Ātashbaygīs: Their Origin and the Place of their School

Aside from some of their roots and tendencies, it is right to consider People of the Truth (Ahl al-Ḥaqq) as an old strand of Islam, some of whose thoughts and practices have Shiite traces. Although all of their groups of families have been similarly considered and judged as “People of the Truth” and are said to have affinities with other religions, a reading of their written thoughts reveals deeper findings, indeed. This paper seeks to show that Ātashbaygīs are one of the eleven families of the People of the Truth: while they believe in doctrines traditionally held by the People of the Truth, their fundamental beliefs are based on Twelver Shiism. They seek to obtain the truth by surveying the layers of ethics and mysticism via reflections on Imam ‘Ali’s teachings. Moreover, the inquiry indicates their naming, origin, and connection with the People of the Truth and Musha‘sha‘iyya. The paper deploys a descriptive-analytic approach to show who they are, where they are, and what they believe.