Fatwas of Islamic Scholars on the Druze
Islamic Scholars Role in Defending Islamic Creed
Throughout the ages, scholars of
Islam have risen to fulfill their duty of defending the Islam, protecting it
from innovations and distortions, and warning against sects and groups that
contradicted tawhid (oneness of Allah). Among these is the Druze sect. A
number of scholars have classified and issued fatwas regarding the Druze’s creed,
whether its followers are Muslims, and the rulings on interacting with them.
Some of these fatwas are old,
such as those of Ibn Taymiyyah and Al-Ramli, and some are relatively modern,
like those of Al-Muradi, Ibn Abidin, Rashid Rida, and many others. Due to
limited space, we will present some of the modern fatwas, beginning with the
fatwa of Al-Muradi Al-Hanafi, Mufti of Damascus in the 12th Hijri century,
which he issued in a treatise titled “Statements of the Renowned Imams
Regarding the Druze and Tayamneh.”
Who Are the Druze? And What Is Their Belief?
The importance of this treatise
lies in the fact that it contained the fatwas of eminent earlier scholars from
various schools of though and that it addressed most of the questions
surrounding the Druze creed, providing thorough answers.
It opened with an introduction
about the scholars’ views on: Who are the Druze? And what is their creed?
Its summary is that they believe divinity continues to manifest in one person
after another, such as Ali ibn Abi Talib and others, and later appeared in
Al-Hakim bi Amr Allah, and is now manifest in their elders whom they call Al-`Uqqal (the
Knowledgeable Initiates).
They deny the resurrection, the
rising of people from their graves, and the concept of the Hereafter, claiming
instead the transmigration of souls.
The Ruling on the Druze
As for the ruling on them—whether
they are disbelievers or People of the Book like Jews and Christians, and
whether it is permissible to eat their slaughtered meat or allow them to remain
living near Muslims—Al-Muradi answered: The leading jurists of all schools of
thought have unanimously agreed upon the disbelief of this sect, that they are
more disbelieving than Jews and Christians, that it is not permissible to marry
them, nor to eat their slaughtered meat as is the case with the People of the
Book, nor to allow them to reside in Muslim lands under jizyah or
otherwise, due to what is found in their books: the claim of divinity for
Al-Hakim bi Amr Allah, their belief in transmigration of souls, their doctrine of indwelling (hulul), their distorted interpretations
of Islamic laws, and their diminishing of the status of Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him).
Rashid Rida was asked a similar
question regarding the Druze denial of resurrection and their accusation that
Muslims agree with Jews and Christians on that matter. Are they Muslims by this
statement?
He replied: It does not harm us
to agree with Jews and Christians in some of their beliefs, for the foundation
is that all religions share certain creeds. But as for the Druze, they are a
sect of the Batiniyyah who
split away from Muslims. They believe in Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the
Qur’an, but they distort the Qur’an with interpretations like the rest of the
Batiniyyah. They believe that Al-`Ali, Al-Bar, Abu Zakariya, `Ali, Al-Qa’im,
Al-Mansur, Al-Mu`izz, Al-`Aziz, and Al-Hakim are one god. Al-Hakim is the
greatest among them, and they refer to him as ‘Our Master’ and worship his oneness.
The basis of Druze belief is reincarnation. There is no need to prolong debate
with them, for there is no law in their religion for reasoning. Their
foundation is letters and numerology.
Rashid Rida concluded his fatwa
by expressing hope that Druze youth would enter Islam through what he called
“modern Muslim youth of insight and intelligence.” Perhaps this explains why he
did not follow earlier scholars in declaring them disbelievers with sharp
wording, using softer terms instead to avoid repelling them from Islam.
Nevertheless, his call itself indicates that he did not consider them
Muslims—otherwise, why call them to Islam?
Rashid Rida was not alone in this
approach. Sheikh Muhammad Abduh had earlier been asked from Tripoli (Libya)
about a man who wanted to leave the Druze creed and embrace Islam. The question
was: If he said the testimony of faith while renouncing everything contrary to
the Islamic creed, would he be considered Muslim? And what is the ruling on
Muslims who refuse to accept his Islam?
Can the Druze Repentance be Accepted?
On this matter, it should be
noted that some earlier scholars, such as Ibn Taymiyyah, did not accept the
repentance of a Druze, arguing that they are neither People of the Book nor
polytheists, but rather heretics and apostates whose repentance is not accepted.
Muhammad Abduh, however,
disagreed. He argued that there is no precedent except that of our Prophet (peace
be upon him), who accepted return to Islam after apostasy and sincerity after
hypocrisy, and the books of Sunnah testify to this. So how can we not accept
from people what the Prophet (peace be upon him) accepted? And how can we
demand from them more than what he demanded, when he is the legislator and the
one to whom all disputes return?
A recent fatwa submitted to the Islamweb sheds
light on a Druze belief. The question was about the meaning of “taqammus”
(reincarnation), which the Druze often repeat.
The fatwa states: Taqammus,
according to the Druze, means the transference of a soul from one human body to
another.
They believe that the human soul
does not die, but it is the body that dies. However, the soul moves to another
body. This is a false belief that the Quran and Sunnah (Prophetic tradition)
refute it. In many verses Allaah The Almighty Stated that the souls die. Allaah
The Almighty Says (what means):
• {Allaah takes the souls
at the time of their death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their
sleep.} [Quran 39:42]
• {Every soul will taste
death,} [Quran 3:185]
Allaah The Almighty Says that the
soul dies and does not move to another body as they claim. However, the death
of the soul does not mean its annihilation; rather, it remains in pleasure or
torment until it is returned again to its body on the Day of Resurrection.
Can a Druze Man Marry a Muslim Woman?
Alongside these doctrinal fatwas,
there are also rulings regarding dealings with the Druze. Among them is a
question answered by Sheikh Abdul-Majid Salim, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, about the
case of a Druze man marrying a Sunni Muslim woman. Is such a contract valid?
And is the sexual intercourse permissible?
The Sheikh cited at length from
Ibn Abidin’s fatwa, which stated that the Druze outwardly display Islam while
internally holding Batiniyyah beliefs, permitting fornication and wine, and
denying resurrection.
Sheikh Salim concluded: If the
man in question is from the Druze sect, and this is their condition as Ibn
Abidin described, then he is a disbeliever. It is not permissible for him to
marry a Muslim woman, and if he does, the marriage is invalid, with no legal
consequences. Sexual intercourse is fornication, establishing no lineage and
requiring no waiting period (‘iddah).
The Ruling on Druze Slaughtered Meat
Another question raised to Islamweb
concerned whether Druze slaughtered meat is lawful to eat. The scholars
answered in the negative, because the Druze are a Batiniyyah sect, not
adherents of a revealed religion nor People of the Book. Thus, it is
impermissible to eat their slaughtered meat, for they are akin to apostates
whose slaughter is invalid.
It is well-known that among the
conditions for lawful slaughter meat is that the slaughterer be a follower of a
revealed religion (Muslim, Jew, or Christian).
Final Verdict of the Scholars on the Druze
In sum, scholars issued numerous
fatwas clarifying the reality of the Druze creed and the rulings on interacting
with its adherents. Despite their abundance, there is no disagreement between
reformist and non-reformist scholars that the Druze are not Muslims, and that
their status is not that of the People of the Book, such that intermarriage or
eating their slaughtered meat would be permissible.
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