Note 623 — Chapter VI · (continued 2)

The author of the Dabistán has given a sufficiently explicit account of the doctrine of the Ismâilahs, but without separating the opinions belonging in particular to each of the sects into which the Ismâilahs in the course of time divided. We have already mentioned the Batenian. Another division was that of the Karmatians, founded by Hamadan, surnamed Karmata, “small and distorted,” son of Ashath. He appeared first in the year of the Hejira 278 (A. D. 891), as an adherent of Ahmed, son of Abdallah, son of Maimun Kaddah, before mentioned (note 1, p. 418). This Ahmed was an ancestor of Sáid, or Obaid-allah, the founder of the Fatimite khalifs. Hamden Karmata recommended community of women, and released men from all moral and religious duties. In the year of the Hejira 286 (A. D. 899), Abu Sáid, surnamed Habab, at the head of the Karmatians, waged war upon the khalif Motadhet, in Syria; he took the town Hagiar, the Petra deserti of the Romans, once the capital of Arabia, and made it his residence. He was assassinated in the year of the Hejira 301 (A. D. 913). He left six sons; after the death of the last of them, Yusuf (Abu Yakub), in the year 366, (A. D. 976), the Karmatians confided their government to six seids called sadah, “pure.” This sect, after many combats, was dissipated towards the end of the tenth century of our era.—(See Chrestom. ar., vol. II. p. 126.)

The Ismâilahs are also denominated Talamites, Khurramiah, Safiah, Babeciah, Majmirah, Maknâyah, etc.—(As. Res. vol. XI. p. 421, etc.) I have no room for an account of each of them: I shall only add the name of the Druses, a sect existing in our days, upon which Silvestre de Sacy gave a particular notice drawn from their own papers, in his Chrestomathie arabe, vol II. pp. 191, 227, and undertook a detailed history of this sect. The name of the Druses is derived from دروز deroz, or درزية, derziyet, “juncture.” They are the disciples of Hamza, son of Ali, and honor as a god Hakem beamr allah, “he who governs by the order of God;” the sixth Fatimite khalif, in descent from Obaid-allah. Hakem was born in the year of the Hejira 375, A. D. 985; he was saluted khalif in 386 (A. D. 996); he disappeared, some say was assassinated, at the end of 441, A. D. 1020. The Druses give the same dates of his birth, reign, and death, but say he was the son of Ismâil, a descendant of Ali, the son of Abu Taleb, and his mother was of the race of Fatima, surnamed Zahra, the daughter of Muhammed the prophet. In short, every division of the Ismáilah appears to have its own Mahdi, “director,” but always traces his origin to Ali and Fatima. The Druses expect the return of Hakem; he is to reign over the whole earth during centuries of centuries, and the unitarian Druses with him: the other sects shall be obliged to pay homage and tribute to him. The Druses esteem the Koran very much, but the prophet not at all; they have rejected circumcision, fasting, and prayer, and indulge in drinking wine, eating pork, and marrying within the prohibited degrees.