Rafid al-Sabti

Rbai Rafid al-Sabti, known in full as Rafid al-Rishama Abdallah al-Ganzibra Zahrun al-Rishama Abdallah al-Sabti (Arabic: رافد الريشاما عبدالله الگنزبرا نجم الگنزبرا زهرون الريشاما عبدالله السبتي كنيانا عزيز; born 1965, Iraq^[2]), is an Iraqi-Dutch Mandaean priest in Nijmegen, Netherlands.^[3]

Rbai Rafid al-Sabti
الربي رافد السبتي
Rbai Rafid al-Sabti in 2018
Title	Rabbi
Personal life
Born	1965 Iraq
Children	Ardwan Al-Sabti
Parent	Rishamma Abdullah bar Negm
Citizenship	Dutch
Other names	Shaykh Rāfid ibn Shaykh ʿAbdullah ibn Shaykh Najim; Rāfid ʿAbdullah Najim (Rāfid ʻAbd Allāh Naǧm)[1]
Occupation	Mandaean priest
Relatives	Sheikh Negm bar Zahroon (grandfather) Ram Zihrun (great-great-grandfather)
Religious life
Religion	Mandaeism
Initiation	Tarmida by Abdullah bar Negm

Biography

Al-Sabti was born in 1965 to Rishama Abdullah, son of Sheikh Neǧm, in Baghdad, Iraq.^[4] He was initiated into the Mandaean priesthood by his father.^[5]: 118 Al-Sabti later emigrated to the Netherlands.

Al-Sabti is the custodian of the Rbai Rafid Collection (RRC), a private collection of Mandaean manuscripts held in Nijmegen, Netherlands.^[6] Important manuscripts in the collection include different versions of the Ginza Rabba and a copy of the Alma Rišaia Zuṭa known as Ms. RRC 3F,^[7] as well as a qulasta inscribed on lead plates.^[8]: 22 The collection is being digitized and analyzed in collaboration with Matthew Morgenstern.^[9][10]

Publications

• Mandaean prayer and various rituals (1988) / الصلاة المندائية - وبعض الطقوس الدينية
• Mandaean baptism (1990) / التعميد المندائي
• Masiqta: the ascension and the advancement (2004) / المسقثا - الصعود والارتقاء, ISBN 978-9090181653^[11]
• The treasure of Life: The holy book of the Mandaeans (2022), ISBN 978-9090360058 (Ginza Rabba in Mandaic)^[12]

Family

His son, Ardwan Al-Sabti, is a researcher and graphic designer known for creating Mandaic fonts.^[13]