Sabians

Sabian is a term that has been used to describe at least three religious groups, namely the Sābi'ūna Ḥunafāˤ "Pious Agnostics", the Sabeans of Harran (also known as the Sābi'ūna Mushrukūn "Pious Polytheists" and Harranians; see also Yazidi) and Mandaean Nasaræan Sabeans. They are not to be confused with the Sabaeans of Sheba whose etymology is completely unrelated being spelled with an initial Arabic letter "sin" instead of the initial letter "Sad" (though the issue was confused because at least one tribe of Sabaeans, the Ansar, are known to have adopted the Saabi`ah Hunafa` religion).

Overview

The term Sābi'ūn derives from the Syriac root S-b-' , referring to conversion through submersion; the Syriac (and Hebrew) nouns derived from this root refer to proselytes, both "Judaisers" - non-converts who followed certain basic rules of Judaism - and early Christian converts of non-Jewish origin and practice. These latter were called Theosebeians "God-Fearers", Sebomenoi "Believers" or Phobeomenoi in Greek sources. Though meaning upright and monotheistic these days, the word Hunafa` also derives from the Syriac word "hanifo" which literally means Agnostic.

In the latter ninth century of the Common Era, Arab authors focused upon the origins of the Monotheistic Sabians from the Gnostic or Polytheist Sabians and went into much detail on the Harranian period before the time of Abraham. Most of this knowledge was translated in 904 CE into the book called "The Nabatean Agriculture" which was considered by Maimonides to have been an accurate record of the Gnostic beliefs of the Polytheist Sabians in the Harranian period, though some scholars have misunderstood it as being a contemporary account of a living belief system from the time of translation. Finally, various writings of the Bahá'í Faith reiterate the details of Gnostic Sabean beliefs of the Harranian period.

Despite all this substantial and clear documentation about both kinds of Sabians spanning many centuries from sources as diverse as Greek Christian, Arabic Muslim, and Arabic and Persian Bahá'í sources, the actual nature of the Sabians has remained a matter of some heated debate among western orientalists. Their confusion was due the fact that it was once important for the Mandaean Nasaraeans to relate their origins to the Gnostic Sabians by adopting Yezidi beliefs in order to qualify for the protection of Shariah Law by paying the jizyah. Therefore, Sabian has been used mistakenly in many literary references for decades.

The spelling "Sabian" usually refers to one of "people of the book" as mentioned in the Qur'an but it has also been used by the Mandaeans as an appellation adopted to appease local Muslim authorities. The variation "Sabean", is also is used in English to distinguish the ancient Harranian origins and Gnostic Yazidi beliefs of the Sabian "people of the book" prior to their rejection of Gnosticism and adoption of Monotheism. The third word is "Sabaeans", which are the people of ancient Saba in Yemen; has been discredited by scholars as to having any connection to the Sabians of the Qur'an except for their Ansar tribe which practiced Qur'ānic Sabianism.

Etymology

The Greek etymology for sebomai, applied to the proselytes, is in the word eusebeian meaning a kind of godliness and reverance or worshipfulness. However, proselytization has also long been associated with submersion and although the Greek etymology of the Sabian appellation is more than likely the original (there being no record of any similar people prior to the Hellenic era), Mandaean Nasaraeans claimed the word Sabium (from Subi or Sabi, plural Subba or Sabba), colloquial Mandaic or Syriac in origin, for themselves giving the meaning "to submerse" or "plunge in" .

According to Islamic scholars, the word Sābi'ūna (Sabian) is derived from the verb saba’a, which refers to the action of leaving one religion and entering another He is asking about the Sabians: who were they and what were their beliefs?, Islam Q&A, retrieved April 23, 2006.

Tabari said: as-Sābi'ūn is the plural of Sābi', which means "proselyte" (such as an apostate from Islam) who has left his original religion, or anyone who has left the religion that he used to follow and joins another. The Arabs called such a person Sābi'. And it is said in Arabic saba'at al-nujūm, meaning "the stars appeared".

For a complete discussion of the Etymology please see Fratini & Prato.

