The rushuma (; sometimes also spelled rushma or rušma, ) is one of the most commonly recited prayers in Mandaeism. It is a "signing" prayer recited during daily ablutions (rishama). The same word can also be used to refer to the ritual signing gesture associated with the prayer.
The rushuma is numbered as Prayer 104 in E. S. Drower's version of the Qulasta, which was based on manuscript 53 of the Drower Collection (abbreviated DC 53). In Drower's ordering, the Asut Malkia prayer (CP 105) follows the rushuma prayer, while the ʿniana ("response") prayers come before the rushuma.
Signing Rushuma or rushma literally means "sign" or "signing" (ritual gesture). Many lines in the prayer are repeated three times as the reciter signs the rushuma front of the face with his or her fingers.
Mandaic text and translation Below is the transliterated Mandaic text of the Rushuma prayer, based on Majid Fandi Al-Mubaraki's Qulasta (volume 2) as edited by Matthew Morgenstern and Ohad Abudraham in the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon. The English translation is original.
+ Mandaic transliteration English translation
Use in ritual procedures Each part of the rushuma corresponds to each of the following rishama ritual procedures.
+ Rushuma prayer text (Mandaic transliteration) Rishama ritual procedurewhile approaching the riverstoop and wash handswash the face three times, taking water in the handstake water in the hand and sign from ear to ear across the forehead, from right to leftthree times, dip two fingers in the river and cleanse the earstake water into the palm, snuff it three times up into the nosewash the lower part of the bodytake water into the mouth from the palm, rinsing it out three timeswash the knees three timeswash the legs three timesdabble the fingers in the river, with the hands together and the palms downwardsdip the right foot twice and the left foot once into the river
See also Brakha (daily prayer in Mandaeism) Rahma (Mandaeism) Shumhata Qulasta List of Qulasta prayers Rishama (ablution) Tamasha (ablution) Wudu
Signing Sign of the cross Kushta Mudra
References
External links Rushuma recited by Salem Choheili of Ahvaz, Iran Rushuma recited by Yuhana Nashmi in Sydney, Australia