The Nusayriyyah and the Druze

The Nusayriyyah and the Druze share some beliefs and differ in many others. Among the matters they agree on is that the creed of both sects is both batini (esoteric) and ghali (extremist). They do not disclose the secrets of their doctrine or their secret books to anyone, nor do they permit anyone to join or leave their sect. They do not take the apparent meanings of words but instead interpret them according to meanings these words cannot bear. Thus, for both sects, there is no Resurrection, Reckoning, Punishment, Paradise, or Hell in the sense understood by Muslims.

فيوم الحساب في العقيدة الدرزية ليس يوم قيامة لأن الأرواح لا تموت لتبعث ولا تنام لتوقظ بل إن يوم الحساب في مفهومهم هو نهاية مراحل الأرواح وتطورها إذ يبلغ التوحيد أي العقيدة الدرزية غايته بالانتصار على العقائد الشركية وينتهى الانتقال والمرور في الأقمصة المادية لتصل الأرواح الصالحة بالعقل الكلي

In Druze doctrine, the Day of Reckoning is not the Day of Resurrection, for spirits neither die to be resurrected nor sleep to be awakened. Rather, the Day of Reckoning, in their view, marks the end of the stages of souls and their evolution. At this point, al tawhid—the Druze creed—achieves its ultimate goal by triumphing over polytheistic creeds, and the transmigration through material ‘garments’ ceases, allowing the righteous souls to unite with the Universal Intellect.^[1]

As for punishment, it consists of a soul descending after death from a high rank to a lower one in religion, accompanied by hardship in livelihood and a blindness of heart in both religious and worldly matters. Reward, on the other hand, entails ascension from a lower rank to a higher one, until reaching the rank of al mukasarah^[2], with increases in wealth alongside ascension through religious ranks until attaining the rank of Imamah.

The Nusayri creed differs from the Druze in this matter only slightly,^[3] and in their terminology for the transmigration of the soul from one body to another. While the Druze call it al taqammus (metempsychosis), the Nusayriyyah call it al tanasukh (reincarnation) when the soul transfers from a human body to another human body. If it transfers to an animal’s body, they call it maskh (metamorphosis); to an insect’s body, faskh (dissolution); and to plants or trees, raskh (rooting). The Druze vehemently reject the Nusayriyyah’s claims of maskh, faskh, and raskh, to the extent that they replaced the term al tanasukh with al taqammus, as they consider al tanasukh to imply maskh.

In Druze doctrine, the human body is a thawb (garment) or qamis (shirt) for the soul. The soul inhabits it at birth and, upon death, immediately transfers to the body of another human newborn. Thus, after each death, the soul discards its worn-out garment and dons a new one until the end of generations.^[4]

While the Druze interpret Paradise as “knowledge of the guiding da’wah” (i.e. the Druze da’wah) and Hell as “disbelief and ignorance of it,” the Nusayriyyah assert that Paradise is the recognition of the divinity of their master—’Ali ibn Abi Talib—and Hell is the disbelief and ignorance thereof. Both sects agree that wudu’ and taharah are unnecessary for practicing acts of worship, which they perform according to their own understanding.

فالدين الدرزى دين صوفي يعتمد على الداخليات والجواهر ولا يهتم بالشكليات والطهارة الداخلية أي النفسية الروحية هي الأساس أما الطهارة الخارجية فلا قيمة لها حسب تعبير الدرزي كمال جنبلاط

The Druze religion is a Sufi religion relying on inner states and essences, unconcerned with formalities. Inner purity, i.e., spiritual psychological purity, is foundational, whereas external purity holds no value,” as expressed by the Druze leader Kamal Junbulat.^[5]

The Nusayriyyah, however, state that najasah lies in affiliating with al addad (opposites) and ignorance of esoteric knowledge, while taharah is the connection of their hearts to the tawhid of their master, al Hakim bi Amr Allah, antagonism toward al addad, and knowledge of the esoteric.

