On the Druze
Arabic plural Duruz , singular Darazi
The following summary drew upon various sources, for example:
An Enyclopædia Brittanica article on the Druze
Another version of that article
A Wikipedia article on the Druze
An Isma’ili website article on caliph Hakim
An orthodoxy-oriented article on the Druze
A cultural article written by a Druze
Introduction
The Druze are a Middle Eastern religious community whose traditional religion began as an offshoot of the Isma'ili sect of Islam (the other 2 branches of Isma'ilism being Nizari and Musta'li), but is unique in its incorporation of Gnostic, neo-Platonic and other philosophies. Druze consider themselves theologically as "an Islamic Unist, reformatory sect", although they are generally not recognised as Muslim by oher Muslims. The Druze call themselves Ahl at-Tawhid ("People of Monotheism") or al-Muwahhidun ("Monotheists").
The name Druze is met with first in the narrative of the travels of the Jew Benjamin of Tudela (c. 1170 CE), who describes them as "Mountain dwellers, monotheists, [who] believe in soul transfigurations and are good friends with the Jews". The origin of the name has been much disputed. Some authorities see in it a descriptive epithet, derived from Arabic darasa (those who read the Book), or darisa (those in possession of Truth), etc.; but more connect it with the name of the first missionary, Isma'il Darazi.
Geography
The Druze have their homeland in the south of Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain range (Syria, Lebanon and Israel). They Druze reside primarily in Lebanon and secondarily in Syria (especially the fertile eastern Hauran region in the south of Syria, prominent with vineyards), with smaller communities in Israel and Jordan. The Druze were mostly scattered in the Chouf Mountains, which are part of Mount Lebanon (known for some time as the Mount of the Druze), and later the eponymous Jabal ad-Duruz (Mount of the Druze) in Syria. They speak Arabic, and are, like other Lebanese, descendants of the Phoenicians, Aramaeans and other historical settlers in the area.
They numbered more than 250,000 in the late 20th century. In the early 21st century they numbered about 1,000,000 worldwide. Large communities of expatriate Druze live outside the Middle East, but the majority live in the Levant.
Unitarianism & Hakim
The eclectic belief system of the Druze was organized into a doctrine of the soteriological divinity of Abu 'Ali al-Mansur al-Hakim bi-Amrillahi ("Ruler by the Command of Allah") (985-1021 CE), the 6th caliph (reigned 996–1021 CE) of the Fatimid dynasty of Egypt (he was the 3rd Fatimid caliph of Egypt), whom they call al-Hakim bi-Amrihi ("Ruler by His Own Command").
The Druze declare themselves Muwahhidin (Unitarians, Monotheists), but they believe God has made Himself known to men by successive incarnations, of which the last was the caliph Hakim. There were 9 earlier manifestations of the Deity, but Hakim was the final and most perfect. There seems to have been 70 such incarnations, one for each period of the world. Jesus appears to be accepted as one such incarnation, but not the Prophet Muhammad, although it is agreed that in his time, the "Universal Intelligence" was made flesh in the person of Mikdad al-Aswad. No further incarnation can now take place: in Hakim a final appeal was made to mankind, and after the door of mercy had stood open to all for 27 years, it was finally and forever closed.
Hakim disappeared one night in 1021 under still unclear circumstances. To the Druze, Hakim did not die, he went into occultation, and is still living on earth. He will return in the end of days as the Qa'im ("Ariser") or Mahdi ("Guider") to judge the world and to bring in a golden age of justice. The souls of all pious Druze are supposed to be occupying in large numbers certain cities in the west of China. It is believed they will return to Syria when the tribulation of the faithful has reached its height. This army will be under the command of the Universal Mind, and will consist of millions of Chinese Unitarians. To it Christians and Muhammadans will surrender and march before it to Makkah. Caliph al-Hakim will then re-appear; at his command, the Ka'aba will be demolished by fire from Heaven, and the resurrection of the dead will take place. The combined body of the Faithful will take Makkah, and finally Jerusalem, and all the world will accept the Faith.
Prophets & Holy Men
The Druze keep their theology secretive, although it is known that they believe in one God and 7 Prophets - Adam, Noah (Nuh), Abraham (Ibrahim), Moses (Musa), Jesus (Isa), Muhammad and Muhammad bin Isma'il Nashtakin ad-Darazi. The Druze also believe in Prophets like Sarah, Jacob (Yaqub), Solomon (Sulayman), John the Baptist (Yahya), and Jethro (Shu'aib). The Druze community reveres the non-Jewish father-in-law of Moses, Jethro (Shu'aib). The Druze make an annual pilgrimage to his tomb at the Horns of Hittin, near Tiberias. The tomb is the most important religious site for the Druze community, second in importance only to their spiritual centre at Bayyada near Hasbaya in Lebanon. It has been claimed that the Druze are actually descendents of Jethro, despite their community's composite ethnography. The Druze also believe in the wisdom of classical Greek philosophers such as Plato and Pythagoras, who have the same stature as other prophets. In addition, they have an array of "wise men" that founded the religion in the 11th century.
For the Druze, the mysterious Christiform representation of the Deity appears in Hamza, whose spirit is said to guide them, and periodically re-incarnate itself in the person of the chief Akil of the Druze, as it does in the Guru-Kings of the Sikhs, some of whom, like Guru Govind, claimed to be the re-incarnations of Nanak, while the Dalai-Lamas of Tibet claim to be those of Buddha.
