Sultan Ezid

Sultan Êzîd (or sometimes Êzî or Siltan Êzîd) is a divine figure in the Yazidi religion. Sultan Êzî is a central figure in Yezidi religious tradition, appearing sometimes as God and sometimes as an angel. He is considered part of the Yezidi Holy Trinity and is occasionally identified with Tawûsî Melek.^[1]

Sultan Ezid
Sultan Êzîd
Other names	Sultan Êzî

The historical origins of Sultan Êzî are unclear. According to Yezidi legend, he (also called Êzda) is the child of Shehîd b. Jerran a houri, with the marriage arranged by Tawûsî Melek. The Yezidis are said to be descendants of this child.^[1] Although many scholars consider his name to be derived from that of the second Umayyad caliph Yazid I, Yazidis claim him to be a separate figure unconnected to the historical Yazid I.

The Yazidi people and religion are supposedly named after him.

Origin

Most modern historians hold that the name Ezid derives from the name of Umayyad Caliph Yazid I.^[2] Some medieval scholars, including ‘Abd al-Karīm al-Sam‘ānī (d. 1167) and Ibn Taymiyya (1263–1328), associated Êzî with Yazid ibn Mu’āwiya, the Umayyad caliph. Al-Sam‘ānī mentioned a group in modern day Lalish that regarded Yazid as righteous, while Ibn Taymiyya noted parallels between the veneration of Yazid and the family of Sheikh ‘Adī. Over time, Yezidis added reverence for Yazid alongside Sheikh ‘Adī, though modern Yezidis generally deny any connection between their faith and Yazid.^[1] In Yazidi religious lore, there is no trace of any link between Sultan Ezid and the second Umayyad caliph, aside from similarities which Yazidis claimed were coincidental.^[3]

A Yezidi legend also links Êzî to Mu’āwiya ibn Abi Sufyan. According to the story, Mu’āwiya, while serving Prophet Muhammad, accidentally caused Muhammad’s head to bleed. Muhammad warned that Mu’āwiya would father a nation opposing his own. Initially vowing not to marry, Mu’āwiya later wed an elderly woman, Mahūsa, who miraculously became young again and gave birth to Êzîd.^[1]

Sultan Êzî’s figure is a combination of elements of mythology, legend, and historical association, with no verifiable evidence of his historical existence. The Adawiyya existed in the mountains of Kurdistan before the 12th century, when Shaykh Adi,^[4] a Sufi of Umayyad descent venerated by Yazidis to this day,^[5] settled there and attracted a following among the adherents of the movement. The name Yazidi seems to have been applied to the group because of his Umayyad origins.^[4]

Shrines

Yazidis also consider Melek Tawus's shrine at Lalish to be identical with that of Sultan Ezid's, since the two figures are often held to be identical.^[6]

Holidays

The Feast of Ezid commemorates him.^[7][8][9]