Author: Ghiyath al-Din Ghouri
A Brief Look at the Doctrines and Beliefs of the Druze Sect (Part 6)
Intellectual and Belief Roots
The Druze sect has been influenced by Greek esotericism, especially the ideas of Aristotle and Plato; they are generally influenced by esotericism and have benefited in particular from the ideas of the followers of Pythagoras and consider them their masters.
They have adapted most of their beliefs from the Ismaili sect, and they have been influenced by the Dahriyah (materialists) in their belief in eternal life. They have also been influenced by Buddhism in many of their thoughts and beliefs, and have also been influenced by some philosophers of Iran, India, and the ancient pharaohs. They attribute the roots of their religion to earlier philosophical and mystical practices in different historical periods, as Kamal Jumbalatt writes in the introduction to the book “Lights on the Path of Monotheism – Druze”:
“In our opinion, the path of monotheism cannot be considered apart from the paths of wisdom and mysticism that have existed in different periods of history – both known and unknown. These paths shaped the lives of the first monotheistic believers in ancient Egypt, India, Iran, Tibet, the lands behind the oases, Babylon, Assyria, Greece, the islands of the Mediterranean, and its coasts, and then in Islam, before that in early Christianity and even before that (as revealed in the Dead Sea caves in Palestine), and also in the mystical religions that were scattered throughout the ancient world. Wisdom is not separate from one another at any time or place.”
Jumbalatt, the Druze thinker, does not stop there; rather, he attributes the origin of this religion to the sages of India, and says: “One of the most surprising things we found in these manuscripts was the connection of this monotheistic path with the sages of India and Sindh. We have believed and still believe that wisdom is the same in every place and time; its essence does not change; because truth is one, its discovery is one, and the human soul and intellect are also one.
We were aware of the connection between the Druze and the sages of India, they praised them and mentioned some of their blessed figures. In particular, we followed the story of the book “Balohar al-Hakim”, a book that is popular among the Druze and is considered one of their books of advice and counsel, and we found that the Druze are right in these lands; because they possess the inner and outer aspects of universal human wisdom.”
This is a summary of the Druze religion; and it is undoubtedly one of the most astonishing pages of rebellion against Islam, but rather a rebellion against intellect and logic, and in terms of extremism and deviation, it is one of the most extreme.
Continues…
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