alwasat.shorthandstories.com/01/

#12 The image of that man in white, silently walking down the train and disappearing into the twilight at Nasiriyah station, has stayed with me till today when I decided to make it my first ever post on Bluesky. Thanks for reading.

#11 Down in southern Iraq, locals refer to them as Mandaeans, generalizing. But Fahad was right; they may not be the same ethnic/religious group. My friend Fahad and I eventually sat down for breakfast—buffalo cheese, dates, olive oil, za’atar, and fresh balady bread—and forgot about the Sabians.

#10 As both the Mandaeans and Elchasaites lived in the marshlands and delta of the lower Euphrates, coexisting as distinct baptist movements, they were both referred to as Sabian communions. The Quranic Sabians emphasized ritual purification but were distinct from Mandaeans and Elchasaites.

#9 They are also known as the Mughtasila or “Sabians of the Marsh.” One significant text shedding light on their identity is the Cologne Mani Codex (CMC), which describes the “baptizers” among whom Mani lived before breaking away.

#8 It’s believed that the Sabians descended from a Jewish community in Babylonia, blending their faith with Magian and Jewish elements. Some texts suggest that in Abraham’s time, “all idolatry was divided between worshippers of images (Sabians) and worshippers of fire (Magians).”

#7 3. Ancient Sabeans of Saba: The people of the ancient kingdom of Saba, connected to the Queen of Sheba and Solomon. The Sabians’ holy book is the Ginza Rba. They consider the Polar Star their qibla, viewing the North as a source of light, enlightenment, and healing, distinct from Zoroastrians

#6 There is much confusion surrounding the identity of the Sabians, and the term has been used in at least three distinct ways: 1. The Elchasites: An ancient Jewish-Christian sect from southern Iraq. 2. Hellenized Sabians of Harran: Arab pagans who adopted the term Sabian in the 9th century.

#4 But they are neither Christians nor Muslims. They revere John the Baptist (Yahya ibn Zakariya). The Quran mentions the Sabians three times (2:62, 5:69, 22:17): “Believers, Jews, Christians, and Sabians” and “Allah will judge them on the Day of Resurrection. He bears witness to all things.”

#4 He remained silent, his face etched with deep wrinkles, as though carrying the weight of many years. Around his neck, he wore a simple, unusual wooden cross. Who are these Sabians? In the Quran, they are described as People of the Book, entitled to Dhimma protection

#3 “Very complicated people. Sensitive, and they carry a lot of resentment toward the government, especially since Saddam drained the marshes back in the ’90s.” he said. The next morning, as the train neared Nasiriyah, I saw the man again.

#2 I turned to my friend, Fahad, and asked, “Who could he be?” Fahad explained that the man was a Sabian, likely returning to his homeland in the south. “A Sabian, right next to my cabin?” I asked, intrigued. “A Mandaean?” I had asked naively. Fahad replied, “I’m not sure if they’re Mandaeans.”

Two years ago, I was traveling to Nasiriyah, in southern Iraq, by train. It was a six-hour overnight journey from the capital, Baghdad. In my cabin there were just the two of us and in the next one, a solitary man sat. He was dressed entirely in white from head to toe, in an immaculate fustana dress