Priesthood and Laity: The Akils (or 'Aqls / 'Uqqal) and Jahils (or Juhals)
The Druze system of Akils and Jahils is an ideological precursor to Communism and the Israeli Kibbutz system. As the Druze religion progressed, much of the extensive hierarchism disappeared, and a new system of Gnostic cosmology and cyclical sacred history predominated by the time of 'Abd Allah al-Tanukhi (died 885 AH / 1480 CE). The division of Druze into the Akils and Jahils ones was by this time. Full initiation into the deeper mysteries of the creed is permitted only to a special class designated Akils (Arabic 'Akl, intelligence), in contradistinction from whom all other members of the Druze community are called Jahil, the Ignorant, regardless of their position of attainments. Even though the 2 groups do not always get along just perfect, they have a religious duty to help one another. The Jahils, form the Druze political and military leadership and generally distance themselves from religious issues. About 85-90% of the adult population belong to the order of Akils. Admission is granted to any Druze of either sex who expresses willingness to conform to the laws of the society, and during a year of probation gives sufficient proof of sincerity and stability of purpose. There appears to be no formal distinction of rank among the various members. In the past, all were required to abstain from tobacco and wine; the women used not to be allowed to wear gold or silver, or silk or brocade, but this rule is commonly broken now; and although neither celibacy nor retirement from the affairs of the world is either imperative or customary, unusual respect is shown to those who voluntarily submit themselves to asceticism. The Akils are distinguished by the wearing of a white turban. Lest they should unwittingly partake of any that is ceremonially unclean, they require those Jahils whose hospitality they share to supply their wants from a store set apart for the former's exclusive use. The ideal Akil is grave, calm and dignified, with a huge capacity of keeping a secret, and a devotion to their creed that knows no limits.
Women are considered especially suitable to become Aqils; they are regarded to be spiritually superior to men. Druze women who are 'uqqal can opt to wear al-mandil, a transparent loose white veil, especially in the presence of religious figures. They wear al-mandil on their head to cover their hair and wrap it around their mouth and sometimes over their nose as well. They wear black shirts and long skirts covering their legs to their ankles. Male Aqils grow moustaches, shave their heads, and wear dark clothing with white turbans. The Aqils themselves are also divided into 2 groups; about 10% are al-Ajawid, a term that means "The Good Ones (diminutive)". They are the leaders of the spiritual life of the Druze.
Creed
The Druze religion did not attempt to change mainstream Islam but to create a whole new religious body influenced by Greek philosophy and Gnosticism, including a form of reincarnation, where Druze reincarnate as future descendents. It is not known to what extent the Druze were self-conscious and distinct before adopting their present religion. Druze religious beliefs developed out of Isma'ilite teachings. Various Jewish, Christian, Gnostic, Neoplatonic, and Magian elements too arecombined under a doctrine of strict monotheism. There is some suggestion that a number of people in widely scattered areas accepted the system as it was initially propagated, by Hamza ibn Ali in 1017 CE, but only the Druze have survived. It is known certainly that a great many groups in the Middle East at that time, most of whom came under the various headings of the heretical Shi'ite Muslim sects and movements, accepted similar notions and joined similar causes.
Druze theology has a Neo-Platonic view about how God interacts with the world through emanations and is similar to some gnostic and other esoteric sects. Some people would say that the Druze are not influenced by the Sufi philosophy. However, like the Sufis they emphasize al-Khizr ("the Green One", Idris, Elijah, Enoch, Hermes). They have a shrine where he is venerated. Various Shi'i and Alawi groups have shrines and hold private ceremonies for the blessing of al-Khizr, along the eastern Mediterranean coast.
The first of the creatures of God is the Universal Intelligence or Spirit, impersonated in Hamza, Hakim's vizier. This Spirit was the creator of all subordinate beings, and alone has immediate communion with the Deity. Next in rank, and equally supporting the throne of the Almighty, are 4 Ministering Spirits, the Soul, the Word, the Right Wing and the Left Wing, who, in Hakim's time, were embodied respectively in Isma'il Darazi, Muhammad ibn Wahab, Selama ibn Abdul Wahal and Baha ud-Din al-Muqtana (also called Ali ibn Ahmad as-Sufi); and beneath these again are spiritual agents of various ranks.
The Druze believe that the material world is an emanation from, and a "mirror" of, the Divine Intelligence. The number of human beings admits neither of increase nor of decrease, and a regular process of metempsychosis goes on continually. The souls of the virtuous pass after death into ever new incarnations of greater perfection, till at last they reach a point at which they can be re-absorbed into the Deity itself, but those of the wicked may be degraded to the level of camels or dogs.
The Gospel and the Qur'an are both regarded as inspired books, but not as religious guides. The latter function is performed solely by the Druze Scriptures. In less than 3 years since they first appeared, the 2 founding Druze teachers and Hakim himself had disappeared. But the new religion did not disappear. Instead it entered a period of canonisation. Baha ud-Din al-Muqtana edited pastoral letters laying down the laws of Druze orthodoxy. This collection of 111 letters includes some written by al-Hakim himself, and others by Hamzah and Isma’il al-Tamimi (second in the cosmic hierarchy to Hamzah). It forms the Scriptures of the Druze, who call them Rasa’il al-Hikmah (Epistles of Wisdom).
Obedience is required to the 7 commandments of Hamza:
The first and greatest of which enjoins truth in words amongst the Druze;
the second, watchfulness over the safety of the brethren, to the point of taking up arms;
the third, absolute renunciation of every other religion;
the fourth, complete separation from all unbelievers;
the fifth, recognition of the absolute unity (Tawhid) of "Our Lord" in all ages;
the sixth, complete resignation to his (Hakim's) will;
the seventh, complete obedience to his orders.
Prayer is regarded as an impertinent interference with the Creator; while freedom of the human will is distinctly maintained.
Other inhabitants of the same mountain system, e.g. the Maronites, the Ansayreeh, the Alawis (the Druze are very much like the Alawis; the latter conforms more to the mainstream Islamic milieu's interpretation of the Qur'an), the Metawali and the Isma'ilis, also profess creeds which, like the Druze system, differ from Sunni Islam in the important feature of admitting incarnations of the Deity. It could be that Hamza's emissaries only gave definition and form to beliefs long established in this part of the world. Many of the fundamental ideas of Druze theology belong to a common West Asiatic stock; but the peculiar history of the Mountain is no doubt responsible for beliefs, held elsewhere by different peoples, being combined there in a single creed. Some allowance, too, must be made for the probability that Hamza's system owed something to doctrines Christian and other, with which the metropolitan position of Cairo brought Fatimite society into contact.
