who are the druze?

[nishom]

Who Are the Druze?
islamweb.net


The Druze are a break-away sect from orthodox Islam that appeared in the 9th Century CE. The doctrines of this sect are derived from the deviant Ismai'ilite branch of Shi'ite Islam. In the 11th century many had converted to the Druze faith. They abandoned the Five Pillars of Islam, and therefore, they ceased to be Muslims. They are regarded by the mainstream Muslim scholars as Kafirs or unbelievers. Unfortunately, the world refers to them as Muslims!

The Druse are a relatively small group characterized by a cohesion and loyalty among its members that has enabled them to maintain their identity and faith through almost a thousand years of turbulent history. They currently total about 200 to 300 thousand members living mostly in the area of Mount ad-Duruz in Lebanon, with smaller communities in Israel and Syria.
There are some 120 Druze villages located on or near that mountain, among them Qanawat, the seat of the highest ranking "jawwad" or (spiritual leader). Qanawat is a place of pilgrimage for the Druze.

The principal sanctuary of the Druze is in Hasbayya, a town near Marj Ayoun in southern Lebanon. South Lebanon became the headquarters of the faith. Druze pay homage to Jethro (Moses' father-in-law), whose putative grave is near Kefar Hittim in Galilee.

Founders of the Sect:

Druze religious beliefs developed out of the Isma'ilite teachings. Various Jewish, Christian, Gnostic, Neoplatonic, and Iranian elements, however, are combined under a doctrine of a so-called monotheism. Propagation of the tenets of the new religion began in Cairo in AD 1017, led by Hamzah ibn 'Ali; it is from the name of Hamzah's subordinate, Muhammad ad-Darazi, that the group derives its name.

The eclectic belief system was organized into a doctrine of the soteriological divinity of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (Ruler by the Command of Allah), the sixth caliph (985 or 996-1021 CE), of the Fatimid dynasty of Egypt noted for his eccentricities and cruelty, whom they call al-Hakim bi Amrih ("Ruler by his Own Command").

Al-Hakim was named caliph in 996 and when he took control of the government, his policies proved to be arbitrary and harsh. He ordered, for example, the sacking of the city al-Fustat near present-day Cairo, banned various kinds of vegetables and shellfish. His religious persecutions affected the Sunnite Muslims as well as Jews and Christians.

However, during famines he distributed food and tried to stabilize prices. He also founded mosques and patronized scholars and poets. In 1017 he began to encourage the teachings of some Isma'ili missionaries (members of the radical Shi'ite sect to which his dynasty belonged), who held that he was the incarnation of divinity. Al-Hakim then claimed to be the embodiment of the Godhead--a state beyond name and beyond good and evil. Hamzah in turn assumed the position of imam.

Al-Hakim mysteriously vanished while taking a walk on the night of Feb. 13, 1021. Al-Hakim, was deified by the Druzes, and he stands at the centre of the universe as the embodiment of the One God. It is believed by the Druze that al-Hakim did not die but vanished and will one day return in triumph to inaugurate a golden age.

Ad-Darazi, Muhammad ibn Isma'il (born in Bukhara, now in Uzbekistan]--d. 1019/20), was a propagandist for the Isma'ili sect of Islam and the man for whom the religion of the Druze sect is named. Ad-Darazi was probably at least part-Turkish and is believed to have traveled from Bukhara to Egypt as an Isma'ili preacher in 1017/ 18. He gained favour with the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim and, together with Hamzah ibn 'Ali and others, created a theology that was based upon the caliph's divinity.

According to ad-Darazi, the divine spirit that had been invested in Adam had been transmitted through successive imams to al-Hakim. Al-Hakim actively promoted the belief in his own divinity, and, when ad-Darazi publicly proclaimed the doctrine in the principal mosque of Cairo, rioting ensued that quite probably led to his own death. The Druze religion was named for ad-Darazi because his preaching established his preeminence among the founders in the public's mind, even though Hamzah had been the first to organize the movement

Hamzah ibn 'ali ibn Ahmad, also called Az-Zuzani (b. 985--d. after 1021), is one of the founders of the Druze religion. Almost nothing is known of his life before he entered Egypt in 1017. He became a spokesman for the religious convictions of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim who was already accorded the position of imam, a divinely appointed and authoritative spokesman for Islam.

Considerable resistance to these doctrines appeared when they were first preached in 1017, and Hamzah went into hiding until 1019, when al-Hakim was able to move vigorously to support the new religious movement. Near Cairo, Hamzah began to build a strong missionary organization. Cosmic ranks were given to members of its hierarchy, and a class of missionaries was organized to spread the teachings. Hamzah claimed to be representing not just another sect but rather an independent religion, one that superseded traditional Islam.

After Al-Hakim disappeared in 1021, the Druze cult were much persecuted, and ceased to exist in Egypt. Hamzah, in hiding, claimed that al-Hakim had only withdrawn to test the faith of his followers. Hamzah's teachings later provided the ideological foundation for many peasant revolts in Syria, which is the stronghold of the Druzes.

