And this strange five pointed star is not strange but the religious symbol. Druze teachings are kept secret, so libel and slander by their opponents have been generally left uncorrected. American druze struggle to keep the faith al jazeera america. A history of the druzes begins with an introduction to the early history of the druzes, focusing on the religious, political, and social features that fostered the druze community as a religious minority with its own particular characteristics, facilitating an understanding of the druzes today. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. This article explores the cultural dynamics of bond and separateness created around the book of wisdom kitab. The druzes or druses comprise a closely knit religious community estimated at 300,000450,000 people. This book describes many occurrences, some of which will be narrated below, suggesting a connection between vedic and. Jun 02, 2014 she would attend religious seminars for teenagers taught by sheikhs, or the select number of initiated druze who have fully immersed themselves in religious life and are allowed to pray and.
Druze, small middle eastern religious sect characterized by an eclectic system of. The druze faith, by sami nasib makarem, is the paperback edition of the timeless book first published in 1974 by caravan. The druze, also known as the sons of grace, are a secretive, tightlyknit religious sect whose origins can be traced to egypt a thousand years ago. Only a limited number of esoteric men and women called uqqal the enlightened are permitted to study the religion s six holy books. The druze live in uneasy compromise between their traditional values and the pressures of life in increasingly westernized countries.
While the spiritual elements of their religion are highly guarded and known only to the elders, the known practices are made up of various religions which include hinduism, christianity, islam and judaism. In recent times, druze women work side by side with men in order to meet the expenses of the family. People who follow the druze belief system are found today primarily in syria, lebanon and israel. Druze history, modern era, immigration and settlement. Druze religious books are accessible only to the initiates, the uqqal knowers. The druze community, more correctly known as the muwahideen, number close to 120,000 in israel. Druze follow the teachings of alhakim biamrih alla. This is a collection of books, of which the first six are most commonly used. The druze challenge of survival opinion the harvard. This is a superb book about the druze faith written by a well known scholar and professor sami nasib makarem. Who are the druze and how might the shroud of turin relate. Despite a few holy sites which have become official gathering places for the druze, the druze generally spurn the concepts of ceremonies and rituals. There are approximately,000 druze people living in israel today and many more in surrounding countries, and each and every one of them is precious to god.
Druze religious belief branched out from tenth and eleventhcentury shiism, and includes elements derived from islamic mysticism. They are firmly monotheistic, believing in a single god. In truth, they have nothing in common with islam and do not believe or practice any of the pillars of islam or worship any of the islamic figures revered by both prominent sects of islam, the sunnites, andor the shiites. The origins of the druze people and religion saqi books. Oct 24, 2018 the druze are a unique people who originated in egypt, but have since spread all over the world, with more concentrated numbers in lebanon, syria, israel, and jordan. The origins of the druze people and religion by philip. The book includes rarelyseen extracts from the sacred writings of the druze and offers a unique insight into this fascinating religious minority. Therefore, the druze refrain from missionizing, and no member of another religion can become druze. They live primarily in the galilee and the golan heights, and are classified as a separate religious group, with their own courts and their own jurisdiction in matters such as marriage, divorce, and adoption. In fact, the druze are very important people in israel, and wed like to show you why. Druze is the name of a religious group living mainly in the middle east, whose religion is an offshoot of islam, but also incorporates other religious elements. What is a good book to read about druze religion and culture.
In 1009, near cairo, egypt, alhakim biamrih alla declared himself to be an earthly incarnation of god. Origins of the druze people and religion and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. The druze live primarily in syria, lebanon, israel and jordan, with expatriate populations in the u. From then on, the druze religion became hereditary. Unlike islam and christianity, where you can go to religious schools or institutions to be taught the koran or the bible, druze religious authorities have forbidden the circulation of the book of. The druze faith is one of the major religious groups in the levant, with about 1. The life of the average druze revolves closely around his or her family and his or her relationship with other druze. Home to about 11,000 druze, yirka has a number of important sites, the most significant of which is the tomb of sheikh abu saraya ghanem, an important druze religious scholar of the early eleventh century. The druze religious establishments interpretation of taqiyya. The druze, who can be traced back to eleventhcentury levant, have long intrigued scholars of the middle east. Today, druze women are educated, and 95% of them have completed secondary education, and 25% enroll in higher education.
