Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

or Malak Fakhr ad-Dīn () is a holy figure venerated in

Yazidism Yazidism, also known as Sharfadin, is a Monotheism, monotheistic ethnic religion which has roots in Ancient Iranian religion, pre-Zoroastrian Iranian religion, directly derived from the Indo-Iranians, Indo-Iranian tradition. Its followers, ca ...

, he is considered one of the Seven Divine Beings, to all of whom God assigned the World's affairs, and his earthly incarnation is considered one of the four sons of Ezdina Mir along with Nasirdin,

Sheikh Shems Sheikh Shems or Melek Shams ad-Din () is a holy figure venerated in Yazidism, he is considered one of the Seven Divine Beings, to all of whom God assigned the World's affairs, and his earthly incarnation is considered one of the four sons of Ezdin ...

, and Sejadin, who are the respective ancestors and patriarchs of the four Şemsanî Sheikh lineages and are considered to have been

avatars Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

of the angelic beings. Fexredîn is considered the personification of the Moon, while his brother, Sheikh Shems is the personification of the Sun. Many Yazidi ''qewls'' (sacred hymns) are attributed to Fexredîn.

Biography

Şêx Fexredîn was a Yezidi

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...

who lived in the 12th century, he authored much of the poetry that is still recited among the

Yezidis Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...

today in form of sacred hymns known as Qewls. According to Yazidi religious teachers and men, Fexredîn is said to have authored 11,000 qewls, beyts and qesîdes, of which only around 200 remain due to religious oppression and genocides''.''

Family

Fexreddin's father,

Êzdîna Mîr Ezdina Mir or Ezdine Mir () is a Yazidi holy figure who was the father of Sheikh Shems, Fexredîn, Nasirdin, and Sejadin, making him the ancestor of all Şemsanî Sheikhs. According to Yazidi oral traditions, Sheikh Adi is said to have met Ez ...

, was a prominent 12th-century prince who ruled over the

, together with his wives Sitî Zîn and Sitî Ereb. Êzdîna Mîr was the father of the Yezidi saints Şêx Şems, Şêx Fexredîn, Şêx Nasirdîn and Şêx Sicadîn. Thus he is the forefather of all the Shamsanis.Diar Khalaf and Hayri Demir. 2013. ''Mythos und Legende der Shex Mend und das Symbol der Schlange'' (Myth and legend of the Şêx Mend and the symbol of the snake) (in German). Şêx Fexreddin had three sons and one daughter, his sons were Sheikh Bedir, Sheikh Aqub and the oldest of all, Sheikh Mend, who is an important Yezidi saint that became the ruler of Kilis Emirate and is today represented as the Lord of Snakes in the Yezidi religion. There is a shrine in

Ain Sifni Ain Sifni (, , ) also known as Shekhan (), is a town and subdistrict in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. It is located in the Shekhan District in the Nineveh Plains. Ain Sifni is largely populated by Yazidis, most of whom speak Kurmanji Kurdish. In ...

dedicated to Sheikh Mend. Fexreddin's daughter was

Xatûna Fexra Khatuna Fekhra () is a holy Yazidi female figure who is venerated as the Xudan of women and children as well as patron of childbirth and pregnancy. Biography Xatûna Fexra was the daughter is the daughter of the prominent Yazidi holy figure, ...

, a female Yezidi saint represented as the Guardian of birth, pregnant women and therefore of fertility, Yezidi women fast once a year in her honor. Their descendants are still alive today and together also form their own Sheikh group within the Fexredîn group of the Shamsanis. The acting Baba Sheikh (Spiritual leader) of the

has to be from Fakhraddin lineage of Sheikhs. The current Baba Sheikh is Sheikh Ali Ilyas.

References

{{Yazidi saints Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Yazidi mythology Yazidi history Yazidi religion Yazidi holy figures Moon myths