Rbai Rafid al-Sabti, known in full as Rafid al-Rishama Abdallah al-Ganzibra Zahrun al-Rishama Abdallah al-Sabti (; born 1965), is an Iraqi-Dutch Mandaean priest in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Biography Al-Sabti was born in 1965 to Rishama Abdullah, son of Sheikh Neǧm, in Baghdad, Iraq. He was initiated into the Mandaean priesthood by his father. Al-Sabti later emigrated to the Netherlands.
Al-Sabti is the custodian of the Rbai Rafid Collection (RRC), a private collection of Mandaean manuscripts held in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Important manuscripts in the collection include different versions of the Ginza Rabba and a copy of the Alma Rišaia Zuṭa known as Ms. RRC 3F, as well as a qulasta inscribed on lead plates. The collection is being digitized and analyzed in collaboration with Matthew Morgenstern.Morgenstern, Matthew. New Manuscript Sources for the Study of Mandaic. In: V. Golinets et al. (eds.), Neue Beiträge zur Semitistik. Sechstes Treffen der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Semitistik in der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft vom 09.–11. Februar 2013 in Heidelberg. AOAT, Ugarit Verlag.
Publications Mandaean prayer and various rituals (1988) / الصلاة المندائية - وبعض الطقوس الدينية Mandaean baptism (1990) / التعميد المندائي Masiqta: the ascension and the advancement (2004) / المسقثا - الصعود والارتقاء, The treasure of Life: The holy book of the Mandaeans (2022), (Ginza Rabba in Mandaic)
Family His son, Ardwan Al-Sabti, is a researcher and graphic designer known for creating Mandaic fonts.
References
External links Interview from The Worlds of Mandaean Priests Mandaean Museum (Rbai Rafid al-Sabti's YouTube channel) Twitter Academia.edu