الصابؤون

From United Noachide Council Inc

Who are the Σεβείς and what is Sabi tradition?

There were always two kinds of Sabi. There were Hanif Sabians and Polytheist Sabians. This page is mostly about Hanif Sabians or the Hunafa as they are also called. In the time of Abu Kazim, the majority of Sabians were Hanif, but by the times of Maimonides and Ibn Qayyim the majority might have been Polytheists. The Sabi'un are the eirenopois, the kind of muslims which have always existed among people, long before the revelation of the Qur'an, from the time of Noah right down to the present. Sabi'un regard the prophets of the past as significant thinkers and philosophers who took a concrete approach rather than an abstract approach to bringing metaphysical concepts from the depths of human consciousness to the forefront of popular discussion. Sabi'un prefer a personal knowledge of the infinite through direct experience rather than having blind faith in it and regard reason as the primary route to this Gnosis. Sabi'un can be distinguished from Gnostics like the Mandaeans because Sabi'un (like the Sampsaeans and followers of the Ebionites) are absolutely Pro-Torah and not Dualistic in any way. Being guided by reason, Sabi'un seek an ecclectic balance between all ways of life including a secular way of life. This is why UNC, inc. has adopted the Sabi approach to social organisation.

Although Sabism is an ecclectic spirituality, Sabi'un live according to Fitrah and regard themselves a s a spitritual community being opposed to establishment as an officially organised religion. Nevertheless, here is some information about the development of Sabism from the best sources:

• Khalil 'ibn Ahmad (d. 786-787 AD) said that Sabi'un "belong to the prophet Noah".

• 'Abu Ja'far Muhammad 'ibn al-Tabari (lived 838-922) said that Noah's Father, Lamech (a son of Hermes), was the first to use the name "Sabi" to designate the community of Noah (أهل نوح).

• The word Sabi has come to refer to types of proselyte but has connotations of baptism

• Sabi'un say: "not a divinity but the dinine!"

• Sabi'un observe cosmic changes -particularly the percieved progress of the heavenly stations of the seats of Mithron/Zadkiel (Sun), Gabriel (Moon), Samuel (Mars), Ophziel (Mercury?), Michael (Jupiter?), Uriel/Azrael/Aniel (Venus), Raphael (Saturn?)- in the heavens from an earthly perspective interpreting them as ways to understand the signs of the times.

• As time goes by, most Sabi'un may seem to tend towards Shirk, though the core always maintain perfect Tawheed.

• Sabi'un practice daily regular watch-keeping mental projection to speak with angels in the presence of God.

• Sabi'un use the southern Polar sky as a Qiblah.

• Abraham was a messenger to the Sabi'un establishing the path of the Hunafa among them

• The influence of King David's Psalms made Hymns (the زبور) central to Sabi worship.

• The Magus Gaumata son of Cyrus the Great and student of Daniel made Budasaf (Mithria) the Rasul of the Sabi'un Zend Avesta mentioning virgo clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and the winter solstice when Jupiter in Virgo stands still over Bethlehem.

• Abu al-Hasan 'Ali ibn Husayn al-Mas'udi (d. 957 AD) said that members of religions accross the known world from Africa to the Far-east (Egypt to China) are all Sabi'een which is essential to understanding that Sabi was not understood as a religious designation but as designating righteous gentiles from all all around the world.

• Sabi'un fast during daylight hours for one month every year.

• Around 70 BC, Sabi'un were targeted by Notzrim for conversion through circumcision and many started to regard themselves as the real Jews.

• Simon Cephas drew us out of Notzri Minnuth and back towards Sebeia and we stopped calling ourselves Jews and became indifferent towards circumcision thanks to guidance from complex epistles authored by Paul of Tarsus. We adopted Simon Cepha's rabbi as the fulfilment of our Messianic expectations.

• Sabi'un are neither Jews, nor Notzrim, nor Zoroastrians but have characteristics of all three groups

• Jews in Aphrodisias were in close association with the Sebeis.

• El-Kasia channeled a revelation in the city of Serae for the Sobiai of Parthia and became revered as founder of the Mughtasilah sect of Sampsaeans.

• Sampseans are Torah observant and make every meal of bread and water into a celebration of winter solstice doomsday spiritual victory.

• Critics of Sampsaean Sabism used to call it Hanputa (Heathenism/Apostasy) and its followers the Hunafa, because Sabi'un appeared to be occult in their turning away from crude matter towards more platonic ideals of existence. It seems they embraced the term. Manicheism was also subsequently called Hanputa even though he left the religion because of Mani's Sampsean origins.

• Babai the Great persecutes the Episcopate of the Tarsak Sabi'un.

• A house of Imram Zaddokite called Gabriel gave Father Kazim targums of the memra concerning Sebeia.

• Muawiyah I forces Tarsak Sabi'un to adopt quietism (Taqiyyah).

• Sabi'un keep the Persian calendar.

• Sabi'un look for the future manifestation of the Rasul among Persians.

• The Tosafits preserved the perspective on Torah observance for Sabi'un.