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The Druze sect developed out of Shia
Ismaili
Islam, a
philosophical movement based in the
Fatimids Caliphate, in the 10th century,
a time of particular cultural wealth.
The religion did not attempt to reform
mainstream Islam but aimed to create
a whole new religious body influenced
by Greek philosophy, Gnosticism and
Christianity, among others. The main
actors were Tariq al-Hakim, also known
as al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, the 16th
Fatimi Caliph, and Hamza ibn-Ali ibn-Ahmad,
the main architect of the movement.
It was Hamza who first publicly proclaimed
that Hakim was God. Hakim opposed
this claim which was apostasy. Because
the Druze considered Tariq al-Hakim
to be the incarnation of God, they
were persecuted by orthodox Muslims,
especially after Hakim's death in
1021. The Druze took up taqiyya (dissimulation),
a practice whereby they conceal their
true beliefs and outwardly accept
the religious beliefs of those amongst
whom they live, even as they retained
their true convictions in secret.
The Druze believe that Hakim disappeared
and will return in the end days. The
Druze have played major roles in the
history of the Middle East. They were
mostly scattered in Mount Lebanon,
which was known as the Mountain of
the Druzes, and later the similarly-named
Jabal el-Dourouz in Syria.
The Druze faith keeps its tenets secret.
They are publicly open about very
few details of their faith (borrowing
from the Shia Islam practice of taqiyya)
and they do not accept converts nor
recognize conversion from their religion
to another. This is due to many religious,
political and historical reasons:
the Druze were violently and brutally
persecuted for centuries by other
religious communities. The Druze believe
in the unity of God, whence comes
their own name for themselves: Tawheed.
They are monotheism in the same way
as Jews and Muslims. Their theology
has a Neo-Platonism view about how
God interacts with the world through
emanations and also is similar to
some gnosticism and other esotericism
sects. They are not however also influenced
by the Sufi
philosophy, as many think. The principles
of the Druze faith are: guarding ones
tongue (honesty), protecting ones
brother, respecting the elderly, helping
others, protecting ones homeland,
belief in one God. Another well-known
feature of the Druze religion is a
fervent belief in human-only reincarnation
for all the members of the community.
They eschew polygamy, tobacco smoking,
alcohol, and consumption of pork.
The Druze are not allowed to intermarry
with Muslims, Jews or members of any
other religions. However, these rules
are often disregarded in modern day
societies. It is also known that the
Druze believe in five cosmic principles,
represented by the five colored Druze
star: intelligence (green), soul (red),
word (yellow), precedent (blue), immanence
(white). These virtues were personified
in several people, among them Adam.
Sometimes later figures would come
to signify the same principle. The
Druze consider the Old Testament prophets,
as well as Jesus and Muhammad, to
be true prophets. They also believe
in the wisdom of classical Greek philosophers
such as Plato. In addition, they have
an array of wise men that founded
the religion in the 11th century.
Individual prayer, as in Islam,
does not exist. The Druze are split
internally into two groups. The inner
group are called Uqqal, Knowledgeable
Initiates. Male Uqqal have moustaches
and shaven heads, and wear dark clothing
with white hats. The outer group,
called Juhhal, the Ignorant, are not
allowed access to the secret Druze
holy literature. Between 10 to 20%
of Druze are Uqqal, the Juhhal supply
their material needs, and tend to
form the Druze political and military
leadership. Women can not only become
Uqqal but are considered especially
suitable. About one in 50 Uqqal attains
the elevated status of Ajaweed, gaining
a special say in religious and cultural
matters. One of the Druzes holy books
is called the Hikma Book or the Book
of Wisdom, largely compiled by a mysterious
figure called Muqtana. They denounce
materialism, especially materialism
relative to religion. Thus, their
places of worship are usually very
modest, and their religious figures
(Ajawd) lead very modest lifestyles.
Prayer is usually conducted discreetly
and among family and friends. There
is little official hierarchy in the
religious community, except for the
Shaykh al-Aqel, whose role is more
political and social rather than religious.
A religious figure is admired for
his wisdom and lifestyle. Druze women
can opt to wear a mandl or transparent
loose white veil, especially in the
presence of religious figures. They
are considered equal to men in all
aspects, and are thought to be spiritually
more suited to becoming members of
the Uqqal than men. Today contradictory
literature and hoaxes surround the
Druze, mainly due to adopted beliefs
that were used to protect them from
persecutors, or simply due to outsiders
telling rumors and stories. For example,
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 numerous centuries in order to
protect themselves. More orthodox
Druze hold that they should not follow
these traditions, but should follow
a different fasting tradition still
practiced by religious figures instead.
Page last updated:
Friday, November 25, 2005 22:04:51 -0500 |
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