Who are the Ali-Illahis? Are they just Yarsanites?

[Abbas Mehdi]

Salam Alaikum 

I'm very confused after reading the Wikipedia article on Ali-Illahism, a sect of Shia Islam that deviates from mainstream Jafari Shia Islam, teaching that Allah had manifested as successive incarnations throughout history, including as being Imam Ali (عليه السلام). and prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).s., and claiming around 1 million Ali-Illahis lived in Iran, mostly in Lorestaan province, and that most of them are Oghuz Turks (Turkish and Azerbaijani ethnicity). This seems different from the Yarsanis who have often been confused with Ali-Illahis but who are mostly ethnicly Kurdish, not Turks. Who are these Ali-Illahis even? Do they have any religious texts or is their any available information about their doctrine? Do they even exist or is it just a rumor or a misunderstanding of a group's beliefs?

Thank you for your time to read this and hopefully I get answers. Jazak Allah Khayr.

[Ashvazdanghe]

Ahl al-Ḥaqq (Arabic: أهل الحق) refers to followers of a religious-mystical order with its particular religious etiquette and texts who consider themselves as Shi'a, although some of their beliefs are inconsistent with Islam. The sect, which is popular among Kurds, Lurs, and Turks in Iran, grew within an Islamic context. It is similar to Ghali (exaggerating) sects of Shiism because it exaggerates about Imam 'Ali (a). However, its origins can be traced back to some beliefs, old intellectual traditions, and the folk culture of people of western Iran as well as Persian beliefs before the emergence of Islam.

Followers of this sect are also known as "Yarsan". Iranian Yarsan mostly live in Kermanshah, Lorestan, East Azerbaijan, Zanjan, Hamadan, Tehran and its suburbs, Khorasan, and other cities, and outside Iran, they live in countries such as Turkey, Iraq, Albania, Afghanistan, and Syria. Their works are written in Kurdish, Luri, and Turkish, but they only rely on Kurdhish works as the official language, and Luri and Turkish works are only referred to by Luri and Turkish people.

They believe in a kind of reincarnation and hold that God is incarnated in human beings. They take 'Ali (a) to be the manifestation of the Divine Essence, and Muhammad (s) to be the manifestation of Divine Attributes. Their holy place is Pardiwar which they believe to be equivalent to the Ka'ba. Their rulings and etiquette include allegiance and setting up fire over a dead person’s grave on the first night after his or her death. Their four ethical principles are purity, righteousness, nothingness, and rida (generosity and tolerance).

Families of Ahl al-Haqq include Shah Ibrahimi, 'Āli Qalandari, Khamushi, Mirsuri, Sayyid Mustafa, Haji Bawisi, Zunuri, Atashbeygi, Baba Haydari, and Shah Hayasi.

Beliefs

Ahl al-Haqq believe in Twelver Shiism and their Twelve Imams. They believe in all past religions and in particular, Islam, but they believe that the core of all those religions is reflected in their religion. As Qushchi Ughli has claimed: "God has revealed four books, all four of which are with us". He also said: "Furqan is the truth and not a lie", but by "Furqan" they mean something other than its standard meaning.

They believe that the Qur'an originally consisted of 32 parts, 30 of which are concerned with Ancillaries of the Religion and the other 2 parts are its core, containing unrevealed secrets kept by Muhammad (s). But the Imams preserved the two additional parts one after another, and transmitted it to Imam al-Mahdi (a) under "Furqan", and the Imam (a) expressed "Furqan" in Kurdish. Thus, they believe that Islam is like a seed, and the religion of Haqq is like the core of its fruit and the Sharia is its peel, or Islam is like a shell and Haqq is the pearl inside it.

Ahl al-Haqq take their religion to be very old and eternal. They believe that the religion is connected to the essence of Haqq (God) as its leaders and Imams are connected to the essence of God. Ahl al-Haqq agree with other Ghali (exaggerating) Shi'as in the fundamental view that God manifests in the form of human beings, but Ahl al-Haqq have developed the view further since they do not restrict the divine manifestation to 'Ali (a) and extend it to some other persons as well.

