became the head of the community and its religious order.

Among the highest honours of Sheikh Sherfedin is his place as the son and religious heir of Sheikh Hasan, one of the greatest of the Yazidi holy figures, the Master of the Pen, honoured as an earthly incarnation of one of the Seven Holy Beings and the patriarch of the Adani Sheikhs. Upon the death of his father, in the terrible events of that age, Sherfedin inherited the leadership of the community and the headship of its religious order, becoming the leader of his people in a time of the gravest trial. To be the son and heir of Sheikh Hasan is to stand at the very heart of the Yazidi holy families and to bear the leadership of the community in succession to one of its greatest figures. This place as the son and heir of Sheikh Hasan is the foundation of Sherfedin's standing, marking him as a holy figure of the highest lineage and the leader of his people in his generation. It is as the son and heir of Sheikh Hasan, inheriting the leadership of the community, that Sheikh Sherfedin first holds his honoured place in the Yazidi faith.

Leader in a Time of Trial

Sheikh Sherfedin led his people in a time of great hardship and persecution, and is remembered as a defender of the faith who, for a time, recovered and renewed the fortunes of his community before himself dying in the troubles of the age.

The age in which Sheikh Sherfedin led his people was one of great hardship and danger for the Yazidi community. His father Sheikh Hasan had met his death in a time of persecution, and the community faced grave trials, both from local powers and from the upheavals that swept the wider region in that century. Yet Sherfedin is remembered as a defender of his people who, for a time, recovered and renewed their fortunes, restoring Yazidi strength and control in parts of the homeland and leading the community through its trials. In the end, he too died in the troubles of that age, amid the great upheavals that befell the region, and the leadership passed to his uncle, the great Sheikh Fakhradin. The memory of Sherfedin as a leader and defender in a time of trial, who renewed his people's fortunes before his death, is a central part of his honour, marking him as a figure of strength, devotion, and sacrifice in the service of his community and faith. We recount the hardships and the death of this age soberly, honouring the devotion and the dignity of a leader who served and defended his people in a time of great trial. It is as a leader and defender in a time of trial that Sheikh Sherfedin is honoured in the memory of the Yazidi community.

The Saint of Sinjar and His Temple

Sheikh Sherfedin is especially revered in the Sinjar region of the Yazidi homeland, where his great temple, the Sharfadin temple, stands as one of the oldest and holiest of all Yazidi sites.

Sheikh Sherfedin is especially revered in the Sinjar region, the great mountain heartland of the Yazidi people, where he is honoured as a patron and holy figure of the community; in tradition, he is connected with the bringing of the faith and the strengthening of the Yazidi community in that region. His great temple, the Sharfadin temple, stands in the Sinjar region and is honoured by the Yazidis as one of the oldest and holiest of all their sacred sites, indeed as one of the holiest places on earth; built of pale stone, crowned with the fluted cones characteristic of Yazidi sacred architecture, tipped with golden spheres and the crescent reaching to the sky, it is a place of deep pilgrimage and devotion. The temple, and the veneration of Sherfedin, are a heart of the religious life of the Yazidis of Sinjar, the holy place to which the people turn in devotion. In the recent years of great suffering for the Yazidi people of Sinjar, the temple was a place of refuge and of devotion amid the tragedy, and the community has held fast to it through their trials. This role as the saint of Sinjar and the holy figure of its great temple is among the most important aspects of Sheikh Sherfedin, binding him to the heartland of the Yazidi people and to one of the holiest of their sacred places. It is as the saint of Sinjar and the holy figure of the Sharfadin temple that Sheikh Sherfedin is most deeply revered in the Yazidi community.

Awaited as a Figure of Hope

In the sacred tradition of the Yazidi faith, expressed in a hymn devoted to him, Sheikh Sherfedin is awaited as a figure of hope who, in sacred tradition, will appear at the end of time.

