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The Druze: a Secret Esoteric Sect Donna M Summer 2017 The Druze: A Secret Esoteric Sect Donna M. Brown Abstract the One God—in the sense that the unist con- cept became the nucleus around which their he Druze are a tightly-knit, mysterious entire religion revolves. The word “Druze” is a T community with a tradition over a thou- misnomer that is usually traced to Muhammad sand years old. They were likely first brought bin Ismail Nashtakin ad-Darazi, a dissident to the attention of the esoteric community by 11th-century Isma‘ili missionary and early Helena Blavatsky (1831–1891), who initially leader of the Druze faith who was executed for came into contact with them and other Middle his heretical beliefs. But a number of authori- Eastern sects through her friend, Author L. ties maintain that the name “Druze” is merely Rawson (1828 –1902), the only known outsid- a descriptive epithet, derived from the Arabic er to have been initiated into the highly secre- yadrisun (“those who ‘study”). Others claim tive Druze sect. Blavatsky and Rawson’s that the word comes from the Arabic-Persian comments on the Druze, along with those of word daruri (intuitive knowledge), and darazo Charles Leadbeater who claimed that the Mas- (bliss),3 or from Shaykh Hussayn ad-Darazī, ter Jesus “lives among the Druses of Mount one of the early converts to the faith. Lebanon,”1 have long generated interest in this unique and mysterious faith. But it was not Helena Blavatsky, and many Druze them- until 1926, and more recent efforts by mem- selves, trace the Druze brotherhood to more bers of the Druze community, that certain fea- ancient sources that long predate Islam, tures of their belief system have come to light. sources which this article will discuss later in Drawing upon these and other sources, this the text. But in its present form, the Druze faith article explores the origins of Druzism, its emerged over a thousand years ago in Cairo primary tenets and its connections to Islam, the and had its beginnings in a form of unorthodox Gnostics, Persians, Hindus, Templars and Ma- Islam. Druzism is an eclectic, syncretistic faith. sonry. In addition to including elements of Isma‘ili doctrine, it contains strong currents of Gnosti- Introduction cism and Neo-platonic thought. Adherents of he Druze are an esoteric, ethno-religious the Druze faith recognize Adam, Noah, Abra- T sect who refer to themselves as Ahl al- ham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad as Major Tawhīd (People of Unitarianism), and as Al- Prophets. The Druze also revere a number of Muwahhidūn, which translates to people of ancient Gnostic Sages such as Enoch and “the One, Eternal Religion.” The racial profile Hermes along with various Greek Philoso- phers, especially members of the so-called of the Druze is mixed. For the most part, the 4 Druze are of Arab descent, but they also have “Eight Sacred Druze Order.” An ancient Iranian, Kurdish, European and, according to Druze manuscript — the Unique Fifth Science some, Phoenician and ancient Israelite roots. _____________________________________ It is estimated that there are between 700,000 About the Author to 1.2 million Druze in the world, concentrated Donna M. Brown is a long-time student and teach- primarily in the mountains of Lebanon and er of esoteric philosophy. Her background includes Syria, with smaller groups in Iraq, Israel, Jor- a career in the arts and election to public office in dan and Turkey. the District of Columbia. She has served as a Board The Druze are a fiercely independent group Member for the Center for Visionary Leadership, and the School for Esoteric Studies where she con- who see themselves as “the self-appointed tinues as a commentator. standard-bearers of Tawhīd”2 — t he belief in Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly 67 The Esoteric Quarterly — identifies these eight sages as Pythagoras, passed in profound contemplation of the mys- Socrates, Aristotle, Plotinus, Plato, Parmeni- teries of religion.”10 des, Democrates and Empedocles.5 Despite the differences in rank and function Some scholars claim that Druzism has links to between the juhhal and the uqqāl, the Druze the Essenes, while others, such as Gerard De have been able to maintain a high degree of Nerval (1808–1855), claim that “the Knights communal unity and there is little if any ten- Templar exploited many of the Druze ideas, sion among them. and that the Rosicrucians and Freemasons have While the Druze have formed thriving com- done the same.”6 Although many Druze identi- munities with a focus on the all-important role fy as Muslims, many others do not. Rather, of the mind, a strong sense of personal respon- these Druze see themselves as members of a sibility, moral integrity, hard work and self- heterodox religious sect.7 Kamal Jumblatt reliance,11 the average Druze