Editing Druze (section)

=== Early history ===

The story of the creation of the Druze faith in the days between 1017 and 1018 is dominated by three men and their struggle for influence.
* [[Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad]] was an Ismaili mystic and scholar from [[Razavi Khorasan province|Khorasan]], who arrived in Fatimid Egypt in 1014 or 1016<ref name="ABC-CLIO" /> and began to preach a ''Muwaḥḥidūn'' ("Unitarian") doctrine. 
* [[al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah]], the sixth Fātimid caliph, became a central figure in the faith being preached by Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad.
* [[Ad-Darazi|Muhammad bin Ismail Nashtakin ad-Darazi]] arrived in Cairo in 1015 or 1017, possibly from [[Bukhara]], joined the movement and became an important preacher.

==== Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad arrives in Cairo ====
Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad, an Ismaili mystic and scholar from [[Zozan]], Khorasan, in the [[Samanid Empire]].<ref name="ABC-CLIO">{{cite book |editor1-last=Hendrix |editor1-first=Scott |editor2-last=Okeja |editor2-first=Uchenna |title=The World's Greatest Religious Leaders: How Religious Figures Helped Shape World History [2 volumes] |date=2018 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=978-1-4408-4138-5 |page=11}}</ref> arrived in Fatimid Egypt in 1014 or 1016.<ref name="ABC-CLIO" /> He assembled a group of scholars that met regularly in the Raydan Mosque, near the [[Al-Hakim Mosque]].<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.druze.com/education/DruzeLuminariesAlHakim-English-level3.pdf |publisher=Druze |title=Luminaries: Al Hakim |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820044553/http://www.druze.com/education/DruzeLuminariesAlHakim-English-level3.pdf |archive-date=20 August 2008}}</ref> In 1017, Hamza began to preach a ''Muwaḥḥidūn'' (Unitarian) doctrine.

Hamza gained the support of the Fātimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who issued a decree promoting religious freedom<ref>{{blockquote|Remove ye the causes of fear and estrangement from yourselves. Do away with the corruption of delusion and conformity. Be ye certain that the Prince of Believers hath given unto you free will, and hath spared you the trouble of disguising and concealing your true beliefs, so that when ye work ye may keep your deeds pure for God. He hath done thus so that when you relinquish your previous beliefs and doctrines ye shall not indeed lean on such causes of impediments and pretensions. By conveying to you the reality of his intention, the Prince of Believers hath spared you any excuse for doing so. He hath urged you to declare your belief openly. Ye are now safe from any hand which may bring harm unto you. Ye now may find rest in his assurance ye shall not be wronged. Let those who are present convey this message unto the absent so that it may be known by both the distinguished and the common people. It shall thus become a rule to mankind; and Divine Wisdom shall prevail for all the days to come.}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=http://ismaili.net/drupal5/node/10766 |title=Ismaili |publisher=Islam Heritage Field |access-date=5 June 2008 |archive-date=11 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911051643/http://ismaili.net/drupal5/node/10766 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and eventually became a central figure in the Druze faith.<ref>al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah became a central figure in the Druze faith, although his religious position was disputed among scholars. [[John Esposito]] states that al-Hakim believed that "he was not only the divinely appointed religio-political leader, but also the [[Nous|cosmic intellect]] linking God with creation", {{Citation |last=Potter |first=William |title=Melville's Clarel and the Intersympathy of Creeds |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lZXTFCN93kkC&q=druze+hakim+John+Esposito&pg=PA156 |page=156 |year=2004 |publisher=[[Kent State University Press]] |isbn=978-0-87338-797-2}}, while others like Nissîm Dānā and [[Mordechai Nisan]] state that he is perceived as the manifestation and the reincarnation of God or presumably the image of God.</ref>{{sfn|Nisan|2015|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=keD9z1XWuNwC&pg=PA98 98]}}{{sfn|Dānā|2003|p=}}{{Rp|needed =yes|date=April 2012}}

==== al-Darazi arrives in Cairo ====
Little is known about the early life of al-Darazi. According to most sources, he was born in [[Bukhara]]. He is believed to have been of Persian origins and his title ''al-Darazi'' is Persian in origin, meaning "the tailor".<ref>{{cite book |last=Daftary |first=Farhad |title=Historical Dictionary of the Ismailis |date=2011 |publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]] |isbn=9780810879706 |page=40}}</ref> He arrived in Cairo in 1015, or 1017, after which he joined the newly emerged Druze movement.{{sfn|Swayd|2009|p=xxxii}}

Al-Darazi was converted early to the Unitarian faith and became one of its early preachers. At that time, the movement enlisted a large number of adherents.{{sfn|Westheimer|Sedan|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=kY0oedX32BwC&pg=PA128 128]}} As the number of his followers grew, he became obsessed with his leadership and gave himself the title "The Sword of the Faith". Al-Darazi argued that he should be the leader of the [[Dawah|daʻwah]] rather than Hamza ibn Ali and gave himself the title "Lord of the Guides" because Caliph al-Hakim referred to Hamza as "Guide of the Consented". It is said that al-Darazi allowed wine, forbidden marriages and taught [[metempsychosis]]<ref name=encyc/> although this may be exaggeration by contemporary and later historians and polemicists.