As for Salah, Hamzah ibn ‘Ali states in an epistle addressing the Druze:

الصلاة هي صلة قلوبكم بتوحيد مولانا جل ذكره الحاكم بأمر الله لا شريك له

Prayer is the connection of your hearts to the tawhid of our master, exalted be his mention (al Hakim bi akim bi Amr Allah), who has no partner.^[6]

The Nusayri concept of prayer has been detailed in a preceding chapter titled Modes of Worship of the Nusayriyyah.

The fasting of the Druze does not differ from that of the Nusayriyyah in practice but in timing. Members of both sects abstain only from sexual relations with their wives during fasting periods, not from eating or drinking. While Nusayriyyah fast during Ramadan, the Druze fast ten days in Dhu al Hijjah, culminating in the Eid al Adha, which they zealously celebrate.

Regarding Hajj, neither sect believes in its rituals. The Druze view it as a pagan phenomenon, while the Nusayriyyah deem it disbelief and idol worship.

Despite the agreement between the Druze (of Isma’ili origin) and the Nusayriyyah (of Imami origin) on certain doctrines, they differ profoundly on many matters.

To understand the Druze perspective on the Nusayri sect, one must refer to their epistles, such as Risalat al Su’al wa al Jawab (Epistle of Questions and Answers).^[7] Question 44 states verbatim:

س ٤٤ كيف انفصل النصيرية عن الموحدين الدروز وخرجوا من دين التوحيد

Question 44: How did the Nusayriyyah separate from the Muwahhidun (Druze) and exit the religion of tawhid?

الجواب انفصلوا بدعوى النصيري لهم حيث زعم أنه عبد مولانا أمير المؤمنين علي وأنكر لاهوت مولانا الحاكم بأمر الله أي أنكر حلول الإله بشخص الحاكم واعترف بلاهوت علي بن أبي طالب وقال إن اللاهوت ظهر في الأئمة الإثنى عشر

Answer: They separated due to the claim of the Nusayri (leader), who alleged that he was a servant of our Master, the Commander of the Faithful ‘Ali, denied the divinity of our Master al Hakim bi Amr Allah—i.e., rejected the incarnation of God in the person of al Hakim—and affirmed the divinity of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib. He claimed that divinity manifested in the Twelve Imams.

The answer continues:

وأن النصيرية كلما صفي منهم واحد أي وصل بالتناسخ إلى درجة الاصطفاء يرجع ويصير نجماً في السماء وهو مركزه الأول وإن عمل معصية أي النصيري تخالف الوصية على أمير المؤمنين الرب الأعلى يعود أي تحل روحه عن طريق التناسخ في جسد يهودي أو مسلم سني أو نصراني ثم يتكرر لكي يتطهر من ذنبه إلى أن يظهر مثل الفضة وبعد أن ينال عقابه عن طريق حلول روحه في جسد غير نصيري يرجع ويصير نجماً في السماء وأن الكفرة أي غير النصيريين الذين ما عبدوا علياً بن أبي طالب كلهم يصيروا جمالا وبغالا وحميراً وكلاباً وخرفاناً للذبح وأمثال ذلك أي يصيبهم المسخ فتنتقل أرواحهم بعد موتهم من أبدانهم الإنسانية فتحل في أجساد الحيوانات السالفة الذكر لكن الوقت إلى شرحها ضيق وخاصة انتقال نفوس البشر إلى البهائم والحيوانات ولهم مناقب وكتب كفرية مثل ذلك

Whenever a Nusayri is “purified” (i.e., reaches the rank of al istifa’ through reincarnation), he returns to become a star in the sky, his original abode. If a Nusayri commits a sin opposing the testament of the Commander of the Faithful, the Supreme Lord ‘Ali, his soul transmigrates into the body of a Jew, Sunni Muslim, or Christian. This repeats (to purify him of his sin) until he becomes like silver; after his punishment via transmigration into a non-Nusayri body, he returns as a star. As for the disbelievers (i.e., non-Nusayriyyah) who did not worship ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, they are transformed into camels, mules, donkeys, dogs, sheep for slaughter, and the like (i.e., afflicted with maskh: their souls transmigrate after death into the bodies of the aforementioned animals). However, time is too short to elaborate, especially on the transmigration of human souls into beasts and animals. They (the Nusayriyyah) have heretical books and merits like this.^[8]