The Druze believe in 5 cosmic principles, represented by the 5 colored Druze star, which carries the meaning of:
Green: 'Aql "the Universal Mind"
Red: Ruh "the Universal Soul"
Yellow: Kalima "the Truth / Word"
Blue: Sabq "the Antagonist / Cause / Precedent"
White: Tali "the Protagonist / Effect / Immanence"
These principles are why the number 5 has special considerations among the religious community. These principles take the shape of 5 different spirits which, until recently, have been continuously reincarnated on Earth as prophets and philosophers including Adam, the ancient Greek mathematician and astronomer Pythagoras, and the ancient Pharaoh of Egypt Akhenaten, and many others. The Druze believe that, in every time period, these 5 principles were personified in 5 different people who came down together to Earth to teach humans the true path to God, but that with them came 5 other individuals who would lead people away from the right path into "darkness".
The Druze believe that heaven and hell is spiritual, a complete state of mind.
Taqiyah is allowed according to at-Ta'lim ("Instruction"), the anonymously written "catechism" of Druze faith.
Here follows a summary of the Druze compatibility with the Abrahamic religions, and a summary of the Druze stance towards Hinduism:
Islam
Druze sheikhs prefer to consider their Dogma a sect or a Sufi conduct rather than a religion. The Druze faith originated and evolved in an Islamic atmosphere. It is written in one of its Epistles that the caliph (Prince of Believers) Hakim declared that every person in the caliphate had the right to adopt the religion he liked. This decree made it possible for some Isma'ili preachers to construct a new dogma. This dogma inherited almost all the Isma'ili teaching and modified certain rules.
The decree stated:
"Remove ye the causes of fear and estrangement from yourselves. Do away with the corruption of delusion and conformity. Be ye certain that the Prince of Believers hath given unto you free will, and hath spared you the trouble of disguising and concealing your true beliefs, so that when ye work ye may keep your deeds pure for God. He hath done thus so that when you relinquish your previous beliefs and doctrines ye shall not indeed lean on such causes of impediments and pretensions. By conveying to you the reality of his intention, the Prince of Believers hath spared you any excuse for doing so. He hath urged you to declare your belief openly. Ye are now safe from any hand which may bring the harm unto you. Ye now may find rest in his assurance ye shall not be wronged. Let those who are present convey this message unto the absent so that it may be known by both the distinguished and the common people. It shall thus become a rule to mankind; and Divine Wisdom shall prevail for all the days to come".
Hakim granted this new Call (Da'wa) his financial, political, and moral support.He was aiming to reign throughout all Islamic lands, so he encouraged the Isma'ili preachers to call for a new dogma which permits the Unification between two main Islamic sects i.e. the Sunna and the Shi'a. He himself claimed descent from the House of the Prophet Muhammad; and it was believed by the different Shi'i parties that the members of this family are qualified to continue the message of their ancestor, the Prophet Muhammad. Every Imam descending from the family of the prophet has the right to legislate and to develop for the welfare of the Umma because he inherits the Divine knowledge from his ancestors. He is invincible, impeccable and exempt from committing mistakes. The caliphate of Hakim consisted of more than one religion: the Sunnis and Copts in Egypt were orthodox, in addition to Islamic esoteric sects and Christian minorities. The new Theology was inherited from the efforts made by the Ikhwan as-Safa, who preceded this new call. The Ikhwan as-Safa and the Fatimid Preachers were aiming at the same goal: the reunification of religions under one belief called at-Tawhid (Monotheism). For that sake high estimation was given to philosophy in addition to the 3 celestial religions. Ikhwan as-Safa considered philosophy on the same level as Islam; and they considered the work of Aristotle and Plato as valid as the Qur'an. The Qur'an is at the origin of every new thought or conduct, but the interpretation of verses was different to that of the Isma'ili teaching. Nevertheless, the Druze faith descending from the Fatimid religious trend was not independent from its precedent esoteric movement of Isma'ilism. The difference between these 2 confessions is very slight. Druzism and Isma'ilism inherited the same metaphysical issues from Neoplatonism and they built up a new approach to moral concepts under the suzeiranity of Islamic ethics.
Druze legislation in Tawhid regarding a number of issues differs radically from the common Islamic view, for example in regard to reincarnation, monogamy, and the free will to transmit inheritance. Yet, Druze Tawhid doctrine refers these issues to the Qur'an. A new understanding of the verses was possible by means of esotericism and allegory, and this led to a new look at ethics and traditions. So a progress in human relationships was embarked upon, and a new kind of justification was made without violating the wording of the Qur'an. This new Islamic trend was formulated to bring over the new believers from all the precedent dogmas of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.
One of the main causes of the failure of the new call to spread significantly was the quarrels which took place between its preachers notably Hamza Ibn Ali and Muhammad ad-Darazi. Darazi proclaimed without the permission of Hamza the Imam that Hakim is the incarnation of God on Earth; and such a claim did not match with the other doctrines. So a general refutation spread between the people of Egypt. This refutation evolved into a struggle between the traditional Muslims and the new believers and led these believers to work underground for fear of liquidation. Also, the new philosophical concepts used to attract people were not so explicit or easy to grasp as to be within the orbit of the lay man. The metaphysical complexity of its thesis demanded special qualifications which surpass the ordinary, while the traditional Islam was still more tolerant in dealing with what may be called human conduct. So the people regarded the call as Anti-Islamic. And political factions which supported the Sunnis and Shi'ah, each looking out for its own contenders to the throne, both took fright of the new teaching. It was impossible to separate politics from religious denominations. This is still one of the main features of Muslim life.
After a span of 27 years, the call was discontinued and now, the Druze prohibit preaching because they believe that everything possible has been done, and there is no need for further preaching; hence, a believer must not speak about his faith, and the holy teaching of the sect should be kept in total secrecy. This conduct has been respected for almost 1,000 years. The acceptance of the Druze as an Islamic sect is still under question in most of the Arabic countries; controversial casuistries have been presented. However, the majority of Druze communities claim that the Druze is an Islamic sect. The main points of identity with Islam are:
● The chain of Imams who oriented and gave the legal decision for the call were of the House of the Prophet Muhammad.
