Ibn al-Nadim
The Fihrist 9.1
987 CE
translated by Jason Colavito
2025
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NOTE |
Very little survives of the texts and doctrine of the Manichaean sect, which was once a major world religion spreading from the Roman Empire to China. The faith's dualistic cosmos and elaborate mythology, promulgated by Mani in the third century, drew on ancient stories including the Fall of the Watchers from the Book of Enoch (especially for his Book of Giants) and elements from Greek mythology, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and other faiths, which Mani sought to synthesize and surpass. One of the longest surviving accounts of Mani's beliefs, including extensive quotations from Mani's texts, occurred in Ibn al-Nadim's compendium of material from more than 10,000 books and 2,000 authors, the Fihrist, written shortly before his death in 988 CE. The section on Manichaeanism is among the most important historical sources for the subject, another being the excerpts compiled by Theodore bar Konai. Gustav Flügel translated the chapter of the Fihrist on Mani into German in 1862. It was not placed into English until Bayard Dodge published a translation of the complete Fihirst in 1970. As this is still under copyright, I provide here a translation from Flügel, which I have followed as closely as I could except where the text is obviously in error, in which cases I have amended the translation following Dodge. In a few locations, I have placed Dodge's reading in brackets where both he and Flügel offer translations Dodge says are equally probable. Ellipses indicate lacunae in the manuscripts of the Fihrist.
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CHAPTER NINE
Section 1
The Doctrines of the Manichaeans
Muhammad ibn Ishaq [al-Nadim] says: Mānī, the son of Futtuq Babak ibn Abu Barzâm, descended from the clan of Hashkanîya. His mother's name was Mays or, according to others, Ûtâkhîm or Marmaryam from the clan of Ashghânîya. Mānī, it is said, was native to Qunna, specifically the region bordering Badarayâ and Bâkusaya, and suffered from a twisted foot. His father, it is said, traced his origins back to Hamadhân. From there he went to Babylonia and usually stayed in al-Madâ’in in the part of the city called Taysifûn (Ctesiphon). There stands the temple of idols which Futtuq used to visit, as did the other inhabitants. One day a voice called to him from the innermost sanctuary of the temple of idols: “O Futtuq, eat no meat, drink no wine, and keep away from women!” For three days in a row this call sounded repeatedly. After Futtuq had thought about it, he associated with people who lived in the area around Dastumisân and are known by the name Mughtasilah. Remnants of them can still be found in this district, as well as in the marshy areas, down to this time. They professed the doctrine which Futtuq had been instructed to accept.
After his wife, who became pregnant with Mānī, gave birth to him, they claim she had beautiful dreams about him and, while awake, saw a vision, as if someone had taken him, carried him into the air, and then brought him back. Sometimes he would stay away for a day or two, before he brought him back.
Later, his father left and took him to a place where he had relatives who were also his co-religionists. Despite his childish age, Mānī spoke wise words, and when he had completed his 12th year, he received, according to his own words, inspiration from the King of the Gardens of Light, who, according to his own expression, is God the Exalted. The angel who brought him these inspirations was called at-Tawm, which in Nabataean means companion. He said to him: “Leave this community of faith. You do not belong to its followers; upon you are visited moral purity and the suppression of desires. However, because of your youth, it is not yet time for you to appear openly.” When he had completed his 24th year, the angel at-Tawm came to him again and said: “The time has now come for you to appear publicly and to proclaim your own teaching loudly.”
The words that the angel at-Taum addressed to him were as follows:
“Greetings, Mānī, from me and from the Lord, who sent me to you and chose you for his mission. He commands you, however, to invite others to your teaching, and to proclaim the joyful promise of the truth that comes from him, and to devote all your zeal to it.”
Mānī, the Manichaeans tell us, appeared publicly on the day on which Shapur, the son of Ardashir, came to power and the crown was placed on his head. It was a Sunday, the first day of Nisan (April), while the sun was in Aries, accompanied by two men who followed him and were followers of his doctrine, one named Sham‘ûn (Simeon), the other named Dhakwa. His father also accompanied him to see how his new doctrine would be received.
Muhammad ibn Ishaq reports: Mānī appeared in the second year of the reign of the Roman Gallus, about a hundred years after Marcion had appeared before him during the reign of Titus Antoninus, namely in the first year of his reign, and Ibn Daysan (Bardesanes) about thiry years after Marcion. Ibn Daysan, however, received his name from being born on a river called Daysan.
Mānī claimed to be the Paraclete, whom Jesus, (peace be upon him!), had proclaimed as good news. He derived his teachings from the Magi and the Christians, and the script in which the (Manichaean) religious books were written is also borrowed from Syriac and Persian.
Before Mānī had his meeting with Shapur, he traveled through the lands for about forty years and, upon his return, invited Fîrûz, the brother of Shapur ibn Ardashir, to accept his teachings. Firûz also arranged for Mānī to be introduced to his brother Shapur. And, the Manichaeans add, he entered with two lamps of light shining on his shoulders. When Shapur saw him, he showed him great respect, and Mānī grew in esteem in his eyes, even though at first Shapur had wished to seize him and kill him. But when he faced him, he was overtaken with awe and was pleased with him, asking him what he had brought him. He even promised to convert to him. Mānī asked him for many things, among other things that his disciples should be respected in Persia and all the other countries of his empire, and that they should be able to go wherever they wished. Shapur granted him everything he asked for. Mānī had also already called on the Indians, Chinese, and the inhabitants of Khurâsân to accept his teachings and had left one of his disciples in each district.
Report on What Mānī Taught and His Sayings about the Nature of the Eternal, Whose Name be Blessed and Praised; about the Structure of the World; and about the Struggles between Light and Darkness.
Mānī teaches: “The beginning of the world consists of two beings, one light, the other darkness; both are separated from each other. But the light is the first great one, not limited by any number, God himself, the King of the Gardens of Light. He has five realms, gentleness, knowledge, understanding, mystery, insight, and five other spiritual qualities: love, faith, loyalty, nobility, and wisdom. He further claimed that the Light, with these attributes, is without beginning, but that with him exist two co-beginningless things: one is the air (light-ether), the other the earth. Mānī adds: “And the worlds of the air are five: forbearance, knowledge, understanding, discernment, insight; and the members of the earth: the gentle breath of air, wind, light, water, and fire. The other being is Darkness, and its members are five: fog, fire, fiery wind, poison, and darkness.”
Mānī teaches: “That Light being borders directly on the Dark being) without a partition between the two; the Light touches the Darkness with its (lowest) side, while it is unlimited above, to the right, and to the left. Likewise, Darkness is endless downwards, to the right, and to the left.
Mānī further teaches: “From this dark earth, Satan arose, not in such a way that he was eternal in and of himself from the beginning, but his substances in his elements were without beginning. These substances then united from his elements and emerged as Satan, his head like the head of a lion, his body like the body of a dragon, his wings like the wings of a bird, his tail like the tail of a large fish, and his four feet like the feet of a beast of burden. When this Satan, under the name Iblis, the Eternal in Time (the Ancient Devil), emerged from the Darkness, he devoured and consumed all, spread corruption to the right and to the left, and descended into the depths, bringing destruction and annihilation from above with all these movements. Then he aspired to the heights and perceived the radiances of Light; but they were repugnant to him. When he later saw how these rose, he was horrified, crept into himself, and united with his elements. Then he strove again with such force towards the heights that the World of Light perceived the deeds of Satan and how he plotted murder and destruction. After they had received news of this, the World of Insight learned of it, then the World of Knowledge, then the World of Mystery, then the World of Understanding, then the World of Forbearance.”
“When at last,” he further teaches, “the King of the Gardens of Light also learned of it, he plotted his subjugation, and,” he adds, “those hosts of his were powerful enough to overcome him, but he wished to accomplish it by his own power. He therefore created with the spirit of his right hand, his five worlds, and his twelve elements, a creature, and that is the (in time) eternal man (Primordial Man), and called him to fight the Darkness.” But, says Mānī further, “the Primordial Man armed himself with the five principles, and these are the five gods, the gentle breath of air, the wind, the light, the water, and the fire. He made them his armor, and the first thing he put on was the gentle breath of air. He then wrapped the sublime gentle breath of air with the burning light like a cloak, put on the water filled with dust over the light, and covered himself with the blowing wind. Then he took fire in his hand as a shield and as a lance and quickly threw himself down from the Gardens until he reached the brink of the area that borders the battlefield.
The Ancient Devil also took his five species, namely, smoke, fire, darkness, the glowing wind, and fog, armed himself with them, made them a shield for himself, and confronted Primordial Man. After they had fought with each other for a long time, the Ancient Devil triumphed over primordial man, devoured him with his light, and at the same time surrounded him with his species and his elements. Then the King of the Gardens of Light followed him with other gods, freed him, and conquered the darkness. It is said that the one with whom the King of Light sent after the Primordial Man was the Friend of the Lights. He descended, and the primordial man was freed from the hellish substances along with what he had seized and hidden from himself from the spirits of darkness.”
“Then,” continues Mānī,” Joy and the Spirit of Life made their way to the border, looked down into the abyss of this deep hell, and saw the Primordial Man and the angels surrounded by Iblis, the arrogant oppressors, and the evil life. And,” says Mānī, “the Spirit of Life called to the Primordial Man with a loud voice as swift as lightning, and the Primordial Man became another god.”
“When the Ancient Devil,” Mānī further teaches, “had ensnared Primordial Man in battle, the five parts of light mingled with the five parts of darkness. The smoke mingled with the gentle breath of air), and from this comes the (present) breath of air, so that what is found in it of pleasantness and refreshment for the soul and animal life comes from the gentle breath of air, and what is found in it of pernicious and harmful things comes from the smoke. The burning mingled with the fire, so what is found in it of burning, destruction, and destruction comes from the burning, but what is found in it of illumination and light comes from the fire. The light mingled with the darkness. Therefore, whatever is found in of these thick bodies, such as gold and silver and the like, and further whatever is found in it of clarity, beauty, purity, and other usefulness, comes from the light, and whatever is found in it of dirt, impurity, thickness, and hardness comes from the darkness. The glowing wind mingled with the wind. Whatever is found in it of benefit and pleasantness comes from the wind, and whatever is found in it of anxiety, injury, and harm comes from the glowing wind. Finally, the mist mingled with the water, so that whatever is found in it of clarity, sweetness, and that which is pleasing to the soul comes from the water, while whatever is found in it of submerging, suffocating, and destructive power, of heaviness and corruption, comes from the mist.”