A Nusayri once wrote a book criticizing the Druze for permitting many abominations, titled Kitab al Haqa’iq wa Kashf al Mahjub (The Book of Truths and Unveiling the Hidden). Hamzah ibn ‘Ali—whom the Druze regard as the “True, Eternal Christ”^[9] —responded in an epistle titled al Risalah al Damighah li l-Fasiq wa al Radd ‘ala al Nusayriyyin al Mariqin La’anahum Allah fi Kulli Kur wa Dur (The Crushing Epistle Against the Deviant and the Refutation of the Apostate Nusayris, May God Curse Them in Every Cycle and Era).^[10]

This Nusayri’s aforementioned book claims that all prohibitions established by other religions—such as murder, theft, lying, slander, adultery, and sodomy—are permissible for the ‘arif (gnostic, i.e., the Druze) and ‘arifah (female gnostic) who recognize our Master, exalted be His mention. Hamzah refutes this, stating:

إنه كذب بالتنزيل والتأويل وحرف إذ لا تجوز السرقة ولا القتل ولا الكذب فالصدق من الإيمان كالرأس من الجسد وأما قوله أي النصيري بأنه يجب على المؤمنة أي الدرزية ألا تمنع أخاها فرجها وأن تبذل فرجها له مباحاً حيث شاء وأنه لا يتم نكاح الباطن إلا بنكاح الظاهر ونسبه إلى توحيد مولانا جل ذكره أي نسبه إلى العقيدة الدرزية فقد كذب على مولانا عز اسمه وأشرك به وألحد فيه وحرف مقالة أوليائه الموحدين

This is a falsification of revelation and interpretation, for theft, murder, and lying are impermissible. Truthfulness is to faith as the head is to the body. As for his (the Nusayri’s) claim that a female believer (i.e., a Druze woman) must not deny her ‘brother’ her private parts and must offer herself freely to him wherever he wishes, and that the ‘inner marriage’ is incomplete without the ‘outer marriage’—attributing this to the tawhid of our Master, exalted be His mention (i.e., the Druze creed)—he has lied against our Master, associated partners with Him, deviated, and distorted the words of His monotheist allies.

Regarding the Nusayri’s statement, “The souls of the nawasib (enemies of ‘Ali) and al addad (opposites) transmigrate into dogs, monkeys, pigs, iron (to be heated and struck with hammers), birds, owls, or even the womb of a woman who miscarries…” Hamzah responds:

فقد كذب على مولانا جل ذكره وآتى بالبهتان العظيم فلا يدخل في المعقول ولا يجب في عدل مولانا سبحانه بأن يعصيه رجل عاقل لبيب فيعاقبه في صورة كلب أو خنزير وهم لا يعقلون ما كانوا عليه في الصورة البشرية ولا يعرفون ما جنوه ويصيرحديداً يحمى ويضرب بالمطرقة فأين تكون الحكمة في ذلك وإنما تكون الحكمة في عذاب رجل يفهم ويعرف العذاب ليكون مأدبة له وسببا لتوبته وأما العذاب الواقع بالإنسان فهو نقلته من درجة عالية إلى درجة دونها في الدين وقلة معيشته وعمى قلبه في دينه ودنياه وكذلك نقلته من قميص إلى قميص على هذا الترتيب وكذلك الجزاء في الثواب ما دام في قميصه فهو زيادة درجته في العلوم وارتقائه من درجة إلى درجة اللهوات إلى أن يبلغ إلى حد المكاسرة ويزيد في ماله وينبسط في الدين من درجة إلى درجة إلى أن يبلغ حد الإمامة فهذه أرواح الباطنية وثوابها وما تقدم أرواح الأضداد وعقابها والعمل الصالح مع الإخوان ينتفع به ويثاب عليه عاجلا و آجلا ويخشى من عقاب مولانا جل ذكره عاجلا وآجلا ويعمل الحسنات ويتجنب السيئات ومن اعتقد التناسخ مثل النصيرية الملعونة في علي بن أبي طالب وعبده خسر الدنيا والآخرة ذلك هو الخسران المبين

