Selections from the Druze Sacred Teachings, Part 2 of 2

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

“[…] Assemble there, yourselves and your children, purify your hearts and make your intentions sincere toward Allah, the Lord of the universe. Repent before Him in a true manner and beseech Him by the best methods of supplication leading to pardon and forgiveness, so that He may show mercy to you by according you the return of His friend, and may turn His heart in compassion toward you; for He is mercy unto you and unto all His creation in accordance with what Allah (may He remain blessed and high!) has said to His Messenger [Muḥammad] (may Allah’s grace be upon Him and upon His kin!): ‘We have not sent Thee other than as mercy unto all creatures.’ […]

Persist in the practice of these exercises, by day and by night, until the last day arrives, and the hour of judgment strikes. […] This is addressed to the people of intelligence among you; it is they who are particularly meant by it. It is the will of Allah (may He remain blessed and high!), and through Him all success is achieved.

Peace be upon whomsoever follows guidance, fears the evil results of impiety, and believes in the excellent words of His Lord!”

EXCERPT FROM THE EPISTLE ENTITLED AL-QUSṬANṬĪNIYYAH ADDRESSED BY BAHĀ’-AL-DĪN TO THE BYZANTINE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE

“As for what you say in the special canticle for the Eucharist that ‘He suffered, was crucified in the time of Fayṭus, son of Qīlāṭūs, was buried and arose on the third day,’ it is all recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter two, where Jesus addressing the Jews said to them: ‘Destroy the temple and I will raise it up in three days.’ […] What He meant was the temple of His body. And having mentioned [later] to His disciples what He had said they believed in the book and in the word. Such is the text in the Gospel of John.

You should therefore know, you assembly of saints, that what He meant by the three days of His disappearance is firstly the day in which He declared His mission and called all mankind to the religion of Unity and truth and revealed Himself to the nations as a ‘true God from a true God.’ […]”