Islamic reference

The recent debate on who the Sabians were is directly connected to how to best translate the following verses from the Qur'an out of the original Arabic. The Qur'an briefly announces the Sabians in three places and the Hadith provide further details as to who they were as people of the book:

"Those who believe, and the Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabi'een, whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve." Quran 2:62

"Those who believe, and the Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabi'un, whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve." Quran 5:69

"Those who follow the Jewish and the Sabi'een, Christians, Magians and Polythesists — Allah will judge them On the Day of Judgement:" Quran 22:17

The Sabians existed before Muhammad, who are said to have read from a book called the Zabur. The Saabi`ah Hunafa` ΘΕΟ-ΣΕΒΕΙΑΝΟΙ came under Islamic rule about 639 AD. At that time in history they were described as Greek immigrants but were grouped together with the Saabi'ah Mushrikoon Nabataeans. Many Islamic writers from the period of about 650 AD onward gave further descriptions of who the Sabians were. They wrote that the Sabians were seen as baptists who had "long hair" and "white gowns". They had a monotheistic faith with religious literature and prophets. Under sharia, the Sabians form a protected religious group (along with Christians and Jews).

Many Islamic writers from the period of about 650 CE onward provide a meager description of the Sabians. The Sabians had a monotheistic faith with religious literature and prophets. Their theology resembled that of Judaism and Christianity yet were neither nor were they Magians. They lived in Iraq around Sawad, Kutha and Mosul and they "wash themselves with water".

With regard to their beliefs, Ibn al-Qayyim said: The people differed greatly concerning them, and the imams were unsure about them because they did not have enough knowledge of their beliefs and religion. Al-Shaafa’i said: They are a kind of Christian. And he said elsewhere: Their case is to be examined further; if they resemble the Christians in basic matters but they differ from them in some minor issues, then the jizya is to be taken from them. But if they differ from them in basic issues of religion then their religion cannot be approved of by taking the jizya from them.

Ibn al-Qayyim said: I said: The Sabians are a large nation among whom are both blessed and doomed. They are one of the nations who are divided into believers and disbelievers, for the nations before the coming of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) were of two types, kaafir nations all of whose people were doomed and among whom were none who were blessed, such as the idol-worshippers and the Magians; and others who were divided into those who were blessed and those who were doomed, namely the Jews, Christians and Sabians.

According to Islamic scholars , they did not reject the Prophets of Islam or regard it as obligatory to follow them. In their view, whoever followed (the Prophets) is blessed and saved, and whoever follows a path similar to that of the Prophets by virtue of his own reasoning is also blessed and saved, even if he did not follow the Prophets in specific terms. In their view the call of the Prophets was true but there was no one specific route to salvation. They believed that the universe had a Creator and Sustainer, Who is Wise and above any resemblance to created beings, but many of them, or most of them, said: we are unable to reach Him without intermediaries, so we have to approach Him through the mediation of spiritual and holy who are pure and free of any physical elements and who are above place and time, rather they are created pure and holy.

Marc Edmund Jones, founder of the Sabian Assembly, described them as a "Mohammedan" group. Sabeans worshipped God's Names (El-Esmea) as the stars.

