Most Druze religious practices are kept secret.[29] The Druze do not permit outsiders to convert to their religion. Marriage outside the Druze faith is rare and strongly discouraged.
The Druze believe that at the end of the cycle of rebirth, which is achieved through successive reincarnations, the soul is united with the Cosmic Mind (al-ʻaql al-kullī).[41]
Even though the faith originally developed out of Isma'ilism, the Druze are not Muslims.[47][48] The Druze faith is one of the major religious groups in the Levant, with between 800,000 and a million adherents. They are found primarily in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, with small communities in Jordan. They make up 5.5% of the population of Lebanon, 3% of Syria and 1.6% of Israel. The oldest and most densely-populated Druze communities exist in Mount Lebanon and in the south of Syria around Jabal al-Druze (literally the "Mountain of the Druze").[49]
The Druze community played a critically important role in shaping the history of the Levant, where it continues to play a significant political role.[50] As a religious minority in every country in which they are found, they have frequently experienced persecution by different Muslim regimes, including contemporary Islamic extremism.[51][52][53]
^Carl Skutsch (7 November 2013). Skutsch, Carl (ed.). Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities. Routledge. p. 410. ISBN978-1-135-19388-1. Total Population: 800,000
^Robert Brenton Betts (1 January 1990). The Druze (illustrated, reprint, revised ed.). Yale University Press. p. 55. ISBN978-0-300-04810-0. The total population of Druze throughout the world probably approaches one million.
^Donna Marsh (11 May 2015). Doing Business in the Middle East: A cultural and practical guide for all Business Professionals (revised ed.). Hachette UK. ISBN978-1-4721-3567-4. It is believed there are no more than 1 million Druze worldwide; most live in the Levant.
^Samy Swayd (10 March 2015). Historical Dictionary of the Druzes (2 ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 3. ISBN978-1-4422-4617-1. The Druze world population at present is perhaps nearing two million; ...
^Hendrix, Scott; Okeja, Uchenna, eds. (2018). The World's Greatest Religious Leaders: How Religious Figures Helped Shape World History [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 11. ISBN978-1440841385.
^Daftary, Farhad (2 December 2013). A History of Shi'i Islam. I.B.Tauris. ISBN978-0-85773-524-9.
^ abQuilliam, Neil (1999). Syria and the New World Order. Michigan University press. p. 42. ISBN9780863722493.
^ abThe New Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1992. p. 237. ISBN9780852295533. Druze religious beliefs developed out of Isma'ill teachings. Various Jewish, Christian, Gnostic, Neoplatonic, and Iranian elements, however, are combined under a doctrine of strict monotheism.
^D Nisan, Mordechai (2015). Minorities in the Middle East: A History of Struggle and Self-Expression, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 94. ISBN9780786451333.
^Swayd, Samy (2015). Historical Dictionary of the Druzes. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 77. ISBN978-1442246171.
^S. Swayd, Samy (2009). The A to Z of the Druzes. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 109. ISBN9780810868366. They also cover the lives and teachings of some biblical personages, such as Job, Jethro, Jesus, John, Luke, and others
^Cite error: The named reference De McLaurin 1979 114 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Druze in Syria". Harvard University. The Druze are an ethnoreligious group concentrated in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel with around one million adherents worldwide. The Druze follow a millenarian offshoot of Isma'ili Shi'ism. Followers emphasize Abrahamic monotheism but consider the religion as separate from Islam.
^Zabad, Ibrahim (2017). Middle Eastern Minorities: The Impact of the Arab Spring. Taylor & Francis. p. 125. ISBN9781317096733. Although the Druze are a tiny community, they have played a vital role in the politics of the Levant
^Stewart, Dona J. (2008). The Middle East Today: Political, Geographical and Cultural Perspectives. Routledge. p. 33. ISBN9781135980795.