Pir Benyamin
Yarsani · deity · Yarsani traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Pir Benyamin stands at the head of the Haftan, the seven holy companions who attend the central manifestation of God in Yarsani belief. He is identified with the archangel Gabriel and is honoured as the Pir of the highest rank, the master appointed by Soltan Sahak to bear responsibility for the oath of allegiance and for the inner teaching of the faith. In Yarsani cosmogony Benyamin is also associated with the primordial covenants by which the order of the world and the community of the faithful were established. The lineage that traces its spiritual descent from him forms one of the foundational houses of the Ahl-e Haqq.
Domains
- spiritual guidance
- oaths and covenant
Powers
- to guide and bind the faithful through the sworn oath of allegiance
Epithets
- PirMir-Hosseini, Ziba. "Faith, Ritual and Culture among the Ahl-e Haqq." In Kurdish Culture and Identity. London: Zed Books, 1996. (secondary)
Relations
- subordinate to: Soltan SahakBenyamin is the chief of the holy companions who attend and serve the central manifestation Soltan Sahak.Kreyenbroek, Philip G. & Yiannis Kanakis. "God First and Last", Vol. I. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2024. (secondary)
- companion: Soltan SahakForemost of the seven holy companions (Haftan) of Soltan Sahak.Kreyenbroek, Philip G. & Yiannis Kanakis. "God First and Last", Vol. I. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2024. (secondary)
- companion: Pir DawudIn a celebrated narrative Benyamin sails in the guise of a dervish on a ship caught in a storm, and his fellow companion Dawud, rider of the winds, calms the waves to save him; the two are repeatedly named together among the heptad.Encyclopaedia Iranica, s.v. "Ahl-e Ḥaqq." (secondary)
- companion: Pir MusiBenyamin, Dawud and Musi form the triad of companions most frequently named together in the sung Gurani poems of the dispensation of Soltan Sahak.Hamzeh'ee, M. Reza. The Yaresan. Berlin: Klaus Schwarz Verlag, 1990. (secondary)
Sources
- Pir Benyamin is the foremost of the Haftan, the heptad of holy companions of Soltan Sahak; identified with the archangel Gabriel, he is the supreme Pir and guide of oaths and theology of the Yarsani faith.: Kreyenbroek, Philip G. & Yiannis Kanakis. "God First and Last": Religious Traditions and Music of the Yaresan of Guran. Volume I: Religious Traditions. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2024. (secondary); Encyclopaedia Iranica, s.v. "Ahl-e Ḥaqq." (secondary)