He has lied against our master, exalted be his mention, and committed immense slander. This is irrational. It is unjust for our master to punish a rational, intelligent man who disobeys Him by transforming him into a dog or pig—creatures unaware of their past sins—or into iron beaten with hammers. Where is the wisdom in that? Wisdom lies in punishing a man who comprehends and recognizes the punishment as a lesson to repent. Human punishment consists of demotion from a high religious rank to a lower one, hardship in livelihood, and blindness of heart in religion and worldly life. Similarly, reward entails promotion through ranks of knowledge, ascending from one degree to another until reaching al mukasarah, with increases in wealth and religious authority until attaining the rank of Imamah. These are the souls of the batiniyyah (esotericists) and their rewards, while the aforementioned are the souls of al addad and their punishments. Righteous deeds among brethren benefit and are rewarded immediately and ultimately. One must fear the punishment of our master, exalted be his mention, in both worlds, perform good deeds, and avoid evil. Whoever believes in al tanasukh like the accursed Nusayris—worshipping ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib—has lost both this world and the Hereafter. That is the manifest loss.

Hamzah adds:

ثم إنه أي النصيري إذا ذكر علياً يقول علينا سلامه ورحمته وإذا ذكر مولانا الحاكم جل ذكره يقول علينا سلامه فيطلب الرحمة من المفقود المعدوم ويجحد الموجود الحاكم بذاته المنفرد عن مبدعاته ولا يكون في الكفر أعظم من هذا فصح عند الموحد العارف بأن الشرك الذي لا يغفر أبدأ هو بأن يشرك بين علي بن أبي طالب وبين مولانا جل ذكره ويقول على مولانا الموجود ومولانا هو علي لا فرق بينهما والكفر ما اعتقده هذا الفاسق النصيري من العبادة في علي ابن أبي طالب والجحود بمولانا جل ذكره

When this Nusayri mentions ‘Ali, he says, “Peace and mercy be upon him,” but when mentioning our master (al Hakim), he says only, “Peace be upon him.” Thus, he seeks mercy from the nonexistent (‘Ali) and denies the existent, self-subsisting al Hakim, distinct from His creations. There is no greater disbelief than this. The monotheist gnostic knows that the unforgivable sin is to equate ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib with our master, exalted be his mention, by claiming, “Our master (al Hakim) is ‘Ali, and ‘Ali is our master, there is no difference between them.” The disbelief of this corrupt Nusayri lies in worshipping ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and rejecting our master, exalted be his mention.^[11]

We suffice with the above to demonstrate the depth of enmity between the Druze and Nusayriyyah despite some doctrinal similarities.

NEXT⇒ The Sects of the Nusayriyyah

^[1] Al Shak’ah: Islam bi la Mazahib, pg. 282.

^[2] Al mukasarah is a rank within the Druze religion.

^[3] See the chapter titled “Doctrines of the Nusayriyyah” in this work.

^[4] Al Najjar: Mazhab al Druz wa al Tawhid, pg. 60-62.

^[5] Al Shak’ah: Islam bi la Mazahib, pg. 288–291.

^[6] Badawi: Mazahib al Islamiyyin, pg. 717.

^[7] Ibid., pg. 823.

^[8] Ibid.

^[9] Hussain: Ta’ifat al Druz, pg. 112.

^[10] The letter is in manuscript form under number 1423 in Arabic in Paris.

^[11] Badawi: Mazahib al Islamiyyin, pg. 816–822.

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