Ali-Illahism

Ali-Illahism (Persian: علی‌اللّهی) (Arabic: علي إلهي) is a syncretic religion which has been practiced in parts of the Luristan region in Iran which combines elements of Shia Islam with older religions. It centers on the belief that there have been successive incarnations of the Deity throughout history, and Ali-Illahis reserve particular reverence for Ali,^[1] the son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who is considered one such incarnation.^[2] Various rites have been attributed as Ali-Illahi, similarly to the Yezidis, Alawis, and all sects whose doctrine is unknown to the surrounding Muslim and Christian populations. Observers have described it as an agglomeration of the traditions and rituals of several older religions, including Zoroastrianism, historically because travelogues were "evident that there is no definite code which can be described as Ali-Illahism."^[3]

Sometimes, Ali-Illahism is used as an umbrella term for several several denominations that venerate or deify Ali, including the Kaysanites, the Alawites, and the Ahl-e Haqq/Yarsanis,^[4] others to mean the Ahl-e Haqq.^[5]

A group of Karapapakhs in Tashkent primarily consists of adherents of the Ali-Illahi faith.^[6]

In Dabestan-e Mazaheb

The Dabestan-e Mazaheb "School of Religions", a 17th-century Persian book about South Asian religions, presents the Ali-Illahis as a sect that respected Muhammad and Ali and discarded the Quran, as it had been compiled under Uthman ibn Affan.^[7][8] Its members were said to avoid killing animals and to believe that the rules allowing the killing of some animals had been created by Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and their followers.^[9]

See also

• Anthropotheism
• Guran (tribe)
• Ghulat
• Kurds
• Yarsanism
• Syncretism
• Aliyite Islam