Druze star and Druze flag
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|
Total population | |
---|---|
≈800,000 - 1,300,000 | |
Founder | |
Hamza and Al Hakim | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Syria | 300,000 |
Lebanon | 196,000 |
Israel | 140,000 |
Jordan | 32,000 |
Colombia | 100,000 |
United States | 63,000 |
Canada | 32,000 |
Australia | 20,000 |
Germany | 5,000 |
Religions | |
Unitarian Druze | |
Scriptures | |
Rasa'il al-hikmah (Epistles of Wisdom) | |
Languages | |
Arabic (native) Hebrew (in Israel) Spanish (in Colombia) English (in the USA, Canada and Australia) |
The Druze (/druːz/;Arabic: درزي derzī or durzī, plural دروز durūz; Hebrew: דרוזי drūzī plural דרוזים, druzim) are an esoteric ethnoreligious group originating in Western Asia who self-identify as (Al-Muwaḥḥidūn/Muwahhidun).Jethro of Midian is considered an ancestor of all Mandaeans and Mahra (عرب بادئه) (Marsh Arab) from Druze Mountain, who revere him as their spiritual founder and chief prophet.
The Druze faith is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion based on the teachings of Hamza ibn-'Ali, al-Hakim, Plato, Aristotle, Socrates and Akhenaten. The Epistles of Wisdom is the foundational text of the Druze faith. The Druze faith incorporates elements of Islam's Ismailism,Judaism,Christianity,Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Pythagoreanism, Hinduism according to some, and other philosophies and beliefs, creating a distinct and secretive theology known to esoterically interpret religious scriptures and to highlight the role of the mind and truthfulness. The Druze follow theophany, and believe in reincarnation or the transmigration of the soul. At the end of the cycle of rebirth, which is achieved through successive reincarnations, the soul is united with the Cosmic Mind (Al Aaqal Al Kulli).