● The Epistles of Wisdom, which contain the whole dogma of the Druze faith, made it clear that the confessed religion in front of God is Islam and nothing else (there are Sikhs who say the same thing).
● All the prayers and rituals practiced during birth, marriages, funerals, obituaries ....etc. are totally Islamic in word and spirit.
● The Druze follow the Islamic Hanafi school of jurisprudence with some slight modification. The Hanafites are the most popular school of Sunnite jurisprudence.
● The Sufi conduct of the Druze priests (ukals) is quite Islamic in nature.
● The Druze have been historically in alliance with the other Islamic sects in their struggle to protect Muslim lands from the Crusaders and other enemies of Islam.
● The Qur'an is the ultimate source of legislation for the Druze and is considered the Holy Book of God. The Qur'an is the Book of the Druze, while the Epistles of Wisdom are their culture and tradition.
● Most of the rules which regulate the Druze ethics and social conduct are inspired from the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad.
Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the Druze faith has its own particular characteristics and it contains for certain some revolutionary ideas. Thus, affirming the Islamic identity of the Druze does not eliminate their special character. The Druze rest as an independent Islamic sect and we can compare the Druze sect with respect to other Islamic sects as on a parallel to the Protestants with respect to the Roman Catholics. The Druze hold the Qu’ran to be sacred but looked on as an outer shell, holding "inner" esoteric meaning.
In the past, the Druze possessed about 20 mosques in Lebanon where prayers were practiced. The majority of these mosques were destroyed due to the bloody conflicts that took place between the Druze and other sects. Nowadays , the Islamic identity of the Druze community is accepted politically in most of the Arabic countries. The Druze in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan are considered as an Islamic sect, and the Druze feel validated by that. The link between the Druze and Islam is very tight. All the Druze insist on being Muslims. Many attempts were done to prove the contrary but the Druze refutation to it was total. The Druze maintain strongly the attitude of loyalty to the Islamic legislation and faith. This has been always a general conduct and a final end. One critical point about the relation between the Druze and Islam is the very strict relation of Sufism. The Druze as a Sufi community is closely attached to Islam, whereas the intellectual dogma is very close to Neoplatonic philosophy.
Christianity
The Druze believe that the wisdom of God did not appear suddenly and all at once. It was in fact a slow process in which Monotheism developed. So, every Prophet prepares for his successor and the successor adds new things and paves the way for the Prophet. The history of religion is not a futile accumulation of time. The role of every Prophet is inscribed in the Eternal Will of God; and historically, events take place according to a well studied plan. Nothing is arbitrary. This outlook pushes the Druze doctrine to a very high level of idealism and encourages a belief in determinism. Many Druze thinkers tried to escape this theory in order to justify God's right of judging man for his actions and sentence him to either eternal paradise or eternal hell. But all these attempts were in vain. It is almost impossible to deny the factors of determinism which hinder any possibility of human liberty in the Druze doctrine. The destiny of every human being is written in advance on his forehead. Predetermination rules everywhere. It is very difficult to make space for any form of personal will in such a belief. The end of it all is that every other religion incarnates God's Will, and Christianity is one of the most important stages in the human history of religions; it preceded Islam and affirmed the return of Christ. According to the Druze the Prophets all have the same personality and every Prophet's soul transmigrates to a new Prophet to continue spreading God's message. And thus the Prophets of one of the Abrahamic religions is the Prophet of them all. That is a very Islamic belief. In the Druze culture we find tables which classify the different personalities of the Prophets in every role and every epoch. Thus the Druze faith is considered by its believers as the apex of preaching by these Prophets.
The Druze believe in Jesus and his 4 disciples, who wrote the Gospels. According to the Druze Christ is the Greatest Imam and the incarnation of Ultimate Reason (Akl) on Earth and the first cosmic principle (Hadd). He is directly second to God. His 4 disciples are considered as the 4 cosmic principles (Houdoud). The Gospels are Holy Books. With Christianity, the development of Monotheism was decisive. God promised the Christians the salvation of the tortured souls, and made it clear that Jesus had come to lead his followers to the safety shore. As for the crucifixion of Jesus, the Druze believe that he was not crucified but another person who resembles him was crucified in his place. Such a belief may seem very queer to a Roman Christian, but the Druze follow the Qur'anic verses on this subject. The Druze greatly value sacrifice. John the Baptist is considered next to Jesus and he personifies the Ultimate Sacrifice (could there be a link between Da Vinci's protrayal of John the Baptist as feminine, the legend of the Templar Knights revering a severed head and a [possibly hermaphroditic] Baphomet symbol, and the echoes of Celtic necromantic ceremonies, e.g. the legend of Bran, whereby a severed head speaks again?).
One Druze manuscripts states that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one identity. This is applied Druze pantheism. Like the Christians around them, the Druze too prohibit polygamy, albeit on the grounds of the interpretation of the Qur'an. What is more remarkable about the Druze on this subject is the adoption of monasticism by some sheikhs. This is highly praised in the Druze community as the highest degree of chastity, but negated by Twelver Shi'ism and Sunnism. A Druze sheikh may ask his fiancée to agree to marry him without conjugal relations, and there are many cases in which a Druze priest has remained single for all his life. Sex is only for procreation, and even then a part of it may be considered a sin. In this much, the Druze have inherited much of the Christian attitude to marriage, towards the sincere mutual relations between man and woman. The general outlook on marriage in the Druze community is quite similar to that of the Christians and has the same pious spirit.
Judaism
In the Druze tradition, 2 and a half of the 12 Tribes of Israel were lost. The Druze claim to be these lost tribes. In their belief, they decided to leave Judaism and joined Christianity and Islam afterwards, and their final station was the Druze Tawhid. For this reason the Druze give a special esteem to David and Solomon. The other prophets of Israel are classified in a hierarchic order. The number of prophets for one epoch is 164, a number based on Arabic gematria. The Prophets are called "letters of veracity" and they transmigrate from one epoch to another spreading the word of God across the ages, and preparing His people for eternal happiness after the Judgment Day.
