Hadj Nemat


Nematollah Mokri Jeyhounabadi (1871-1920), who would later become known as Hadj Nematollah or Hadj Nemat, was a Kurdish mystic who is perceived as one of the most prominent figures of the Ahl-e Haqq order. In addition to the many wonders attributed to him, the sweeping reforms that he introduced within the Ahl-e Haqq community are among his remarkable achievements.

At the time of Hadj Nemat, the Ahl-e Haqq order had become subject to significant distortions over the centuries and was tainted with numerous superstitions and alterations due to the confluence of several factors, including the lack of any authentic written sources, the oral transmission of its sacred teachings by its leaders, and the use of allegorical and symbolical literature. Hadj Nemat, with his unique access to the original teachings and fundamental principles of this doctrine and on the basis of his own extensive research, set out to rectify and eliminate these distortions and superstitions to the extent that his short life permitted, so much so that it led some to accuse him of "revealing the secrets." This accusation stemmed from the cultural poverty and educational deficit of a majority of the adherents, who considered their rites and rituals as "divine secrets" and thereby engendered much confusion by concealing them. It is for this reason that a group of Yaresan and several orientalists have mistakenly identified the Ahl-e Haqq doctrine as synonymous with that of the Ali-Allahis, Noseiris, and others.

The considerable majority of Hadj Nemat's works is dedicated to detailing the authentic principles, beliefs, traditions, and rites specific to the Ahl-e Haqq, all of which is corroborated by spiritual sources. Numbering some 20 volumes, his written works appear in both prose and verse, in Persian and Kurdish. In addition to his poetry and authorship, Hadj Nemat was also a skilled musician and a gifted artist. Experts and the public alike recognized his mastery of spiritual music, and his compositions continue to be sung and played in spiritual gatherings today.

Aside from these attributes, Hadj Nemat is seen as a veritable "spiritual luminary" among the Ahl-e Haqq community—that is, as a mystic who is well aware of the hidden truths and values of the spiritual world, and can correctly discern the essential from the incidental.