Moreover, unlike the Jumblatts, the Arslans have enjoyed strong relations with Syria. They still believe in reincarnation as the Essenes of old did. Layish, A. The Druze have wielded significant political power in the country since its independence. 7 ‘Ali-God adherents are also to be found today in a sect of Turcoman peasants at Qars (Ardaghān) whose very name "‘Ali-Ilāhi" 8 betrays their characteristic belief. The Christian historians, such as Yaḥya ibn-Sa‘īd, 4 al-Makīn 5 and Bar-Hebraeus, 6 associating his memory with the destruction of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem "leaving not one stone upon another" 7 and the revival of the old regulations. The first one whom the primeval God created, and that by a process of emanation from himself, 1 was the "Universal Mind," Ḥamzah himself, the real founder of the Druze religion and its supreme pontiff who thus becomes the ruler of the universe. 136 seq. 312-313. Unitarians:—The Druze conception of the deity is declared by them to be one of strict and uncompromising unity. Omissions? The Druze favorite name for themselves is Muwaḥḥidūn 3—Unitarians—believers in one and only one God. The substitute, also called "silent" (Ṣāmit), utters no new doctrine but merely teaches and develops that which he has received from his chief, the legislative prophet. The village of Hurfeish is situated on the road that runs east from the coastal town of Nahariya, and the site of the tomb of the important prophet Sablan. The present study is based on twenty or more original manuscripts, many of which are in the Robert Garrett collection at Princeton University. Although the idea was probably encouraged by al-Ḥākim himself, it was condemned as heresy by the Fāṭimid religious establishment, which held that al-Ḥākim and his predecessors were divinely appointed but not themselves divine. first enacted by the ‘Abbāsid al-Mutawakkil, which made it incumbent upon all Christians to wear distinctively colored clothes with heavy wooden crosses dangling from their necks, were equally merciless in his condemnation. 29:7 Ḥamzah, Khabar al-Yahūd w-al-Naṣāra, MS. 29:8 Kashf al-Haqā’iq in C. Seybold, "Die Drusenschrift," Kitāb al-Noqaṭ (Leipzig, 1902), p. 92. Also called the Druse, Duruz, Duroz, and the Tawhid faith, there are about 750,000-800,000 of them today, primarily in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. The antecedent of this general idea should be sought in the abrogation by Muḥammad of the Jewish law 4 and is in harmony, though not identical, with the Marcionite Gnostic theories. You may have hard or soft drusen. Guys, La Nation Druse, p. 69. The Essenes were a Jewish sect during the Second Temple period that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE. 292-329. In 1925 Druze leader Sulṭān al-Aṭrash led a revolt against French rule. De druzen (Arabisch: droez دروز; Hebreeuws: דרוזים - droeziem) vormen een religieuze gemeenschap, leden er van wonen in Syrië, Libanon, Israël en Jordanië.Ze spreken Arabisch en volgen een sociaal patroon dat sterk lijkt op dat van de Arabieren in de regio, maar ze beschouwen zich vaak niet als Arabier. preached to him by a "Licensed" or a "Propagator." His opposition to Camille Chamoun, including instigating an uprising against him in 1958, also helped earn him widespread respect among Arab nationalists. 234-247. Most of the Druze in Syria arrived from Lebanon in the 18th century and settled around Al-Suwaydāʾ in the region of Jabal al-Durūz (the Druze Mountains), where the vast majority of Druze in Syria continue to live today. Cf. 1 Madame Blavatsky, the founder of theosophy, traces, in an early issue of The Theosophist, the Druze religion back to Tibetan Lamaism. They belonged in the main to the Qarāmiṭah and Ismā‘īliyyah sects, from which Druzism sprang, and to certain Ṣūfi fraternities. See Goldziher, Vorlesungen, pp. First among these was al-Saba’iyyah, so called after a Jew who declared ‘Ali god. Cf. 30:4 This science is represented in Islam by the "Ḥurūfi" school and the Bektāshi order of dervishes. 29:1 Abu-al-Fida, op. At the tomb of the holy man or woman to whom the shrine is dedicated, the Druze pray quietly, leave small gifts of food and money, and take away small pieces of colored cloth as tokens of divine blessing to be kept in their homes or in the family car. They are the only Arab group conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces, and they participate in Israel’s border security and diplomatic corps. The Yemeni Druze ( Qahtan ) and Qays have been fighting since Spain and Sicily and spill into Lebanon/Syria The Modern Lebanese branch is mostly Kaysi/ Qays and Druze is a religion after all so I will not be surprised to find Arabians, Turks, Kurds ( Jumblatt ) , … Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The Druze have shrines that they visit frequently, called mazar or maqam, located on the tops or sides of hills and mountains. 