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Hamza ibn-'Ali ibn-Ahmad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hamza ibn ˤAlī ibn Aḥmad (in Persian:حمزه) was an 11th century Ismaili and founding leader of Druze.
Hamza was of Persian descent.
He was a leader of the daˤwah or Fātimid Missionary Organisation.
Hamza believed in transmigration of souls and in 1017 he send a letter to Fatimid officers and courtiers, demanding that they should acknoqledge the divinity of al-Hakim, the reigning Fatimid Caliph and Ismaili Imam, and his previous Ismaili Imams.
Hamza became the actual architect of a group eventually known as the Druze.
It remains unclear whether al-Hakim shared these views, but he at least tolerated Hamza's activities. However, Hakim disappeared one night in 1021 under still unclear circumstances. According to historical research, he was most probably assassinated on orders of his older sister. Hamza taught that Hakim went into occultation and would return at the end of days as the Qā'im "Ariser" or Mahdi "Guider".
After Hakim's disappearence, Hamza led the group to take to taqiyya, the practice of concealing their true beliefs common among Ismailis. They outwardly accepted the religious beliefs of those amongst whom they lived even as they secretly retained their true convictions.
- Hamzah ibn 'Ali. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 18 Nov. 2005 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9039092>.
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