“When,” Mānī continues, “the five dark principles were mixed with the five light principles, the Primordial Man descended to the lowest depth of the abyss and cut off the roots of the five dark principles so that they could not grow. Then, ascending, he returned to his place on the battlefield.”
“Then,” he continues, “he commanded one of the angels to pull this mixture after him toward the side of the Land of Darkness, which borders the Land of Light, and hung them up high. Then he appointed another angel and handed these mixed parts to him.”
And, Mānī teaches, “the King of the World of Light commanded one of his angels to create the present world and build it from these mixed parts, in order to free those light parts from the dark parts. He thus built ten heavens and eight earths, entrusted one angel to carry the heavens and another to hold the earth on high. To each heaven he gave twelve gates with their large and wide vestibules. Each gate was opposite its keeper, and on the opposite side of each vestibule were two double doors. In these vestibules he made six steps at each of their gates, and on each of the steps thirty aisles, and on each aisle twelve rows (places), and laid out the steps, aisles, and rows from the highest vestibule in the height of the heavens.”
“He connected,” Mānī further says, “the air at the lowest of the earths with the heavens, and dug a trench around this world to cast into it the darkness which he wished to separate from the light. Behind this trench he built a wall so that nothing of this darkness, which would be separated from the light, could escape.”
Mānī continues: “Then He created the sun and the moon to purify whatever light there was in the world, so that the sun purified the light that was mixed with the fiery devils, and the moon purified the light that was mixed with the cold devils at the Pillar of Praise and the light thus purified rises upwards together with the rising praises, hymns, the pure word, and the pious deeds.”
“The moon hands over these parts of light,” Mānī adds, “to the sun, but the sun hands them over to the light above it in the world of praise, and they then rise in this world to the supreme pure light. It does not cease to do this until a part of the light remains that is so closely connected that the sun and the moon can no longer purify it. While this is happening, the angel who is responsible for carrying the earth rises up, and the other angel stops pulling the heavens behind him, so that the highest is mixed with the lowest, and a fire blazes up and consumes these confused things, and does not stop burning until what is still of light in them has been freed.”
“This conflagration,” Mānī teaches, “lasts 1468 years, and,” he continues, “when this arrangement has been completed and when the Humâma, i.e. the Spirit of Darkness, notices the liberation of the light and the ascension of the angels, the hosts and the guardians, she humbles herself while seeing the battle, so that the hosts around her press on her, and she returns to a tomb prepared for her. Then they close this tomb with a stone as large as the world and barricade her inside. The Light is then safe from the Darkness and from being harmed by it.”
The Mâsîya among the Manichaeans claim that some of the light still remains in the darkness.
The Beginning of Uninterrupted Reproduction (The Generations) According to the Teachings of Mānī.
“After this,” says Mānī, “one of those archons (rulers) mated with and the stars and the urgent power and greed and sensuality and sin, and from their mating came the first human being, who is Adam; and those who oversaw him were two rulers, a male and a female. Then a second mating took place, and from this came the beautiful woman, who is the Hawwa (Eve).”
“When,” Mānī teaches, “the five angels saw the light of God, which greed had secretly snatched and imprisoned in these two creatures in its pollution, they asked the Messenger of Good Tidings, the Mother of Life, the Primordial Man, and the Life Spirit to send someone to this primordial creature who would free and save it, reveal to it knowledge and justice, and free it from the devils.”
“So,” he continues, “they sent Isa (Jesus), accompanied by a god. These seized the two archons, imprisoned them, and freed the two creatures. But Jesus arose,” teaches Mānī, “spoke to the creature, i.e., Adam, explained to him the paradises and the gods, hell and the devils, earth and heaven, the sun and the moon, made him afraid of Hawwâ by informing him that she was forbidden and instilled in him fear of approaching her. And Adam obeyed.”
Then the Archon returned to his daughter Hawwâ (Eve) and slept with her, with the lust that is inherent in him, so that she bore a son, ugly in appearance and reddish, named Cain the Reddish Man. This son then slept with his mother, and she bore a white son, named Habil (Abel) the White Man. Then Cain slept with his mother again, and she bore two girls, one named the Sage of Ages (Hakimat ad-dahr), the other named the Daughter of Corruption (Ibnat al-hirş). Cain took the Daughter of Corruption as his wife and gave the Sage of Ages to Habîl, who took her as his wife. “The Sage of Ages,” says Mānī, “overflowed with the light and wisdom of God, but there was absolutely none of it in the Daughter of Corruption.” Then one of the angels came to the Sage of Ages and said to her: “Preserve your soul, for you shall become the mother of two perfect girls to the joy of God.” And he slept with her, and she bore him two girls, one of whom she named Faryad (Lamentation) and the other Pur-Faryad (Burdened with Lamentation). When Habil heard this, he was filled with anger and sadness, and he said to her, “From whom do you have these two children? I suspect they are from Cain; it is he who slept with you.” She, however, described the form of the angel to him. Nevertheless, he left her and went to his mother Hawwa (Eve) to complain to her about what Cain had done. He said to her, “Have you heard what he has done to my sister and my wife?” Cain heard this, fell upon Habil, crushed his brains with a stone, and killed him. He then took the Sage of the Ages as his wife.
Mānī further teaches: “Those archons, Shindîd (the Mighty One), and Hawwa were saddened by what they saw of Cain, and Shindîd taught Hawwa the language of sorcery so that she could enchant Adam. She went away, did as she was told, and approached him with a wreath of tree blossoms. When she found Adam amenable to sensual pleasure, he slept with her, and she became pregnant by him and bore a comely son, handsome in appearance. When Shindîd heard this, he fell in grief and became ill, and said to Hawwa: ‘This creature does not belong to us, it is a stranger.’ She wished to kill it; but Adam took it and said to Hawwa: ‘I will feed it with cow’s milk and tree fruits.’ He seized it and departed. Then the Sindid sent the archons to take away the trees and the cattle and to remove them far from Adam. When Adam noticed this, he took the child and drew three circles around it. On the first, he wrote the name of the King of Paradise, on the second, the name of the Primordial Man, and on the third, the name of the Spirit of Life. He went to a higher place, humbled himself before God, whose name is glorious, and offered supplications to him: ‘If I have committed a sin against You, it is not the fault of this child.’ Then one of the three rushed forward, carrying the wreath of beauty, which he took to Adam with his hand. When the Sindid and the rulers noticed this, they went straight away. Then, says Mānī, a tree called Luţîs (Lotus) appeared to Adam, from which milk flowed. He fed the boy with this milk and gave him the name of the tree.”
“Later he named him Shantil. But that Shindid, who fostered constant enmity against Adam and those creatures, said to Hawwa: ‘Go to Adam; perhaps you will bring him back to us.’ She immediately hurried away and deceived Adam into lying with her due to his sensual desires. When Shantil saw him, he admonished him, reproached him, and said to him: ‘Come, let us set out for the East to the light and the wisdom of God.’ And he set out there with him and remained there until he died and entered Paradise. But Shantil, Faryad and Pur-Faryad and their mother the Sage of the Ages of followed the same direction and the same path with the Shiddikut (the community of the truthful) until the time of their death, while Hawwa, Cain, and the Daughter of Corruption entered Hell.
Description of the Earth of Light and the Luminous Ether, Both of Which Are Without Beginning, Together with the God of Light.
Mānī teaches: “The luminous earth has five members: the gentle breath of air, the wind, the light, the water, and the fire; and likewise, the luminous ether has five members: gentleness, knowledge, understanding, mystery, and insight.”
He further teaches: “These ten members of the ether and the earth, in their entirety, constitute the great glory—This luminous earth, he says, is endowed with a body, is shining, serene, has a gentle radiance and full luster, against the background of which the clarity of its purity and the beauty of its bodies stand out, form upon form, beauty upon beauty, whiteness upon whiteness, clarity upon clarity, grace upon grace, light upon light, radiance upon radiance, lovely sight upon lovely sight, pleasantness upon pleasantness, elegance upon elegance, rows of gates upon rows of gates, towers upon towers, dwellings upon dwellings, inns upon inns, gardens upon gardens, trees upon trees, branches upon branches with boughs and fruit, lovely to look at, one light shining in different colors, each more lovely and blooming than the other, clouds upon clouds and shadows upon shadows. That light-god on this earth is an eternal God. The God on this earth, he continues, has twelve glories, which are called the firstborn, whose forms are like his form, all of them learned and intelligent. And glories,” he says, “which are called the household spirits, the active, the powerful. And the gentle breath of air,” he adds, “is the life of the world.”
Description of the Earth of Darkness and Its Heat.
“The Earth of Darkness,” teaches Mānī, “is composed of depths, chasms, cuts, strata, dams, swamps, scattered stretches of earth filled with dense forests, branches, springs from which smoke rises from land to land and from wall to wall, from which fire rises from land to land, and darkness from land to land. Some of these pillars are higher than others, others lower, and the smoke that issues from them is the poison of death. It rises from the source of an abyss whose foundations consist of murky mud in which dusty earth, the elements of fire, the thick, dark elements of wind, and the elements of heavy water are found. Darkness borders this luminous Earth above and this below. Both the light above and the darkness below are unlimited.”
How a Person Should Enter the Faith.
Mānī commands that “whoever wishes to enter this religion should examine himself. If he sees that he can tame sensuality and greed, abstain from eating all kinds of meat, drinking wine, and marital intercourse, and renounce the harmful effects of water, fire, sorcery, and hypocrisy [alternative translation: avoid injury to water, fire, trees, and living beings], then he should enter the faith; but if he cannot do all these things, then he should refrain from entering. If he loves our faith but is unable to curb his sensuality and greed, let him take work to preserve the faith and the Elect and counteract his reprehensible actions by (taking advantage of) opportunities where he devotes himself entirely to work, justice, diligent vigilance, supplication, and pious humility; for this makes him content in this transient and the future eternal world, and his form on the Day of Judgment will be the second form,” of which, God willing, we shall speak further in what follows.
The Law that Mānī Gave and the Commandments He Imposed.
