The Yarsani Creation Story: The Pearl, the Lord God, and the Seven Epochs
- Sherko Sabir
- 11 hours ago
- 13 min read
Introduction
The Yarsani creation story is among the most profound and beautiful of all the sacred cosmogonies of the Kurdish world: the account, held in the Yarsani faith, of how the Divine Truth, dwelling in pre-eternity within a radiant Pearl, came forth to make the world and to form the Holy Seven.
In the cosmogony of the Yarsani faith, also known as the Ahl-e Haqq, the Divine Truth dwelt in the time before time within a Pearl at the heart of the primal waters; from it came forth the Seven Holy Companions, the Haftan, and the Truth manifested as the Lord God, Khawandagar, who made the world and opened the first of the Seven Epochs of universal life.
To know the Yarsani creation story is to encounter the deep and ancient vision of the world that lies at the heart of the Yarsani faith: a world brought forth by the Divine Truth from a radiant Pearl, an ancient cosmogony of great beauty and depth, cherished by the Yarsani people and kindred to the most ancient creation-traditions of the region.
Contents
The Yarsani Vision of Creation
The Yarsani creation story is the sacred account, held in the Yarsani faith, of how the world came to be: how the Divine Truth, dwelling in pre-eternity within a radiant Pearl, brought forth the Holy Seven and came forth as the Lord God to make the world. It is a cosmogony of great depth, beauty, and antiquity, central to the Yarsani understanding of the Divine, the world, and the Holy Seven. In its essential shape, the story tells that the Divine Truth, the one Divine Essence, dwelt in the time before time, called pre-eternity, within a Pearl at the heart of the primal waters; that from the Pearl the Truth first brought forth the Seven Holy Companions, the Haftan; and that the Truth then came forth from the Pearl and manifested as the Lord God, Khawandagar, who made the world and formed, with the Holy Companions, the Holy Seven of the first age. This making was the first of the Seven Epochs of the world, the Epoch of Creation. This vision of creation, the Divine Truth, the Pearl, the bringing forth of the Holy Seven, the manifesting of the Lord God, and the making of the world, is the heart of the Yarsani cosmogony. As the sacred account of the making of the world, profound and ancient, it holds a central place in the faith and imagination of the Yarsani people.
The Divine Truth in Pre-Eternity
At the beginning of the Yarsani creation story stands the one Divine Truth, the Divine Essence, dwelling alone in pre-eternity, the time before time, the sole source of all that would come to be.
At the beginning of the Yarsani creation story, before all else, stands the one Divine Truth, the Divine Essence, known in the Yarsani faith as the Haqq, the Truth. The Yarsani faith centres on this one Divine Truth, the source and the essence of all, and it is the Truth who, in the cosmogony, dwells alone in the time before time, the state called pre-eternity, before the making of the world. In this beginning, only the Divine Truth exists, dwelling within the Pearl at the heart of the primal waters, the sole source from which all creation would flow. From this one Divine Truth comes forth, in the unfolding of the story, the Holy Seven and the made world; the whole of creation flows from the Divine Essence, which is its source and origin. This beginning, with the one Divine Truth dwelling alone in pre-eternity, is the foundation of the Yarsani creation story and a mark of the deep theology of the Yarsani faith, in which all flows from the one Divine Truth. It is from this Divine Truth, dwelling within the Pearl, that the whole beautiful story of creation unfolds. The oneness of the Divine Truth at the beginning is the foundation on which the whole cosmogony rests.
Key Takeaways
In the Yarsani creation story, the Divine Truth makes the world from a Pearl.
The Truth dwelt in pre-eternity within a Pearl at the heart of the primal waters.
From the Pearl came forth the Seven Holy Companions, the Haftan.
The Truth manifested as the Lord God, Khawandagar, who made the world.
The making of the world opened the first of the Seven Epochs (Biyabas).
The Yarsani cosmogony is kindred to the Yazidi creation story and ancient Iranic traditions.
