The following is a story told of a kôchak: It is related that at one time there was no rain in the village of Ba‘ašîḳa. In this village there was a Yezidi whose name was Kôchak Berû. There were also some saints and men of vision dwelling there. They (people) gathered to ask Berû to see about the rain. He told them, “Wait till tomorrow that I may see about it.” They came to him on the next day and said, “What have you done concerning the question of rain? We are exceedingly alarmed by reason of its being withheld.” He answered: “I went up to heaven last night and entered into the divan where the great God, Šeiḫ ‘Adî, and some other šeiḫs and righteous men were sitting. The priest Isaac was sitting beside God. The great God said to me, ‘What do you want, O Kôchak Berû; why have you come here?’ I said to him, ‘My lord, this year the rain has been withheld from us till now, and all thy servants are poor and needy. We beseech thee to send us rain as thy wont.’ He remained silent and answered me not. I repeated the speech twice and thrice, beseeching him. Then I turned to the šeiḫs who sat there, asking their help and intercession. The great God answered me, ‘Go away until we think it over.’ I came down and do not know what took place after I descended from heaven. You may go to the priest Isaac and ask him what was said after I came down.” They went to the priest and told him the story, and asked him what was said after Kôchak Berû came down. This priest Isaac was a great joker. He answered them, “After the kôchak came down, I begged God for rain on your behalf. It was agreed that after six or seven days he would send it.” They waited accordingly, and by a strange coincidence, at the end of the period it rained like a flood for some time. Seeing this, the people believed in what they were told, and honored the priest Isaac, looking upon him as one of the saints, and thinking that he must have Yezidi blood in him. For more than twenty years this story has been told as one of the tales of their saints.
Once Šeiḫ ‘Adî bn Musâfir and his murids were entertained by God in heaven. When they arrived, they did not find straw for their animals. Therefore Šeiḫ ‘Adî ordered his murids to carry straw from his threshing floor on the earth. As it was being transported, some fell on the way, and has remained as a sign in heaven unto our day. It is known as the road of the straw man.
They think that prayer is in the heart; therefore they do not teach their children about it. And in their book neither is there any rule regarding prayer, nor is prayer considered a religious obligation.
Some assert that at one time Šeiḫ ‘Adî, in company with Šeiḫ ‘Abd-al-ḳâdir, made a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he remained four years. After his absence Melek Ṭâ´ûs appeared to them (the two šeiḫs) in his symbol. He dictated some rules to them and taught them many things. Then he was hidden from them. Four years later Šeiḫ ‘Adî returned from Mecca; but they refused him and would not accept him. They asserted that he had died or ascended to heaven. He remained with them, but was without his former respect. When the time of his death came, Melek Ṭâ´ûs appeared to them and declared, “This is Šeiḫ ‘Adî himself, honor him.” Then they honored him and buried him with due veneration, and made his tomb a place of pilgrimage. In their estimation it is a more excellent spot than Mecca. Everyone is under obligation to visit it once a year at least; and, in addition to this, they give a sum of money through the šeiḫs to obtain satisfaction (that Šeiḫ ‘Adî may be pleased with them). Whoever does this not is disobedient.
Moreover, it is said that the reason why the pilgrimage to his tomb is regarded as excellent by us and by God is that in the resurrection Šeiḫ ‘Adî will carry in a tray all the Yezidis upon his head and take them into paradise, without requiring them to give account or answer. Therefore they regard the pilgrimage to his tomb as a religious duty greater than the pilgrimage to Mecca.
There are some domes, huts, around the tomb of Šeiḫ ‘Adî. They are there for the purpose of receiving blessings from the tomb. And they are all attributed to the great Šeiḫs, as the hut of ‘Abd-al-ḳâdir-al-Jîlânî;[61] the hut of Šeiḫ ḳadîb-al-Bân; the hut of Šeiḫ Šams-ad-Dîn; the hut of Šeiḫ Manṣûr-al-Ḥallâj, and the hut of Šeiḫ Ḫasan-al-Baṣrî. There are also some other huts. Each hut has a banner made of calico. It is a sign of conquest and victory.
Eating of deer’s meat is forbidden them, they say, because the deer’s eyes resemble the eyes of Šeiḫ ‘Adî. Verily his virtues are well-known and his praiseworthy qualities are traditions handed down from generation to generation. He was the first to accept the Yezidi religion. He gave them the rules of the religious sect and founded the office of the ṣeiḫ. In addition to this, he was renowned for his devotion and religious exercise. From Mount Lališ, he used to hear the preaching of ‘Abd-al-ḳâdir-al-Jîlâni in Bagdad. He used to draw a circle on the ground and say to the religious ones, “Whosoever wants to hear the preaching of Al-Jîlânî, let him enter within this circle.” The following custom, which we have, began with him: If we wish to swear to anyone, a ṣeiḫ draws a circle, and he who is to take an oath, enters into it.
At one time, passing by a garden, Šeiḫ ‘Adî asked about lettuce; and, as no one answered, he said, “Huss” (hush). For this reason lettuce is forbidden and not eaten.
As regards fasting, they say about the month of Ramaḍân that it was dumb and deaf. Therefore, when God commanded the Moslems to fast, he likewise commanded the Yezidis, saying to them in the Kurdish language, “sese,” meaning “three.” The Mohammedans did not understand it; they took it for “se,” “thirty.” For this reason, they (Yezidis) fast three days. Moreover, they believe there are eating, drinking, and other earthly pleasures in the next world.[62] Some hold that the rule of heaven is in God’s hands, but the rule of the earth is in Šeiḫ ‘Adî’s hands. Being exceedingly beloved by God, he bestowed upon him according to ‘Adî’s desire.
They believe in the transmigration of souls. This is evinced by the fact that when the soul of Manṣûr-al-Ḥallâj parted from his body when the Caliph of Bagdad killed him and cast his head into the water, his soul floated on the water. By a wonderful chance and a strange happening, the sister of the said Manṣûr went to fill her jar. The soul of her brother entered it. Without knowing what had happened, she came with it to the house. Being tired, she felt thirsty and drank from the jar. At that moment the soul of her brother entered her, but she did not perceive it until she became pregnant. She gave birth to a son who resembled Šeiḫ Manṣûr himself. He became her brother according to birth and her son according to imputation. The reason why they do not use drinking-vessels which have narrow mouths, or a net-like cover, is that when one drinks water from them they make a sound. When the head of Šeiḫ Manṣûr was thrown into the water it gurgled. In his honor they do not use the small jars with narrow necks.