Mānī imposed commandments on his disciples, (among them) ten commandments on the listeners, followed by three seals and a strict fast of seven days in every month. The commandments are: Faith in the four great beings, God, his light, his power, and his wisdom. But God, whose name is glorious, is the King of the Gardens of Light, his light is the sun and the moon, his power is the five angels, the gentle breeze, the wind, the light, the water, and the fire, and his wisdom is the sacred religion. This includes five concepts, that of the teacher; that of the sons of forbearance; that of those illuminated by the sun, the sons of knowledge; that of the presbyters, the sons of reason; that of the Elect, these are the sons of mystery; that of the Hearers, the sons of understanding.
The Ten Commandments are: refraining from the worship of idols, lying, avarice, murder, adultery, theft, teaching false pretenses and magic, from holding double-minded thoughts, which betrays doubt in religion, from laziness and torpor in action, and the commandment of four or seven prayers. A man should stand upright during these, rub himself with running water or something else, and while standing turn towards the great light, then prostrate himself and say as he prostrates himself: “Blessed be our Leader, the Paraclete, the Messenger of Light, blessed are his angels who keepers, and highly praised are his hosts who shine.” Let him say this while lying prostrate, then stand up and no longer remain in his prostrate position, but stand upright. On the second prostration let him say: “Thou most exalted, O thou luminous one, Mānī, our guide, thou root of illumination, branch of honor, thou great tree, who art all medicine.” On the third prostration let him say: “I fall down and with a pure heart and a sincere tongue I praise the great God, the Father of lights and their element, Most Exalted, Blessed One, you and all your greatness and your worlds, the blessed ones whom you have called. He who praises your hosts, your righteous, your word, your greatness and your good pleasure praises you, because you are the God who is all truth, life and justice.” At the fourth prostration he shall say: “I praise and fall down before all the gods, all the luminous angels, all the lights, and all the hosts that are of the great God.” At the fifth prostration he shall say: “I fall down and praise the great hosts and the luminous gods, who with their wisdom penetrate the darkness, drive it out, and overcome it.” At the sixth prostration he shall say: “I fall down and praise the Father of Great Glory, the Exalted, the Illuminating, who came from the two sciences,” and so on until the twelfth prostration. As soon as he has completed the ten prayers, he shall begin another prayer, and in it they shall utter praises which we need not repeat. The first prayer is recited when the sun leaves the midday point, the second between this time and the setting of the sun. Then comes the prayer at evening time after sunset, and then the prayer in the first third of the night, three hours after sunset. In each prayer and prostration, the worshipper proceeds in the same way as in the first prayer, which is the prayer of the Bearer of Good Tidings.
Regarding the fasts, when the sun is in Sagittarius and the moon is at its fullest, two days are fasted continuously, and when the new moon begins to shine, two days are also fasted continuously; furthermore, one fasts when the moon first becomes visible again, after the sun has entered the sign of Capricorn, then when the new moon begins to shine, the sun is in Aquarius, and eight days of the month have passed, one fasts for thirty days, but breaks the fast daily at sunset. Sunday is celebrated by the common Manichaeans, and Monday by their initiates. This is what Mānī commanded them to do as an indispensable duty.
The Manichaeans' Different Opinions on the Office of Leader (imamate) after Mānī's death.
The Manichaeans report: When Mānī was elevated to the Gardens of Light, even before his elevation he appointed Sis as his successor as Imâm. He upheld the religion of God and its purity until his death, and the Imâms adopted the religion of one another without any difference of opinion arising among them, until from them arose an apostate sect known as the Dinawwariya, who criticized their Imâm and renounced their obedience. The seat of the Imâm was considered fully legitimate only in Babylon, and it was not permitted for an Imâm to have his seat in another city. That sect, however, contradicted this statute, and its followers maintained their opposition, which it would be useless to mention further here, against it and against other claims, until the entire office of chieftaincy passed to Mihr, which happened during the reign of Walid ibn ‘Abd al-Malik, when Khalid ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Qasri was governor of Iraq. Then a man named Zad Hurmuz joined them, who stayed with them for a time but then separated from them. He was a man richly blessed with worldly goods. He renounced these and turned to the class of the truthful. But even then he claimed to see things which he must reject, and intended to go to the Dinawwariya, who had their seat beyond the River of Balkh. So he came to al-Mada’in, where there was a secretary of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, who possessed great wealth. The two were on friendly terms, and so Zad Hurmuz informed the secretary of his intention and the reason that had driven him from the main community, and that he wanted to go to Khurasan to join the Dinawwariya. The secretary then said to him: “I am your Khurasan, I will build you the temples and provide you with whatever you need.” He therefore kept him with him and built him the temples. Zad Hurmuz then wrote to the Dunjawarija to ask them for a manager he could appoint. They wrote back that it was not permissible for the seat of the supreme leader to be located anywhere other than in the center of the empire in Babylon. He then inquired further for someone suitable for the position, but no one else was found. So he held the office; and when he saw his dissolution approaching, i.e., death approaching, they asked him to appoint them a leader. “That is Miqlas,” he replied, “you know his dignified conduct; I am satisfied with him and trust his administration for your benefit.” When Zad Hurmuz died, they unanimously handed the office of leader to Miqlas.
Split of the Manichaeans into Two Sects, the Mihriya and Miqlasiya.
Miqlas deviated from the main community even in matters of religion, e.g., regarding social institutions, until Abu Hilal ad-Dayhûrî arrived from Africa and assumed the leadership of the Manichaeans, which happened in the days of Abu Ja'far al-Mansur. He called on Miqlas’s followers to abandon what he had prescribed regarding social institutions, and they obeyed him. During this time, a man named Buzurmihr appeared among the Miqlas, who made several of them his followers and introduced strange innovations. This situation did not cease among them until the leadership passed to Abu Sa‘id Raha. He referred them to the views of the Mihriyah regarding social institutions, and thus religious belief regarding them and their condition remained unchanged until, during the Caliphate of Ma’mun, a man appeared among them; I believe his name was Yazdanbakht (God’s Fortune). He disagreed with them on all matters and sought to win them over by deceit. A small group of them also leaned towards him.
Among the things the Mihriyah accuse the Mihriyah of, is that they claim that Khalid al-Kasri placed Mihriyah on a mule, gave him a silver signet ring, and dressed him in colorful clothes. The head of the Mihriyah during the reign of Ma’mun and Mu‘tasim was Abu ‘Ali Sa‘id, who was later succeeded by his secretary, Nasr ben Hurmuzd of Samarkand. They permitted the followers of the sect and those who joined it to practice forbidden things in religion, associated with the sultans, and ate communally with them. One of their leaders was also Abu al-Hasan al-Dimashqi (from Damascus).
Mani was killed during the reign of Bahram, the son of Shapur, and after this, he had him crucified and hung in two halves. One half of each half was hung at a different gate of the city of Jundi-Shapur. The two places were called the Upper Saint and the Lower Saint. Others relate that Shapur imprisoned him, but when Shapur died, Bahram freed him. Others: On the contrary, he died in prison. That he was crucified, however, is beyond doubt. According to some, his both his feet were twisted inward; according to others, only his right foot was twisted inward.
Mānī insulted all the prophets in his books, belittled them, accused them of lying, and claimed that devils had taken possession of them and that these devils spoke through their mouths; indeed, in some passages in his books, he even states that they were themselves devils. He claims that Jesus (Isa), who is held in high esteem by us and Christians, is Satan.
Manichaean Teachings on the Future Life.
“When death approaches a truthful person,” Mānī teaches, “the Primordial Man sends a god of light in the form of the Guiding Sage and with him three gods, and with them the water vessel, the garment, the headband, the crown, and the wreath of light. With them comes a virgin, resembling the soul of this Elect person. The Devil of Greed and Lust also appears to him with other devils. As soon as the Elect person sees them, he calls to the aid of the goddess, who has assumed the form of the Sage, and the other three gods, and these approach him. As soon as the devils perceive them, they turn and flee. But they take this Elect one, clothe him with the crown, the wreath, and the robe, give him the water vessel in his hand, and ascend with him on the pillar of praise to the sphere of the moon, to the Primordial Man, and to al-Bahija, the Mother of the Living, until he reaches the state in which he first was in the Gardens of Light. His body then remains prostrate, so that the sun, the moon, and the gods of light can take away his forces—that is, water, fire, and the gentle breath of air—and he rises to the sun and becomes a god. The rest of his body, however, which is all Darkness, is cast into hell.
“When death approaches the struggling man, receptive to the religion and justice, who defends both of them and the Elect, those gods I have mentioned appear, and the devils are also there. He calls for help and seeks mediation through the good works he has done, and through the preservation of the faith and the Elect, who are inclined to him. These also free him from the devils; but he does not cease to be like the man in the world who sees the terrifying figures in his dreams and sinks into the mud and clay. He remains in this state until his light and his spirit are liberated and he reaches the meeting place of the Elect and, after a long period of wandering, puts on their garments.
“But when death appears to the sinful man, over whom greed and sensuality have gained the upper hand, the devils approach him, seize and torment him, and let him see the terrifying figures. Those gods are also present, and with them the aforementioned garment, so that the sinful man believes they have appeared for his salvation. But they are only there to fill him with reproaches, to remind him of his deeds, and to forcefully convince him that he must abandon the help of the Elect. Then he wanders through the world, incessantly plagued by torments, until the time when this state ends and he is cast into Hell with the world.”
“These are the three paths,” Mānī teaches, “according to which the souls of men are divided. One of them leads to paradise, which is the path of the truthful; the second leads to the world and its horrors, which is the path for the guardians of the faith and the helpers of the Elect; and the third leads to Hell, which is the path for sinful man.”
What the State of the Future World Will Be Like After the End of the Earthly World, and the description of Paradise and Hell.
“The Primordial Man then comes,” Mānī teaches, “from the world of Capricorn, the Messenger of Good News from the east, and the Great Builder from the south, and the Life Spirit from the realm of the west, and perceives the great building, which is the new Paradise, by walking around that Hell and looking down into it. Then the Elect come from the Gardens to this light. to sit down in it, then hurry to the assembly place of the gods and position themselves around this Hell. Then they look upon the sinners as they twist and turn and wander back and forth, sinking deeper and deeper into this Hell, which cannot harm the Elect in any way. When those sinners see the Elect, they implore them and humbly throw themselves at their feet, but they only respond with reproachful words that are of no use to them. On the contrary, they only increase the sinners’ remorse, sorrow, and grief, and this is their lot for all eternity.”
