The Druze and Their Faith in Tawhid

by Anis I. Obeid

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.

Genres: Religion, Theology, History

318 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2006

Reviews

[Tamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

With increasing numbers of Druzes living in the diaspora, far from the confines of their ancestral villages in the Levant, their long-term survival is increasingly under threat. A centuries-old Druze tradition that restricts access to religious texts to a small minority of practicing sheikhs (or religious elders) leaves the vast majority of the community with little knowledge of their religious inheritance and nothing substantial to pass on to their children.

It is in this context that Dr. Anis Obeid writes this book, bravely tackling the taboo on sharing Druze religious beliefs with the outside world. Dr. Obeid, in fact, includes numerous passages from the Epistles of Wisdom and other religious texts and provides an honest appraisal of the relationship between the Druze faith and Islam.

Overall, it is perhaps the best book written about the Druze community in English and an essential read for any Druze person interested in learning more about their faith and history.

[Aban · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book,

an unexpected, but welcome refreshment of islamic history
was pleasently surprised by a rather thorough (yet biased against sunni though) history of shi'i history, particularly the splits of the imam system between twelvers, zaidis, and ismailis (where the druze are an offshoot of during the fathimid collapse)

a very outsider friendly, surface reading of druze though, with passages from their epistles, with more emphasis on their theological/philosophical vision, akin to sufism, rather than their political/practical/ritualistic deviation from orthadoxy, which was what i was looking forward to learn more about, especially when it comes to the current sociopolitical questions in a new post-assad sria and the israeli occupied golan heights (where the druze have enormous presence)

[Taqo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Currently reading this to use as a source for my term project/paper. Very interesting so far.