The divine call, unitarian call, or da‘wat at-
tawḥīd
Tawhid ( ar, , ', meaning "unification of God in Islam (Allāh)"; also romanization of Arabic, romanized as ''Tawheed'', ''Tawhid'', ''Tauheed'' or ''Tevhid'') is the indivisible oneness concept of monotheism in Islam. Tawhid is the religion ...
is the time period of
Druze
The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...
proselytization
that was opened at sunset on Thursday 30 May 1017 CE by
Fātimid Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
Abū ʿAlī Manṣūr (13 August 985 – 13 February 1021), better known by his regnal name al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh ( ar, الحاكم بأمر الله, lit=The Ruler by the Order of God), was the sixth Fatimid caliph and 16th Ismaili ima ...
and closed in 1043 CE by
al-Muqtana Baha'uddin, henceforth prohibiting anyone else from converting to the
Druze
The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...
religion.
[Al-'Uqayli, Ḥasan., ''Muntekhab'', fol. 75v.; Yūsuf al-'Uqayli, ''al-Mu'allaf'', p. 775.]
History
The call was suspended briefly between 19 May 1018 and 9 May 1019 CE during the
apostasy of
ad-Darazi and again between 1021 and 1026 CE during a period of persecution by
Ali az-Zahir for those who had sworn the
oath to accept the call.
Persecutions started forty days after the disappearance into
occultation of
al-Hakim Hakim may refer to:
* Al-Ḥakīm ( Arabic: الحكيم), one of the names of God in Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around th ...
, who was thought to have been converting people to a
Unitarian
Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to:
Christian and Christian-derived theologies
A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism:
* Unitarianism (1565–present ...
faith for over twenty years prior.
Al-Hakim convinced some heretical followers such as
ad-Darazi of his
soteriological divinity and officially declared the Divine call after issuing a decree promoting religious freedom.
The call summoned people to a true unitarian belief that removed all attributes (wise, just, outside, inside, etc.) from God.
It promoted absolute
monotheism and the concepts of supporting your fellow man, true speech and pursuit of oneness with God. These concepts superseded all
ritual, law and
dogma and requirements for
pilgrimage,
fasting,
holy days,
prayer, charity,
devotion,
profession of faith and particular worship of any prophet or person was downplayed.
Islamic law was opposed and Druze traditions started during the call continue today, such as meeting for reading, prayer and social gathering on a Thursday instead of a Friday at
Khalwat Khalwa (Arabic, also khalwat; lit., "solitude"; pronounced in Iran, "khalvat"; spelling in Turkish, ''halvet'') has several meanings in Sufism, Islamic jurisprudence, and the Druze religion, which in some way derive from the concept of being alon ...
s instead of mosques. Such gatherings and traditions were not compulsory and people were encouraged to pursue a state of compliance with the real law of nature governing the universe.
Epistle thirteen of the
Epistles of Wisdom called it ''"A spiritual doctrine without any ritualistic imposition"''.
The time of the call was seen as a revolution of truth, with
missionaries
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
preaching its message all around the Middle East. These messengers were sent out with the Druze epistles and took written
vows from believers, whose
souls are thought to still exist in the Druze of today. The souls of those who took the vows during the call are believed to be continuously
reincarnating in successive generations of Druze until the return of al-Hakim to proclaim a second Divine call and establish a
golden age of
justice and
peace for all.
In 1043
al-Muqtana declared that the sect would no longer accept new pledges, and since that time
proselytization has been prohibited awaiting al-Hakim's return on
Judgement day to usher in a new
golden age.
See also
*
Hamza ibn-'Ali ibn-Ahmad
*
ad-Darazi
*
Baha’ud-Dīn as-Samuqī
References
{{Reflist
External links
AbouFakher, Rabeea., The Tahwid Faith
History of the Druze
11th century in religion
Religious conversion