The Names of the Books Written by Mānī.
Mānī wrote seven books, one in Persian and six in Syriac. Among them, at the top is:
I. The Book of Secrets, which contains the following chapters: 1. On the Daysaniyun. 2. On the testimony of Bistasf against al-Habib (the Beloved). 3. On the testimony of Jacob against himself. 4. On the son of the poor widow, who, according to Mānī, is the crucified Messiah whom the Jews crucified. 5. On the testimony of Isa (Jesus) against himself in relation to the Jews. 6. The beginning of al-Yamîn’s testimony after his victory. 7. On the seven spirits. 8. On the doctrine of the four corruptible spirits. 9. On laughter. 10. On Adam’s testimony about Isa. 11. On apostasy from religion. 12. On the doctrine of the Daysaniyun about the soul and the body. 13. Polemic against the Daysaniyun about the life-soul. 14. On the three trenches. 15. On the preservation of the world. 16. Of the Three Days. 17. Of the Prophets. 18. Of the Resurrection.
These are the chapters contained in The Book of Secrets.
II. The Book of Giants, containing... III. The Book of Precepts for the Hearers, along with a chapter of Precepts for the Elect. IV. The Book of Shabuqan. This book comprises the chapters: 1. On the Dissolution of the Hearers. 2. On the Dissolution of the Elect. 3. On the Dissolution of Sinners. V. The Book of Revival, containing... VI. The Book of Paramatea, containing... .
Titles of the Epistles, which Mānī and the Imâms Composed after Him.
1. The Epistle on the Two Principles. 2. The Epistle on the Elders. 3. The Greater Epistle to the Indians. 4. The Epistle on the Instruments of Justice. 5. The Epistle on the Just Judiciary. 6. The Epistle to Kaskar. 7. The Greater Epistle to Futtuq. 8. The Epistle to Armenia. 9. Epistle to Amuliyah the Unbeliever. 10. Epistle to Ctesiphon, the Note. 11. Epistle on the Ten Words. 12. The Teacher’s Treatise on Social Institutions. 13. Epistle of Wahman on the Seal of the Mouth. 14. Epistle of Khabarhat on Consolation. Epistle of Khabarhat on... . 16. Epistle to the Umm Hushsaym of Ctesiphon. 17. Epistle of Yahya (John) on Fragrance. 18. Epistle of Khabarhat on... 19. Epistle to Ctesiphon to the Hearers. 20. Epistle to Fafi. 21. The Lesser Epistle on the Right Path. 22. The Double Epistle of Sis. 23. The Greater Epistle to Babylon. 24. Epistle to Sis and Futtuq on Forms. 25. Epistle on the Gardens [of Paradise]. 26. Epistle of Sis on Time. 27. Epistle of Sa’yus, on Tithes. 28. Epistle of Sis on Pledges. 29. Tablets on Administration. 30. Tablet of Abâ the Disciple. 31. Tablet of Ibrai to Roha. - 32. Tablet of Abâ on Love. 33. Tablet of Maysân on the Day. 34. Tablet of Abâ on … 35. Tablet of Bahrâna on the Terror. 36. Tablet of Abâ on the Mention of Fragrance [alternately: the Good]. 37. Tablet of ‘Abd Yasu‘ on Distant Relatives [alternately: Seven Heavens]. 38. Tablet of Bahrâna on Social Institutions. 39. Tablets to Shâthil and Salna. 40. Tablets of Ubayyi on the various kinds of dues from property. 41. Tablets of Hudana on the dove. 42. Tablets of Afquriyah on time. 43. Tablets of Zakû on time. 44. Tablets of Suhrab on tithes. 45. Tablets on the hermit’s cell and the fruit of Arab, from which the beads for rosaries are made. Tablets of Suhrab on the Persians. 47. Tablets to Abu Ahya. 48. Tablets to Abu Yasam the geometer. 49. Epistle to Abu Ahya the Unbeliever. 50. Epistle on Baptism. - 51. Epistle of Yahya on the Dirhams. 52. Epistle of Afand on the Four Types of Tithing.
The following epistles are also mentioned:
53. Epistle of Aqfid and on the First Blessing (variant: First People). 54. Epistle of Yanû (Innaeus?) on the Messages. 55. Epistle of Yuhanna on the Administration of Alms. 56. Epistle to the Hearers on Fasting and the Fulfillment of Vows. 57. Epistle to the Hearers on the Great Fire. 58. Epistle to Ahwaz on mentions of the Kingdom. 59. Epistle to the Hearers on the Interpretation of Dreams by Yazdanbakht (375). 60. First Epistle to the Persian Maynaq (Menoch). 61. Second Epistle to Maynaq. 62. Epistle on Tithes and the Various Types of Alms. 63. Epistle to Ardashir and Maynaq. 64. Epistle to Salam and ‘Ansira. – 65. Epistle to Hatta. 66. Epistle of Khabarhat on the Kingdom. 67. Epistle of Abu Ahya on the Healthy and the Sick. 68. Epistle of Ardad on Animals of Burden. 69. Tablet of Aja on sandals. 70. Tablet on the two shining burdens. 71. Tablet of Mana on crucifixion. 72. Tablet to Mihr the Hearer. 73. Tablet to Firuz and Rasin. 74. Tablet ‘Abd Yal on the Book of Secrets. 75. Tablet to Sam’un (Simeon) and Zamin. 76. Tablet to ‘Abd Yal on clothing.
Fragment from the History of the Manichaeans, Their Migrations to Various Countries, and Information about Their Leaders.
The first to migrate to the cities beyond the Oxus, apart from the Samaniyah, belonged to the Manichaean religious sects. The reason for this was as follows: After Chosroes had killed and crucified Mānī and forbidden the inhabitants of his kingdom to engage in religious disputes, he began to execute Mānī's followers wherever he could find them. They therefore fled from him incessantly until they crossed the Balkh River and reached the territory of the Khan, in whose states they settled. “Khan,” however, is a title in the local language by which the inhabitants designate the princes of the Turks. After the Manichaeans had settled in Transoxiana, they remained there until the time when the Persian power was scattered to the winds and the Arabs gained the upper hand. They subsequently returned to the cities of Iraq, mainly at the time of the dissolution of the Persians and under the rule of the Umayyad kings. Khalid ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Qasrî took them under his wing, except that the seat of the supreme authority in these regions was tied exclusively to Babylon. Later, the leadership turned to the cities, where it was safest. They emigrated a second time under the reign of al-Muqtadir. They went to Khurâsân out of fear for their lives, and those who remained concealed their beliefs and wandered through those cities. About five hundred men had gathered in Samarķand. Their worship became known, and the ruler of Khurâsân wanted to kill them. Then the ruler of China, who I believe was the prince of the Tughuzghuz, sent to him this message: “In my lands there are three times more Muslims than there are those who follow my religion in your lands,” and he swore to him that if he killed one of them [i.e. the Manichaeans], he would kill the entire community for his sake, destroy the mosques, and station men in all the lands to lie in wait for the Muslims and kill them. Then the ruler of Khurâsân left them alone and made them pay tribute. There are only a few of them in the states of Islam. In the City of Peace (Baghdad), I met about three hundred of them under the reign of Mu‘izz-al-Dawla402; but at present, scarcely more than five of them can be found in the capital. These Manichaeans are called Ajâra and live in the villages of Samarkand, Sughd, and especially in Tunkath.
The Names and Enumeration of the Chiefs of the Manichaeans Under the Rule of the Abbasids and Before This Time
Al-Ja‘d ibn Dirham is the same from whom Marwan ibn Muhammad received his name, so that he was called Marwan al-Ja‘di. He was the tutor of him and his son and seduced the latter into disbelief. Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik killed Ja‘d during his Caliphate after holding him captive for a long time in the power of Khalid ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Qasri. It is said that Ja‘d’s family presented Hisham with a petition complaining of their helplessness and Ja‘d’s long imprisonment. “Is he still alive?” Hisham asked and wrote to Khalid with the order to kill him, which he actually did on a sacrificial feast, having him killed instead of the sacrifices, after proclaiming from the pulpit that this was done by Hisham’s command. He, Khalid, was himself accused of unbelief, as his mother was a Christian, and Marwan al-Ja‘di was also an unbeliever.
Some of the Manichaean Leaders, Devoted to Theology, Who Outwardly Professed Islam but Inwardly Adhered to Unbelief.
Ibn Talut, Abu Shakir, Ibn Akhi Abi Shakir, Ibn al-A‘ma al-Harizi, Nu‘man, Ibn Abi al-‘Awja’, Salih ibn ‘Abd al-Qaddûs. All these men wrote books in defense of the two principles and the schools of their followers, and opposed many of the writings that the theologians had written about them. Among the poets mentioned are: Bashshar ibn Burd, Ishaq ibn Khalaf, Ibn Shababah, Salm [ibn ‘Amr] al-Khasir, ‘Ali ibn al-Khalil, ‘Ali ibn Thabit, and the most recently known of them: Abu ‘Isa al-Warraq, Abu al-Abbas al-Nashî, al-Juyhânî, and Muhammad ibn Ahmad.
Mention of the Princes and Leaders Who Are Accused of Disbelief.
All the Barmakids, it is said, with the exception of Muhammad ibn Khalid ibn Barmak, were unbelievers, and the same is claimed of al-Fadl and his brother al-Hasan. The Mahdi’s secretary, Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayid Allah, was also an unbeliever and openly confessed to being one, which is why the Mahdi had him killed.
I found a note from the hand of one who belonged to the sect that Ma‘mun, considered himself a member of it. However, this is a lie. Furthermore, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Malik al-Zayyat is said to have been an unbeliever.
Some of the Leaders of the Manichaeans Under the Rule of the Abbasids.