living in the Le- (1917–1977), a Druze philosopher and influen- vant is likely to have minimal interaction with tial Lebanese politician describes the Druze non-Druze neighbors. What contacts there are faith as a meditative religion and an inclusive tend to be formal and mainly at official lev- method for knowing the Absolute. Druzism els.12 Furthermore, there is no conversion to has no clergy, rituals, or obligations that are the Druze faith, and exogamy or marriage out- believed to distract one from contemplation of side of the community is rare and strongly dis- God. Hence, there are those who do not see couraged. The sect’s beliefs can only be passed Druzism as a religion at all, but regard it as a on to those who are born to Druze parents. veiled and complex philosophical belief sys- When a member of the Druze community dies, tem. the soul of the deceased is thought to “imme- Like many secret societies that claim to pos- diately reincarnate into the body of a newborn sess a hidden, mystical knowledge (‘irfan), the Druze babe.”13 Druze community is divided into two groups, Although the majority of Druze have taken on the elite few who are initiated into the myster- the vestitures or outward coverings of Islam, ies (al‘uqqāl or sage), and the uninitiated or they interpret the fundamental pillars of the secularist masses (al ‘juhhal) who do not have Islamic faith—the profession of faith, prayer, access to the Druze sacred texts. While instruc- charity, fasting in the month of Ramadan and tion into the initiated ranks is possible for both the pilgrimage to Mecca—in an entirely differ- men and women, the process is described as ent way. Muslims, for example, are obliged to “so demanding that it can discourage the ordi- pray five times day. These prayers consist in nary person who expresses a desire to enter part, of repeating 3 times the phrase: “There is into it.”8 Within the uqqāl there is a further no God but God...” For the Druze this injunc- division or rank called ajawīd. The ajawīd are tion is transformed into the aim of constantly the wisest of the wise and the decision makers holding this Supreme Truth in the mind. So and leaders within the Druze community. Due too, the mandatory pilgrimage or Hajj, be- to strict vows of secrecy the precise functions comes the inner pilgrimage to “the House of of the uqqāl and ajawīd are difficult to deter- God,” and the symbolic seat of Union in mine. They do, however, exert a tremendous God.14 influence over their people, who consult them on important earthly matters and view them as Due to their lack of nationalistic ideals and ministers of reconciliation and peace whose their outward adaptability to other faiths, the very presence banishes discord and chaos.9 Druze have been able to integrate into the var- The so-called pleasures of life are of little in- ious countries in which they live and where terest to the uqqāl. Although they are permit- they have held, and continue to hold, outsized ted to marry, they seldom do, choosing instead influential political, economic and social posi- to “detach themselves as much as possible tions. Yet their beliefs and customs continue to from the ordinary pursuits of mankind” in or- distinguish them from their Muslim, Christian der to “lead a life of the strictest devotion, and Jewish countrymen. This is due in large 68 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2017. Summer 2017 part to the fact that the Druze formed closed tered in Cairo. He accomplished this aim by communities in which their cultural and reli- creating an institute (Dar-al Hikma or House gious beliefs were concealed from outsiders. of Wisdom) for unrestricted scholarly and What these secretive beliefs are, where they philosophical studies in which all the religious originated, and why the learned system that the sciences were taught. Attached to it was Dar Druze developed has remained hidden and un- al-Ilm (the House of Learning), a library that changed for over a thousand years are ques- contained a vast collection of manuscripts and tions that this article seeks to address. books. One source writes that there were: The Origins and History of the more than 200,000 bound books, amongst Druze which were manuscripts in all domains of science and culture; books on jurisprudence Generally Accepted Historical Overview of all the schools, grammar, philology, tra- ditions of the prophets, history, biographies ost exegeses on Druze origins and histo- of rulers, mathematics, astronomy, spiritual M ry begin in or around the year 1017, and 20 trace Druzism’s roots to al-Ḥākim bi-Amr knowledge and alchemy. Allāh (985–1021), the sixth Fatimid15 caliph Another, the famous Shia historian Ibn Abi and 16th Shia Isma‘ili imam, and the Iranian Tayyi’ (1180-1228), described the library as Isma‘ili teacher Hamza ibn-‘Ali (985–1021).
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