To the Druze, Truth and Reality are found in the 3 Holy Books; the Old Testament, the Gospels, and the Qur'an. The truth is revealed to the believers by Wisdom. The Wisdom of the Druze has uncovered the secret and unified the three dogmas in one consistent doctrine.
Hinduism
The Druze believe in reincarnation and are pantheistic. They have a fervent belief in human-only reincarnation for all the members of the community. They believe that the number of souls in their community is fixed. Any Druze who dies is immediately reborn in another Druze. Nonetheless Hindu religion is nothing like the Druze. The Druze do not believe that a soul can transmigrate into anything other than a human being, and of the same sex. The Druze also do not believe in Nirvana. They believe that a soul can not live without a body. There has been some relation between the Druze and some Indian personalities and one of them is mentioned in the books of the Druze, and there is a special Epistle which is named the Epistle of India. Moreover, one of the Druze authors claimed to find many epistles sent to India, and he classified them in a book. This book is regarded by the Druze intellectuals as an important reference, but the Druze sheikhs refuse to accept it as one of their books.
Traditions
On Thursday evenings, the commencement of the weekly sabbath, the members of the order meet together in the various districts, probably for the reading of their sacred books and consultation on matters of ecclesiastical or political importance. Their meeting-houses, khalwas, are plain, unornamented edifices. These have property attached to them, the revenues of which are consecrated to the relief of the poor and the demands of hospitality. The women assemble in the khalwas at the same time as the men, a part of the space being fenced off for them by a semi-transparent black veil. Strangers are readily enough admitted to the khalwas; but as long as they are present the ordinary ceremonies are neglected, and the Qur'an takes the place of the Druze Scriptures. The first half of the meeting is for both the Ukals and the Jahils. The second half is for the Ukals only. The Jahils have few occasions where they can access religious texts, and even then there are no actual readings from the text - they are just supposed to have the concept of the teachings and principles of the books. It has been frequently asserted that the image of a calf is kept in a niche, and traces of phallic and gynaecocratic worship have been vaguely suspected; but there is no authentic information in support of either statement. The calf has been said to be the central symbol that represents the negative forces in the world, although the existence of this symbol is vehemently denied by some Druze. The calf, if calf there be, is probably a symbol of the heresy of Darazi, who is frequently styled the calf by his Orthodox opponents. Ignorance is the mother of suspicion as well as of superstition; and accordingly the Christian inhabitants of the Lebanon have long been persuaded that the Druze in their secret assemblies are guilty of the most nefarious practices - allegations frequently repeated by European writers.
Polygamy is forbidden. Marriage retains certain traces of the original system of capture. Women are closely veiled. They may not intermarry with Muslims, Jews, or members of any other religions. Divorce is easy and can be initiated by the woman. The Druze think sex should only be looked upon for reproduction. Even parts of this could be considered a sin.
Burial takes place in family mausoleums, walled up after each interment; but Akils are buried in their own houses. The body is laid on its side, with its face to the south (Makkah).
Individual prayer does not exist. Druze are not required to follow the Muslim duties of prayer, fasting, or pilgrimage to Makkah. However, they may have to be inclined to.
It is still unclear to most outsiders whether the Druze follow the same traditions of fasting as Muslims in the month of Ramadan. This is because the Druze have followed these traditions for centuries in order to hide themselves. Many orthodox Druze hold that they should not follow these traditions, but should follow a different fasting tradition still practiced by religious figures instead. The Druze have other fasting traditions, such as fasting during the ten days before Eid ul-Adha, the last night of which is spent in prayer. The Druze fast is more difficult than the traditional Ramadan fast in that only one light meal is allowed in the evening.
The Druze reject tobacco smoking, alcohol, or consumption of pork, although pork and alcohol is consumed in many Jahil households.
Whim is the basis of the Druze law of inheritence, not the set proportions laid out in the Qur'an.
The Druze permit no conversion, either away from or to their religion. Their survival is remarkable for this, plus their ban on intermarriage and because their religious system is kept secret not only from the outside world but in part even from their own number.
History
As a formulated creed, the Druze system is almost 1,000 years old. In the year 386 AH / 996 CE caliph Hakim bi-Amrillahi (bi Amrillahi, "he who judges by the command of God") began to reign; and during the next 25 years he led a colourful life.
Hakim assumed full power of the Fatimid empire at the age of 14. He had a good command of Arabic tongue, and a fine knowledge of poetry at an early age. Makrizi writes in "Itti'az" (p. 387) that, "Al-Hakim had skillfulness in the knowledge of poetry which no other man had in Egypt. At his court, the poets would gather to recite their poetry, while he would listen carefully and ask for the repetition of every verse which held exceptional meaning. Each of them would receive gifts of money in accordance with the quality of his works." He was a mere 12 years of age when he gained this reputation. The astronomy was also included in his course of studies. Antaki (d. 458 / 1065) writes in "Tarikh-i Antaki" (Beirut, 1909, p. 217) that, "He appears as a pleasant man with a sense of humour, and often exchanged jokes with those to whom he spoke in the streets." Antaki also writes, "Al-Hakim would frequently pause in the streets of his capital to exchange greetings or answer questions from his poor subjects." (Ibid. p. 200) Marshall Hodgson writes in "The Venture of Islam" (London, 1974, 2nd vol., p. 26) that, "Al- Hakim wished, above all, to be the perfect ruler; widely generous, enforcing strict good order, and absolutely just to all the people. Personally, he avoided all luxury and mounted a simple donkey for his excursions."
Al-Hakim is described as generous and brave by the chroniclers. His clothes were simple, made chiefly of wool, and chose to ride on an ass. He disliked diamond turban and wore plain white scarf. His food was simple, and that too cooked by his mother only. He was an impressive figure, tall and broad-shouldered with a powerful voice. His large eyes were dark blue and flecked with deep reddish gold.
Abul Fawaris Ahmad bin Yaqub (d. 413 / 1022) writes in "Ar-Risala fi'l Imama" (comp. 408 / 1077) that Imam al-Hakim delivered his first speech from the pulpit of a mosque in Cairo on 386/996 and said: "O'people, surely God has made us superior by the word of Imamate. He has eternalized it in us, so that it may last until the day of doom. The one of us receives it from the other and the son inherits it from the father. This is the bounty of God, He gives it to whomever He wishes, and God is of bounty abounding."
