The Religions Book

DIRECTORY 339

Those who considered his son
Ismail to be the rightful successor
established a breakaway group,
and became known as Ismailis.
Although there are variations
within Ismailism, its followers
generally uphold fundamental
Muslim belief with respect to
the unity of God, the Prophet
Muhammad, the Qur’an, and
shari‘a law. However, among their
principal doctrines is a belief that
the religion has exterior and
interior aspects, and that the
exterior features hold hidden,
inner truths that will be made
clear via the imams. The imams’
interpretations of the Qu’ran’s
hidden truths are regarded as
binding in the community.

DRUZE

11th century, Middle East

The beliefs of the sect known
as the Druze developed out of
Ismailite doctrine. This small sect
is characterized by extreme
secrecy: many of its teachings
and practices have been withheld,
not only from the outside world,
but also from its own members.
The Druze community is divided
into the ukkal (initiated) and the
juhhal (uninitiated); only the ukkal
have access to the faith’s sacred
texts and may participate fully
in rituals and ceremonies. The
majority of Druze now live in
Lebanon, with smaller groups
in Syria and Israel.

SUFISM

13th century, Turkey

The mystical and ascetic branch
of Islam is known as Sufism
(pp.282–83). Devotees follow a

spiritual teacher and seek a direct

and personal experience of God,

which is often characterized by

intense, ecstatic experiences,

including trancelike states. The

spinning of the Whirling Dervishes,

a Sufi order, is an expression of

this attempt to experience God.

Because Sufism involves such

practices, which are thought to

lead to the union of the individual

with God, Sufis have been accused

of turning their backs on Islam.

However, they insist that their

experience of the love of God is

the anchor of their Islamic faith,

and that adherence to shari‘a law

(pp.272–73) is as vital to them as

it is to other Muslims.

AHMADIYYA

1889 , Punjab, India

Controversy has surrounded the

Ahmadiyya movement since its

establishment in Punjab toward

the end of the 19th century. The

founder of the movement, a Sunni

Muslim named Mirza Ghulam

Ahmad, claimed not only to have

been divinely inspired, but also to

be a messiah figure (pp.284–85).

This conflicted with the accepted

idea of Muhammad as the last true

prophet, and as a result most other

Muslims regard followers of the

Ahmadiyya movement as heretics.

The movement does, however,

share many traditional beliefs of

Sunni Islam and accepts the

Qur’an as its holy text. Adherents

believe that the message about

their version of Islam should be

conveyed to non-Muslims as well

as Muslims, and the movement

has spread throughout the world,

building centers of worship and

learning in Africa, North America,

Asia, and Europe.

SALAFISM

Late 19th century, Egypt

Salafism is a modern, conservative

movement within Sunni Islam that

looks to the Salaf, or predecesors,

the earliest Muslims, for guidance

on exemplary Islamic conduct. The

movement is considered to have

emerged as a reaction to the

spread of Western, specifically

European, ideology in the late

19th century; Salafists believe in

eliminating foreign influence to

ensure a return to the pure faith.

They have a strict interpretation

of the sins of shirk (idolatry) and

bida’h (innovation), and reject

kalam, or theological speculation.

Followers uphold the precedence

of shari’a law (pp.272–73) and the

literal truth of the Qu’ran. Salafism

is said to be Islam’s fastest-

growing movement worldwide.

THE NATION OF ISLAM

1930, US

Arising out of the Depression of

the 1930s in African-American

areas in the US, the Nation

of Islam was founded by Fard

Muhammad, to whom some have

ascribed divinity. Other key

figures have included the civil

rights activist Malcolm X and

Louis Farrakhan. The theology

of the movement combines core

Islamic beliefs with a strong

political agenda focused on

African-American unity and

rights. The Nation of Islam has

been accused of being both black

supremacist and anti-Semitic, but

has nevertheless been effective in

spreading ideas about faith and

equality among black people, and

upholds a strict code of ethics.