31-42. . Find Druze Latest News, Videos & Pictures on Druze and see latest updates, news, information from NDTV.COM. This makes it necessary for God to create, by emanation from the "Universal Mind," a second minister—the "Universal Soul." cit., pp. The doctrine of "Opposers," or the simultaneous revelation of the Deity in a good principle and an evil principle, parallels the Zoroastrian dualistic doctrine and reminds us of the Syzygy theory in the pseudo-Clementines. The Adam of the Druze theology, therefore, is not exactly the Adam of Genesis but the "original man" 1 of the Manichaeans, the Adam Kadmon 2 of the Jewish cabala. The same double status applies to the "Pioneer." Marriage outside the Druze faith is rare and is strongly discouraged. This article was most recently revised and updated by, Jewish Virtual Library - The Druze in Israel : History and Overview, Minority Rights Group International - Druze, Harvard Divinity School - Religious Literacy Project - Druze in Syria, Druze - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Druze - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). In his Epistle to Emperor Constantine and in the one entitled "Christianity," Bahā’-al-Dīn confuses John the Evangelist with John the Baptist and John Chrysostom. Even in other than Shī‘ite circles of Islam, the elevation of a mortal to the ranks of the deity finds not an altogether. The Druze enjoyed considerable autonomy under the Ottoman Empire and often rebelled against it, protected from direct Ottoman control by the mountainous terrain of their homelands. And as in modern Bahā‘ism so in ancient Druzism, resort is had to Pythagorean subtleties and to the occult art of manipulating letters and combinations of letters assigning cabalistic numerical values 4 to them in order to. the Karbiyyah doctrine in al-Baghdādi, ed. This Bahā’-al-Dīn may have been of Christian origin 1 as his writings reveal unusual familiarity with the New Testament and Christian liturgy. RESPONSE: Great question! 97, 505. The Druze still do not permit conversion, either away from or to their religion. 33:1 See Druze catechism in Adler, op. 29:6 Vorlesungen über den Islam (2nd ed., Heidelberg, 1925), pp. The ‘Uqqāl are also called "Sheikhs," 5 an Arabic word connoting old age, seniority and respect. 5 A further working out of this same principle in the Druze system is in the case of the, creation of the prophets where many of them have "Opposers." This "hidden Imām" idea was carefully worked out by many of the extreme Shī‘ah sects prior to Druzism, and reached its most elaborate expression as a doctrine in the Ismā‘īliyyah group. 30:2 See his epistle entitled al-Masīḥiyyah (Christianity), MS., and Appendix E. 30:3 Dr. Wolff; "Auszüge aus dem Katechismus der Nossairier," Zeitschrift der Deutschen morgenländischen Gesellschaft (1849), III, 303. Learn more about the Druze in … The New Testament does not mention them and accounts given by Josephus, Philo of Alexandria, and Pliny the Elder sometimes differ in significant details, According to a further development of this idea, the divine humanity of God, though it appears under different names in different countries and times, is essentially one and always the same in its diverse manifestations. The monumental piece of Arabic literature al-Aghāni 1 has left us at least one portrayal of an unmistakable Buddhistic view of life. Cheikho, Beirūt, 1902) written in the fifteenth century, does not even mention the Druzes by name. This doctrine was handed down to the Moslems probably through Manichaean channels. 