In the first complete account of the druze, robert brenton betts provides a general survey of the history, traditions, and society of this secretive arab sect. Few people know about the druze, a mysterious, 1,000 year old religion in lebanon. Druze, also spelled druse, arabic plural duruz, singular darazi, small middle eastern religious sect characterized by an eclectic system of doctrines and by a cohesion and loyalty among its members at times politically significant that have enabled them to maintain for centuries their closeknit identity and distinctive faith. Druze religion has its origins in the second decade of the 11th century, when aldarazi and hamzah ibn ali declared the sixth fatimid caliph to be the incarnation of the godhead. The juhal ignorant ones accept the faith on the basis of the tradition handed down from generation to generation. Druze and their faith in tawhid, the syracuse university. Email citation provides a brief history of the druze faith, traditions, and society and a wealth of primary and secondary sources on the druzes history and their political significance in the middle east. Druze is a small religious group less than one million based primarily in the middle eastern countries of lebanon, syria and israel. To stress the gap between druze and muslim, with all regards to the practical performance of the five fundamental commandments, let us look at the 7 principals which are the foundation of the druze faith and their family structure. On the best day in the middle east, being a minority is a real challenge. They are running the danger of making the religion irrelevant.
Druze fur by druze et al and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. What is the name of the holy book of the druze faith answers. Although sometimes many druze consider themselves part of shia islam, in israel they are considered part of a different ethnic and religious group within the arabicspeaking minority. Moslems and christians will both be reduced to everlasting slavery, and the unitarians will reign forever. The rules of the religion are in a book which can only be read and accessed by the religious druze. Druze times february 6 we are selling all our remaining copies of the druze faith, the timeless book on the druze religion written by the scholar sami nasib makarem in english. Druze simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Druze the druze religion the muwahideen ifcj learn more. They are said to have descended from jethro, the priest of midian who was moses fatherinlaw exodus 18. In the 19th century manuscript copies of their religious literature were spirited away to collections in europe and the united states, and scholars were finally able to. He writes with style and elegance and shares with the reader what a true druze. The uqqals oversee the religious life of their particular community, acting almost as intermediaries with god. The origins of the druze people and religion philip k.
The majority of the druze are considered secular juhhal and are not permitted to study religious books or participate in religious assemblies that take place on sunday and thursday. Religionfacts provides free, objective information on religion, world religions, comparative religion and religious topics. In druze genes, a look back at the distant past the forward. The druze believe that many teachings given by prophets, religious leaders and holy books have esoteric meanings preserved for those of intellect, in which some teachings are symbolic and allegorical in nature, and divide the understanding of holy books and teachings into three layers. The druze faith book by sami makarem paperback in english. The name druze probably comes from darazi, a preacher who was expelled from the druze movement, because he preached that alhakim was literally god. I think it would have been better if more attention was paid to what led to the split between other ismaili shia and how they differ from groups with ismaili origins. Following the death of alhakim in 1021 the druze sect in egypt was subjected to persecution and disappeared. As a druze person i hear this a lot but it is completely untrue. Apr 25, 2010 the idea that druze will only know their religion or can be initiated at the age of 40 is completely wrong. Their obscure origins and blending of beliefs from ismaili shiism, animism, greek philosophy, jewish and christian mysticism, iranian gnosticism and.
Although the druze religious books describe addarazi as the insolent one and as the calf who is narrowminded and hasty. The druze muwahhidun an introduction by hammud quteish. While the druze religion was officially established in the 11th century, oral tradition maintains that the druze people was in existence many thousands of years before and is. Origins of the druze people and religion forgotten books philip k. Their holy book, known as the book of wisdom, is not easily accessible nor is it comprehensible to. The druze basic religious book is entitled kutub alh ikma or ras ail al h ikma the book of. Finally, druze religious practices, as distinguished from beliefs, include the following. The rest of the druze, known as the juhhal the unenlightened, may not read the holy books, but are instead given a strict code of moral and ethical. The druze are a religious group living mainly in the middle east. Young druze men are beginning to question the religious beliefs and practices of their elders, although there are few who have rejected the faith entirely. Most face social, political, and economic hurdles, but their religion provides them with a buffer to survive social pressures, discrimination, and limited opportunities. It is a collection of books, of which the first six are most commonly used.
Also called the druse, duruz, duroz, and the tawhid faith, there are about 750,000800,000 of them today, primarily in syria, lebanon, and israel. During an interview for the book heirs to forgotten kingdoms, sheikh alaql, the head of the druze clergy in lebanon, said. Presenting a chronological narrative of the foundation and development of the faith, he explains the historical conditions and religious rationale behind this closed religion. The druze are a small religious community, with members in syria, lebanon, and israel. Druze, small middle eastern religious sect characterized by an eclectic system of doctrines and by a cohesion and loyalty among its members at times politically significant that have enabled them to maintain for centuries their closeknit identity and distinctive faith. Moreover, the religious person maintains his moustache and does not shave or trim it. First, it is unitary, which means it draws beliefs and traditions from many different faiths and sees all faiths as equally validall are roads to the same divine source, despite disparate understandings of. The druze challenge of survival opinion the harvard crimson. The origins of the druze people and religion by philip k.