Apparently, in 1009 / 1010 CE Hakim destroyed the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem by ordering the total destruction of Constantine’s Basilica of the Anastasis ("Resurrection"), built over the site of Christ’s tomb. The early Muslim rulers protected the Jerusalem's Christian sites, prohibiting their destruction and their use as living quarters, but after a riot in 966 CE, when the doors and roof of the Holy Sepulchre were burnt, the original building was completely destroyed on October 18, 1009 by Hakim, who it is said, hacked out (by his decree) the Church's foundations down to bedrock. The Edicule and the east and west walls and the roof of the cut-rock tomb it encased were destroyed or damaged (contemporary accounts vary), but the north and south walls were likely protected by rubble from further damage. European reaction was far-reaching, and often irrational. For example, Clunaic monk Raoul Glaber blamed the Jews, with the result that Jews were expelled from Limoges and other French towns. Ultimately, this destruction provided an impetus to the later Crusades. The church was later rebuilt by Byzantine emperor Argyropulos and the successor of Hakim the Mad, his nephew Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali az-Zahir [1021-1036]. During the reign of az-Zahir, the Druze sect, which had enjoyed the patronage of his father, was heavily persecuted and driven into mountainous regions of Syria and Lebanon). In 1013, he had edicts in favour of Christians, and rebuilt a monastery, restored many churches and their possessions.
Hakim believed that he held direct intercourse with God, or even that he was an incarnation of the Divine Intelligence; and in 407 AH / 1016 CE his claims were made known in the mosque at Cairo. The first to promulgate that view was a man called Hasan ibn Haidara al-Ahram of Ferghana, an Ismaili Da'i and courtier of Hakim. After his assassination, his cause was taken up by the new vizier, Persian Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad, a Persian mystic and felt-maker by trade, who gave form and substance to Hakim's creed, and by an ingenious adaptation of its various dogmas to the prejudices of existing sects, finally enlisted an extensive body of adherents. In 408 AH / 1017 CE he demanded in a letter that all officers and courtiers should acknowledge divinity of Hakim and the previous Fatimid Caliphs and Isma'ili Imams. Hamza became the actual architect of the group. In 1020 his followers proclaimed his divinity in the Mosque of Umar.
In 411 AH / 1021 CE, Hakim rode his donkey to the Muqattam hills (to the east of Cairo, near al-Fustat) one February night and disappeared without a trace. The donkey was later found near a well covered with blood. Coptic Christians maintain that Hakim experienced a vision of Jesus, repented, and became a monk. Hamza said that he had only withdrawn for a season, and his followers were encouraged to look forward with confidence to his triumphant return. After Hakim's disappearance, the Druze were forced to take to taqiya, the practice of concealing their true beliefs, common among Isma'ilis. They outwardly accepted the religious beliefs of those amongst whom they lived even as they secretly retained their true convictions.
Hamza was succeeded as leader by a young Turk called Muhammad bin Isma'il Nashtakin ad-Darazi of Bukhara, after whom the Druze take their name. He taught that the divine light and spirit embodied in Adam had been transmitted to the Caliph Ali, and through him and the Imams of his house to Hakim. The people showed such bitter hostility to the new gospel that Darazi was compelled to seek safety in flight; but even in absence he was faithful to his god, and succeeded in winning over certain inhabitants of Lebanon. His many missionary travels, especially in Syria where he spent much time in the Wadi al-Taym area at the foot of Mt. Hermon, prepared the way for the new religion to take hold amongst the people of that region. He acted independently in his apostolate and was branded by Hamza as a heretic, and reportedly executed in 1019 for letting people practice wine drinking and sexual excesses. Thus, by a curious anomaly, he is actually held in detestation by the very sect which perhaps bears his name. The Druze regard their epithet as an insult; they are not followers of Darazi, that heretical pupil of Hamza, but the true disciples of the latter.
The propagation of the faith in accordance with Hamza's initiation was undertaken by Isma'il ibn Muhammad Tamimi, Muhammad ibn Wahab, Abul-Khair Selama ibn Abd al-Wahal ibn Samurri, and Baha ud-Din al-Muqtana, the last of whom became known by his writings from Constantinople to the borders of India. In two letters addressed to the Emperors Constantine VIII and Michael the Paphlagonian he endeavoured to prove that the Christian Messiah reappeared in the person of Hamza.
Initially there were Druze adherents in Egypt, Iraq, Persia and India, but they have survived only in Syria. The Druze missionaries found ready acceptance for their teaching among the peoples populating the foothills of Mt. Hermon / South Lebanon, many of whom had migrated to this area from Iraq and Persia in the 9th century (e.g. the Yemenite Tanukh tribes from Hira on the Persian border who had been Nestorian Christians, but where then Islamicised after the Muslim conquests; according to native tradition there was an influx of Hira Arabs into South Lebanon, under Khalid ibn Walid in the 9th century, and this was the was the beginning of Druze distinctiveness and power; about the same time, or a little later, in the reign of Saladin, it is said that Hermon was colonized by a population of 15,000 Hira and Yemenite Arabs, who had sojourned awhile in Hauran) and who were familiar with the Gnostic ideas forming the background of Druze teaching. There were Turkoman and Kurdish elements in the original Druze amirate.
In about 1300 CE, the Maan family, lately immigrant from N. Arabia, was growing in power, and throwing in its lot with the Osmanli invaders in the reign of Selim I. It was promoted to the supreme amirate about 1517. Fakr ud-Din Maan II increased Druze dominion until it included all the N. Syrian region from the edge of the Antioch plain to Acre, with part of the eastern desert, dominated by his castle at Tadmor (Palmyra), and the important towns of Latakia, Tripoli, Beirut and Saida; and forming further ambitious designs, he intrigued with Christians and broke with the Turks. In 1614 the pasha of Damascus moved against him with a large force, and compelled him to fly from Syria. He sought the courts of Tuscany and Naples and tried to enlist Frank sympathies.