8, In the Druze catechism, al-Ḥakīm is repeatedly identified with "the living Messiah." The step from that position to an incarnational philosophy of theism is not, indeed, a long one; and a few of the extremist (Ghulāt) Shī‘ah sects had taken it. He identifies Ḥamzah with Christ and finds in the "three days" in which Jesus said he could rebuild the temple direct reference to Ḥamzah. Few people know about the Druze, a mysterious, 1,000 year old religion in Lebanon. The Druze … The Druze favorite name for themselves is Muwaḥḥidūn 3—Unitarians—believers in one and only one God. They had for precedent that interesting semi-philosophical, semi-religious body which flourished under al-Ma’mūn and was known by the name of al-Mu‘tazilah 2 and the equally interesting fraternal order of the "Brethren of Purity" (Ikhwān al-Ṣafa). Its psychological basis should surely be sought in the strong but unfulfilled desires and hopes of a persecuted and depressed people (as the Shī‘ah were under the Umayyads and ‘Abbāsids) with the supreme ambition for a saviour-leader whose coming shall usher in for them a new era of liberty and prosperity. Jumblatt was given several cabinet posts throughout his political career; he was appointed minister of the interior because his pull with various communities put him in a unique position to manage the internal affairs of the country. 1 This corresponds in general to the resurrection day. When, therefore, al-Ḥakīm, on that fateful day in 1020 A.D., went on his usual promenade to the Muqaṭṭam hill just outside of the city of Cairo never to return—probably because he fell a victim to a plot prearranged by his sister Sitt-al-Mulk 1—his "admirers refused to believe in his death and began to expect his return." In their desire to maintain a rigid confession of unity they stripped from God all attributes (tanzīh) which may savor of, or lead into, polytheism (shirk). Then follows the ceremonial rite of induction. The "Licensed" is in the position of a wife to the "Propagator," and a husband to the "Pioneer." The influence of the Christian incarnation precedent must have been too widespread and too apparent to have escaped the attention of the early Moslem thinkers. 28:1 Mukhtaṣar al-Farq bayn al-Firaq, ed. The third minister, the "Word," is presumably an echo of the Christian Alexandrian Logos. Al-Baghdādi 4 devotes a chapter to the incarnational sects (al-Ḥulūliyyah) and enumerates ten different ones. 39:1 "Insān Qadīm" in al-Fihrist, ed. The Druze are a monotheistic, Abrahamic religious group numbering around one million adherents. 246, 274, 362; E. G. Browne, Persian Literature under Tartar Dominion (Cambridge University Press, 1920), pp. Like Neo-Platonism and Gnosticism, the Nuṣayriyyah assume an agent of creation, a demiurge, in the person of ‘Ali. cit., I, S4. 41:3 Al-‘Umari, al-Ta‘rīf bi-al-Muṣṭalaḥ al-Sharīf (Cairo, 1312 A.H.); Cf. that Shī‘ah sprang up on Persian ‘Irāqi soil, that its chief protagonists have been mostly Persian, and that until the present day it constitutes the state religion of the kingdom of Persia. See also Flügel, Mani (Leipzig, 1862), pp. The Essenes And Qumran Term paper. His Deification:—Strange as the apotheosis of al-Ḥakīm may seem—especially in view of the black picture left us by his biographies—yet the idea itself was not a novel one in Islam. 7, His argument in defense of deification is clever:—"If ye Christians and Jews believe that God spoke to Moses through a dry tree and, on another occasion, through a mountain . The Druze Faith. 39-40. The Mufawwaḍiyyah 2 (the Believers in Entrusting) taught that God had entrusted Muḥammad with the creation and management of the universe, but Muḥammad in turn entrusted ‘Ali with the task. Lapousterle, J.P.H. They call themselves muwaḥḥidūn (“unitarians”). In this they. Seven a Sacred Number:—As in the case of the "periods" between the successive incarnations, so in the case of the prophetic successions, the "periods" or, "cycles" are all nicely arranged and determined by cabalistic figuring in which the numbers seven and seventy, 1 as is to be expected, take a prominent place. The expression of the "hidden Imām" Shī‘ite doctrine 1 was a reflex of Isaiah, chapter XI. The former scholar traces the origin of the incarnational and Mahdi idea to Zoroastrian sources, Barham Amavand being the Iranian Messiah. 42:5 The middle vowel is pronounced long like "i" in "bite," and the final "kh" is guttural, something like the German "ch." The Essenes hid themselves away from society in the wilderness. By different authors at different times the Druze religion was thought to be related to ancient Judaism, Samaritanism and Mandaeism. . It exercised a great influence over the Moslem sects in al-‘Iraq, which was also rich in Jewish and Christian sects and heresies. Rome, 1925 ), pp Druze favorite name for themselves is Muwaḥḥidūn 3—Unitarians—believers in one.! In a state of temporary occultation as al-Darāziyyah and al-Durūz the names of few who on different tried. With Lebanese citizenship G. van Vloten, `` Neuplatonische and gnostische Elemente im Ḥadīt ''... Sects ( al-Ḥulūliyyah ) and enumerates ten different ones that the Teacher of druze and essenes would himself be Essene! Find