Abu Yahya al-Ra’is, Abu Ali Sa‘id, Abu ‘Ali Raja Yazdanbakht. This is the one whom al-Ma‘mun summoned from al-Rayy after giving him a letter of security. However, the theologians repudiated him, whereupon Ma‘mun said to him: “Become a Muslim, Yazdanbakht, and if it were not for the letter of security we gave you, you would have had a dispute with me.” Yazdanbakht replied: “Your admonition, Commander of the Believers, shall be heeded, and your word shall be accepted. But you are one of those who do not force people to abandon their beliefs.” “Verily,” replied al-Ma‘mun. And he designated the district of al-Muharram for his residence and entrusted his protection to guards for fear that the common mob might persecute him. He was, incidentally, eloquent.
Some of Their Leaders at the Present Time.
The faith’s leadership was transferred to Samarkand, and it was determined that it should be exclusively tied to this city, since (previously) the same had been considered legitimate only in Babylon, … then in our time … .
Muhammad ibn Ishaq [al-Nadim] says: Mānī, the son of Futtuq Babak ibn Abu Barzâm, descended from the clan of Hashkanîya. His mother's name was Mays or, according to others, Ûtâkhîm or Marmaryam from the clan of Ashghânîya. Mānī, it is said, was native to Qunna, specifically the region bordering Badarayâ and Bâkusaya, and suffered from a twisted foot. His father, it is said, traced his origins back to Hamadhân. From there he went to Babylonia and usually stayed in al-Madâ’in in the part of the city called Taysifûn (Ctesiphon). There stands the temple of idols which Futtuq used to visit, as did the other inhabitants. One day a voice called to him from the innermost sanctuary of the temple of idols: “O Futtuq, eat no meat, drink no wine, and keep away from women!” For three days in a row this call sounded repeatedly. After Futtuq had thought about it, he associated with people who lived in the area around Dastumisân and are known by the name Mughtasilah. Remnants of them can still be found in this district, as well as in the marshy areas, down to this time. They professed the doctrine which Futtuq had been instructed to accept.
After his wife, who became pregnant with Mānī, gave birth to him, they claim she had beautiful dreams about him and, while awake, saw a vision, as if someone had taken him, carried him into the air, and then brought him back. Sometimes he would stay away for a day or two, before he brought him back.
Later, his father left and took him to a place where he had relatives who were also his co-religionists. Despite his childish age, Mānī spoke wise words, and when he had completed his 12th year, he received, according to his own words, inspiration from the King of the Gardens of Light, who, according to his own expression, is God the Exalted. The angel who brought him these inspirations was called at-Tawm, which in Nabataean means companion. He said to him: “Leave this community of faith. You do not belong to its followers; upon you are visited moral purity and the suppression of desires. However, because of your youth, it is not yet time for you to appear openly.” When he had completed his 24th year, the angel at-Tawm came to him again and said: “The time has now come for you to appear publicly and to proclaim your own teaching loudly.”
The words that the angel at-Taum addressed to him were as follows:
“Greetings, Mānī, from me and from the Lord, who sent me to you and chose you for his mission. He commands you, however, to invite others to your teaching, and to proclaim the joyful promise of the truth that comes from him, and to devote all your zeal to it.”
Mānī, the Manichaeans tell us, appeared publicly on the day on which Shapur, the son of Ardashir, came to power and the crown was placed on his head. It was a Sunday, the first day of Nisan (April), while the sun was in Aries, accompanied by two men who followed him and were followers of his doctrine, one named Sham‘ûn (Simeon), the other named Dhakwa. His father also accompanied him to see how his new doctrine would be received.
Muhammad ibn Ishaq reports: Mānī appeared in the second year of the reign of the Roman Gallus, about a hundred years after Marcion had appeared before him during the reign of Titus Antoninus, namely in the first year of his reign, and Ibn Daysan (Bardesanes) about thiry years after Marcion. Ibn Daysan, however, received his name from being born on a river called Daysan.
Mānī claimed to be the Paraclete, whom Jesus, (peace be upon him!), had proclaimed as good news. He derived his teachings from the Magi and the Christians, and the script in which the (Manichaean) religious books were written is also borrowed from Syriac and Persian.
Before Mānī had his meeting with Shapur, he traveled through the lands for about forty years and, upon his return, invited Fîrûz, the brother of Shapur ibn Ardashir, to accept his teachings. Firûz also arranged for Mānī to be introduced to his brother Shapur. And, the Manichaeans add, he entered with two lamps of light shining on his shoulders. When Shapur saw him, he showed him great respect, and Mānī grew in esteem in his eyes, even though at first Shapur had wished to seize him and kill him. But when he faced him, he was overtaken with awe and was pleased with him, asking him what he had brought him. He even promised to convert to him. Mānī asked him for many things, among other things that his disciples should be respected in Persia and all the other countries of his empire, and that they should be able to go wherever they wished. Shapur granted him everything he asked for. Mānī had also already called on the Indians, Chinese, and the inhabitants of Khurâsân to accept his teachings and had left one of his disciples in each district.
Report on What Mānī Taught and His Sayings about the Nature of the Eternal, Whose Name be Blessed and Praised; about the Structure of the World; and about the Struggles between Light and Darkness.
Mānī teaches: “The beginning of the world consists of two beings, one light, the other darkness; both are separated from each other. But the light is the first great one, not limited by any number, God himself, the King of the Gardens of Light. He has five realms, gentleness, knowledge, understanding, mystery, insight, and five other spiritual qualities: love, faith, loyalty, nobility, and wisdom. He further claimed that the Light, with these attributes, is without beginning, but that with him exist two co-beginningless things: one is the air (light-ether), the other the earth. Mānī adds: “And the worlds of the air are five: forbearance, knowledge, understanding, discernment, insight; and the members of the earth: the gentle breath of air, wind, light, water, and fire. The other being is Darkness, and its members are five: fog, fire, fiery wind, poison, and darkness.”
Mānī teaches: “That Light being borders directly on the Dark being) without a partition between the two; the Light touches the Darkness with its (lowest) side, while it is unlimited above, to the right, and to the left. Likewise, Darkness is endless downwards, to the right, and to the left.
Mānī further teaches: “From this dark earth, Satan arose, not in such a way that he was eternal in and of himself from the beginning, but his substances in his elements were without beginning. These substances then united from his elements and emerged as Satan, his head like the head of a lion, his body like the body of a dragon, his wings like the wings of a bird, his tail like the tail of a large fish, and his four feet like the feet of a beast of burden. When this Satan, under the name Iblis, the Eternal in Time (the Ancient Devil), emerged from the Darkness, he devoured and consumed all, spread corruption to the right and to the left, and descended into the depths, bringing destruction and annihilation from above with all these movements. Then he aspired to the heights and perceived the radiances of Light; but they were repugnant to him. When he later saw how these rose, he was horrified, crept into himself, and united with his elements. Then he strove again with such force towards the heights that the World of Light perceived the deeds of Satan and how he plotted murder and destruction. After they had received news of this, the World of Insight learned of it, then the World of Knowledge, then the World of Mystery, then the World of Understanding, then the World of Forbearance.”
“When at last,” he further teaches, “the King of the Gardens of Light also learned of it, he plotted his subjugation, and,” he adds, “those hosts of his were powerful enough to overcome him, but he wished to accomplish it by his own power. He therefore created with the spirit of his right hand, his five worlds, and his twelve elements, a creature, and that is the (in time) eternal man (Primordial Man), and called him to fight the Darkness.” But, says Mānī further, “the Primordial Man armed himself with the five principles, and these are the five gods, the gentle breath of air, the wind, the light, the water, and the fire. He made them his armor, and the first thing he put on was the gentle breath of air. He then wrapped the sublime gentle breath of air with the burning light like a cloak, put on the water filled with dust over the light, and covered himself with the blowing wind. Then he took fire in his hand as a shield and as a lance and quickly threw himself down from the Gardens until he reached the brink of the area that borders the battlefield.
The Ancient Devil also took his five species, namely, smoke, fire, darkness, the glowing wind, and fog, armed himself with them, made them a shield for himself, and confronted Primordial Man. After they had fought with each other for a long time, the Ancient Devil triumphed over primordial man, devoured him with his light, and at the same time surrounded him with his species and his elements. Then the King of the Gardens of Light followed him with other gods, freed him, and conquered the darkness. It is said that the one with whom the King of Light sent after the Primordial Man was the Friend of the Lights. He descended, and the primordial man was freed from the hellish substances along with what he had seized and hidden from himself from the spirits of darkness.”
“Then,” continues Mānī,” Joy and the Spirit of Life made their way to the border, looked down into the abyss of this deep hell, and saw the Primordial Man and the angels surrounded by Iblis, the arrogant oppressors, and the evil life. And,” says Mānī, “the Spirit of Life called to the Primordial Man with a loud voice as swift as lightning, and the Primordial Man became another god.”
“When the Ancient Devil,” Mānī further teaches, “had ensnared Primordial Man in battle, the five parts of light mingled with the five parts of darkness. The smoke mingled with the gentle breath of air), and from this comes the (present) breath of air, so that what is found in it of pleasantness and refreshment for the soul and animal life comes from the gentle breath of air, and what is found in it of pernicious and harmful things comes from the smoke. The burning mingled with the fire, so what is found in it of burning, destruction, and destruction comes from the burning, but what is found in it of illumination and light comes from the fire. The light mingled with the darkness. Therefore, whatever is found in of these thick bodies, such as gold and silver and the like, and further whatever is found in it of clarity, beauty, purity, and other usefulness, comes from the light, and whatever is found in it of dirt, impurity, thickness, and hardness comes from the darkness. The glowing wind mingled with the wind. Whatever is found in it of benefit and pleasantness comes from the wind, and whatever is found in it of anxiety, injury, and harm comes from the glowing wind. Finally, the mist mingled with the water, so that whatever is found in it of clarity, sweetness, and that which is pleasing to the soul comes from the water, while whatever is found in it of submerging, suffocating, and destructive power, of heaviness and corruption, comes from the mist.”
“When,” Mānī continues, “the five dark principles were mixed with the five light principles, the Primordial Man descended to the lowest depth of the abyss and cut off the roots of the five dark principles so that they could not grow. Then, ascending, he returned to his place on the battlefield.”
“Then,” he continues, “he commanded one of the angels to pull this mixture after him toward the side of the Land of Darkness, which borders the Land of Light, and hung them up high. Then he appointed another angel and handed these mixed parts to him.”
