The Druze Religion Essays - Druze, Gnosticism, Mysticism

The Druze Religion Essays - Druze, Gnosticism, Mysticism The Druze Religion The Druze Religion In the Middle East are many religions. The most found religions are Muslim, Christianity, and Judaism. One religion you will most likely not hear about is the religion of the Druze. It is a very secretive and small religion. Not many documents and information on this practice are released to people outside the religion. The Druze are known for their belligerence and independence. The Druze religion is a small, old, unique, and mysterious practice. The history of the Druze is old and unlike any other religion. The religion was established around 1017 in Egypt and North Africa, when the sixth Fatimid caliph, al-hakim bi-Amrih Allah, declared himself the incarnation of God (Druze Microsoft p.1). However, even before 1017, ideas and increase of the new religion had begun. Hamzah ibn Ali converted Muhammad ad-Darazi, a Shii missionary from which the religion got its name. (Adams p.1) Muhammed al-Darazi preached the new religion to the people of Lebanon and was reportedly killed for letting people practice wine drinking and sexual excesses. After al-Darazis death, Hamzah made new fundamentals of the new sect with the help of many others on many sacred works. In 1021, al-Hakim Hamzah was supposedly murdered, but his followers believed that he had gone into hiding and would return again for his first appearance in a thousand years (M.Z.H. p.1061). After the religion had been established, it moved into Syria and Lebanon. In 1860, a war broke out between the Druzes and the Christians. The British supported the Druze and the French supported the Christians. Over 15,000 Christians died. In 1861, a Christian governor general set up an autonomous system of government in Lebanon where the people lived in prosperity and relative tranquility until 1918 (H.Z.H p.1061). After World War I, the Atrash family gained possibilities of seizing control of an area that was controlled by Jabar ad-Duruz. The French were supporting the Druze but could eventually not control the situation. Revolt broke out in Syria and part of Lebanon, but the revolt failed due to lack of support from the Lebanese Druzes. Today, the Druze mainly live in Syria in Jabal ad-Duruz, but have many scattered villages in Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel (H.Z.H. p.1060). The people of the Druze are as particular as their religion. The Druze have many names. They have the names Druze and Druse but they call themselves Mowahhidoon or what they call tawhid, which both mean monotheists.(Druse p.1) They believe in the divinity of al-Hakim be Amr Allah. The Muslim people do not consider the Druze Muslims but the Druze regard themselves as carriers of the core of the Muslim religion (Kjeilen p.1). The Druze people believe in one God and claim that the qualities of God can not be understood or defined by humans. (Miller) In the Druze religion, a calf is considered to be the central symbol that represents the negative forces in the world (Kjeilen p.1). Another symbol is the Druze star. It represents the 5 wise ministers each with his own quality. Green, al-akl, is for the the mind necessary for understanding the truth, red, ah-nahts, is for the soul, yellow, al-kalima, is for the word, blue, as-sahik, is for the mental power of the will, and white is for the realization of the blue. (Kjeilen p.2) The Druze flag has the same colors and the same meanings. They are lined up horizontally starting with blue, white, red, yellow, and then green. The moral system of the religion is based upon 7 principles: Love of Truth Take Care of One Another Renounce All Other Religions Avoid the Demon and All Wrongdoers Accept Divine Unity in Humanity Accept all of al-Hakims acts Act in Total accordance to al-Hakims will (Druze p.1) The Druze people are divided up into two groups, the uqqal and the juhhal. The uqqal are the sages who initiated the secret teachings of the hikmah, the Druze religious laws. The juhhal are the ignorant ones who do not know the hikmah. The uqqal are divided into several grades. Those who achieve the highest degree of perfection in meditation and long hours of meditation, study, seclusion, and ascetic practices are called ajawid, the generous. The uqqal can not reveal the teachings of the hikmah