This attitude led to disputes between Ad-Darazi and Hamza ibn Ali, who disliked his behavior and his arrogance. In the ''[[Epistles of Wisdom]]'', Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad warns al-Darazi, saying, "Faith does not need a sword to aid it", but al-Darazi ignored Hamza's warnings and continued to challenge the Imam.

==== al-Darazi issues the unitarian call ====
[[File:Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah.jpg|thumb|[[List of Fatimid caliphs|Sixth Fatimid caliph]], [[al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah]]]]
The [[divine call]] or unitarian call is the Druze period of time that was opened at sunset on Thursday, 30 May 1017 by Ad-Darazi. The call summoned people to a true unitarian belief that removed all attributes (wise, just, outside, inside, etc.) from God.<ref name="Hitti1966">{{cite book|author=Philip Khūri Hitti|title=Origins of the Druze People and Religion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B_YJAvND0RwC&pg=PA31|year=1966|publisher=Forgotten Books|isbn=978-1-60506-068-2|page=31}}</ref> It promoted absolute [[monotheism]] and the concepts of supporting your fellow man, true speech and pursuit of oneness with God. These concepts superseded all [[ritual]], law and [[dogma]] and requirements for [[pilgrimage]], [[fasting]], [[liturgical year|holy days]], [[prayer]], charity, [[loyalty|devotion]], [[creed]] and particular worship of any prophet or person was downplayed. [[Sharia]] was opposed and Druze traditions started during the call continue today, such as meeting for reading, prayer and social gathering on a Thursday instead of a Friday at [[Khalwat al-Bayada|Khalwat]]s instead of mosques. Such gatherings and traditions were not compulsory and people were encouraged to pursue a state of compliance with the real law of nature governing the universe.{{sfn|Betts|1990|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Z9nnPg1EDOEC&pg=PA131 131]}} Epistle thirteen of the ''Epistles of Wisdom'' called it "A spiritual doctrine without any ritualistic imposition".{{sfn|Makarim|1974}}{{page needed|date=October 2024}}

The time of the call was seen as a revolution of truth, with [[missionary|missionaries]] preaching its message all around the Middle East. These messengers were sent out with the Druze epistles and took written [[vow]]s from believers, whose [[soul]]s are thought to still exist in the Druze of today. The souls of those who took the vows during the call are believed to be continuously reincarnating in successive generations of Druze until the return of al-Hakim to proclaim a second Divine call and establish a [[Golden Age]] of [[justice]] and [[peace]] for all.<ref name="Clark2011">{{cite book |author=Clark |first=Malcolm |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zPXu561ZpvgC&pg=PT240 |title=Islam For Dummies |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-118-05396-6 |page=240}}</ref>

==== al-Darazi is executed ====
By 1018, al-Darazi had gathered around him partisans—"Darazites"—who believed that [[universal reason]] became incarnated in [[Adam]] at the beginning of the world, was then passed to the prophets, then into Ali, and then into his descendants, the Fatimid Caliphs.<ref name="encyc" /> Al-Darazi wrote a book laying out this doctrine, but when he read from his book in the principal mosque in Cairo, it caused riots and protests against his claims and many of his followers were killed.

Hamza ibn Ali rejected al-Darazi's ideology, calling him "the insolent one and Satan".<ref name="encyc" /> The controversy led Caliph al-Hakim to suspend the Druze ''[[Dawah|daʻwah]]'' in 1018.<ref name="druze" />

In an attempt to gain the support of al-Hakim, al-Darazi started preaching that al-Hakim and his ancestors were the [[incarnation]] of God.{{sfn|Westheimer|Sedan|2007|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=kY0oedX32BwC&pg=PA128 128]}} An inherently modest man, al-Hakim did not believe that he was God, and felt al-Darazi was trying to depict himself as a new prophet.{{sfn|Westheimer|Sedan|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=kY0oedX32BwC&pg=PA128 128]}} In 1018 Al-Hakim had al-Darazi executed, leaving Hamza the sole leader of the new faith and al-Darazi considered to be a renegade.{{sfn|Westheimer|Sedan|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=kY0oedX32BwC&pg=PA128 128]}}<ref name="druze">{{Cite web |url=http://www.druze.ca/AboutDruze.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426105258/http://www.druze.ca/AboutDruze.html |url-status=dead |title=About the Faith of the Mo'wa'he'doon Druze by Moustafa F. Moukarim |archive-date=26 April 2012}}</ref><ref name="encyc">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rezD7rvuf9YC&q=druze+god+hakim&pg=PA921 |title=First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913–1936 |date=1993 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |isbn=9004097961 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

==== Disappearance of Al-Hakim ====
Al-Hakim disappeared one night while on his evening ride—presumably assassinated, perhaps at the behest of his formidable elder sister [[Sitt al-Mulk]]. The Druze believe he went into [[Occultation (Islam)|Occultation]] with Hamza ibn Ali and three other prominent preachers, leaving the care of the "Unitarian missionary movement" to a new leader, al-Muqtana Baha'uddin.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

