Seekers of Unity | The Secret Religion of the Druze @SeekersofUnity | Uploaded November 2021 | Updated October 2024, 4 hours ago.
Who are the Druze?: Inside Israel's Most Secretive Religion: youtu.be/Bdzr8tUs6Tg
The Druze are a unique religious and ethnic group who have been living in the Middle East for nearly a thousand years, with around a million adherents today living primarily in Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Jordan.
According to the consensus of historians, the Druze religion dates back to the 11th century where it emerged from Ismaili Islam, with the formation of a fascinating syncretic, esoteric, mystical theology - a secretive, unitive philosophy blending Islamic monotheism with Persian and Iranian Gnosticism, Indian mysticism, Jewish and Christian scripture and spirituality, and classic Greek philosophy.
As with many esoteric traditions, the Druze consider their origins to go well before 11th century Islam, claiming hidden roots that go all the way back to the mystery religions and mystical traditions of ancient Babylon, Greece and Egypt, the cradles of western culture, philosophy and mysticism.
Since the year 1043 the community has closed its doors to outsiders, refusing to accept any new converts to the religions. Much of the Druze tradition is kept secret, even from those within community itself that haven’t been initiated into the secrets of the tradition. With only those who elect and are accepted to be “in the know,” being able to participate fully in the religion and gaining access to the secret teachings of their sacred scriptures, The Epistles of Wisdom, the Kitab al-Hikmah.
The central mystical doctrine of Druze faith is the Islamic belief in tawhid, the unity and oneness of God, on steroids, reading its secret meaning, the hidden of the hidden, batin al batin, as a quest for mystical union with the One. And in that vein the Druze actually prefer not to call themselves Druze, a name which goes back to the 11th century preacher Ad-Darazi, whom the Druze consider a heretic, but prefer to call themselves موحدّون دروز al-Muwaḥḥidūn, the unitarians, the unifiers, one even might say, Seekers of Unity ;)
Join us next week as we explore the mysteries of this incredible tradition and try find someone in the know who might even be willing to share a few of their secrets
To learn more about the Druze, check out our friend Filip from @LetsTalkReligion Who are the Druze: youtube.com/watch?v=OmD1G9BnhkA
If you’d like to go even deeper, check these out.
Academic:
Origins of the Druze People and Religion, Philip K. Hitti, 1928
The Druze Faith, Sāmī Nasīb Makārim, 1974
The Druze, Robert B. Betts, 1988
A History of the Druzes, Kais Firro, 1992
The Druzes: A New Study of Their History, Faith, and Society, Nejla Abu Izzeddin, 1993
The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status, Nissim Dana, 2003
Historical Dictionary of the Druzes, Samy Swayd, 2006
Non-Academic
The Druze and their Faith in Tawhid, Anis Obeid, 2006
The Olive and the Tree: The Secret Strength of the Druze, Ruth Westheimer, Gil Sedan, 2007
Deep Within: The Nectar of the Gods Rests the Druze Faith, Fadya Alameddine, 2017
Video Credits:
Sons of Abraham, A Secret Order: The Druzes, 1984, Landmark Media Inc: youtube.com/watch?v=XMY8PPm6GdQ
Join us:
facebook.com/seekersofunity
instagram.com/seekersofunity
twitter.com/seekersofU
seekersofunity.com
Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe and Adam.
Join them in supporting us:
patreon: patreon.com/seekers
paypal: paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Who are the Druze?: Inside Israel's Most Secretive Religion: youtu.be/Bdzr8tUs6Tg
The Druze are a unique religious and ethnic group who have been living in the Middle East for nearly a thousand years, with around a million adherents today living primarily in Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Jordan.
According to the consensus of historians, the Druze religion dates back to the 11th century where it emerged from Ismaili Islam, with the formation of a fascinating syncretic, esoteric, mystical theology - a secretive, unitive philosophy blending Islamic monotheism with Persian and Iranian Gnosticism, Indian mysticism, Jewish and Christian scripture and spirituality, and classic Greek philosophy.
As with many esoteric traditions, the Druze consider their origins to go well before 11th century Islam, claiming hidden roots that go all the way back to the mystery religions and mystical traditions of ancient Babylon, Greece and Egypt, the cradles of western culture, philosophy and mysticism.
Since the year 1043 the community has closed its doors to outsiders, refusing to accept any new converts to the religions. Much of the Druze tradition is kept secret, even from those within community itself that haven’t been initiated into the secrets of the tradition. With only those who elect and are accepted to be “in the know,” being able to participate fully in the religion and gaining access to the secret teachings of their sacred scriptures, The Epistles of Wisdom, the Kitab al-Hikmah.
The central mystical doctrine of Druze faith is the Islamic belief in tawhid, the unity and oneness of God, on steroids, reading its secret meaning, the hidden of the hidden, batin al batin, as a quest for mystical union with the One. And in that vein the Druze actually prefer not to call themselves Druze, a name which goes back to the 11th century preacher Ad-Darazi, whom the Druze consider a heretic, but prefer to call themselves موحدّون دروز al-Muwaḥḥidūn, the unitarians, the unifiers, one even might say, Seekers of Unity ;)
Join us next week as we explore the mysteries of this incredible tradition and try find someone in the know who might even be willing to share a few of their secrets
To learn more about the Druze, check out our friend Filip from @LetsTalkReligion Who are the Druze: youtube.com/watch?v=OmD1G9BnhkA
If you’d like to go even deeper, check these out.
Academic:
Origins of the Druze People and Religion, Philip K. Hitti, 1928
The Druze Faith, Sāmī Nasīb Makārim, 1974
The Druze, Robert B. Betts, 1988
A History of the Druzes, Kais Firro, 1992
The Druzes: A New Study of Their History, Faith, and Society, Nejla Abu Izzeddin, 1993
The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status, Nissim Dana, 2003
Historical Dictionary of the Druzes, Samy Swayd, 2006
Non-Academic
The Druze and their Faith in Tawhid, Anis Obeid, 2006
The Olive and the Tree: The Secret Strength of the Druze, Ruth Westheimer, Gil Sedan, 2007
Deep Within: The Nectar of the Gods Rests the Druze Faith, Fadya Alameddine, 2017
Video Credits:
Sons of Abraham, A Secret Order: The Druzes, 1984, Landmark Media Inc: youtube.com/watch?v=XMY8PPm6GdQ
Join us:
facebook.com/seekersofunity
instagram.com/seekersofunity
twitter.com/seekersofU
seekersofunity.com
Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe and Adam.
Join them in supporting us:
patreon: patreon.com/seekers
paypal: paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
