Mandaean priest

A Mandaean priest or Rabbi (Classical Mandaic: ࡓࡁࡀࡉ, romanized: Rbai) refers to an ordained religious leader in Mandaeism.

(Brikha Nasoraia describes naṣiruta as the esoteric strand of Mandaeism, similar to how Sufism is related to Islam.

The position is not hereditary, and any yalufa (yalupa), or Mandaean male who is highly knowledgeable about religious matters, is eligible to become a priest.

[1] Zazai of Gawazta, who was active during the 270s AD during the reign of Sasanian Emperor Bahram I, is widely considered to be one of the first Mandaean priests.

Two of the surviving acolytes (šgandia), Yahia Bihram and Ram Zihrun, reestablished the Mandaean priesthood in Suq esh-Shuyuk on the basis of their own training and the texts that were available to them.

[4] Although Mandaean priests have been exclusively male since the 1900s, Buckley (2010) presents evidence that there had historically been Mandaean priests who were women, including Bibia Mudalal (the wife of Ram Zihrun during the 19th century) and Shlama beth Qidra (Šlama, daughter of Qidra, from the 3rd century AD).

[1] Mandaean priests regularly receive zidqa (alms)[12] from laypeople, since priesthood is typically a full-time occupation.

[13][14] There are a few Mandaean priests in Sweden, including Ganzibra Salwan Alkhamas of Södertälje and Tarmida Qais Edan of Malmö.