And, Mānī teaches, “the King of the World of Light commanded one of his angels to create the present world and build it from these mixed parts, in order to free those light parts from the dark parts. He thus built ten heavens and eight earths, entrusted one angel to carry the heavens and another to hold the earth on high. To each heaven he gave twelve gates with their large and wide vestibules. Each gate was opposite its keeper, and on the opposite side of each vestibule were two double doors. In these vestibules he made six steps at each of their gates, and on each of the steps thirty aisles, and on each aisle twelve rows (places), and laid out the steps, aisles, and rows from the highest vestibule in the height of the heavens.”
“He connected,” Mānī further says, “the air at the lowest of the earths with the heavens, and dug a trench around this world to cast into it the darkness which he wished to separate from the light. Behind this trench he built a wall so that nothing of this darkness, which would be separated from the light, could escape.”
Mānī continues: “Then He created the sun and the moon to purify whatever light there was in the world, so that the sun purified the light that was mixed with the fiery devils, and the moon purified the light that was mixed with the cold devils at the Pillar of Praise and the light thus purified rises upwards together with the rising praises, hymns, the pure word, and the pious deeds.”
“The moon hands over these parts of light,” Mānī adds, “to the sun, but the sun hands them over to the light above it in the world of praise, and they then rise in this world to the supreme pure light. It does not cease to do this until a part of the light remains that is so closely connected that the sun and the moon can no longer purify it. While this is happening, the angel who is responsible for carrying the earth rises up, and the other angel stops pulling the heavens behind him, so that the highest is mixed with the lowest, and a fire blazes up and consumes these confused things, and does not stop burning until what is still of light in them has been freed.”
“This conflagration,” Mānī teaches, “lasts 1468 years, and,” he continues, “when this arrangement has been completed and when the Humâma, i.e. the Spirit of Darkness, notices the liberation of the light and the ascension of the angels, the hosts and the guardians, she humbles herself while seeing the battle, so that the hosts around her press on her, and she returns to a tomb prepared for her. Then they close this tomb with a stone as large as the world and barricade her inside. The Light is then safe from the Darkness and from being harmed by it.”
The Mâsîya among the Manichaeans claim that some of the light still remains in the darkness.
The Beginning of Uninterrupted Reproduction (The Generations) According to the Teachings of Mānī.
“After this,” says Mānī, “one of those archons (rulers) mated with and the stars and the urgent power and greed and sensuality and sin, and from their mating came the first human being, who is Adam; and those who oversaw him were two rulers, a male and a female. Then a second mating took place, and from this came the beautiful woman, who is the Hawwa (Eve).”
“When,” Mānī teaches, “the five angels saw the light of God, which greed had secretly snatched and imprisoned in these two creatures in its pollution, they asked the Messenger of Good Tidings, the Mother of Life, the Primordial Man, and the Life Spirit to send someone to this primordial creature who would free and save it, reveal to it knowledge and justice, and free it from the devils.”
“So,” he continues, “they sent Isa (Jesus), accompanied by a god. These seized the two archons, imprisoned them, and freed the two creatures. But Jesus arose,” teaches Mānī, “spoke to the creature, i.e., Adam, explained to him the paradises and the gods, hell and the devils, earth and heaven, the sun and the moon, made him afraid of Hawwâ by informing him that she was forbidden and instilled in him fear of approaching her. And Adam obeyed.”
Then the Archon returned to his daughter Hawwâ (Eve) and slept with her, with the lust that is inherent in him, so that she bore a son, ugly in appearance and reddish, named Cain the Reddish Man. This son then slept with his mother, and she bore a white son, named Habil (Abel) the White Man. Then Cain slept with his mother again, and she bore two girls, one named the Sage of Ages (Hakimat ad-dahr), the other named the Daughter of Corruption (Ibnat al-hirş). Cain took the Daughter of Corruption as his wife and gave the Sage of Ages to Habîl, who took her as his wife. “The Sage of Ages,” says Mānī, “overflowed with the light and wisdom of God, but there was absolutely none of it in the Daughter of Corruption.” Then one of the angels came to the Sage of Ages and said to her: “Preserve your soul, for you shall become the mother of two perfect girls to the joy of God.” And he slept with her, and she bore him two girls, one of whom she named Faryad (Lamentation) and the other Pur-Faryad (Burdened with Lamentation). When Habil heard this, he was filled with anger and sadness, and he said to her, “From whom do you have these two children? I suspect they are from Cain; it is he who slept with you.” She, however, described the form of the angel to him. Nevertheless, he left her and went to his mother Hawwa (Eve) to complain to her about what Cain had done. He said to her, “Have you heard what he has done to my sister and my wife?” Cain heard this, fell upon Habil, crushed his brains with a stone, and killed him. He then took the Sage of the Ages as his wife.
Mānī further teaches: “Those archons, Shindîd (the Mighty One), and Hawwa were saddened by what they saw of Cain, and Shindîd taught Hawwa the language of sorcery so that she could enchant Adam. She went away, did as she was told, and approached him with a wreath of tree blossoms. When she found Adam amenable to sensual pleasure, he slept with her, and she became pregnant by him and bore a comely son, handsome in appearance. When Shindîd heard this, he fell in grief and became ill, and said to Hawwa: ‘This creature does not belong to us, it is a stranger.’ She wished to kill it; but Adam took it and said to Hawwa: ‘I will feed it with cow’s milk and tree fruits.’ He seized it and departed. Then the Sindid sent the archons to take away the trees and the cattle and to remove them far from Adam. When Adam noticed this, he took the child and drew three circles around it. On the first, he wrote the name of the King of Paradise, on the second, the name of the Primordial Man, and on the third, the name of the Spirit of Life. He went to a higher place, humbled himself before God, whose name is glorious, and offered supplications to him: ‘If I have committed a sin against You, it is not the fault of this child.’ Then one of the three rushed forward, carrying the wreath of beauty, which he took to Adam with his hand. When the Sindid and the rulers noticed this, they went straight away. Then, says Mānī, a tree called Luţîs (Lotus) appeared to Adam, from which milk flowed. He fed the boy with this milk and gave him the name of the tree.”
“Later he named him Shantil. But that Shindid, who fostered constant enmity against Adam and those creatures, said to Hawwa: ‘Go to Adam; perhaps you will bring him back to us.’ She immediately hurried away and deceived Adam into lying with her due to his sensual desires. When Shantil saw him, he admonished him, reproached him, and said to him: ‘Come, let us set out for the East to the light and the wisdom of God.’ And he set out there with him and remained there until he died and entered Paradise. But Shantil, Faryad and Pur-Faryad and their mother the Sage of the Ages of followed the same direction and the same path with the Shiddikut (the community of the truthful) until the time of their death, while Hawwa, Cain, and the Daughter of Corruption entered Hell.
Description of the Earth of Light and the Luminous Ether, Both of Which Are Without Beginning, Together with the God of Light.
Mānī teaches: “The luminous earth has five members: the gentle breath of air, the wind, the light, the water, and the fire; and likewise, the luminous ether has five members: gentleness, knowledge, understanding, mystery, and insight.”
He further teaches: “These ten members of the ether and the earth, in their entirety, constitute the great glory—This luminous earth, he says, is endowed with a body, is shining, serene, has a gentle radiance and full luster, against the background of which the clarity of its purity and the beauty of its bodies stand out, form upon form, beauty upon beauty, whiteness upon whiteness, clarity upon clarity, grace upon grace, light upon light, radiance upon radiance, lovely sight upon lovely sight, pleasantness upon pleasantness, elegance upon elegance, rows of gates upon rows of gates, towers upon towers, dwellings upon dwellings, inns upon inns, gardens upon gardens, trees upon trees, branches upon branches with boughs and fruit, lovely to look at, one light shining in different colors, each more lovely and blooming than the other, clouds upon clouds and shadows upon shadows. That light-god on this earth is an eternal God. The God on this earth, he continues, has twelve glories, which are called the firstborn, whose forms are like his form, all of them learned and intelligent. And glories,” he says, “which are called the household spirits, the active, the powerful. And the gentle breath of air,” he adds, “is the life of the world.”
Description of the Earth of Darkness and Its Heat.
“The Earth of Darkness,” teaches Mānī, “is composed of depths, chasms, cuts, strata, dams, swamps, scattered stretches of earth filled with dense forests, branches, springs from which smoke rises from land to land and from wall to wall, from which fire rises from land to land, and darkness from land to land. Some of these pillars are higher than others, others lower, and the smoke that issues from them is the poison of death. It rises from the source of an abyss whose foundations consist of murky mud in which dusty earth, the elements of fire, the thick, dark elements of wind, and the elements of heavy water are found. Darkness borders this luminous Earth above and this below. Both the light above and the darkness below are unlimited.”
How a Person Should Enter the Faith.
Mānī commands that “whoever wishes to enter this religion should examine himself. If he sees that he can tame sensuality and greed, abstain from eating all kinds of meat, drinking wine, and marital intercourse, and renounce the harmful effects of water, fire, sorcery, and hypocrisy [alternative translation: avoid injury to water, fire, trees, and living beings], then he should enter the faith; but if he cannot do all these things, then he should refrain from entering. If he loves our faith but is unable to curb his sensuality and greed, let him take work to preserve the faith and the Elect and counteract his reprehensible actions by (taking advantage of) opportunities where he devotes himself entirely to work, justice, diligent vigilance, supplication, and pious humility; for this makes him content in this transient and the future eternal world, and his form on the Day of Judgment will be the second form,” of which, God willing, we shall speak further in what follows.
The Law that Mānī Gave and the Commandments He Imposed.
Mānī imposed commandments on his disciples, (among them) ten commandments on the listeners, followed by three seals and a strict fast of seven days in every month. The commandments are: Faith in the four great beings, God, his light, his power, and his wisdom. But God, whose name is glorious, is the King of the Gardens of Light, his light is the sun and the moon, his power is the five angels, the gentle breeze, the wind, the light, the water, and the fire, and his wisdom is the sacred religion. This includes five concepts, that of the teacher; that of the sons of forbearance; that of those illuminated by the sun, the sons of knowledge; that of the presbyters, the sons of reason; that of the Elect, these are the sons of mystery; that of the Hearers, the sons of understanding.