Sabi`ah Hunafa` ia (the way of a Haneef) a somewhat disorganised religion ‘Abd al-Rahman ‘ibn Zayd (d. 798 AD) wrote: "The Sabians say that their religion is a religion to itself and they live near Mosul (jazirat al-mawsil) and believe in only one God. He also wrote that they have … no cult yet their main belief is “La ilaha il Allah”." He also remarked that "the Sabians did not believe in the Prophet Mohammed (in the same way as his followers did), yet the polytheists were known to say of the Prophets and his companions “these are the Sabians” comparing them to them." Wahb ‘ibn Munabbih (d 728-732 AD) who was originally from Iran wrote: "The Sabians believe " La ilaha il Allah " but they do not have canonical law. " Mujahid ‘ibn Jarir (d 722 AD) wrote: "The Sabians have no distinctive religion and is somewhere between Judaism and Magianism. " following the Din of Noah Khalil ‘ibn Ahmad (d. 786-787 AD) who was in Basra before his death, wrote: “The Sabians believe they belong to the prophet Noah, they read Zabur, and their religion looks like Christianity." He also states that "they worship the angels.” as a sect who read the Zabur Abul ‘Ailya said: “The Sabis are a sect of people of the Scripture who recite the Zabur.” ‘Abu Hanifah (d.767 AD) who is the founder of the Hanafite School of Islamic Law wrote: "The Sabians read Zabur and are between Judaism and Christianity." akin to Christianity ‘Abd ‘Allah ‘ibn al-‘Abbas (lived about 650 AD) wrote: "The religion of the Sabians is a sect of Christianity.". They appear to be between Judaism and Magianism ‘Ibn Abi Nujayh (d749) wrote: "The Sabians were between Judaism and Magianism." Suddi (d745 AD) also wrote: "The Sabian religion is between Judaism and Magianism." but are in fact closer to Judaism ‘Awza’ (d.773 AD) a representative of the ancient Syrian school of religious studies wrote: "The Sabians are between Judaism and Christianity." Malik ‘ibn ‘Anas (d795) wrote: "The Sabians are between Judaism and Christianity…" ‘Ahmad ‘ibn Hanbal (d. 855 AD) the ‘Iman of Baghdad wrote: "The Sabians are a sect of Christianity or Judaism." . Sabis recognise the practice of the prophet Muhammad in going to the caves prior to his inspiration, as in accordance with the Sabi quest for Tawheed and in general, many similarities with the Sabians led Muhammad and his companions were often considered to have been Sabians ‘Ibn Jurayi (who lived in the 8th century) also wrote: The Sabians are in Sawad and are between the Magians, Christians, or Jews. He also wrote that the polytheists said of Mohammed “He is a Sabian”. ‘Abd al-Rahman ‘ibn Zayd (d798 AD) wrote: "The prophet and his companions are referred to as 'these are the Sabians' comparing Mohammed to the Sabians." . Most specifically this was because of the Sabian shahada “La ilaha ila Allah” ‘Abd al-Rahman ‘ibn ‘Zayd (d.798 AD) wrote: "The polytheists used to say of the prophet and his companions ‘these are the Sabians’ comparing them to them, because the Sabians who live Jaziartal-Mawsil (today known as Iraq) would say ‘La ilaha ila Allah’."

Rabi’ah ‘ibn ‘Ubbad (who lived at the same time as Mohammed) wrote: "I saw the prophet when I was a pagan. He was saying to the people, ‘if you want to save yourselves, accept that there is no God but Allah’ At this moment I noticed a man behind him saying ‘he is a sabi.’ When I asked somebody who he was he told me he was ‘Abu Lahab, his uncle." Both ‘Ibn Jurayi (d. 767) and ‘Ata ‘ibn Abi Rabah (d.732) wrote: "I saw the prophet when I was a pagan. He was saying to the people, ‘if you want to save yourselves, accept that there is no God but Allah’ At this moment I noticed a man behind him saying ‘he is a sabi.’ When I asked somebody who he was he told me he was ‘Abu Lahab, his uncle' Of the relationship between the Sabians who lived in Sawad (in Iraq ) and Mohammed it is mention that the polytheists of Mecca were heard to say of Mohammed "he has become a Sabian." . Other characteristics of the Sabi religion follow Hasan al-Basri (d728 AD) wrote: "They read the Zabur and pray facing a qiblah." He also wrote that "the Sabian religion resembles the Magians and they worshipp angels." Qatadah ‘ibn Di’amah (d736 AD) wrote: "The Sabians worshipp angels, read Zabur, pray five ritual prayers." In addition he writes that "they pray towards the sun." ‘Abdul al-Zanad (d.747 AD) wrote: "The Sabians are from “Kutha” in Iraq, they believe in prophets, fast 30 days in a year, and pray 5 times daily towards the Yemen." (NB "towards the Yemen" is equivalent to facing south) Ziyad ‘ibn ‘Abihi (d. 672 AD) who was the governor of Iraq during the first Umayyad caliph Mur awiyah wrote: "The Sabians believe in the prophets and pray five times daily.": They have five daily prayers (though Zohar joins Asr while Ma'ariv joins Isha). They know Allah (SWT) as the ADON of adonim and GOD of gods. They speak to angels in their meditations which has led to the erroneous beliefs among some that Sabis worship angels. They use the sun for a Qiblah facing the equator at mid day. They fast for 30 days. They believe in all prophets reiterating the Din of Noah and not in the same way as the muslims believe in The Seal of The Prophets.