Beyond his memory as a leader and defender, Sheikh Sherfedin holds a special place in the sacred tradition of the Yazidi faith, for he is awaited as a figure of hope at the end of time. In the Yazidi sacred hymns, the qewls, there is a hymn devoted to Sherfedin, the Qewlê Şerfedîn, in which he is given a role as an awaited figure of deliverance and hope; in the sacred tradition, he is understood to be present in a hidden way, awaiting the appointed time, and to appear at the end of days as a figure of hope and renewal for the faithful. This awaited and hopeful role gives Sherfedin a place not only in the memory of the past but in the hope of the future, a holy figure of deliverance awaited by the faithful, a vision of hope and renewal at the end of time. Such hope for an awaited figure of deliverance is a feature of the sacred traditions of many faiths, and in the Yazidi tradition it is bound up with the beloved figure of Sherfedin. We name the sacred hymn and its hope without reproducing its words, honouring the sacred tradition. This role as an awaited figure of hope is among the most distinctive and beautiful aspects of Sheikh Sherfedin, marking him as a holy figure of both memory and hope, of the past and the awaited future, in the Yazidi faith.

Meaning and Significance

Sheikh Sherfedin embodies, above all, the way the Yazidi faith honours its leaders and defenders as holy figures, and the deep bond between the community, especially of Sinjar, and the saint of their great temple. As a leader in a time of trial, he represents devotion, strength, and sacrifice in the service of the faith.

Sheikh Sherfedin embodies, too, the hope of deliverance and renewal, in his sacred role as an awaited figure at the end of time, and the endurance of the Yazidi people, in the holding fast to his temple and his memory through ages of trial. In this, he represents both the memory of the past and the hope of the future. In all this, Sheikh Sherfedin is among the great holy figures of the Yazidi faith, embodying the honour of the leaders and defenders, the holiness of the great temple of Sinjar, and the hope of deliverance and renewal. He is the son and heir of the great Sheikh Hasan, a leader and defender of his people, the saint of Sinjar, and an awaited figure of hope, one of the great figures of the faith, honoured alongside the holy beings of the Heft Sirr led by Tawuse Melek. The vision of devotion, endurance, and hope that he embodies is among the profound features of the Yazidi faith.

Sheikh Sherfedin and the Kurds

The Yazidi faith is one of the ancient indigenous religious traditions of the Kurdish people, and its holy figures, including the great Sheikh Sherfedin, are part of the rich and distinctive religious and historical heritage of the Kurds, especially of the Yazidi Kurdish community, above all of the Sinjar region for whom Sherfedin is a beloved patron and holy figure. The memory of Sherfedin as a leader and defender of his people in a time of trial, and the hope of deliverance and renewal bound up with his awaited figure, are of deep resonance in a community that has known great suffering and has held fast to its faith and its hope through ages of hardship, including in the recent tragedy that befell the Yazidis of Sinjar. The great temple of Sherfedin in Sinjar stands as a testament to the long presence and the enduring devotion of the Yazidi people in their land. For the Yazidi Kurds, Sherfedin is a living and beloved holy figure, a defender and a hope. In presenting Sheikh Sherfedin, we honour a great holy figure of the Yazidi faith, part of the distinctive heritage of the Kurdish people, a leader and defender, the saint of Sinjar, and an awaited figure of hope, whose veneration endures as a living devotion in the Yazidi community to this day.

Debates and Misconceptions

Is Sheikh Sherfedin a purely legendary figure or a historical one? He is both a historical and a holy figure. Historically, Sharaf ad-Din ibn al-Hasan was a real leader of the Yazidi community in the 13th century, the son and heir of Sheikh Hasan, who led his people in a time of great trial and died in the upheavals of that age. In the sacred tradition, he is also a holy figure, revered as the saint of Sinjar and awaited as a figure of hope at the end of time. As with many revered holy figures, history and sacred tradition are woven together in his memory. The honest position is to honour both: the remembered historical leader and the beloved saint and awaited figure of sacred devotion.

