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The Druze (also known as Druse; Arabic: derzī or durzī درزي, pl. durūz دروز, ) are a distinct religious community based mostly in the Middle East who are an offshoot of Islam and influenced by other religions and philosophies, including Greek philosophy. The Druze consider themselves politically as "an Islamic Unist, reformatory sect", although they are not considered Muslims by most Muslims in the region. The Druze call themselves The People of Monotheism or Muwahhidūn ("Monotheists"). The origin of the name Druze is traced to Muhammad ad-Darazī, reputed founder of the sect.
Location The Druze reside primarily in Lebanon, although there are smaller communities in Israel, Syria, and Jordan. Large communities of expatriates also live in the United States, Canada, Latin America, West Africa, Australia and Europe. They use the Arabic language and follow a social pattern very similar to the East Mediterraneans of the region. While most Druze consider themselves Arabs, some living in Israel do not. There are thought to be as many as 1 million Druze worldwide, the vast majority in the Levant or East Mediterranean. However, some estimates of the total Druze population have been as low as 450,000. History of the Druze The religion developed out of Ismaili Islam, a philosophical movement based in the Fātimid Caliphate, in the 10th century, a time of particular cultural wealth. The religion did not attempt to change mainstream Islam but to create a whole new religious body influenced by Greek philosophy, Gnosticism and Christianity, among others. The main actors of the early years were two: The pious Fātimid ruler Tariqu l-Ḥakīm (985–1021)--also known as Al-hakim or al-Ḥakīm bi-ˤAmru l-Lāh ("Ruler in the Name of God")--was an Ismaili caliph from Egypt believed by some to be an actual incarnation of God. The Persian immigrant Hamza ibn ˤAlī ibn Aḥmad was the main architect of the movement. It was Imām Ḥamza who first publicly proclaimed Ḥakīm to be more than human. The early Druze community faced a strong challenge when Muḥammad ad-Darazī declared Ḥakīm's divinity and claimed to be his chief messenger. It is said that Ḥakīm was angered by this and had Darazī executed. Meanwhile, Hamza and his moderate followers, who had rejected that Ḥakīm was the incarnation of God, received his favour and were protected until he disappeared one night in 1021. The Druze believe that Ḥakīm went into occultation and will return in the end of days as the Qā'im "Ariser" or Mahdi "Guider". After the death (resp. the hiding/al-ghaiba) of Ḥakīm, the Druze were forced to move and use the (accepted) practice of taqiyya "dissimulation", whereby they concealed their true beliefs and outwardly accepted the religious beliefs of those amongst whom they lived even as they secretly retained their true convictions. The Druze have played major roles in the history of the Levant. They were mostly scattered in the Chouf Mountains, which are part of Mount Lebanon (known for some time as the Mount of the Druzes), and later the so-named Jabal al-Durūz (Mount of the Druzes) in Syria. The Druze also played a major role in the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990). They organized a militia (one of the strongest militias in the War) 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. A peace treaty was then signed between the Druze and Maronite leaders which has enabled them to live peacefully together and later become allies. The Druze today
Prominent Druze figures Beliefs of the Druze The Druze faith keeps its tenets secret. They are publicly open about very few details of their faith (they practice taqiyya) and they do not accept converts and strongly discourage 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, hence their preference for the name "People of Monotheism" or "Monotheists". Their 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. They are not, however, influenced by the Sufi philosophy, as many believe. The principles of the Druze faith are: guarding one's tongue (honesty), protecting one's brother, respecting the elderly, helping others, protecting one's homeland, and 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 reject polygamy, tobacco smoking, alcohol or consumption of pork, although pork and alcohol may be consumed in many non-religious and/or al-Juhl households. Druze religion does not allow them to intermarry with Muslims, Jews or members of any other religions. However, these rules are often disregarded in modern societies. It is also known that Druze believe in five cosmic principles, represented by the five colored Druze star: intelligence/reason (green), soul (red), word (yellow), precedent (blue) and immanence (white). These virtues take the shape of five different spirits which, until recently, have been continuously reincarnated on Earth as prophets and philosophers including Adam, Pythagoras, Akhenaten, and many others. The Druze believe that, in every time period, these five principles were personified in five different people who came down together to Earth to teach humans the true path to God and nirvana, but that with them came five other individuals who would lead people away from the right path into "darkness". The Druze believe in prophets like Adam, Noah (Nūħ), Abraham (Ibrāhīm), Sarah, Jacob (Yaˤqub), Moses (Mūsā), Solomon (Sulaymān), John the Baptist (Yahya) and Jesus (Isā) (as mentioned above, in contrast to members of the other monotheistic faiths, they also elevate Jethro, or Shuˤayb, father-in-law of Mūsā, to the status of major prophet). They 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. Individual prayer does not exist. Druze are not required to follow the Muslim duties of prayer, fasting, or pilgrimage to Mecca but may do so, especially if it is dangerous for them if they do not. One of the faith's holy books is called the Kitābu l-Ħikma or "Book of Wisdom", largely compiled by a mysterious figure called al-Muqtana. It has six volumes and is compiled in chapters, each covering a specific issue. The teachings denounce materialism, especially materialism relative to religion. ˤUqqāl and Juhhāl The Druze are split into two groups. The outer group, called al-Juhhāl (جهال), "the Ignorant", are not granted access to the secret Druze holy literature. They form the Druze political and military leadership and generally distance themselves from religious issues. They comprise perhaps 90% of the Druze. The inner group are called al-ˤUqqāl (عقال), "the Knowledgeable Initiates". Women are considered especially suitable to become ˤUqqāl; they are even regarded to be spiritually superior to men. Druze women who are ˤuqqāl can opt to wear al-mandīl, a transparent loose white veil, especially in the presence of religious figures. They wear al-mandīl 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 ˤuqqāl grow moustaches, shave their heads, and wear dark clothing with white turbans. The ˤuqqāl themselves are also divided into two groups; about 10% are al-Ajawīd, a term that means "The Good Ones (diminutive)". They are the leaders of the spiritual life of the Druze. Druze places of worship are usually very modest and the Ajawīd lead very modest lifestyles. Prayer is usually conducted discreetly, among family and friends. There is little official hierarchy in the religious community except for the Shaykh al-ˤAql, whose role is more political and social than religious. A religious figure is admired for his wisdom and lifestyle. Contradictory literature surrounds the Druze mainly due to adopted beliefs that were used to protect them from persecutors and due to the rumors and stories of outsiders. 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 centuries in order to protect 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. See also | ||||||||||
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