Darazi and Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad were instrumental in popularizing the religion. They now believe that Darazi distorted the message; his writings are now considered blasphemous. After the death of their leader Baha al-Din in 1031 CE, their religion became exclusive: they do not accept converts; they do not marry other than fellow Druze; they do not leave their faith.

The Druze, often pose as members of the locally dominant religion and their religious system is kept secret not only from the outside world but in part even from their own number; only an elite of initiates, known as 'uqqal ("knowers"), participate fully in their religious services and have access to the secret teachings of the hikmah, the Druze religious doctrine.

Druze: Beliefs and Practices:

Hamzah ibn 'Ali systematized the Druze religion and presented himself as the direct human link to the One; he then established a hierarchy of universal principles, or al-hudud, that would span the distance between the One and the mass of Druze believers. Al-hudud (in Arabic: "the boundaries"), singular al-hadd, in the Druze religion, are the five cosmic principles that are emanations from God, the One.

Each principle had a human counterpart from among al-Hakim's contemporaries. Hamzah himself became the first principle, or hadd, Universal Intelligence (al-'Aql); al-'Aql generated the Universal Soul (an-Nafs), embodied in Isma'il ibn Muhammad at-Tamimi. The Word (al-Kalimah) emanates from an-Nafs and is manifest in the person of Muhammad ibn Wahb al-Qurashi.
The fourth successive principle is the Preceder (as-Sabiq, or Right Wing [al-Janah al-Ayman]), embodied in Salamah ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab as-Samirri; and the fifth is the Succeeder (at-Tali, or Left Wing [al-Janah al-Aysar]), personified by al-Muqtana Baha` ad-Din. Each of these principles, the true hudud, also had false counterparts, in turn embodied by various contemporaries of al-Hakim. The tension between the two sets of hudud represented the conflict of good and evil in the world, to be resolved by al-Hakim's eventual support of the true hudud!!

The Druse hold the Qur'an to be sacred, but look upon it as an outer shell, holding an "inner, esoteric meaning". Their religious texts are known collectively as "Kitab Al Hikma" (The Book of Wisdom). It is a collection of books, of which the first six are most commonly used.

They recognize seven major Prophets, including Adam, Abraham, and Jesus (who they believe to be the son of Joseph). Each major Prophet had seven minor prophets; each of the latter had twelve disciples, including Daniel, Plato and other individuals from Biblical and Greek history. Prophets' names may be called out for help in times of trouble.

They believe in transmigration of the soul: that, at death, one's soul is instantaneously reincarnated (in time and space); it is reborn into another life. Through successive reincarnations, the soul eventually unites with the Cosmic Mind "al- aaqal al kulli" The Cosmic Mind is considered as "God's will" and from this cosmic mind the universe came into being.

Their conception of heaven and hell is spiritual in nature. "Heaven is the ultimate happiness that the soul encounters when it unites and meets its creator. Hell is the bitter feeling of being deprived endlessly of the glorious presence of the Mighty!"
AQIL (singular Arabic: "the wise"), in the Druze religion, an elite of initiates who alone know Druze doctrine (hikmah, literally "wisdom"), participate fully in the Druze religious services, and have access to Druze scripture. The religious system of the Druzes is kept secret from the rest of their own numbers, who are known as juhhal ("the ignorant"), as well as from the others. Ordinary members of Druze, Jahill (singular) and Juhaall (plural) are denied the possibility of spiritual growth.

Juhaall do not normally have access to religious texts. They attend only the first part of their religious meetings which are held on Thursdays. The remainder of the meetings are reserved for the Sheiks. There is no actual prohibition of the reading of religious books. It is just that if a person becomes educated in the truth of God and of life and yet does not follow the duties arising from these truths, then his judgment would be worse than if he had remained uneducated.

The juhhal, whose lives are not so restricted morally and sensually as those of the 'uqqal, are aware of the doctrine of the unity of God and possess detailed mythologies of creation and transmigration of souls, in which Druze souls are always reborn as Druze souls.

The juhhal generally live by the principle of taqiyah, or dissimulation of faith, and when living among Muslims or Christians they may superficially adopt their practices. In times of persecution, a Druze is allowed to deny his faith outwardly. This concession, or taqiyah, is allowed according to at-Ta'lim ("Instruction"), the anonymously written "catechism" of Druze faith.

Any Druze man or woman deemed worthy after serious scrutiny is eligible for admission into the 'uqqal. Once initiated, the 'uqqal adopt distinctive dress and white turbans and must pursue lives of religious sobriety, and virtue. They attend secret Thursday-evening services at the khilwah, an austere, unadorned house of worship usually located outside the village. The 'uqqal are further bound by the seven Druze principles of good conduct and morality which include Druze solidarity; renunciation of other religions and avoidance of unbelievers.

The 'uqqal may deepen their knowledge of Druze doctrine in progressive stages until some finally become the generous, "ajawid". Any rise in the hierarchy brings with it greater obligations to live a blameless life. The more learned or devout among the uqqal are distinguished as sheikhs and after special schooling devote themselves to the study and copying of the religious texts; they often retire completely to the khilwahs.