Rishama (ablution)

Mandaeans performing rishama at the Karun River in Ahvaz, Iran
Instructions in Arabic on how to perform rishama (photograph taken at the Yahya Yuhana Mandi in Sydney, Australia). Summary:

1. Wash the hands
2. Wash the face 3 times
3. Wash the forehead 3 times
4. Wash the ears 3 times
5. Wash the nose
6. Wash the seat
7. Wash the mouth 3 times
8. Wash the knees 3 times
9. Wash the legs 3 times
10. Throw water on the head with the fingers of both hands
11. Dip right and then left foot in water

In Mandaeism, rishama (rišama) is a daily ablution ritual. Unlike the masbuta, it does not require the assistance of a priest.[1] Rishama (signing) is performed before prayers and involves washing the face and limbs while reciting specific prayers such as the rushma. It is performed daily, before sunrise, with hair covered and after evacuation of bowels, or before religious ceremonies.[2][3]: 16 

Tamasha (ṭamaša) is another type of ablution performed by Mandaeans in which the entire body is fully immersed three times in water.[1]

Although the term for the Mandaean daily minor ablution is also spelled the same in written Classical Mandaic (rišama), the word for 'minor ablution' is pronounced in Modern Mandaic as rešāmā, while 'head priest' is pronounced rišammā.[3]: 219 

  1. ^ a b Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.
  2. ^ Mandaean Awareness and Guidance Board (28 May 2014). "Mandaean Beliefs & Mandaean Practices". Mandaean Associations Union. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b Häberl, Charles (2022). The Book of Kings and the Explanations of This World: A Universal History from the Late Sasanian Empire. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. doi:10.3828/9781800856271 (inactive 2024-04-20). ISBN 978-1-80085-627-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of April 2024 (link)

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