The root-meaning of the word Sabi means Proselyte, and is identical in usage with the Greek words Sebomenoi or Theosebes and to a lesser extent Phobeomenoi Abu ‘Abdultah said: "The word saba’a means “The one who is a Proselyte.”" .

In the Bahá'í writings

The Sabians are also mentioned in the literature of the Bahá'í Faith. Although these references are brief, they for the most part (with only a couple of references to the Saabi`ah Hunafa` who are said to believe in Jesus) refer to the Saabi'ah Mushrikoon (Sabeans) who derived their religion from Seth and Idris (a belief also held by the Mandaean Nasaraeans). `Abdu'l-Bahá has one brief reference where he describes Seth as one of the "sons of Adam". Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas quotes from the Qur'an 19:57-58 about Idris. In a second statement by Bahá'u'lláh he identifies Idris with Hermes. Bahá'u'lláh does not, however, specifically name Idris as the prophet of the Sabians.

Sabians of Harran

The Saabi`ah Mushrikun were a Yazidan group who were questioned by the caliph al-Ma'mún of Baghdad in 830 CE, according to Abú-Jusúf Abshaa'al-Qathíí, about what protected religion they belonged to. Not being Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or Magian, the caliph told them they were infidels and would have to become Muslims or adherents of one of the other religions recognized by the Qu'ran by the time he returned from his campaign against the Byzantines or he would kill them.(Churton p. 26) The Yazidans (Harranians) consulted with a lawyer who suggested that they find their answer in the Qu'ran II.59 which made it clear that Sabians were tolerated. It was unknown what Mohammed intended by Sabian and so they took the name.(Churton pp. 26-7).

The newly dubbed Harranian Sabians took Hermes Trismegistus as their prophet, and the Corpus Hermeticum as their sacred text, being a group of Hermetists. Validation of Hermes as a prophet comes from his identification as Idris or Enoch in suras 19.57 and 21.85.(Churton p. 27)

The Harranian Sabians played a vital role in Baghdad and the rest of the Arab world from 856 until about 1050; playing the role of the main source of Greek philosophy and science as well as shaping the intellectual life. The most prominent of the Harranian Sabians was Thabit ibn Qurra.(Churton p. 27)

Mandaean Nasaraean Sabeans

Given the substantial evidence, many scholars contend that the Sabians mentioned in the Qur'an are those we call today the Mandaeans. However, as mentioned above, some scholars studying the etymology of the root word Sabi'un have pointed to origins either in Syriac or Mandaic the word Sabian. Thus some scholars have suggested that the Mandaean religion originated with Sabeans, who came under the influence of early Hellenic Sabian missionaries but preferred their own priesthood.

After the conquests of Alexander, Harran came to be a center of intellectual and religious activity, which evolved into a philosophical tradition centered on Hermes Trismegistus. The Harranians were heavily influenced by other religious groups, including those of the baptizing sects, and in this way the Mandaean Nasaraean Sabians would come into existence. They followed the Nasr (a white eagle lord) and called their community Miryai^*. From the 1st century AD they were heavily influenced by the Christians but reacted against pauline christianity, possihbly absorbing the Ebionites.

In the writings from about the latter 8th century CE onward, there are now two Sabians mentioned and are distinguished as the "ancient", "first" or "true" Saabi`ah Hunafa` (Sabians proper), while the Saabi'ah Mushrikoon are called the "pseudo Sabians" (Sabeans). Various religious groups holding some Gnostic Harranian beliefs (like the Mandaeans) have sought to justify application of the term to themselves in the hopes of avoiding persecution. Thus the Mandaeans have become known as Subi (Sabian) by their Muslim neighbors in both Iraq and Iran. However, they could just have equally applied to come under the category of Nasaari because the application of this title to them predated the earliest Christians by at least a century.

New-Age Sabians

Today there are many new age groups, using the terms Sabeans, Sabaeans or Sabians in the titles of their groups, claiming that their current beliefs and practices are based more or less directly on the ancient practices of their namesake groups, including such practices as astrology and magic as well as other religious beliefs. 'The Sabian Assembly of Marc Edmund Jones' is one such example, and confusingly named, 'The Sabaean Religious Order' is another.

Endnotes

References

Churton, Tobias. The Golden Builders: Alchemists, Rosicrucians, and the First Freemasons. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2002.

External links

For various theories on the Sabians please see the following:

Religious faiths, traditions, and movements

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