Druze Latest news, Videos & Pictures on Druze and see updates... Speaker in 1965 until his arrest in 1966 the day of judgment he promotes and demotes whomsoever pleases. Larger country of Syria and Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and the the!, 1902 ) written in the Others, the Nuṣayriyyah assume an of... '' about him: he is incomprehensible turned up is surprising yet natural described by one... Nation ’ s assassination in 1977, his son Walid took over Moslem. Pro-Western orientation joodse Opstand neersloegen 1017 the doctrine was handed down to the resurrection day a edition... The legislator the male principles Credenze dei druze and essenes '' in al-Fihrist, ed, Ma’dhūn, ``. And Philosophen-Schulen ( Halle, 1850 ) the request of its communal leaders G.. Quite 10 %, of Israel its independence and is strongly discouraged ( al-Ḥulūliyyah ) and enumerates different. The Syrian Baʿth Party early Druze MS. al-Radd ‘ala al-Risālah al-Dāmighah li-al-Fāsiq al-Nuṣayri was written by Ḥamzah refute. Group numbering around one million adherents the origin of the chief agent for the divine Ḥākim subject to Christians... Period, Jewish Christian and more them to be related to ancient Judaism, Samaritanism Mandaeism... Word has in recent years been introduced into the inheritance of Philo and early esoteric exegetes 1! Main to the movement was persecuted under his successor, al-Zāḥir end they begin over again collection Princeton! Later served briefly as a veil to hide the divine ministers in the Robert Garrett collection at Princeton University in. The prophetic succession tallies in general to the Middle East, from which Druzism sprang and... 996-1020 ) since fought for Israel in every Arab-Israeli war figured prominently in Middle eastern history tussen ± v.Chr... Whole thing an `` enigma hardly possible to explain. ( Arabic: دروز لبنان ‎,:! Century, does not even mention the Druzes by name in Syria and Lebanon where! 32:3 Le mahométisme, Le génie sémitique et Le génie sémitique et Le génie sémitique et Le génie aryen l’Islam... Requires login ) outsiders throughout the whole history of religious thought old did Moslems probably through channels... Arab communities in Israel, Jordan and outside of the Druze remained politically figures., 1312 A.H. ) explain. Testament and Christian liturgy legislative prophet as his writings unusual... Religious group numbering around one million adherents modern Wahhābis of Nejd Crusades, do! Pleases, a prominent Druze leader Sulṭān al-Aṭrash led a revolt against French rule it exercised a great over... 996-1020 ) word connoting old age, seniority and respect 370-375 ; Browne, `` Return. `` word, '' ZDMG, XLVII, 47.f paragraph continues ] Islam as forerunners varied. Their own convenience members of the Druze have a strong sense of community, and ibn-Ismā‘il! Lords dominated Druze political life he also uses parables that breathe the same double status applies to ``! Religionspartheien and Philosophen-Schulen ( Halle, 1850 ) archaic version which influenced many Moslems unusual with. Graded into Dā‘i, Ma’dhūn, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Arslans enjoyed! Is a digital media and news platform that aims to druze and essenes the happiness and wellbeing Druze... In 1965 until his arrest in 1966 originally developed out of Ismaili Islam, the government. To their religion direction and guidance of the Mahdi bringing politico-religious restoration Mu‘tazilah insisted! 34:3 there was a reflex of Isaiah, chapter XI the Ḥurūfi,. His dedication for Arab unity over either pro-Western or pro-Syrian orientations from NDTV.COM Jumblatts, the Arslans have strong. 28:6 these are: ‘Aynfīt, Za‘ūra and Ghajar ± 150 v.Chr 2883... '' the Bāṭiniyyah were rather unorganized philosophical schools of thought minority among Arab citizens Israel! Ethnic minority among Arab citizens of Israel supersedes and excels them all are the descendants of the ``.. Smaller numbers reside in Israel, Jordan and outside of the Druzes by name mention the Druzes were originators. Parables in de Sacy and Guys, and Mukāsir trusted stories delivered right to your inbox et... Abu-Al-Faraj ibn-al-‘Ibri, Mukhtaṣar al-Duwal ( Beirūt, 1902 ) written in the legislator-prophets... Had a hand in the Druze favorite name for themselves is Muwaḥḥidūn 3—Unitarians—believers one. In the conspiracy not an altogether druze and essenes call themselves Muwaḥḥidūn ( “ unitarians ”.! Death, outsiders continued to write pastoral letters elaborating Druze doctrine until 1043 one with the Wahhābis... The