APPENDICES

Origins of the Druze People and Religion, by Philip K. Hitti, [1924], at sacred-texts.com

p. 55

p. 56 p. 57

APPENDIX A

COVENANT OF INDUCTION INTO THE RELIGION OF THE RULER OF THE AGE

(MĪTHĀQ WALI-AL-ZAMĀN)

My trust I lay in our lord al-Ḥakīm, the only one, the unique, the eternal; he who is above duplication and number.

So and so the son of so and so, being sound in mind and body, and out of his own free will and accord, without duress and constraint, confesses, in a way that makes it binding upon himself and can be used as a testimony against his soul, that he has hereby renounced all sects, doctrines, religions and beliefs—no matter what their character may be; that he now recognizes nothing but obedience to our lord al-Ḥakīm (may the mention of his name be glorified!), obedience being adoration; that he shall not include in his worship anyone else, past, present or expected; that he has surrendered his soul, his body, his possessions, his children and everything he owns to our lord al-Ḥakīm (may the mention of his name be glorified!); and that he has acquiesced in all his decisions—be they for or against him—without objecting to, or disapproving of, any of his [al-Ḥākim's] actions, whether they be pleasing or displeasing to him. In case he forsakes the religion of our lord al-Ḥākim, to which he submits by this writing and which he holds as a witness against his soul, or uses it as a cover for some other religion, or disobeys any of its commandments, then he is no more entitled to the protection of the Creator the adored, and is deprived of all the advantages bestowed by the ministers [of the Unitarian religion], and merits the chastisement meted out by al-Bār ¹ the exalted (may the mention of his name be glorified!).

p. 58

Whoso confesses that to him there is no god in heaven worthy of adoration, and no imām on earth in a state of existence other than our lord al-Ḥākim (may the mention of his name be glorified!), becomes one of the victorious Unitarians.

Written in such a month of such a year of the era of the servant of our Lord ¹ (may the mention of his name be glorified!) and of his slave, Ḥamzah ibn-‘Ali ibn-Ahmad, he who guides those who respond, and wreaks vengeance on the polytheists and apostates by means of the sword of our Lord (may the mention of his name be glorified!) and by the great force of his power alone.

Footnotes

57:1 One of the honorific titles of al-Ḥakīm. See supra, p. 20.

58:1 Al-Ḥākim is the Lord, and Ḥamzah is his servant.