In some texts of Ahl al-Haqq, including in "Bargah Bargah", there is explicit evidence of belief in Unity of Existence, such as God being immanent or manifesting in the whole world—lands and seas. The most remarkable divine manifestation is, for them, the human being. Thus, the notion of Avatar, which expresses the base of the relation between God and human being in Hinduism and many other mystical paths, figures in the school of Haqq as well. However, in this school, divine manifestation and incarnation is intended to enable people to see Him. Perhaps the most prominent and important divine manifestation for Ahl al-Haqq is Sultan Ishaq (also written as Saḥāk/Suḥāk, Ṣaḥāk/Ṣuḥāk, and Sahāk/Suhāk), since they receive their religious identity as well as their social bond and ethnic and religious unity from him (although they highly honor and respect 'Ali (a) as well).

https://en.wikishia.net/view/Ahl_al-Haqq

 Ali Allahi is a sect of the Ghulat who believe in the status of divinity for Imam Ali (عليه السلام), Sultan Ishaq (Sahak), Baba Khishan بابا خویشن , and several others. The origin of this sect has been attributed to a political group in Iran that opposed Islam, although the followers of this sect consider themselves Twelver Shiites. Ali Allahi have common beliefs and rulings with the Ahl al-Haqq sect, hence some have considered them to be Ahl al-Haqq.

Reincarnation and Ḥulūl are among their beliefs. According to their belief, every human being is born a thousand and one times and then dies. They also believe that God has incarnated in the bodies of the prophets and elders of this sect. Some sources consider the Ali Allahi, Ahl al-Haqq, Yarsan, Nusayriyyah, and Sufi sects to be different names for the same group; however, the followers of this sect consider themselves to be different from other sects.

Alillahi fasts three days a year and performs Niyaz instead of prayers. List of Alillahi concepts Alillahi is a sect whose most specific belief is the belief in the divinity of Imam Ali (عليه السلام) and is one of the ghulat Shiite sects.[1]

Most researchers do not see any difference between Alillahi and Ahl al-Haqq or Nusayriyyah and have attributed the different names to differences in naming in different countries and cities where Alillahi lived.[2]

Some even consider names such as Alillahi, Malek-Tawusi, Nusayri, and Cheragh Khamos to be incorrect and have considered all of these names to be common mistakes in naming Ahl al-Haqq or Yarsan.[3]

Beliefs and Sharia Laws As mentioned, the Ali Allahi sect considers God as equal and attributes a kind of divinity to Sultan Sahak (Ishaq), Baba Khishan (Mubarak Shah), and Imam Ali (عليه السلام).[6] Other Ali Allahi beliefs include reincarnation and Ḥulūl. They believe that every soul is the manifestation of another soul in the past, and that every human being is born a thousand times, each time living in a form until he becomes a thousand-and-one in heaven or hell.

Of course, these thousand-and-one lifetimes are not in the form of humanity; rather, they are sometimes human and sometimes animal.[7] For this reason, the beliefs of the Ali Allahi sect and the Ahl-e-Haqq are very similar.[8] In the book Shahnameh al-Haqiqat, one of the main books of the Ali Allahi sect and the Ahl al-Haqq, it is narrated about reincarnation that God creates seven people known as the seven people; After a while, they ask God for a companion, and God replies: I agree with you, but on the condition that you also appear in different forms and shapes in different times and places.[9] And elsewhere in the same book, God is quoted as saying that you should even appear in the form of reptiles and birds.[10] And regarding incarnation, they believe that God has incarnated in the bodies of the prophets ((عليه السلام).), imams ((عليه السلام).), and leaders of this sect.[11] The followers of Ali Allahi are considered to be very similar to the Ahl-e-Haqq in their rulings. They also rejected Islamic prayer and fasting, and instead of fasting for three days a month, they replaced prayer with Niyaz.[12]

It is said that the Alillahi sect expressed regret for some of the beliefs of their predecessors.[13]

Differences with other sects
In sources that have examined the Alillahi sect, differences and similarities between this sect and the three sects of Ahl al-Haqq, Nusayriyyah, and Sufism are mentioned, and some sources have considered these sects to be one:

Differences with Ahl-e-Haqq
Main article: Ahl al-Haqq
A number of researchers believe that there is no difference between Alillahi and Ahl-e-Haqq (Yarsan) and that what has changed is the name and their beliefs are not different, and with the evolution of Ahl-e-Haqq, this sect has maintained its beliefs for centuries, despite changing its name.[14]

Differences with Sufis
Ali Akbar Dehkhoda says that the members of this sect consider themselves different from the Sufis and have introduced them as believing more in the attainment and Ali Allahi believing in the path of conduct.[15]

Differences with Nusayriyyah
Main article: Nusayriyyah
It has been said that the Ali Allahiyyah hate being named the same as the Nusayriyyah sect and say that the Nusayriyyah considers Imam Ali (عليه السلام) to be the manifestation of God in His Essence, but the Ali Allahiyyah consider Imam Ali (عليه السلام) to be the manifestation of God in His Attributes.[16]

 

