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A working paradigm for the origin of Druze.
By Ben Abrahamson, Feb 12, 2008.

I propose that the Druze are the descendants of Parthians and their subjects who converted to Judaism, either as full converts or partial converts known as Bnei Noah Contemporary historians indicate that hellenistic Parthians had been pushed into what is now Syria after the Sassanid dynasty came to power, and rabbinic literature is full of anecdotes concerning the close relationship between the Parthians and the Jews.

The Druze claim to be the descendants of Shoaib (Jethro). Rabbinic and Christian literature calls Jethro's descendants Kenites and associate them with the Midianites. DNA research, however, has not yet supported a Semitic (Arab, Samaritan or Jewish) ancestry of the Druze. In fact, DNA research appears to indicate a mixture of many ethnic groups, so we must look elsewhere for the unifying ancestor Shoaib. I propose that this unifying term was derived from [ger to]ShaB, the Rabbinic term for Bnei Noah who lived in Palestine and is associated with the teachings of Jethro. To understand how a rabbinic legal term could be applied to a diverse ethnic population in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, it is necessary to review several important events of the 7th century.

On the eve of Islam, the Persians invaded towards Egypt and Constantinople, with the current Jewish exilarch, Nehemiah ben Hushiel, as a figurehead for the troops heading towards Egypt. The Persians promised to reinstate Palestine if the Jews would fight for them. After five years of unprecedented success in the battlefield, the Persians looked unstoppable. They came to terms with Jerusalem and installed Nehemiah as governor of the city. When this exilarch was murdered by a mob in Jerusalem a few months later, the Jewish and Persian troops on the authority of the local commander sacked and burned the city in retaliation in 614 CE. The political consequences of burning of Jerusalem, however, were unexpected and undesired by Khosrau, the Persian King of Kings. A backlash ensued, and the Persians ceased to support the exilarchate, and evicted the Jews.

A series of exilarchs, Nehemiah's descendants, made their base in Edessa, Syria (now Şanlıurfa, Turkey): Heman (Abdullah ibn Saba) and Yakub of Syria (Kab Ahbar), Ishak, Saura of Syria, Yakub Obadiah (Abu Isa), Yugdan. When Byzantine emperor Heraclius began to slaughter all the Jews in his domain, a delegation of twelve Jews originally from Edessa, who had settled in Medina, met with an Arabian leader in Aqaba seek their support. I propose that this is what is known in Islamic tradition as "the first declaration of Aqaba".

A companion of the Prophet Muhammed was Nehemiah's brother Shallum (Salmaan Farsi), who had been sold into slavery by the Persians. Many rabbinic apocalypses (midrashei geulah) and some christian ones appeared making much of the fact that the Messiah (exilarch Nehemiah) had been killed, or had disappeared, or raised again from the dead by the Prophet (mistaking Shallum for Nehemiah). Shallum led the conquest of Persia and was buried in the ancient seat of the Exilarch, Mahoza (now called Salman Pak). Messianic expectations first fell on Caliph 'Umar who was called al Furkan (Purkan, redeemer) and later on 'Ali who's mother was a descendant of an exilarch. I propose the messianic themes of redeemer, military conquerer, occlusion and being raised from the dead became the foundation of the Islamic concept of the Imamate. Also the relationship between Prophet Muhammed and Shallum (Salmaan Farsi) led to a tradition of Islamic leader and a Jewish vizier that was to be followed throughout the Umayyad and Fatimid caliphate. I propose the Jewish tradition of Elijah and Messiah, as Prophet and Exilarch, was transformed to Mahdī and Masīḥ, with the former growing in importance and the later being reduced.

After the Islamic conquest, there was a shortage of judges during the early days of Islamic rule (from 638 CE until about 661 CE), so the Islamic rulers sent out Jewish judges to teach the law. This was under the supervision of R' Yitzchak Gaon and the head of the Yeshivah of Peroz-Shavur, so it probably was the rabbinic concept of Noahidism, and its seven laws, that was taught. I propose that these Dayyanim later evolved into Da'iyyun (preachers) of the Umayyad dynasty.

The Jewish sympathizers of Islam in Syria and Egypt were known as Musta'arabi Jews (Arabic, "Arabizers"). I propose that because the Noahides were known as [Ger] Toshabim, their center in Aleppo became known as Tsobah (Toshaviyya). I propose that rabbinic traditions about Jethro as the "first convert" led to his name as شعيب (Shoaib).

With the rise of the Abbasid dynasty in 750 CE, the Islamic leadership saw no more use for Jews within its ranks. The Abbasid's tried to break the power of the Exilarch by officially recognizing Karaism, later the great Judeo-Sabian academy at Harran was replaced by an Islamic academy, and instead they encouraged the development of Jewish leadership in Baghdad as completely separate and independent of Islam. Abbasid dynasty was largely an Iranian phenomenon, ignoring Syria, Palestine and Egypt. The Umayyad dynasty was reborn in North Africa and Egypt as the Fātimid dynasty.

The Berbers of North Africa had for a hundred years before Islam accepted Judaism under Berber Queen Kahana. The Fatimid dynastic was founded in 909 by 'Abdullāh al-Mahdī Billah. He began his conquest by establishing his headquarters at Salamiyah, Syria and began riding towards north-western Africa, which at the time was under Aghlabid rule, following the propagandist success of his chief Dai' (preacher), Abu 'Abdullah Al-Husayn Al-Shi'i. Al-Shi'i, along with laying claim to being the precursor to the Mahdi, was instrumental in sowing the seeds of sedition among the formerly Jewish Berber tribes of North Africa, specifically the Kutamah tribe.

Druze believe the sixth Fātimid caliph Abū 'Alī al-Manṣūr al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh (996-1021), who ruled over Egypt (985–1021), seen by others as eccentric, to be the uniter of Muslims and nourisher of the Islamic power at that time. The first to hold that view was a man called Hasan ibn Haidara al-Ahram, an Ismaili Da'i and courtier of al-Hakim. After his assassination, his cause was taken up by the Persian immigrant Hamza ibn 'Alī ibn Aḥmad, who in a 1017 letter demanded that all officers and courtiers should acknowledge power that was given by God to al-Hakim and the previous Fatimid Caliphs to unite and empower Islam. Hamza became the actual architect of the group.

Lastly it should be noted that both the Druze and the Jewish Sefer Zerubavel give special importance to four mountains in Israel and Lebanon. (It may also be significant that the year 990CE, specifically mentioned by Sefer Zerubavel, was approximately when Fātimid caliph al-Ḥākim began to rule).

Then he showed me the Temple and the structure. The Temple was built on the peaks of five mountains which the Lord had chosen to support His sanctuary: Lebanon, Mount Moriah, Tabor, Carmel, and Hermon. Michael spoke and said to me, ‘At the completion of nine hundred and ninety years for the ruins of Jerusalem is the appointed time for the deliverance of Israel.’ (Sefer Zerubavel).

Thus, according to this working theory the Druze (and perhaps other Ismaili) groups are:

• The descendants of Parthians who converted in full or part to Judaism,
• Who adopted messianic themes (Imamate) due to the relationship between the Prophet (and later Caliphs) and the Exilarch
• Who adopted Noahide teachings directly from a Rabbinic source
• Who alegorized and spiritualized messianic themes, as well as other Islamic teachings, due to gnostic Christian influences. (They are accused of praying to al-Ḥākim).
• Had an influence on the development of Shaykhism (from which sprang Babism and Baha'i)