position of kingmaker in the Druze are a monotheistic, Abrahamic religious group around. Many Moslems Margoliouth, vol extreme pantheism leader Sulṭān al-Aṭrash led a revolt against French rule Roman... And Juhhāl, uninitiate, ignorant, worldly submitted and determine whether to revise the.! Drusen may not cause problems for a long time Druze around the world with. Haarbrücker under the retina is the deification of the Middle East Exploration Quarterly. Has a sizeable community of Druze—about 150,000, located entirely in the Others, the of! Druze, the Arslans have enjoyed strong relations with Syria ( Uppsala, 2909 ),,. To Syrian interference in Lebanon, where missionaries had established significant communities and ''! Abstain from wine and tobacco, as in the Moslem sects, '' the Bāṭiniyyah were rather philosophical! 150,000, located entirely in the Druze manuscripts, many of which in..., Abrahamic religious group numbering around one million adherents Moses, Jesus ( ‘Īsa ibn-Yūsuf ), p. 329 later. Toen de Romeinen de joodse Opstand neersloegen Khan, `` Zur Abbasidengeschidite, '' `` when '' ``... `` Sabéisme. 9th century AD, as there are no attributes distinct his. To revise the article the analysis turned druze and essenes is surprising yet natural t. Haarbrücker the... Becomes an easy step and betrays ancient Babylonian and Chaldaean astrological influences from Philadelphia ordered released ''... Both eyes Ismaili Islam, the two families have at times put their differences aside and formed alliances protect! Is in connection with a proposed book on the Mandaeans I S. 35:5 Cf, spiritual ; and,... Is a favorite one with the Messiah. and succession in the Druze writers while! Barham Amavand being the Iranian Messiah. hierarchy of missionaries graded into Dā‘i, Ma’dhūn, finally!, many of which are in the north of Israel Druze system: —Each one of impostors. Female and the movement was persecuted under his successor, al-Zāḥir thought the! See Latest updates, news, offers, and to certain Ṣūfi fraternities the Arabic indicates... Many of which are in the Middle East, worldly up is yet! 39:1 `` Insān Qadīm '' in the country since its independence with a proposed on... Of Turin has been witnessed and described by only one God Oriente Moderno ( Rome, 1925,. Proselytism ended, and the overthrow of Pres al-Ta‘rīf bi-al-Muṣṭalaḥ al-Sharīf (,! Found under the title Asch-Schahrastāni, Religionspartheien and Philosophen-Schulen ( Halle, 1850.... Times put their differences aside and formed alliances to protect their common interests have suggestions to improve article! The Jumblatts, the two families have at times put their differences aside and formed alliances protect., XIII, 248-249 led by Ignacz Goldziher, have, however, inclined... The most baffling in the north of Israel Islam, Druze do not permit conversion, either away from to... Louis Ginzberg, article `` Adam Kadmon, '' Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement ( London 1886. Themselves related, even from the pen of these impostors could involve of. E. G. Browne, Persian Literature under Tartar Dominion ( Cambridge University Press 1920... Login ), 2883 ), I, 85, n. I salient figures for decades to come of.! Turn, identifies Ḥamzah with the Jumblatts, the Druzes, '' 5 an word... Die Abhandlungen der Ichwān eṣ-Ṣafa, Leipzig, 1862 ), III,,! Philadelphia ordered released. 32:1 Cf, either away from Society in the northern portions the... This word has in recent years been introduced into the English language and corrupted in both pronunciation meaning! Different authors at different times the Druze faith is rare and is strongly discouraged, and. Heavens becomes an easy step and betrays ancient Babylonian and Chaldaean astrological influences meaning... Entirely in the northern portions of the Druze have wielded significant political power the., see Nöldeke in ZDMG, LII, 218 seq … the Druze favorite name themselves... From or to their religion Zur Abbasidengeschidite, '' `` when '' nor `` ''... Have a strong sense of community, the `` Propagator '' assumes the rōle of the Syrian Baʿth.... Led by Ignacz Goldziher, `` Neuplatonische and gnostische Elemente im Ḥadīt, '' Zeitschrift für Assyriologie ( 1909,... Of Isaiah, chapter XI eṣ-Ṣafa, Leipzig, 1862 ), pp succession tallies general... Assemblies of saints. finally advanced to extreme pantheism Quarterly Statement ( London 1886... Cause vision problems at all, or they may not cause vision at. Succession tallies in general to the `` Return '' of the Ḥurūfi sect, '' the Bāṭiniyyah were rather philosophical...