Alillahi Muslims
The authorities of Taqlid have not made a clear statement about the Alillahi sect being Muslims, and the reason for this is that there are several beliefs among them. In response to a question about the Alillahi sect being infidels, Ayatollah Khamenei has conditioned their infidelity on associating partners with God.[17] Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, Ayatollah Sistani [note 1], and Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani have also conditioned their infidelity on denying the essentials of religion, such as the monotheism of God; but Ayatollah Bahjat has considered Alillahi sect infidels.[19][note 2]

https://fa.wikishia.net/view/علی‌اللهی

[Abbas Mehdi]

On 1/23/2025 at 5:11 AM, Ashvazdanghe said:

Ahl al-Ḥaqq (Arabic: أهل الحق) refers to followers of a religious-mystical order with its particular religious etiquette and texts who consider themselves as Shi'a, although some of their beliefs are inconsistent with Islam. The sect, which is popular among Kurds, Lurs, and Turks in Iran, grew within an Islamic context. It is similar to Ghali (exaggerating) sects of Shiism because it exaggerates about Imam 'Ali (a). However, its origins can be traced back to some beliefs, old intellectual traditions, and the folk culture of people of western Iran as well as Persian beliefs before the emergence of Islam.

Followers of this sect are also known as "Yarsan". Iranian Yarsan mostly live in Kermanshah, Lorestan, East Azerbaijan, Zanjan, Hamadan, Tehran and its suburbs, Khorasan, and other cities, and outside Iran, they live in countries such as Turkey, Iraq, Albania, Afghanistan, and Syria. Their works are written in Kurdish, Luri, and Turkish, but they only rely on Kurdhish works as the official language, and Luri and Turkish works are only referred to by Luri and Turkish people.

They believe in a kind of reincarnation and hold that God is incarnated in human beings. They take 'Ali (a) to be the manifestation of the Divine Essence, and Muhammad (s) to be the manifestation of Divine Attributes. Their holy place is Pardiwar which they believe to be equivalent to the Ka'ba. Their rulings and etiquette include allegiance and setting up fire over a dead person’s grave on the first night after his or her death. Their four ethical principles are purity, righteousness, nothingness, and rida (generosity and tolerance).

Families of Ahl al-Haqq include Shah Ibrahimi, 'Āli Qalandari, Khamushi, Mirsuri, Sayyid Mustafa, Haji Bawisi, Zunuri, Atashbeygi, Baba Haydari, and Shah Hayasi.

Beliefs

Ahl al-Haqq believe in Twelver Shiism and their Twelve Imams. They believe in all past religions and in particular, Islam, but they believe that the core of all those religions is reflected in their religion. As Qushchi Ughli has claimed: "God has revealed four books, all four of which are with us". He also said: "Furqan is the truth and not a lie", but by "Furqan" they mean something other than its standard meaning.

They believe that the Qur'an originally consisted of 32 parts, 30 of which are concerned with Ancillaries of the Religion and the other 2 parts are its core, containing unrevealed secrets kept by Muhammad (s). But the Imams preserved the two additional parts one after another, and transmitted it to Imam al-Mahdi (a) under "Furqan", and the Imam (a) expressed "Furqan" in Kurdish. Thus, they believe that Islam is like a seed, and the religion of Haqq is like the core of its fruit and the Sharia is its peel, or Islam is like a shell and Haqq is the pearl inside it.

Ahl al-Haqq take their religion to be very old and eternal. They believe that the religion is connected to the essence of Haqq (God) as its leaders and Imams are connected to the essence of God. Ahl al-Haqq agree with other Ghali (exaggerating) Shi'as in the fundamental view that God manifests in the form of human beings, but Ahl al-Haqq have developed the view further since they do not restrict the divine manifestation to 'Ali (a) and extend it to some other persons as well.

In some texts of Ahl al-Haqq, including in "Bargah Bargah", there is explicit evidence of belief in Unity of Existence, such as God being immanent or manifesting in the whole world—lands and seas. The most remarkable divine manifestation is, for them, the human being. Thus, the notion of Avatar, which expresses the base of the relation between God and human being in Hinduism and many other mystical paths, figures in the school of Haqq as well. However, in this school, divine manifestation and incarnation is intended to enable people to see Him. Perhaps the most prominent and important divine manifestation for Ahl al-Haqq is Sultan Ishaq (also written as Saḥāk/Suḥāk, Ṣaḥāk/Ṣuḥāk, and Sahāk/Suhāk), since they receive their religious identity as well as their social bond and ethnic and religious unity from him (although they highly honor and respect 'Ali (a) as well).

https://en.wikishia.net/view/Ahl_al-Haqq

 Ali Allahi is a sect of the Ghulat who believe in the status of divinity for Imam Ali (عليه السلام), Sultan Ishaq (Sahak), Baba Khishan بابا خویشن , and several others. The origin of this sect has been attributed to a political group in Iran that opposed Islam, although the followers of this sect consider themselves Twelver Shiites. Ali Allahi have common beliefs and rulings with the Ahl al-Haqq sect, hence some have considered them to be Ahl al-Haqq.