The Shihab family (who were Sunnite Muslims and originally Hira Arabs), which had governed Hauran under the early caliphs of Damascus and thereafter held power in Hermon, intermarried with the Maan; and in the latter's day of weakness sided with the Qaisi faction and obtained the supreme amirate of the Mountain. But it appears never to have professed the Druze creed, remaining Sunnite. Haidar Shihab, third of the line, inflicted a notable defeat on the pasha of Saida and the Yemenite Druze at Ain Dara, near Zahleh, in 1711, and proceeded to consolidate Shihab power, breaking up the old feudal society. The Yemenite Druze thereupon emigrated in large numbers to the Hauran, and laid the foundation of Druze power there. The Turks recognized the status quo, and made terms with the Shihab amir in 1748; but his power was none too well secured against the opposition of the Kurdish Jumblatt family, even though he was supported by the Talhuk, Abd al-Malik and Yezbeki families; and it appears that some members of the Shihab joined the Maronite faith in the middle of the 18th century, causing a suspicion of secret apostasy to fall on all the family.
It is said that the amir Bashir, who succeeded about 1786, was himself a crypto-Christian. This remarkable man, who ruled the Mountain for 54 years, maintained his power by taking the side of one rebel pasha after another, betraying each in turn, and cultivating relations with European admirals. His earliest ally was Ahmed "Jezzar," who established himself in Acre in contumacious independence late in the 18th century. Beshir supported Jezzar against Napoleon in 1799 and earned the friendship of Sir Sidney Smith. Falling out with Jezzar, Beshir fled to Cairo in 1805, attached himself to Mehemet Ali, and returned to take up the reins. Once more chased out by the Turks, he was again in the Mountain in 1823, allied with Abdallah, on whom Jezzar's mantle had ultimately fallen at Acre, and maintaining friendly relations with the "English Princess," Lady Hester Stanhope. He now finally worsted the Jumblat. The invasion of Syria by Mehemet Ali in 1831 caused Beshir to desert Abdallah and throw in his lot with Ibrahim Pasha; but he was not cordially followed by the Druze in general, and had good excuse for revolt in 1839, and intrigue with the British admiral in 1840. Ibrahim, however, by his possession of Druze hostages, restrained the amir, and after the bombardment of Acre, the Turks called him to account for his record of rebellion and treachery. He fled to Malta on a British ship, but was induced to go to Constantinople, where he died in 1851.
His successor, Bashir al-Kassim, openly joined the Maronites, and instigating these against the malcontents of his own people, brought enmities which had been growing for a century to a head, and initiated a devastating internecine warfare which was to continue for 20 years. Disturbances again broke out in 1845. The Maronites flew to arms, but were defeated by the Druze, but the conflict was continued and culminated in the famous Damascus massacre of Christians. The European powers, by a protocol of the 3rd of May 1860, decided that the Lebanon should be occupied by a force of 20,000 men, of whom half were to be French. A body of troops was accordingly landed on the 16th of August and the Turkish commissioner proceeded to bring the leaders of the massacres to justice. The French occupation continued till the 5th of June 1861, and the French and English squadrons cruised on the coast for several months after. In accordance with the recommendation of the European powers the Porte appointed a Christian governor not belonging to the district, and independent of the pasha of Beirut, to hold office for 3 years.
The privileged province of Lebanon was finally constituted by the Organic Statute of the 6th of September 1864, and the subsequent history of the Lebanon Druze is one of gradual withdrawal from the jurisdiction of that state, in which they see their ancient independence irretrievably compromised, and their religion subordinated to Christian supremacy. Many just emigrated to form a worldwide diaspora, most prominently in the Americas.
Many Druze living in the Golan Heights consider themselves Syrian and refuse Israeli citizenship, while the remainder consider themselves Israeli. Israeli Druze also serve in the Israeli army, voluntarily since 1948, and — at the community's requestcompulsorily since 1956. The Israeli Druze community is the only major non-Jewish group in the state whose sons are required to serve in the Israeli Defence Forces. Over the past 50 years the community has forged a covenant of blood with the Jewish state, suffering hundreds of casualties while loyally defending the State of Israel. Their privileges and responsibilities are the same as those of Israeli Jews; thus, all Druze are drafted, but exemptions are given for religious students and for various other reasons. In Daliyat Al-Karmel (Israel), there is a memorial to 355 Druze killed while fighting for Israel. Israeli Druze usually identify themselves as Arabs (but not as Palestinians).
The Druze Kamal Jumblatt founded the Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party in the mid-20th century and was a major thinker and philosopher. The Druze also played a major role in the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990). They organized a militia under the leadership of Walid Jumblatt (son of Kamal Jumblatt), in opposition to the Maronite Christian Phalangist militia of Bachir Gemayel in the Mount Lebanon area (especially the Chouf) where the Druze militia were successful in winning the war despite being outnumbered by about 9 to 2. A peace treaty was then signed between the Druze and Maronite leaders which has enabled them to live peacefully together and later become allies. Walid Jumblatt remains prominent in Lebanese politics.
The Druze's eclectic system of doctrines and cohesion among their members, at times politically significant, has enabled them to maintain through about 1,000 years of turbulent history their close-knit identity and distinctive faith.
Secrecy, Druidry, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism
The Druze religion is a secret faith. They have preserved the strictest silence upon their beliefs and truly occult rites. A primitive cult with elements of Nature worship may have preceded it, with modern vestiges in the popular practices of the more remote Druze districts, e.g. in the eastern Hauran, where the Druze keep hill-top shrines containing each a black stone, on which rugs, etc., are hung, and these seem to perpetuate features of pre-Islamic Arabian cult, including the sacrifice of animals, e.g. goats. The shrines are held in reverence by the Bedouins.
