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The religion developed out of Ismaili Islam, a philosophical movement based in the F?timid 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[citation needed].
The main actors of the early years were two: The pious F?timid ruler Tariqu l-?akim (985?1021)--also known as Al-Hakim or AL-?akim bi-Amaru l-L?h ("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 bin Ali ibn A?mad was the main architect of the movement. It was Im?m ?amza who first publicly proclaimed ?ak?m to be more than human.
The early Druze community faced a strong challenge when Mu?ammad ad-Daraz? declared ?ak?m's divinity and claimed to be his chief messenger. It is said that ?ak?m was angered by this and had Daraz? executed. Meanwhile, Hamza and his moderate followers, who had rejected that ?ak?m was the incarnation of God, received his favour and were protected until he disappeared one night in 1021. The Druze believe that ?ak?m went into occultation and will return in the end of days as the Q?'im "Ariser" or Mahdi "Guider".
After the death (resp. the hiding/al-ghaiba) of ?ak?m, 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.
In 1167, noted traveler Benjamin of Tudela wrote about the Druze in his diary. He describes the Druze as "Mountain dwellers, monotheists, believe in soul transfigurations and are good friends with the Jews".
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 eponymous Jabal al-Dur?z (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 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 Druze believe in reincarnation and are pantheistic.
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.
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 (N??), Abraham (Ibr?h?m), Sarah, Jacob (Ya?qub), Moses (M?s?), Solomon (Sulaym?n), John the Baptist (Yahya), and Jesus (Is?) (as mentioned above, in contrast to members of the other monotheistic faiths, they also elevate Jethro, or Shu?ayb, father-in-law of M?s?, 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. However, they may should they be inclined to.
One of the faith's holy books is called the Kit?bu l-?ikma 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
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Druze, is it a gnostic religion?