Quick Facts
Subject: The Yarsani cosmogony, the sacred story of creation
Faith: Yarsanism, also known as the Ahl-e Haqq
The source: The Divine Truth, the Haqq, the one Divine Essence
Before creation: Pre-eternity, the time before time
The Pearl: A radiant Pearl at the heart of the primal waters
First brought forth: The Seven Holy Companions, the Haftan
The Lord God: Khawandagar, the manifestation of the Truth who made the world
The Holy Seven: The Lord God with the Holy Companions, the Seven of the first age
The Seven Epochs: The Biyabas, the ages of the world, beginning with Creation
Kindred to: The Yazidi Pearl cosmogony and ancient Iranic creation-traditions
The Pearl at the Heart of the Waters
The first and central image of the Yarsani creation story is the Pearl: the radiant jewel at the heart of the primal waters, within which the Divine Truth dwelt in pre-eternity, before the making of the world.
The first and most beautiful image of the Yarsani creation story is the Pearl. In the tradition, before the making of the world, all was covered by the primal waters, and at the heart of these waters lay a Pearl, a radiant and precious jewel; and within this Pearl dwelt the Divine Truth, the Divine Essence, in the state of pre-eternity, the time before time. The image of the Divine dwelling within a radiant Pearl at the heart of the primal waters is among the most profound and distinctive features of the Yarsani cosmogony, a vision of the Divine enclosed, in the beginning, within a jewel at the heart of the deep. From this Pearl, in the unfolding of the story, the Holy Companions are brought forth and the Lord God comes forth to make the world; the Pearl is the dwelling of the Divine in pre-eternity and the source from which creation flows. This vision of the Pearl at the heart of the waters is the radiant beginning of the Yarsani creation story and its most cherished image. It is from this Pearl that the Holy Seven and the whole world would come forth in the making.
The Lord God and the Making of the World
From the Pearl, the Divine Truth came forth and manifested as the Lord God, Khawandagar, who made the world, in the tradition forming the heavens and the earth from the very substance of the Pearl.
Central to the Yarsani creation story is the coming forth of the Divine Truth from the Pearl and its manifesting as the Lord God, Khawandagar, the title meaning the Lord God, the maker of the world. In the tradition, at the asking of the Holy Companions, the Divine Truth came forth from the Pearl and manifested itself in this primary form, the Lord God, who then proceeded to make the world. In one of the tellings of the sacred tradition, the Lord God made the world from the very substance of the Pearl, so that from it arose the heavens, the stars, and the clouds, and from it was formed the earth, the world taking shape from the radiant jewel in which the Divine had dwelt. And at the asking of the Holy Companions, the Lord God formed the first man from clay, giving rise to humankind. Thus the world and its first people were made by the Lord God, the manifestation of the Divine Truth, from the beginning enclosed within the Pearl. This making of the world by the Lord God, come forth from the Pearl, is the great central act of the Yarsani creation story. It reflects the Yarsani vision of creation as the work of the Divine Truth, made manifest as the Lord God. It is in this making that the world as we know it comes to be.
The Holy Seven and the Seven Epochs
In the making of the world, the Divine Truth formed the Holy Seven, the Lord God together with the Seven Holy Companions, and opened the first of the Seven Epochs of the world, each marked by a manifestation of the Divine.
Central to the Yarsani creation story is the forming of the Holy Seven and the opening of the Seven Epochs of the world. In the making, the Divine Truth, having come forth as the Lord God, formed the Holy Seven of the first age, the Lord God together with the Seven Holy Companions, the Haftan, who were brought forth from the Pearl; these are the holy beings of the first age, gathered about the Lord God. This first making was the first of the Seven Epochs of the world, the great ages of universal life, of which the first is the Epoch of Creation, the Genesis of the world. In the Yarsani understanding, the Divine Truth manifests itself anew in each of the Seven Epochs, coming forth in a primary manifestation and gathering about it the holy beings of that age, a profound vision of the Divine working through the ages of the world, of which more is told in the account of the divine manifestations of the faith. The forming of the Holy Seven and the opening of the Seven Epochs are at the heart of the Yarsani vision of the made and unfolding world. It is through them that the Divine Truth works in the world across the ages.
