God and man

Since man is the only being who possesses the faculty to comprehend this gnostic reality, he alone can strive to discover it. He is the only being who can check the egotistic drive that throws him into the delusion of plurality and, consequently, deflects him from his true nature. Here lies the seed of vice in man: taking joy in his own ego and living in the delusion of plurality. Virtue, on the other hand, lies in living in this plural world, but without taking it as an aim, that is, in moving away from one’s own ego toward unity with the rest of humanity and, therefore, in union with the One, inasmuch as it is humanly attainable. Those who succeed in reaching this goal do so through divine love. Hence, love is seen by the Druze as a mystical feeling of endless striving for such a union with the One, whereas hatred is understood as a product of metaphysical egotism in which one separates one’s own being and interests from the being and interests of the whole. Union can be reached if man believes in and spiritually realizes the following: the non-dualism and absoluteness of the One; that God’s amr, the ‘aql, is the finite manifestation of the absolute; and that the cosmic principles are the source of all being, with the ‘aql as both their origin and their goal. In addition, man should practice, truly and through the exercise of his free nature, the following virtues: 1 Veracity in the broadest sense of the word, that is, to profess the truth, to act according to the truth and to live for the truth. 2 Safeguarding, helping and guiding his fellow men or seeking their guidance along the path of truth and real knowledge. 3 Renouncing all beliefs leading to repudiation of the oneness of God and, consequently, to falsehood. 4 Dissociation from those who transgress against righteousness and justice, that is, those who hinder man from knowing the truth and treading upon the path of real knowledge. 5 Striving endlessly to achieve the real purpose of man, namely, to be in union with the One as much as is humanly possible. 6 Contentment (rida) with the divine law. 7 Submission (taslim) to God’s will and deeds. In order, these seven tenets are the true meanings of the seven Shi‘i pillars of Islam, namely, the two testimonies, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, pilgrimage, strife in God’s way (jihad) and allegiance (walaya). It is by means of these pillars that man moves away from egotism and plurality toward union with the One. In the Druze faith, the aim of ethics is not merely to acquiesce to a superior will only, but to lead man, rationally and spiritually, to the natural fulfilment of his being through virtuous behaviour. This approach is what led the Druze to call for complete equality among human beings, including equality of opportunity: it is only thus that man may realize himself, to the highest possible degree, in the One. This is why the Druze doctrine strictly condemns polygamy. The Druze law of domestic relations stipulates that, when a man marries a woman, he must put her on the same footing as himself, materially as well as spiritually. Husband and wife must treat one another with complete equality and justice. In case of divorce, the spouse proven to have been unjust must pay the other half of what he or she owns. This approach stems from the central position that the Druze doctrine gives to the human being. In order to try to live up to such a standard, men and women must strive to attain the purpose of their being, which is self-realization in the One and living accordingly, in real love. The individual’s capacity to reach such oneness with the One depends upon his or her intellectual and spiritual preparedness. True discovery of the self will enable the individual to behold the One, as if he or she looked into a mirror and saw his or her own image. It was through such manifestations that the presence of God was revealed to man, just as a word reveals its meaning to the reader in as much as the reader is prepared to receive it. God is infinite and transcendent in His boundless immanence and omnipresence. The onus is on man, through intellectual and spiritual preparedness, to behold such immanence and omnipresence. Man can achieve the harmony of these two forces only if he opens his heart to divine love. No one, however, can walk the path of self-realization without a guide to show him that God, in His oneness, is both inside and outside of him, both transcendent and immanent, both divine and human. Notes 1 Marshal G. S. Hodgon, “Al-Darazī and Hamza in the Origin of the Druze Religion,” Journal of the American Oriental Society 82 (1962) : 5-20. See, also, Kamal Salibi, “Introduction,” to The Druze Heritage: An Annotated Bibliography, compiled and edited by Talal Fandi and Ziyad Abi-Shakra (Amman: Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, 2001), 1ff. 2 Sami Makarem, The Druze Faith (Delmar, NY: Carvan Books, 1974), 19-22. 3 Cf. Sami Makarem, “Al-Hākim bi-Amrillāh’s Appointment of His Successors,” Al-Abhath 23 (December 1970), nos. 1-4. 4 Qur’an 36:82; Makarem, The Druze Faith, 43. 5 Cf. Sami Makarem, “Al-Amr al-Ilihi wa mafhumhu fi l-‘aqida al-Isma‘iliyya,” Al-Abhath 20, no. 1 (March 1967) : 3-16. 6 E. W. Lane, “Nafs,” in An Arabic English Lexion (London: William and Norgate, 1893).