The Ten Commandments are: refraining from the worship of idols, lying, avarice, murder, adultery, theft, teaching false pretenses and magic, from holding double-minded thoughts, which betrays doubt in religion, from laziness and torpor in action, and the commandment of four or seven prayers. A man should stand upright during these, rub himself with running water or something else, and while standing turn towards the great light, then prostrate himself and say as he prostrates himself: “Blessed be our Leader, the Paraclete, the Messenger of Light, blessed are his angels who keepers, and highly praised are his hosts who shine.” Let him say this while lying prostrate, then stand up and no longer remain in his prostrate position, but stand upright. On the second prostration let him say: “Thou most exalted, O thou luminous one, Mānī, our guide, thou root of illumination, branch of honor, thou great tree, who art all medicine.” On the third prostration let him say: “I fall down and with a pure heart and a sincere tongue I praise the great God, the Father of lights and their element, Most Exalted, Blessed One, you and all your greatness and your worlds, the blessed ones whom you have called. He who praises your hosts, your righteous, your word, your greatness and your good pleasure praises you, because you are the God who is all truth, life and justice.” At the fourth prostration he shall say: “I praise and fall down before all the gods, all the luminous angels, all the lights, and all the hosts that are of the great God.” At the fifth prostration he shall say: “I fall down and praise the great hosts and the luminous gods, who with their wisdom penetrate the darkness, drive it out, and overcome it.” At the sixth prostration he shall say: “I fall down and praise the Father of Great Glory, the Exalted, the Illuminating, who came from the two sciences,” and so on until the twelfth prostration. As soon as he has completed the ten prayers, he shall begin another prayer, and in it they shall utter praises which we need not repeat. The first prayer is recited when the sun leaves the midday point, the second between this time and the setting of the sun. Then comes the prayer at evening time after sunset, and then the prayer in the first third of the night, three hours after sunset. In each prayer and prostration, the worshipper proceeds in the same way as in the first prayer, which is the prayer of the Bearer of Good Tidings.
Regarding the fasts, when the sun is in Sagittarius and the moon is at its fullest, two days are fasted continuously, and when the new moon begins to shine, two days are also fasted continuously; furthermore, one fasts when the moon first becomes visible again, after the sun has entered the sign of Capricorn, then when the new moon begins to shine, the sun is in Aquarius, and eight days of the month have passed, one fasts for thirty days, but breaks the fast daily at sunset. Sunday is celebrated by the common Manichaeans, and Monday by their initiates. This is what Mānī commanded them to do as an indispensable duty.
The Manichaeans' Different Opinions on the Office of Leader (imamate) after Mānī's death.
The Manichaeans report: When Mānī was elevated to the Gardens of Light, even before his elevation he appointed Sis as his successor as Imâm. He upheld the religion of God and its purity until his death, and the Imâms adopted the religion of one another without any difference of opinion arising among them, until from them arose an apostate sect known as the Dinawwariya, who criticized their Imâm and renounced their obedience. The seat of the Imâm was considered fully legitimate only in Babylon, and it was not permitted for an Imâm to have his seat in another city. That sect, however, contradicted this statute, and its followers maintained their opposition, which it would be useless to mention further here, against it and against other claims, until the entire office of chieftaincy passed to Mihr, which happened during the reign of Walid ibn ‘Abd al-Malik, when Khalid ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Qasri was governor of Iraq. Then a man named Zad Hurmuz joined them, who stayed with them for a time but then separated from them. He was a man richly blessed with worldly goods. He renounced these and turned to the class of the truthful. But even then he claimed to see things which he must reject, and intended to go to the Dinawwariya, who had their seat beyond the River of Balkh. So he came to al-Mada’in, where there was a secretary of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, who possessed great wealth. The two were on friendly terms, and so Zad Hurmuz informed the secretary of his intention and the reason that had driven him from the main community, and that he wanted to go to Khurasan to join the Dinawwariya. The secretary then said to him: “I am your Khurasan, I will build you the temples and provide you with whatever you need.” He therefore kept him with him and built him the temples. Zad Hurmuz then wrote to the Dunjawarija to ask them for a manager he could appoint. They wrote back that it was not permissible for the seat of the supreme leader to be located anywhere other than in the center of the empire in Babylon. He then inquired further for someone suitable for the position, but no one else was found. So he held the office; and when he saw his dissolution approaching, i.e., death approaching, they asked him to appoint them a leader. “That is Miqlas,” he replied, “you know his dignified conduct; I am satisfied with him and trust his administration for your benefit.” When Zad Hurmuz died, they unanimously handed the office of leader to Miqlas.
Split of the Manichaeans into Two Sects, the Mihriya and Miqlasiya.
Miqlas deviated from the main community even in matters of religion, e.g., regarding social institutions, until Abu Hilal ad-Dayhûrî arrived from Africa and assumed the leadership of the Manichaeans, which happened in the days of Abu Ja'far al-Mansur. He called on Miqlas’s followers to abandon what he had prescribed regarding social institutions, and they obeyed him. During this time, a man named Buzurmihr appeared among the Miqlas, who made several of them his followers and introduced strange innovations. This situation did not cease among them until the leadership passed to Abu Sa‘id Raha. He referred them to the views of the Mihriyah regarding social institutions, and thus religious belief regarding them and their condition remained unchanged until, during the Caliphate of Ma’mun, a man appeared among them; I believe his name was Yazdanbakht (God’s Fortune). He disagreed with them on all matters and sought to win them over by deceit. A small group of them also leaned towards him.
Among the things the Mihriyah accuse the Mihriyah of, is that they claim that Khalid al-Kasri placed Mihriyah on a mule, gave him a silver signet ring, and dressed him in colorful clothes. The head of the Mihriyah during the reign of Ma’mun and Mu‘tasim was Abu ‘Ali Sa‘id, who was later succeeded by his secretary, Nasr ben Hurmuzd of Samarkand. They permitted the followers of the sect and those who joined it to practice forbidden things in religion, associated with the sultans, and ate communally with them. One of their leaders was also Abu al-Hasan al-Dimashqi (from Damascus).
Mani was killed during the reign of Bahram, the son of Shapur, and after this, he had him crucified and hung in two halves. One half of each half was hung at a different gate of the city of Jundi-Shapur. The two places were called the Upper Saint and the Lower Saint. Others relate that Shapur imprisoned him, but when Shapur died, Bahram freed him. Others: On the contrary, he died in prison. That he was crucified, however, is beyond doubt. According to some, his both his feet were twisted inward; according to others, only his right foot was twisted inward.
Mānī insulted all the prophets in his books, belittled them, accused them of lying, and claimed that devils had taken possession of them and that these devils spoke through their mouths; indeed, in some passages in his books, he even states that they were themselves devils. He claims that Jesus (Isa), who is held in high esteem by us and Christians, is Satan.
Manichaean Teachings on the Future Life.
“When death approaches a truthful person,” Mānī teaches, “the Primordial Man sends a god of light in the form of the Guiding Sage and with him three gods, and with them the water vessel, the garment, the headband, the crown, and the wreath of light. With them comes a virgin, resembling the soul of this Elect person. The Devil of Greed and Lust also appears to him with other devils. As soon as the Elect person sees them, he calls to the aid of the goddess, who has assumed the form of the Sage, and the other three gods, and these approach him. As soon as the devils perceive them, they turn and flee. But they take this Elect one, clothe him with the crown, the wreath, and the robe, give him the water vessel in his hand, and ascend with him on the pillar of praise to the sphere of the moon, to the Primordial Man, and to al-Bahija, the Mother of the Living, until he reaches the state in which he first was in the Gardens of Light. His body then remains prostrate, so that the sun, the moon, and the gods of light can take away his forces—that is, water, fire, and the gentle breath of air—and he rises to the sun and becomes a god. The rest of his body, however, which is all Darkness, is cast into hell.
“When death approaches the struggling man, receptive to the religion and justice, who defends both of them and the Elect, those gods I have mentioned appear, and the devils are also there. He calls for help and seeks mediation through the good works he has done, and through the preservation of the faith and the Elect, who are inclined to him. These also free him from the devils; but he does not cease to be like the man in the world who sees the terrifying figures in his dreams and sinks into the mud and clay. He remains in this state until his light and his spirit are liberated and he reaches the meeting place of the Elect and, after a long period of wandering, puts on their garments.
“But when death appears to the sinful man, over whom greed and sensuality have gained the upper hand, the devils approach him, seize and torment him, and let him see the terrifying figures. Those gods are also present, and with them the aforementioned garment, so that the sinful man believes they have appeared for his salvation. But they are only there to fill him with reproaches, to remind him of his deeds, and to forcefully convince him that he must abandon the help of the Elect. Then he wanders through the world, incessantly plagued by torments, until the time when this state ends and he is cast into Hell with the world.”
“These are the three paths,” Mānī teaches, “according to which the souls of men are divided. One of them leads to paradise, which is the path of the truthful; the second leads to the world and its horrors, which is the path for the guardians of the faith and the helpers of the Elect; and the third leads to Hell, which is the path for sinful man.”
What the State of the Future World Will Be Like After the End of the Earthly World, and the description of Paradise and Hell.
“The Primordial Man then comes,” Mānī teaches, “from the world of Capricorn, the Messenger of Good News from the east, and the Great Builder from the south, and the Life Spirit from the realm of the west, and perceives the great building, which is the new Paradise, by walking around that Hell and looking down into it. Then the Elect come from the Gardens to this light. to sit down in it, then hurry to the assembly place of the gods and position themselves around this Hell. Then they look upon the sinners as they twist and turn and wander back and forth, sinking deeper and deeper into this Hell, which cannot harm the Elect in any way. When those sinners see the Elect, they implore them and humbly throw themselves at their feet, but they only respond with reproachful words that are of no use to them. On the contrary, they only increase the sinners’ remorse, sorrow, and grief, and this is their lot for all eternity.”
The Names of the Books Written by Mānī.