A Kindred and Ancient Cosmogony
The Yarsani creation story is of great antiquity, sharing its essential shape, the Pearl and the making of the world, with the Yazidi creation story and with the most ancient creation-traditions of the Iranic world.
The Yarsani creation story is not only profound but very ancient, reaching back, in its roots, to the most ancient creation-traditions of the region. Scholars note that the Yarsani cosmogony, with its Pearl, its Divine dwelling within it in pre-eternity, and its making of the world, shares its essential shape with the creation-story of the Yazidi faith, the other great native faith of the Kurdish world, whose cosmogony likewise centres on a Pearl in which the world lay enclosed before its making; and that both reach back toward the ancient pre-Zoroastrian and Iranic creation-traditions, kindred to the ancient vision of the world brought forth and set in order by the wise creator, of whom the great Ahura Mazda is the most renowned. This deep antiquity and this kinship with the Yazidi and ancient Iranic cosmogonies reflect the roots of the Yarsani faith in the most ancient spiritual traditions of the region, of which it preserves, in its creation-story, a precious and living form. The Yarsani creation story is thus a window into the most ancient creation-traditions of the Kurdish and Iranic world. Its antiquity and its kinship with the wider traditions are among the features that make it so precious.
Meaning and Significance
The Yarsani creation story embodies the deep and beautiful vision of the world that lies at the heart of the Yarsani faith: a world brought forth by the Divine Truth from a radiant Pearl, through the Lord God and the Holy Seven, an ancient cosmogony of beauty, depth, and divine working through the ages. It embodies, too, the profound theology of the Yarsani faith, centred on the one Divine Truth that manifests itself in the world across the Seven Epochs, a vision more fully told in the accounts of the divine manifestations and the soul's journey through the ages, the Dunaduni. The creation story is preserved, with the whole sacred tradition of the Yarsani, in their sacred poetry, named not here quoted, the treasured oral and written heritage of the faith. In all this, the Yarsani creation story is among the most profound and significant of the sacred cosmogonies of the Kurdish world, the tale of the Pearl and the making of the world, a vision of creation cherished by the Yarsani people and rooted in the most ancient traditions of the region.
The Creation Story and the Kurds
The Yarsani creation story is the sacred cosmogony of the Yarsani faith, one of the ancient native religions of the Kurdish world, and it forms a precious part of the spiritual heritage of the Kurdish people.
The Yarsani creation story belongs to the Yarsani faith, the Ahl-e Haqq, one of the ancient and distinctive native religions of the Kurdish world, founded in its present form by the Kurdish mystic Sultan Sahak, and professed by the Yarsani people, many of them Kurds. It forms a precious part of the rich spiritual heritage of the Kurdish world. In this profound cosmogony, the Yarsani have preserved an ancient vision of the making of the world, the Pearl, the Divine Truth, the Lord God, and the Holy Seven, that reaches back toward the most ancient creation-traditions of the region and stands kindred to the Yazidi cosmogony. In presenting the Yarsani creation story, we honour the Yarsani faith as a living and profound religion, presenting its sacred cosmogony faithfully and with respect. It is a precious part of the spiritual heritage of the Kurdish world, reflecting the depth, beauty, and antiquity of the Yarsani faith and its vision of creation. We honour it as a beautiful and beloved part of the living faith of the Yarsani people and as one of the great sacred narratives of the Kurdish world.
Debates and Misconceptions
Is the Yarsani faith a form of Islam? This is debated, and we present it honestly. Yarsanism, the Ahl-e Haqq, is regarded by many scholars and by many of the Yarsani themselves as a distinct religion with ancient, partly pre-Islamic roots, though it arose in an Islamic milieu and shares some vocabulary and figures with Islamic mysticism; others regard it as a heterodox tradition with strong Islamic components. The Yarsani creation story, with its Pearl, its Divine Truth, and its Seven Epochs, reflects the distinctive and ancient character of the faith, kindred to the Yazidi cosmogony and to ancient Iranic traditions rather than to the creation-account of Islam. The honest framing is to present Yarsanism as a distinct faith with ancient roots, as many scholars and Yarsani hold.
