The Druze and their Faith in Tawhid

The Druze and their Faith in Tawhid PDF Author: Anis Obeid
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
ISBN: 0815652577
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
As a small sect that emerged from Islam over a thousand years ago, the Druze religion and society has long been cloaked in a tradition of secrecy. Veiled from the outside world, the religious tenets have been vulnerable to distortion, misunderstanding, and misrepresentation. In this book Dr. Anis Obeid, a Druze layman, provides a penetrating analysis of Druze scriptures and beliefs (Tawhid). Presenting a chronological narrative of the foundation and development of the faith, he explains the historical conditions and religious rationale behind this closed religion. The Druze faith is the product of Abrahamic monotheism as it coalesced with other philosophies, belief systems, and political structures of the West and the East and, as Obeid maintains, should be recognized for its core monotheism, and not fundamentally different from Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. He argues convincingly, with examples and translations from the Druze scriptures, only now accessible to a non-initiate public, that Tawhid is a progressive and dynamic spiritual process based on freedom of choice. This rich exploration of their faith, the author’s appeal for a sincere cultural dialogue will resonate with a wide audience in the West and in the Middle East.

The Druze and their Faith in Tawhid

The Druze and their Faith in Tawhid PDF Author: Anis Obeid
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
ISBN: 0815652577
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
As a small sect that emerged from Islam over a thousand years ago, the Druze religion and society has long been cloaked in a tradition of secrecy. Veiled from the outside world, the religious tenets have been vulnerable to distortion, misunderstanding, and misrepresentation. In this book Dr. Anis Obeid, a Druze layman, provides a penetrating analysis of Druze scriptures and beliefs (Tawhid). Presenting a chronological narrative of the foundation and development of the faith, he explains the historical conditions and religious rationale behind this closed religion. The Druze faith is the product of Abrahamic monotheism as it coalesced with other philosophies, belief systems, and political structures of the West and the East and, as Obeid maintains, should be recognized for its core monotheism, and not fundamentally different from Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. He argues convincingly, with examples and translations from the Druze scriptures, only now accessible to a non-initiate public, that Tawhid is a progressive and dynamic spiritual process based on freedom of choice. This rich exploration of their faith, the author’s appeal for a sincere cultural dialogue will resonate with a wide audience in the West and in the Middle East.

The Druze Faith

The Druze Faith PDF Author: Sāmī Nasīb Makārim
Publisher: Academic Resources Corp
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
"A very readable & important work on the history & religion of the Druze community."-Majid Khadduri in The Middle East Journal. This history-making book, published with the approval of the Shaykh al-Akl, spiritual leader of the world's Druze community of one million for the first time lifts the official veil of secrecy surrounding this esoteric branch of Isma'ili Shi'ite Islam. Professor Makarim, himself a Druze, used medieval manuscript sources still under the seal of secrecy, to trace the history, beliefs, & customs of this faith from its origins early in Islam & its founding in the 11th century A.D. under the Fatimid caliphs of Egypt. The book contains translations of numerous quotations from the sacred Druze scriptures, the Six Books of Wisdom, set forth in 111 Epistles by the imam Hamza ibn 'Ali & his disciples; commentaries by leading Druze scholars over the centuries, & several appendixes, including a list of Shi'ite imams & stations, Druze prayers, a description of the Druze domestic law, & important dates in the history of the Druzes.

The Druzes

The Druzes PDF Author: Nejla M. Abu Izzeddin
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9789004097056
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
When this book was first published in 1984, it was the first extensive study of the Druzes to appear for many years. A small community native only in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, the Druzes have exercised an influence around them greater than their numerical strength. Living for the most part in mountainous territories they have maintained an independent existence for a thousand years. This book places the beliefs of the Druzes in the context of the history of Sh?'ism in its Ism?'?l? form, from which their faith developed. It also describes the role of the Druze community in the history of Lebanon and Syria. In the preparation of this book, the author, a Druze herself, has made use not only of the readily available Arabic and European sources but also of documents and manuscripts that are less easily accessible.

Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements

Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004435549
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 724

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Book Description
The Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements offers a multinational study of Islam, its variants, influences, and neighbouring movements, from a multidisciplinary range of scholars. These chapters highlight the diversity of Islam, especially in its contemporary manifestations, as a religion of many communities, theologies, and ideologies. Over five sections—on Sunni, Shia, Sufi, fundamentalist, and fringe Islamic movements—the authors provide historical overviews, analyses, and in-depth studies of large and small Islamic and related groups from all around the world. The contents of this volume will be of interest to both newcomers to the study of Islam and established scholars of religion who wish to engage with the dynamic label of Islam and the many impactful movements of the Islamic world.

Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms

Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms PDF Author: Gerard Russell
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1471114724
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 470

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Book Description
Despite its reputation for religious intolerance, the Middle East has long sheltered many distinctive and strange faiths: one regards the Greek prophets as incarnations of God, another reveres Lucifer in the form of a peacock, and yet another believes that their followers are reincarnated beings who have existed in various forms for thousands of years. These religions represent the last vestiges of the magnificent civilizations in ancient history: Persia, Babylon, Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs. Their followers have learned how to survive foreign attacks and the perils of assimilation. But today, with the Middle East in turmoil, they face greater challenges than ever before. In Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms, former diplomat Gerard Russell ventures to the distant, nearly impassable regions where these mysterious religions still cling to survival. He lives alongside the Mandaeans and Ezidis of Iraq, the Zoroastrians of Iran, the Copts of Egypt, and others. He learns their histories, participates in their rituals, and comes to understand the threats to their communities. Historically a tolerant faith, Islam has, since the early 20th century, witnessed the rise of militant, extremist sects. This development, along with the rippling effects of Western invasion, now pose existential threats to these minority faiths. And as more and more of their youth flee to the West in search of greater freedoms and job prospects, these religions face the dire possibility of extinction. Drawing on his extensive travels and archival research, Russell provides an essential record of the past, present, and perilous future of these remarkable religions.

The Origins of the Druze People and Religion

The Origins of the Druze People and Religion PDF Author: Philip Khuri Hitti
Publisher: New York : Columbia University Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 94

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Book Description
Attempts to solve the riddle of the unique and secret sect of the Druzes. From who they are, to why and where they are from their beginnings to their religious beliefs.

The Druze in the Middle East

The Druze in the Middle East PDF Author: Nissim Dana
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
A general discussion of the Druze in the Middle East, with a particular focus on the Druze relationship with the State of Israel.

The Druze Faith

The Druze Faith PDF Author: Sāmī Nasīb Makārim
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description


The Druze Faith

The Druze Faith PDF Author: Sāmī Naṣīb Makārim
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Druzes
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description


The A to Z of the Druzes

The A to Z of the Druzes PDF Author: Samy S. Swayd
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0810868369
Category : Druzes
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
The Druzes are one of the smallest, least studied, and most esoteric religious communities in the Middle East. This is because the Druze teachings remain inaccessible not only to outsiders but also to uninitiated members within the Druze community itself. Furthermore, proselytizing--inducing someone to convert to one's own religious faith--has been prohibited since the establishment of the sect in the 11th century. In order to resist assimilation by the various empires and colonial powers that sought to dominate them--the Byzantines, various Arab dynasties, the Mamluks and Ottomans, the British and French, in addition to the nations that govern them--the Druzes disguise and conceal their beliefs. Therefore, not much is known by outsiders about the Druzes. This dictionary provides nearly 1,000 concise and informative cross-referenced A to Z entries on religious, political, and cultural themes, as well as entries on a number of major families and individuals (artists, writers, diplomats, and leaders) who have contributed to the Druze communities. This volume is also complemented with a chronology, an introductory essay, and a bibliography.