Reincarnation and Ḥulūl are among their beliefs. According to their belief, every human being is born a thousand and one times and then dies. They also believe that God has incarnated in the bodies of the prophets and elders of this sect. Some sources consider the Ali Allahi, Ahl al-Haqq, Yarsan, Nusayriyyah, and Sufi sects to be different names for the same group; however, the followers of this sect consider themselves to be different from other sects.

Alillahi fasts three days a year and performs Niyaz instead of prayers. List of Alillahi concepts Alillahi is a sect whose most specific belief is the belief in the divinity of Imam Ali (عليه السلام) and is one of the ghulat Shiite sects.[1]

Most researchers do not see any difference between Alillahi and Ahl al-Haqq or Nusayriyyah and have attributed the different names to differences in naming in different countries and cities where Alillahi lived.[2]

Some even consider names such as Alillahi, Malek-Tawusi, Nusayri, and Cheragh Khamos to be incorrect and have considered all of these names to be common mistakes in naming Ahl al-Haqq or Yarsan.[3]

Beliefs and Sharia Laws As mentioned, the Ali Allahi sect considers God as equal and attributes a kind of divinity to Sultan Sahak (Ishaq), Baba Khishan (Mubarak Shah), and Imam Ali (عليه السلام).[6] Other Ali Allahi beliefs include reincarnation and Ḥulūl. They believe that every soul is the manifestation of another soul in the past, and that every human being is born a thousand times, each time living in a form until he becomes a thousand-and-one in heaven or hell.

Of course, these thousand-and-one lifetimes are not in the form of humanity; rather, they are sometimes human and sometimes animal.[7] For this reason, the beliefs of the Ali Allahi sect and the Ahl-e-Haqq are very similar.[8] In the book Shahnameh al-Haqiqat, one of the main books of the Ali Allahi sect and the Ahl al-Haqq, it is narrated about reincarnation that God creates seven people known as the seven people; After a while, they ask God for a companion, and God replies: I agree with you, but on the condition that you also appear in different forms and shapes in different times and places.[9] And elsewhere in the same book, God is quoted as saying that you should even appear in the form of reptiles and birds.[10] And regarding incarnation, they believe that God has incarnated in the bodies of the prophets ((عليه السلام).), imams ((عليه السلام).), and leaders of this sect.[11] The followers of Ali Allahi are considered to be very similar to the Ahl-e-Haqq in their rulings. They also rejected Islamic prayer and fasting, and instead of fasting for three days a month, they replaced prayer with Niyaz.[12]

It is said that the Alillahi sect expressed regret for some of the beliefs of their predecessors.[13]

Differences with other sects
In sources that have examined the Alillahi sect, differences and similarities between this sect and the three sects of Ahl al-Haqq, Nusayriyyah, and Sufism are mentioned, and some sources have considered these sects to be one:

Differences with Ahl-e-Haqq
Main article: Ahl al-Haqq
A number of researchers believe that there is no difference between Alillahi and Ahl-e-Haqq (Yarsan) and that what has changed is the name and their beliefs are not different, and with the evolution of Ahl-e-Haqq, this sect has maintained its beliefs for centuries, despite changing its name.[14]

Differences with Sufis
Ali Akbar Dehkhoda says that the members of this sect consider themselves different from the Sufis and have introduced them as believing more in the attainment and Ali Allahi believing in the path of conduct.[15]

Differences with Nusayriyyah
Main article: Nusayriyyah
It has been said that the Ali Allahiyyah hate being named the same as the Nusayriyyah sect and say that the Nusayriyyah considers Imam Ali (عليه السلام) to be the manifestation of God in His Essence, but the Ali Allahiyyah consider Imam Ali (عليه السلام) to be the manifestation of God in His Attributes.[16]

 

Alillahi Muslims
The authorities of Taqlid have not made a clear statement about the Alillahi sect being Muslims, and the reason for this is that there are several beliefs among them. In response to a question about the Alillahi sect being infidels, Ayatollah Khamenei has conditioned their infidelity on associating partners with God.[17] Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, Ayatollah Sistani [note 1], and Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani have also conditioned their infidelity on denying the essentials of religion, such as the monotheism of God; but Ayatollah Bahjat has considered Alillahi sect infidels.[19][note 2]

https://fa.wikishia.net/view/علی‌اللهی

Jazak Allah Khair for all of this information, this is a lot and I had no idea this whole group of potentially 1 million people existed and had their own holy site that's their equivalent to the Kaaba.