Does the veneration of Sherfedin and the Yazidi saints make the faith polytheistic? No. This is an important point, for the Yazidi faith has long been gravely misunderstood and misrepresented. Yazidism is a monotheistic faith, centred on belief in one God, the creator of all things. The holy figures such as Sherfedin, and the great Holy Beings of the Heft Sirr led by Tawuse Melek, are not rival gods but holy figures through whom the one God's care and guidance are expressed, honoured within a faith centred on the one God. It is important to understand the Yazidi faith accurately as the monotheistic tradition it is, setting aside the misrepresentations long directed at it.

What is the significance of the awaited role of Sherfedin? The role of Sherfedin as an awaited figure of hope, present in a hidden way and to appear at the end of time, is best understood as a sacred tradition expressing the hope of deliverance and renewal, as found in the awaited-deliverer traditions of many faiths. It is a vision of hope and renewal, bound up with the beloved figure of Sherfedin, rather than a literal prediction, and is honoured as a sacred tradition of the Yazidi faith.

Sheikh Hasan: the Master of the Pen, father of Sherfedin
Sheikh Adi: the great reformer of the Yazidi faith at Lalish
Sheikh Fakhradin: his uncle and successor, author of the hymns
Pir Mam Rashan: the Lord of the Rains, a fellow saint of Sinjar
Sheikh Shems: the holy being of the Sun
Sheikh Mend: the guardian of the sacred serpent
The Heft Sirr: the Seven Holy Beings of the Yazidi faith
Tawuse Melek: the Peacock Angel, leader of the Holy Beings

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Sheikh Sherfedin in the Yazidi faith?

Sheikh Sherfedin, in full Sharaf ad-Din ibn al-Hasan, was a holy figure and leader of the Yazidi faith in the 13th century, the son and religious heir of the great Sheikh Hasan. He led his people in a time of great hardship and is remembered as a defender of the faith. He is especially revered in the Sinjar region, where his great temple is one of the holiest Yazidi sites, and in sacred tradition he is awaited as a figure of hope at the end of time.

Whose son was Sheikh Sherfedin?

Sheikh Sherfedin was the son and religious heir of Sheikh Hasan, the Master of the Pen, one of the greatest of the Yazidi holy figures and the patriarch of the Adani Sheikhs. He was thus a descendant of the holy line of Sheikh Adi, the great reformer of the faith. Upon his father's death, Sherfedin inherited the leadership of the community and the headship of its religious order.

Why is Sheikh Sherfedin important to Sinjar?

Sheikh Sherfedin is especially revered in the Sinjar region, the great mountain heartland of the Yazidi people, where he is honoured as a patron and holy figure. His great temple, the Sharfadin temple, stands in the Sinjar region and is honoured as one of the oldest and holiest of all Yazidi sites, a heart of pilgrimage and devotion for the Yazidis of Sinjar, to which the people hold fast through their trials.

Why is Sheikh Sherfedin awaited as a figure of hope?

In the Yazidi sacred hymns, the qewls, there is a hymn devoted to Sherfedin in which he is given a role as an awaited figure of deliverance and hope. In the sacred tradition, he is understood to be present in a hidden way, awaiting the appointed time, and to appear at the end of days as a figure of hope and renewal for the faithful. Such hope for an awaited deliverer is found in the sacred traditions of many faiths.

Is the veneration of Sheikh Sherfedin polytheism?

No. Yazidism is a monotheistic faith centred on belief in one God. The holy figures such as Sherfedin, and the great Holy Beings, are not rival gods but holy figures through whom the one God's care and guidance are expressed, honoured within a faith centred on the one God. It is important to understand the Yazidi faith accurately as the monotheistic tradition it is, setting aside the misrepresentations long directed at it.

How is Sheikh Sherfedin related to the Kurds?

Sheikh Sherfedin is a holy figure of the Yazidi faith, one of the ancient indigenous religious traditions of the Kurdish people, and he is part of the rich religious and historical heritage of the Kurds, especially of the Yazidi Kurdish community of Sinjar for whom he is a beloved patron. His memory as a leader and defender, and the hope bound up with his awaited figure, are of deep resonance in a community that has held fast to its faith and hope through ages of hardship.