The People of Monotheism
Appearance
The People of Monotheism may translate several Arabic terms:
- Ahl al-Tawḥīd (Arabic: أهل التوحيد), a name the Druze use for themselves. Literally, "The People of the Unity" or "The Unitarians," from tawḥid, unity (of God).
- al-Muwaḥḥidun (Arabic: الموحدون) is an Arabic term meaning "the monotheists." It has currency as:
- Ahl al-ʿAdl wa t-Tawḥīd, "The People of Justice and Monotheism," a term used by the Muʿtazilis to describe themselves.
See also
References
- ^ Friedman, Yaron (2010). The Nuṣayrī-ʿAlawīs. Leiden: Brill. p. 44.
Both Nuṣayrīs and Druzes were Shīʿī sects deeply influenced by Neoplatonism and Gnosticism. Both called themselves muwaḥḥidūn, and considered the study of esoteric knowledge as the true path to monotheism.
- ^ Friedman, Yaron (2010). The Nuṣayrī-ʿAlawīs. Leiden: Brill. p. 11.
According to Nuṣayrī sources, the members of this group called themselves muwaḥḥidūn or ahl al-tawḥīd (monotheists), because they believed that only by combining exoteric (zāhir) and esoteric (bāṭin) knowledge, can complete monotheism be achieved.