Origins of the Druze People and Religion

by Philip K. Hitti

[1928]

The Druze, who primarily live in Lebanon, Syria and Israel, have a mysterious religion which has been the subject of much speculation over the centuries. In the 19th century manuscript copies of their religious literature were spirited away to collections in Europe and the United States, and scholars were finally able to access them. This monograph by the distinguished Arabist, Philip K. Hitti, written in the early 20th century, covers the literature on the origin and history of the Druze, and includes a few samples of their sacred literature.

Title Page
Plates
Foreword
Preface
Table of Contents
Chapter I. A Unique and Secret Sect
Chapter II. Social and Historical Development
Chapter III. Racial Origins
Chapter IV. The Persian Origin of the Druzes
Chapter V. Druze Theology and Its Sources
Chapter VI. Dogmas and Precepts
Chapter VII. Folklore

Appendices: Druze Sacred Writings

Appendix A. Covenant of Induction Into the Religion of the Ruler of the Age
Appendix B. Al-Ḥākim's Ordinance Prohibiting the Use of Wine
Appendix C: Excerpt From the Charter Found Posted on the Walls of the Mosques on the Occasion of the Disappearance of Our Lord Al-Imām Al-Ḥākim
Appendix D. Excerpt From the Epistle Entitled Al-Qusṭanṭīniyyah Addressed by Bahā’-al-Dīn to the Byzantine Emperor Constantine
Appendix E: Excerpt From Bahā’-al-Dīn's Epistle Entitled Christianity
Appendix F. Exhortations And Prayers By Al-Sayyid ‘Abdullāh Al-Tanūkhi

Index
Map