The Druze Path and Belief

The Druze: Path and Belief by Taisir Abu Hamdan For centuries, the Druze have guarded a faith and a way of life shaped by devotion, resilience, and an unbroken sense of identity. In The Druze: Path and Belief, Taisir Abu Hamdan offers a sweeping, richly detailed portrait of a community whose spiritual doctrine, social customs, and turbulent history remain little understood outside its own circles. Drawing on doctrine, testimony, and centuries of lived experience, the book traces the foundations of Druze belief — the doctrine of Tawhid, the role of the clergy and spiritual leadership, the sacred holidays, and the deeply held conviction in the transmigration of the soul — alongside the community's turbulent path through history: its wars against empires and invaders, its place amid shifting powers from the Ottomans to the French Mandate, and its enduring presence in the modern Middle East. Beyond doctrine and battle, the book turns to the texture of everyday Druze life: family and marriage customs, traditional and religious dress, hospitality and honor, and the folk literature and testimonies that have carried Druze identity from generation to generation. Comprehensive, carefully documented, and written with deep respect for its subject, The Druze: Path and Belief is an essential resource for readers seeking to understand one of the Middle East's most distinctive and resilient religious communities — its faith, its history, and its path through time.