The call was suspended briefly between 19 May 1018 and 9 May 1019 during the [[apostasy]] of al-Darazi and again between 1021 and 1026 during a period of persecution by the [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid caliph]] [[al-Zahir li-I'zaz Din Allah]] for those who had sworn the [[oath]] to accept the call.{{sfn|Makarim|1974}}{{page needed|date=October 2024}}

Persecutions started forty days after the disappearance into Occultation of al-Hakim, who was thought to have been converting people to the Unitarian faith for over twenty years prior.{{sfn|Makarim|1974}}{{page needed|date=October 2024}} Al-Hakim convinced some heretical followers such as al-Darazi of his [[soteriological]] [[divinity]] and officially declared the Divine call after issuing a decree promoting religious freedom.<ref name="Daftary1992"/>{{sfn|Makarim|1974}}{{page needed|date=October 2024}}

Al-Hakim was replaced by his underage son, al-Zahir li-I'zaz Din Allah. The Unitarian/Druze movement acknowledged al-Zahir as the caliph but continued to regard Hamzah as its Imam.<ref name="samy"/> The young caliph's regent, Sitt al-Mulk, ordered the army to destroy the movement in 1021.<ref name=about /> At the same time, Bahāʼ al-Dīn was assigned the leadership of the Unitarians by Hamza.<ref name="samy" />

For the next seven years, the Druze faced extreme persecution by al-Zahir li-I'zaz Din Allah, who wanted to eradicate the faith.<ref name="RebeccaE">{{cite encyclopedia |title=The Druze |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements |url=http://www.sacredtribesjournal.org/images/Encyclopedia/The_Druze.pdf |last=Erickson |first=Rebecca |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518085757/http://www.sacredtribesjournal.org/images/Encyclopedia/The_Druze.pdf |archive-date=18 May 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> This was the result of a power struggle inside of the Fatimid Calphate, in which the Druze were viewed with suspicion because they refused to recognize the new caliph as their Imam.

Many spies, mainly the followers of al-Darazi, joined the Unitarian movement to infiltrate the Druze community. The spies set about agitating trouble and soiling the reputation of the Druze. This resulted in friction with the new caliph who clashed militarily with the Druze community. The clashes ranged from [[Antioch]] to [[Alexandria]], where tens of thousands of Druze were slaughtered by the Fatimid army,<ref name=about /> "this mass persecution known by the Druze as the period of the ''mihna''".<ref name="auto18">{{cite book |title=The Druze between Palestine and Israel 1947–49 |first=L.|last=Parsons |year=2000 |isbn=9780230595989 |page=2 |publisher=Springer |quote=With the succession of al-Zahir to the Fatimid caliphate a mass persecution (known by the Druze as the period of the ''mihna'') of the Muwaḥḥidūn was instigated ...}}</ref> The largest massacre was at Antioch, where 5000 prominent Druze were killed, followed by that of [[Aleppo]].<ref name=about /> As a result, the faith went underground, in hope of survival, as those captured were either forced to renounce their faith or be killed. Druze survivors "were found principally in southern Lebanon and Syria".

In 1038, two years after the death of al-Zahir li-I'zaz Din Allah, the Druze movement was able to resume because the new leadership that replaced him had friendly political ties with at least one prominent Druze leader.<ref name=RebeccaE />

==== Closing of the unitarian call ====
In 1043, [[Baha al-Din al-Muqtana]] declared that the sect would no longer accept new pledges, and since that time [[proselytism]] has been prohibited awaiting al-Hakim's return at the [[Last Judgment]] to usher in a new Golden Age.<ref name="BeattiePepper2001">{{cite book |last1=Beattie |first1=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9iCfkTe8v2EC&pg=RA2-PA315 |title=The Rough Guide to Syria |last2=Pepper |first2=Timothy |date=2001 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=978-1-85828-718-8 |page=2 |access-date=2 October 2012}}</ref><ref name="RebeccaE" />

Some Druze and non-Druze scholars like Samy Swayd and [[Sami Makarem]] state that this confusion is due to confusion about the role of the early preacher al-Darazi, whose teachings the Druze rejected as heretical.<ref>{{cite book |last=Meri |first=Josef W. |author-link=Josef W. Meri |title=Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H-k9oc9xsuAC&pg=PA217 |year=2006 |publisher=[[Psychology Press]] |isbn=978-0-415-96690-0 |page=217}}</ref> These sources assert that al-Hakim rejected al-Darazi's claims of divinity,<ref name="samy"/>{{sfn|Westheimer|Sedan|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=kY0oedX32BwC&pg=PA128 128]}}{{sfn|Swayd|2006}}{{Rp|needed=yes|date=April 2012}} and ordered the elimination of his movement while supporting that of Hamza ibn Ali.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rezD7rvuf9YC&pg=PA921 |title=First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913–1936 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |year=1993 |isbn=90-04-09796-1 |page=921}}</ref>