The Al-Jilwah is not a Satanic Document

"I Was, Am Now, and shall have no End. I exercise dominion over all creatures and over the affairs of all who are under the protection of my image."
The Al-Jilwah, Isya Joseph

The Al-Jilwah is a document written by Isya Joseph, that some fundamental Satanists believe was written or inspired by Satan. This book contains the tale of creation, and the appearance of the god known as Malak Taus, whom some Satanists identify with as Satan and Lucifer. They may relate the tale of Melek-Taus from the Al-Jilwah, to the fall of Lucifer from the bible. Some Satanists may believe that the existence of the Al-Jilwah gives Satanism a historical origin. The interpretation of this book as a Satanic document, is based on years of misinformation.

According to Joseph, The Al-Jilwah was [allegedly] written by a prophet named Shayik Adi. This translation by Joseph has been documented as being an inaccurate and incomplete history of the Yazidi. These texts have been examined by scholarly sources, and it has been revealed that the book that was written by Joseph is not historically correct.

The anthropologist, C.J. Edmonds studied the text in 1969, and his conclusion was that Joseph's text was unauthenticated. Anthropologist, Alphonso Mingana analyzed the text as well, and he had considered these rituals written by Joseph to be forgeries based on the linguistic structure of the ritual. Yet another analysis by Berkley UCLA revealed that the writings of Joseph are "significantly incomplete and factually suspect."¹.

Origins of The Name, Malak Taus

The Yazidi are a religious and tribal sect of people, and their culture originates in Iraq, Syria and Armenia. It is said that the Yazidi and their religion are believed to be directly descended from the Kurds. The name Yazidi originates from the word yatza meaning deity or the Persian Yazdan which also translates as God. In their religious beliefs and holy books, the Yazidi believe that the world was created by a god, and that this creator god left the world in the care of seven holy beings known as angels. The first angel to be created was the angel known as Melek Ta'us, who is often referred to as gods angel.

The Arabic name melek translates as King or angel. The word, Taus is the peacock but since the peacock is not native to the lands of the Yazidi, some have said that this association with the peacock comes from India where it is revered as a sacred symbol. The peacock has been used as a religious symbol and as a representation of royalty by many different cultures of the Mediterranean, and the East. I suspect that the claim that the peacock symbolizes pride, it could also represent fertility. Some have theorized that the word Melek Ta'us is derived from the Greek Zeus and Theos an equivalent to God.

Yazidi Mythos

The religious beliefs and legends of the Yazidi are known to be loosely based on Zoroastrianism Christian, Islam, Persian and the Vedas. The creation story of the Yazidi is quite different than the creation stories of Christianity or Islam. In the Yazidi account, Melek Ta'us was created first from the illumination of the creator god. Then the god created the other six angels and he ordered Melek Ta'us not to bow to any other being except for god.

The creator god then went on to create Adam from the dust which was brought to him by the other angels, and when the creator god made the angels bow to Adam, all of them did except for Melek who refused to disobey god. For this, according to the legend, the creator god granted Melek Ta'us ownership of the earth. In the story, Melek Ta'us and his refusal to bow to Adam was a show of loyalty and faith to the creator god for which he was rewarded.

The stories of Christianity or Islam portray a similar scenario between god and the devil, where the devil is disobedient and is exiled and then punished for eternity, but given ownership of the earth along with his eternal imprisonment in hell.

In the beliefs of the Yazidi, Melek Ta'us is revered as a holy being because he submitted to god's will, because he would not worship Adam. The Yazidi tradition is that Melek Ta'us is a benevolent angel who had quenched the fires of hell with his tears after he repented for not worshiping Adam.

Therefore, the belief is that there is no hell in the Yazidi religion. The Yazidis also believe that the only source of evil is in the human heart, and that evil is not found within the angel known as Melek Ta'us. They regard Melek Ta'us with reverence, because Melek became a role-model for veneration and obedience towards god. While Melek Ta'us remains a holy figure to the Yazidis, it is outside religions like Islam and Christianity which draw parallels to the story of Melek Ta'us and Satan and by doing this they have portrayed the god of the Yazidis people as evil.

Scha-tan, the Body of an Angel

The association between Melek taus and shayatan or satan is another myth that keeps perpetuating in the satanic comunity as well. The word Schiatan, which in Hebrew means Satan, has been confused with the original kurdish word Scha-Tan meaning With the body of an angel. In comparison, the Hebrew word, shiatan and Satan mean adversary.

Obviously the two do not relate. An angel can be said to be a spirit that is in the service of a god, and is controlled by god; the adversary is one who is against god. Of course its hard to disassociate the supposed connection between Satan and melek taus but a little bit of research shows that the two are not related within the Yazidi religion.

Within Islam, however the shitan are a race of jinn who speak evil into the hearts of men and cause them to sin. The scha-tan of the Yazidis is the Melek-Taus, the body of the angel of god, not a creature of evil.

The belief that the Yazidis worship Satan, is a misrepresentation of the true intent of the religion of these people. The religions of Christianity and Islam portray the figures of Lucifer, Satan, and Iblis to be disobedient, while the Yazidi understand their angel of god Melek Ta'us to be a god that was not condemned, but praised and rewarded for not disobeying god.

To the Yazidi, their god is closest to the presence of their creator god for his obedience. If the Yazidi were truly devil worshipers they would be worshiping a fallen and evil angel named Lucifer, just like the legends of Christianity and Islam. The Satan, of Christianity and of Islam is portrayed as a disobedient spirit who is cast away by their creator god, which causes man to sin [and sin, is the separation from god].

In comparison, the Melek Ta'us of the Yazidi is a god that inspires these people to be closer to the creator god and goodness through [his] example of obedience, and he was not seen as fallen, according to the legend, he had repented and was rewarded².The Satan of Chrisitian myth had never repented or was ever rewarded.

Conclusion

The Al-Jilwah was a document that was mistranslated, and sensationalized by people like Isya Joseph, and Anton LaVey, and anyone not wise enough to do the research and see the reality of what the Al-Jilwah really is. This is a document of christian and religious propaganda meant to slander yet another religion, based on the inaccurate translations on the part of Joseph. The real Al-Jilwah of the Yazidi is a sacred and Holy book, based on a variety of christian, Islamic and Judaic beliefs, not intended for the worship of the Christian Satan.

- Venus Satanas