The Druze are the Sikhs of the Levant, and their polity offers many points of similarity with the late "commonwealth" of the followers of Guru Nanak - even extending to their mysticism and indomitable bravery. The mystery that hangs over the scriptures and religion of the Druze is far more impenetrable than that connected with the Amritsar and Lahore "Disciples," whose grantha is well known, and has been translated into European languages more than once. Of the alleged 45 sacred books of the Druze, none were ever seen, let alone examined, by any European scholar. Many manuscripts have never left the underground khalwas invariably built under the meeting-room on the ground-floor, and the public Thursday assemblies of the Druze are simply blinds intended for over-curious travellers and neighbours.
To the Druze, previous religions are mere types of the true, and their sacred books and observances are to be interpreted allegorically. As converts are no longer admitted, the faithful must keep their doctrine secret from the profane; and in order that their allegiance may not bring them into danger, they are allowed (like Persian mystics) to make outward profession to hide their inner belief (taqiya, "to conceal") of whatever religion is dominant around them. And so they might join Muslims in prayers and ablutions, or sprinkle themselves with holy water in Maronite churches.
Isma'ilis had an external (D'aher) side and internal or mystical (Batini) side. The Druze faith has a lot of the Isma'ili Batini side, which emerged during the era of caliph Hakim. The Druz themselves say that their literature is allegorical. Thus, Hakim and the 5 prophets are allegorical. Hakim is the Christos and the 5 prophets are the 5 mystical elements (to use Gnostic terms). The Druz thus are custodians of the mystery tradition. In fact their extreme secrecy and mountain location shows that they may be record keepers (a sect that preserves not only doctrines but artefacts and archaic manuscripts).
The Druze leader Fakr ud-Din Maan II fled the Levant and sought the courts of Tuscany and Naples, and tried to enlist Frank sympathies, promulgating the curious idea that the Druze are of Crusading origin and owe their name to the counts of Dreux. Sophisticated Druze still sometimes claim connexion with Rosicrucians, and a special relation to Scottish Freemasons. The Druze are rather like Druids, and also like Freemasons. In fact, some say that Templar Knights were initiated into Druze orders, and thus Freemasonry was born. It must be pointed out that the Druze were much given to making vehement warfare against the Crusaders.
Rosicrucian doctrines spread to Europe from Arabia, and it is possible that Druze doctrines were carried to Europe during the Crusades. There are modern and traditional parallels between the Druze and the Rosicrucians who came a few hundred years later. In the modern sense, some Druze were inititated into Orders of the Rose-Croix or higher degrees of Masonry (or the mystical Masonic Rite called the Order of Disciples of Pythagoras) and they came to a faith which is in essence the same mystery doctrine that the Rose-Croix teaches. The traditional parallel is simple but profound. The core teachings of Rose-Croix and Druze doctrines are essentially the same. This comes from the fact that all western mystery schools are perpetuations of one universal wisdom, which in the western and Mediterranean world, took its perennial height (as an organized institution) in the New Egyptian Kingdom and a formalisation of rituals and practices established. That organized school began to spread to other lands during the reign of Akhenaton, and spread to Greece (where Pythagoras, Plato and Plotinus were initiates), then Canaan. Akhenaton is recognized as a divine being by both the Rose-Croix and Druze. Even the mystical work of Rose-Croix (and Martinist work) revolved around "reintegration". Archetypical Man as a divine being forgot his true essence and mistakes the material universe (which is part of him) as separate and external, since the Fall. Physical man is but a material shadow though endowed with a divine spark. True mysticism is the re-integration of dualities, of the lost parts of Man, the profound realization that everything internal or external is part of Man. This reintegration with the lost aspects of man's nature is what is needed for the self-realised man to emerge. This reintegration / unification of the lost parts of man is then the true meaning of Tawheed (the belief in God's Unity). The Druze and Rose-Croix are pure mystical schools (they do not have external and internal doctrine). In fact all traditional mystical groups communicate and assist each other either financially, in kind or by documents, visitor exchanges or experience sharing.
The Druze have a considerable religious literature, much of which is known in Europe. A strict system is followed to hide the articles and sacred books of Druze, but the sacred books of the Druze, successfully hidden from the world for 8 centuries, have since the middle of the 18th century found their way into European libraries. A copy of the Book of the Testimonies to the Mysteries of the Unity, consisting of 70 treatises in 4 folio volumes, was found in the house of the chief Akil at Bakhlin, and presented in to Louis XIV by Nusralla ibn Gilda, a Syrian doctor. Other manuscripts are to be found at Rome in the Vatican, at Oxford in the Bodleian, at Vienna, at Leiden, at Uppsala and at Munich; and Dr J. L. Porter got possession of 7 standard works of Druze theology while at Damascus. The Munich collection was presented to the King of Bavaria by Clot Bey, the chief physician in the Egyptian army during its occupation of Syria; and for a number of the other manuscripts we are indebted to the elder Niebuhr. A history of the Druze nation by the amir Haidar Shihab is quoted by Urquhart. Sylvester De Sacy, a French orientalist, was the first pioneer who tried to give a complete view of this sect in his book "Expose de Religion Des Druzes", and with the increasing interest in the Druze people, many books were written afterwards. One of the Druze holy books is called the Kitab ul-Hikma or "Book of Wisdom", largely compiled by Baha ud-Din al-Muqtana. It has 6 volumes and is compiled in chapters, each covering a specific issue. The teachings denounce materialism, especially materialism relative to religion.
In January 2004, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, Sheikh Mowafak Tarif, signed a declaration calling on all non-Jews in Israel to observe the 7 Noahide / Noachide Laws as laid down in the Hebrew Bible and expounded upon in Jewish tradition. The mayor of the Galilean city of Shefa-'Amr (Shfaram) - where Muslim, Christian and Druze communities live side by side - also signed the document. The declaration includes the commitment to make a better, more humane world based on the 7 Noachide Commandments and the values they represent commanded by the Creator to all mankind through Moses on Mount Sinai. Support for the spread of the 7 Noahide Commandments by the Druze leaders reflects the Biblical narrative itself. Lawrence Dermott’s "Ahiman Rezon" declares the Freemasons as Noahides.
In spite of their external adoption of the religious customs of the Muslims, of their readiness to educate their children in Christian schools, their use of the Arabic language, and of their free intercourse with strangers, the Druze remain even more than the Jews a peculiar people.