Most modern historians hold that the name Ezid derives from the name of
Umayyad Caliph Yazid I. Some medieval scholars, including ‘Abd al-Karīm al-Sam‘ānī (d. 1167) and
Ibn Taymiyya (1263–1328), associated Êzî with Yazid ibn Mu’āwiya, the Umayyad caliph. Al-Sam‘ānī mentioned a group in modern day
Lalish that regarded Yazid as righteous, while Ibn Taymiyya noted parallels between the veneration of Yazid and the family of
Sheikh ‘Adī. Over time, Yezidis added reverence for Yazid alongside Sheikh ‘Adī, though modern Yezidis generally deny any connection between their faith and Yazid. In Yazidi religious lore, there is no trace of any link between Sultan Ezid and the second Umayyad caliph, aside from similarities which Yazidis claimed were coincidental. A Yezidi legend also links Êzî to
Mu’āwiya ibn Abi Sufyan. According to the story, Mu’āwiya, while serving Prophet
Muhammad, accidentally caused Muhammad’s head to bleed. Muhammad warned that Mu’āwiya would father a nation opposing his own. Initially vowing not to marry, Mu’āwiya later wed an elderly woman, Mahūsa, who miraculously became young again and gave birth to Êzîd. Sultan Êzî’s figure is a combination of elements of mythology, legend, and historical association, with no verifiable evidence of his historical existence. The
Adawiyya existed in the mountains of
Kurdistan before the 12th century, when
Shaykh Adi, a
Sufi of Umayyad descent venerated by Yazidis to this day, settled there and attracted a following among the adherents of the movement. The name Yazidi seems to have been applied to the group because of his Umayyad origins. ==Shrines==