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{{short description|11th-century Ismaili preacher and early leader of the Druze faith}}
{{lowercase title}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Al-Darazi
| image              = 
| alt                = 
| caption            = 
| native_name        = الدرزي
| native_name_lang   = ar
| birth_name         = Muhammad ibn Isma'il
| birth_date         = 10th century
| birth_place        = [[Bukhara]], [[Abbasid Caliphate]]
| death_date         = 1018
| death_place        = [[Cairo]], [[Fatimid Caliphate]]
| death_cause        = [[Capital punishment|Execution]]
| nationality        = 
| occupation         = Preacher
| years_active       = 11th century
| known_for          = [[Isma'ilism|Ismaili]] preacher, early [[Druze]] leader
}}
{{Druze|Important figures}}
{{Ismailism}}
'''Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Darazi''' ({{langx|ar|محمد بن إسماعيل الدرزي|translit=Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Darazī}}; died 1018) was an 11th-century [[Isma'ili]] preacher and early leader of the [[Druze]] faith who was labeled a [[heresy|heretic]] in 1016 and subsequently executed in 1018 by the [[Fatimid]] [[caliph]] [[al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah]] ({{Reign|996|1021}}).

==Life==

Little information is known about the early life of al-Darazi. According to most sources, he was born in [[Bukhara]] (modern-day [[Uzbekistan]]). He is believed to have been of [[Persians|Persian]] origin and his title ''Darazi'' is [[Persian language|Persian]], meaning 'the tailor',<ref>{{cite book|author1=Farhad Daftary|title=Historical Dictionary of the Ismailis|date=30 Dec 2011|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810879706|page=40}}</ref> although some sources state that he could be of [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] descent.<ref name="nashtakin" /> He arrived in [[Cairo]] in 1015, or 1017, after which he joined the newly emerged [[Druze]] movement which had emerged from [[Isma'ilism]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Samy Swayd|title=The A to Z of the Druzes|date=27 Jul 2009|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810870024|page=xxxii|edition=annotated}}</ref> He was also known as ''Nashtakin''.<ref name="nashtakin">{{Cite book |last=Daftary |first=Farhad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kQGlyZAy134C&dq=Muhammad+ibn+Isma'il+nashtakin&pg=PA196 |title=The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines |date=1992-04-24 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-42974-0 |language=en}}</ref>

Al-Darazi was converted to be one of the early preachers of the Unity faith (which became known as the Druze faith). At that time, the movement enlisted a large number of adherents.<ref name="olive">[https://books.google.com/books?id=kY0oedX32BwC&pg=PA128&dq=Hamza+bin+Ali+druze&ei=hxV-SLTaB4KijgHJvKXtDw&sig=ACfU3U3Joonyh4sX6X3A6xx9ngHmddJ59w#PPA127,M1 ''The Olive and the Tree: The Secret Strength of the Druz''e], By Dr [[Ruth Westheimer]] and Gil Sedan</ref> However, he was later considered a renegade<ref name="druze">[http://www.druze.ca/AboutDruze.html About the Faith of the Mo’wa’he’doon Druze by Moustafa F. Moukarim] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426000000/http://www.druze.ca/AboutDruze.html |date=April 26, 2012 }}</ref> and is usually described by the Druze as following the traits of [[Satan]],<ref name="encyc">[https://books.google.com/books?id=rezD7rvuf9YC&pg=PA921&vq=druze&dq=druze+god+hakim&lr=&source=gbs_search_r&cad=1_1&sig=ACfU3U2oOT-YmEy4ZP0xOseugnG-PP-HQg#PPA921,M1 E.J. Brill's first encyclopaedia of Islam 1913-1936 By M. Th. Houtsma, E. van Donzel]</ref> in particular, arrogance.

This view is based on the observation that as the number of his followers grew, he became obsessed with his leadership and gave himself the title “The Sword of the Faith” (''Sayf ad-Dīn''). In the ''[[Epistles of Wisdom]]'', [[Hamza ibn Ali]] warns al-Darazi, saying, ''“Faith does not need a sword to aid it.”'' ''ad-Dīn la yahtāj ilā sayf lī yansurāh''. However, al-Darazi ignored Hamza's warnings and continued to challenge the Imam. This attitude led to disputes between al-Darazi and Hamza ibn Ali, who disliked his behaviour.<ref name="druze" /> Al-Darazi argued that he should be the leader of the [[Dawah|Da’wa]] rather than Hamza ibn Ali and gave himself the title “Lord of the Guides”, because Caliph [[Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah|al-Hakim]] referred to Hamza as “Guide of the Consented”.

By 1018, al-Darazi had gathered around him partisans – "Darazites" – who believed that [[universal reason]] became incarnated in [[Adam]] at the beginning of the world, was then passed from him to the prophets, then into [[Ali]] and hence into his descendants, the Fatimid Caliphs.<ref name="encyc" /> Al-Darazi wrote a book laying out this doctrine. He read from his book in the principal mosque in Cairo, which caused riots and protests against his claims and many of his followers were killed. Hamza ibn Ali refuted his ideology calling him "the insolent one and Satan".<ref name="encyc" /> The controversy created by al-Darazi led Caliph al-Hakim to suspend the Druze [[da'wa]] in 1018 AD.<ref name="druze" />

In an attempt to gain the support of al-Hakim, al-Darazi started preaching that al-Hakim and his ancestors were the [[incarnation]] of God.<ref name=olive/>

It is believed that al-Darazi allowed wine, forbidden marriages and taught [[metempsychosis]]<ref name=encyc/> although it has been argued that his actions might have been exaggerated by contemporary and later historians and polemicists.

==Death==

An inherently modest man, [[Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah|al-Hakim]] did not believe that he was God, and felt al-Darazi was trying to depict himself as a new prophet.<ref name=olive/> Al-Hakim preferred Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad over him and al-Darazi was executed in 1018, leaving Hamza the sole leader of the new faith.<ref name=olive/>

==Aftermath==

Even though the Druze do not consider al-Darazi the founder of their faith (rather, they refer to him as their "first heretic"<ref>{{Citation | last =Swayd | first=Samy | author-link = | year =1998 | contribution =Introduction | contribution-url = | editor-last =Swayd | editor-first =Sami | title = The Druzes : an annotated bibliography | edition = | series = | place =Kirkland WA | publisher = ISES Publications | volume = | pages = | isbn =0-9662932-0-7 | doi= | oclc = | url =}}</ref>), rival groups probably attached the name of the controversial preacher to the new sect and it has stuck with them ever since.<ref name=olive/> Druze refer to themselves as "unitarians" (''al-Muwahhidūn'').{{citation needed |date=September 2023}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ad-Darazi}}
[[Category:10th-century births]]
[[Category:1018 deaths]]
[[Category:11th-century Iranian people]]
[[Category:11th-century people from the Fatimid Caliphate]]
[[Category:Druze religious leaders]]
[[Category:Founders of religions]]
[[Category:People from Bukhara]]
[[Category:People executed by the Fatimid Caliphate]]
[[Category:Iranian Ismailis]]
[[Category:11th-century Ismailis]]