Does the Yarsani creation story describe many gods? No. The Yarsani faith centres on the one Divine Truth, the Haqq, the one Divine Essence, the source of all. The Lord God, Khawandagar, and the manifestations of later epochs are understood as manifestations of the one Divine Truth, not as separate gods, and the Holy Companions are holy beings brought forth by the Truth, not rival deities. The vision is of the one Divine Truth working in the world through its manifestations across the Seven Epochs, a profound theology more fully told in the account of the divine manifestations, rather than a belief in many gods.
Is the burning of the Pearl a strange or troubling image? Not within the tradition. The image of the Lord God making the world from the substance of the Pearl, so that from it arise the heavens and the earth, is a beautiful and profound vision of the world taking shape from the radiant jewel in which the Divine had dwelt, akin to the opening and remaking of the world from the Pearl in the kindred Yazidi cosmogony. It is best understood as a sacred image of creation, the world brought forth from the very dwelling of the Divine, rather than anything troubling. The image reflects the depth and beauty of the Yarsani vision of creation.
Related Topics
The Haftan: the Seven Holy Companions brought forth from the Pearl
Sultan Sahak: the Kurdish mystic who founded the Yarsani faith
The Divine Manifestations: the manifestations of the Truth across the epochs
Dunaduni: the Yarsani doctrine of the soul's journey
The Kalam-e Saranjam: the sacred poetry of the Yarsani faith
The Yazidi Creation Story: the kindred Pearl cosmogony of the Yazidis
Ahura Mazda: the wise creator of the ancient Iranic faith
Newroz: the festival of renewal of the Kurdish world
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Yarsani creation story?
The Yarsani creation story is the sacred account, in the Yarsani faith, of how the world came to be: how the Divine Truth, dwelling in pre-eternity within a radiant Pearl at the heart of the primal waters, first brought forth the Seven Holy Companions, then came forth and manifested as the Lord God Khawandagar, who made the world and formed the Holy Seven, opening the first of the Seven Epochs of the world.
What is the Pearl in the Yarsani creation story?
The Pearl is the radiant jewel at the heart of the primal waters within which the Divine Truth dwelt in pre-eternity, before the making of the world. From the Pearl the Holy Companions were brought forth and the Lord God came forth to make the world, in one telling forming the heavens and the earth from the very substance of the Pearl. The image of the Divine dwelling within a Pearl is among the most profound and distinctive features of the Yarsani cosmogony.
Who is Khawandagar?
Khawandagar, a title meaning the Lord God, is the primary manifestation of the Divine Truth in the Yarsani creation story: the form in which the Truth came forth from the Pearl to make the world. In the tradition, at the asking of the Holy Companions, the Divine Truth manifested as the Lord God, who then made the world and formed the first man from clay. He is understood as a manifestation of the one Divine Truth, not as a separate god.
What are the Seven Epochs?
The Seven Epochs, the Biyabas, are the great ages of universal life in the Yarsani vision of the world, of which the first is the Epoch of Creation, the Genesis of the world. In the Yarsani understanding, the Divine Truth manifests itself anew in each epoch, coming forth in a primary manifestation and gathering about it the holy beings of that age. The making of the world opened the first of these Seven Epochs.
Is the Yarsani creation story like the Yazidi one?
Yes. Scholars note that the Yarsani cosmogony shares its essential shape with the Yazidi creation story, both centring on a Pearl in which the Divine or the world is enclosed before the making of the world, and both reaching back toward the most ancient pre-Zoroastrian and Iranic creation-traditions. This kinship reflects the shared ancient roots of the native faiths of the Kurdish world rather than any borrowing that would lessen the distinctiveness of either.
Is the Yarsani faith Kurdish?
The Yarsani faith, the Ahl-e Haqq, is one of the ancient and distinctive native religions of the Kurdish world, founded in its present form by the Kurdish mystic Sultan Sahak, with its sacred poetry in the Gorani Kurdish tongue, and professed by the Yarsani people, many of them Kurds, in Iran and Iraq. Its creation story forms a precious part of the rich spiritual heritage of the Kurdish world.
References and Further Reading
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