Druze reject polygamy, believe in reincarnation, and are not obliged to observe most of the religious rituals. Druze the druze religion the muwahideen ifcj learn. Their religion is an offshoot of islam, but also incorporates other religious elements the druze or druse comprise a closely knit religious community estimated at 300,000450,000 people. Druze hold the quran to be sacred, but look upon it as an outer shell, holding an inner, esoteric meaning. Mar 24, 2019 the druze are a secretive surviving gnostic community in the middle east today who publicly claim homogeneity with islam due to a historical fear of persecution. Their religious texts are known collectively as kitab al hikma, the book of wisdom.
This book also provides valuable demographic data on the druze in the region. Religious sages constitute no more than 25% of the sect. Betts, who has spent a great deal of time with the druze, interweaves his firsthand observations with a wealth of primary and secondary sources, describing not only their thousandyear history but also their political significance in. In the 19th century manuscript copies of their religious literature were spirited away to collections in europe and the united states, and scholars were finally able to access them. This book is not an indepth look at the druze religion but it does deals with major historical events and dogma. In the process, we stumbled upon the druze, and entered a world of fascinating interethnic experiences, which became the subject of a book i published in 1994, entitled krsna, israel and the druze an interreligious odyssey.
Although the druze religious books describe addarazi as the insolent one and as the calf who is narrowminded and hasty, the name druze is still used for identification and for historical reasons. Religious druze wear special attire that distinguishes them from the other sects. Armanet 2018 offers a new perspective on the cultural dynamics surrounding the druze holy book. This book is considered secret and only religious sages uqqal are permitted to peruse its six volumes. The majority of druze religious women are above the age of thirty. They hold the quran to be sacred, but look upon it as an outer shell, holding an inner, esoteric meaning. Do the druze people consider themselves muslims or not. The rest of the druze, known as the juhhal the unenlightened, may not read the holy books, but are instead given a strict code of moral and ethical behavior to follow. The official facebook page of the american druze society ads, a 501c3 federally recognized. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. In the late 1800s, with the vast immigrant waves that came to america seeking new life and freedom, also emerged the druze from the levant or the east mediterranean region with aspiring hope, to forge new paths. Freedom of religion is a right in france so there is no national religious book. The druze refer to themselves as ahl altawhid or almuwahhidun which means the people of monotheism.
Origins of the druze people and religion forgotten books. This is the only paperback you will find anywhere in the world, and we have a very limited quantity left in inventory. They use the arabic language and follow a social pattern very similar to the arabs of the region, but consider themselves neither arabs nor muslims. The druze religion is purported to be a complex mixture of neoplatonic philosophy, gnosticism, sufi mysticism and ismaili tradition. Anis obeid, a druze layman, provides a penetrating analysis of druze scriptures and beliefs tawhid. The holy book writing is the book in which allah wrote and sent upon prophet mohamed to give to the muslims to help guide them and teach them about the religion of. Sep 19, 2015 what is the name of the holy book of the druze faith.
The origins of the druze people and religion by philip khuri hitti. Druze, also spelled druse, arabic plural duruz, singular darazi, small middle eastern religious sect characterized by an eclectic system of doctrines and by a cohesion and loyalty among its members at times politically significant that have enabled them to maintain for. The druze believe that rituals are symbolic and have an individualistic effect on the person, for which reason druze are free to perform them, or not. The idea that druze will only know their religion or can be initiated at the age of 40 is completely wrong. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book for. We are not associated with any religion or organization. Only a limited number of esoteric men and women called uqqal the enlightened are permitted to study the religions six holy books. Nov 07, 2007 origins of the druze people and religion forgotten books k. In fact, they wear the arab attire which is navy blue and a starkly white turban.
May 02, 2015 eventually the religious leaders will lose the faith of the community, he said. One of those minority groups has been in the headlines lately. They accept the seven precepts, which they believe are the essential components of the pillars of islam. Apart from thursday night religious meetings, the druze enjoy spending time together through visits to each others homes. It enshrines all religious schools, but posits istelf as the sole path to mystical knowledge. Their religious texts are known collectively as kitab al hikma the book of wisdom. The druze religion differs from classic forms of other monotheistic faiths in several key ways. I am a druze and here is what i have been taught about my religion. There is no official liturgy or prayer book, no holy days or fast days, and no pilgrimages. The druze, who primarily live in lebanon, syria and israel, have a mysterious religion which has been the subject of much speculation over the centuries. Hospitality is an important feature of the culture. The druze community in israel jewish studies oxford.
Looking for love in one of the worlds tiniest religions. We are an independent religion,believe in one god and believe in reincarnation of a human soul. But unlike the kurds, who are largely muslim, the druze are a unique religious and ethnic group. To bring young druze back into the fold, druze leaders have begun organizing spiritual retreats around the country. In 1018, addarazi was assassinated for his teachings. He writes with style and elegance and shares with the reader what a true druze believer knows. The journey of the druze in america is one filled with pride, hard work, and boundless dreams.
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