An 18th-century manuscript of the Scroll of Abatur in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. The illustration on top depicts the ship Shahrat ferrying Mandaean souls across the Hitfun towards the house of Abatur, while the lower illustration shows the tree of Shatrin with the souls of unbaptized children.
It is also known as hapiqia mia or hafiqia mia (Classical Mandaic: ࡄࡐࡉࡒࡉࡀ ࡌࡉࡀ), which means "streams/springs of water" or "outflowing water." The water is fresh, and is located in a realm that is situated between Abatur's and Yushamin's realms.[3]
In Mandaean scriptures
The Scroll of Abatur has many illustrations of boats ferrying souls across this river.[3]
According to the 1012 Questions, masiqta rituals are needed to guide departed souls across the river and into the World of Light.[4]
In chapters 36, 51, and 55 of the Mandaean Book of John, the river Kšaš is the river that the souls of the dead must cross in order to reach the World of Light.[5]
^Drower, Ethel S. (1960). The Thousand and Twelve Questions: A Mandaean Text (Alf Trisar Šuialia). Berlin: Akademie Verlag.
^Haberl, Charles; McGrath, James (2020). The Mandaean Book of John: critical edition, translation, and commentary. Berlin: De Gruyter. ISBN978-3-11-048651-3. OCLC1129155601.