Mānī wrote seven books, one in Persian and six in Syriac. Among them, at the top is:
I. The Book of Secrets, which contains the following chapters: 1. On the Daysaniyun. 2. On the testimony of Bistasf against al-Habib (the Beloved). 3. On the testimony of Jacob against himself. 4. On the son of the poor widow, who, according to Mānī, is the crucified Messiah whom the Jews crucified. 5. On the testimony of Isa (Jesus) against himself in relation to the Jews. 6. The beginning of al-Yamîn’s testimony after his victory. 7. On the seven spirits. 8. On the doctrine of the four corruptible spirits. 9. On laughter. 10. On Adam’s testimony about Isa. 11. On apostasy from religion. 12. On the doctrine of the Daysaniyun about the soul and the body. 13. Polemic against the Daysaniyun about the life-soul. 14. On the three trenches. 15. On the preservation of the world. 16. Of the Three Days. 17. Of the Prophets. 18. Of the Resurrection.
These are the chapters contained in The Book of Secrets.
II. The Book of Giants, containing... III. The Book of Precepts for the Hearers, along with a chapter of Precepts for the Elect. IV. The Book of Shabuqan. This book comprises the chapters: 1. On the Dissolution of the Hearers. 2. On the Dissolution of the Elect. 3. On the Dissolution of Sinners. V. The Book of Revival, containing... VI. The Book of Paramatea, containing... .
Titles of the Epistles, which Mānī and the Imâms Composed after Him.
1. The Epistle on the Two Principles. 2. The Epistle on the Elders. 3. The Greater Epistle to the Indians. 4. The Epistle on the Instruments of Justice. 5. The Epistle on the Just Judiciary. 6. The Epistle to Kaskar. 7. The Greater Epistle to Futtuq. 8. The Epistle to Armenia. 9. Epistle to Amuliyah the Unbeliever. 10. Epistle to Ctesiphon, the Note. 11. Epistle on the Ten Words. 12. The Teacher’s Treatise on Social Institutions. 13. Epistle of Wahman on the Seal of the Mouth. 14. Epistle of Khabarhat on Consolation. Epistle of Khabarhat on... . 16. Epistle to the Umm Hushsaym of Ctesiphon. 17. Epistle of Yahya (John) on Fragrance. 18. Epistle of Khabarhat on... 19. Epistle to Ctesiphon to the Hearers. 20. Epistle to Fafi. 21. The Lesser Epistle on the Right Path. 22. The Double Epistle of Sis. 23. The Greater Epistle to Babylon. 24. Epistle to Sis and Futtuq on Forms. 25. Epistle on the Gardens [of Paradise]. 26. Epistle of Sis on Time. 27. Epistle of Sa’yus, on Tithes. 28. Epistle of Sis on Pledges. 29. Tablets on Administration. 30. Tablet of Abâ the Disciple. 31. Tablet of Ibrai to Roha. - 32. Tablet of Abâ on Love. 33. Tablet of Maysân on the Day. 34. Tablet of Abâ on … 35. Tablet of Bahrâna on the Terror. 36. Tablet of Abâ on the Mention of Fragrance [alternately: the Good]. 37. Tablet of ‘Abd Yasu‘ on Distant Relatives [alternately: Seven Heavens]. 38. Tablet of Bahrâna on Social Institutions. 39. Tablets to Shâthil and Salna. 40. Tablets of Ubayyi on the various kinds of dues from property. 41. Tablets of Hudana on the dove. 42. Tablets of Afquriyah on time. 43. Tablets of Zakû on time. 44. Tablets of Suhrab on tithes. 45. Tablets on the hermit’s cell and the fruit of Arab, from which the beads for rosaries are made. Tablets of Suhrab on the Persians. 47. Tablets to Abu Ahya. 48. Tablets to Abu Yasam the geometer. 49. Epistle to Abu Ahya the Unbeliever. 50. Epistle on Baptism. - 51. Epistle of Yahya on the Dirhams. 52. Epistle of Afand on the Four Types of Tithing.
The following epistles are also mentioned:
53. Epistle of Aqfid and on the First Blessing (variant: First People). 54. Epistle of Yanû (Innaeus?) on the Messages. 55. Epistle of Yuhanna on the Administration of Alms. 56. Epistle to the Hearers on Fasting and the Fulfillment of Vows. 57. Epistle to the Hearers on the Great Fire. 58. Epistle to Ahwaz on mentions of the Kingdom. 59. Epistle to the Hearers on the Interpretation of Dreams by Yazdanbakht (375). 60. First Epistle to the Persian Maynaq (Menoch). 61. Second Epistle to Maynaq. 62. Epistle on Tithes and the Various Types of Alms. 63. Epistle to Ardashir and Maynaq. 64. Epistle to Salam and ‘Ansira. – 65. Epistle to Hatta. 66. Epistle of Khabarhat on the Kingdom. 67. Epistle of Abu Ahya on the Healthy and the Sick. 68. Epistle of Ardad on Animals of Burden. 69. Tablet of Aja on sandals. 70. Tablet on the two shining burdens. 71. Tablet of Mana on crucifixion. 72. Tablet to Mihr the Hearer. 73. Tablet to Firuz and Rasin. 74. Tablet ‘Abd Yal on the Book of Secrets. 75. Tablet to Sam’un (Simeon) and Zamin. 76. Tablet to ‘Abd Yal on clothing.
Fragment from the History of the Manichaeans, Their Migrations to Various Countries, and Information about Their Leaders.
The first to migrate to the cities beyond the Oxus, apart from the Samaniyah, belonged to the Manichaean religious sects. The reason for this was as follows: After Chosroes had killed and crucified Mānī and forbidden the inhabitants of his kingdom to engage in religious disputes, he began to execute Mānī's followers wherever he could find them. They therefore fled from him incessantly until they crossed the Balkh River and reached the territory of the Khan, in whose states they settled. “Khan,” however, is a title in the local language by which the inhabitants designate the princes of the Turks. After the Manichaeans had settled in Transoxiana, they remained there until the time when the Persian power was scattered to the winds and the Arabs gained the upper hand. They subsequently returned to the cities of Iraq, mainly at the time of the dissolution of the Persians and under the rule of the Umayyad kings. Khalid ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Qasrî took them under his wing, except that the seat of the supreme authority in these regions was tied exclusively to Babylon. Later, the leadership turned to the cities, where it was safest. They emigrated a second time under the reign of al-Muqtadir. They went to Khurâsân out of fear for their lives, and those who remained concealed their beliefs and wandered through those cities. About five hundred men had gathered in Samarķand. Their worship became known, and the ruler of Khurâsân wanted to kill them. Then the ruler of China, who I believe was the prince of the Tughuzghuz, sent to him this message: “In my lands there are three times more Muslims than there are those who follow my religion in your lands,” and he swore to him that if he killed one of them [i.e. the Manichaeans], he would kill the entire community for his sake, destroy the mosques, and station men in all the lands to lie in wait for the Muslims and kill them. Then the ruler of Khurâsân left them alone and made them pay tribute. There are only a few of them in the states of Islam. In the City of Peace (Baghdad), I met about three hundred of them under the reign of Mu‘izz-al-Dawla402; but at present, scarcely more than five of them can be found in the capital. These Manichaeans are called Ajâra and live in the villages of Samarkand, Sughd, and especially in Tunkath.
The Names and Enumeration of the Chiefs of the Manichaeans Under the Rule of the Abbasids and Before This Time
Al-Ja‘d ibn Dirham is the same from whom Marwan ibn Muhammad received his name, so that he was called Marwan al-Ja‘di. He was the tutor of him and his son and seduced the latter into disbelief. Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik killed Ja‘d during his Caliphate after holding him captive for a long time in the power of Khalid ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Qasri. It is said that Ja‘d’s family presented Hisham with a petition complaining of their helplessness and Ja‘d’s long imprisonment. “Is he still alive?” Hisham asked and wrote to Khalid with the order to kill him, which he actually did on a sacrificial feast, having him killed instead of the sacrifices, after proclaiming from the pulpit that this was done by Hisham’s command. He, Khalid, was himself accused of unbelief, as his mother was a Christian, and Marwan al-Ja‘di was also an unbeliever.
Some of the Manichaean Leaders, Devoted to Theology, Who Outwardly Professed Islam but Inwardly Adhered to Unbelief.
Ibn Talut, Abu Shakir, Ibn Akhi Abi Shakir, Ibn al-A‘ma al-Harizi, Nu‘man, Ibn Abi al-‘Awja’, Salih ibn ‘Abd al-Qaddûs. All these men wrote books in defense of the two principles and the schools of their followers, and opposed many of the writings that the theologians had written about them. Among the poets mentioned are: Bashshar ibn Burd, Ishaq ibn Khalaf, Ibn Shababah, Salm [ibn ‘Amr] al-Khasir, ‘Ali ibn al-Khalil, ‘Ali ibn Thabit, and the most recently known of them: Abu ‘Isa al-Warraq, Abu al-Abbas al-Nashî, al-Juyhânî, and Muhammad ibn Ahmad.
Mention of the Princes and Leaders Who Are Accused of Disbelief.
All the Barmakids, it is said, with the exception of Muhammad ibn Khalid ibn Barmak, were unbelievers, and the same is claimed of al-Fadl and his brother al-Hasan. The Mahdi’s secretary, Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayid Allah, was also an unbeliever and openly confessed to being one, which is why the Mahdi had him killed.
I found a note from the hand of one who belonged to the sect that Ma‘mun, considered himself a member of it. However, this is a lie. Furthermore, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Malik al-Zayyat is said to have been an unbeliever.
Some of the Leaders of the Manichaeans Under the Rule of the Abbasids.
Abu Yahya al-Ra’is, Abu Ali Sa‘id, Abu ‘Ali Raja Yazdanbakht. This is the one whom al-Ma‘mun summoned from al-Rayy after giving him a letter of security. However, the theologians repudiated him, whereupon Ma‘mun said to him: “Become a Muslim, Yazdanbakht, and if it were not for the letter of security we gave you, you would have had a dispute with me.” Yazdanbakht replied: “Your admonition, Commander of the Believers, shall be heeded, and your word shall be accepted. But you are one of those who do not force people to abandon their beliefs.” “Verily,” replied al-Ma‘mun. And he designated the district of al-Muharram for his residence and entrusted his protection to guards for fear that the common mob might persecute him. He was, incidentally, eloquent.
Some of Their Leaders at the Present Time.
The faith’s leadership was transferred to Samarkand, and it was determined that it should be exclusively tied to this city, since (previously) the same had been considered legitimate only in Babylon, … then in our time … .
Source: Gustav Flügel, Mani, seine Lehre und seine Schriften (Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus, 1862), 84-108.
