We have seen that the three celestial religions are closely relatedin the Druze belief. The history of these three religions is one. Thereis a vital common factor which links between them. The belief in the arrivalof a Saviour to salvage humanity on the judgement day. This common factormeans that the three religions were inspired from one personality, so Abraham,Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad are the same cosmic principles in differentpersonal manifestations. In every manifestation new ideas were added andsome modifications were presented. According to this doctrine, which isbased mainly on reincarnation, the three religions are only different consecutivesteps of one common religion notably called Islam. Needless to say howmuch such a belief solidify the unity between these three religions. Wemust not forget that the Tawhid movement i.e. the Druze Movement has aimedto unify people under one religious doctrine which belongs to all. TheTawhid in itself mean Unification.

As for the relation of the Druze faith with Judaism we see that in theDruze tradition the Jews are said to be divided into twelve tribes, twotribes and and a half are lost. The Druze claim to be these lost tribes.In their belief, the lost tribes left JUdaism and joined Christianity andIslam afterwards. And their final station was the Druze's tawhid i.e. Monotheism.For this reason the Druze glorify the prophets of the Bible and give aspecial esteem to David and Solomon. The other prophets of Israel are classifiedin a hierarchic order. The number of prophets for one epoch is one hundredsixty four. This number is based on a legendary science where conclusionsare obtained from an arithmetical relation between the Arabic letters andthe number corresponding to them.
The prophets are called "letters of veracity" and they transmigratefrom one epoch to another spreading the word of God across the ages, andpreparing his people to welcome eternal happiness after the Judgement Day.

We conclude that the three celestial religions with respect to the Druzeare three consecutive stages by which God has sent his aid and blessingto humanity ,and every individual has chosen his fate by belonging to oneof these trends. Truth and Reality are found in the three Holy Books; theOld testament, the Gospels, and the Koran. The truth is revealed to thebelievers by Wisdom. The Wisdom of the Druze has uncovered the secret andunified the three dogmas in one consistent doctrine.

The relation between the Druze faith and Christianity takes anotherscope. The Druze faith considers the history of religion as a flow of continuousevents arranged in a chronological order. This flow characterises the birthof Monotheism and its development across the ages. The Druze belief stresseson a special theory of evolution with respect to the three celestial religions.This belief states that the wisdom of God did not appear suddenly and allat once. It was in fact a slow process in which Monotheism started to developfrom simple ideas to more complicated ones. So every prophet prepares forhis successor and the successor adds new items and pave the way for thenext to come. The history of religion is not a futile accumulation of time.The role of every prophet is inscribed in the eternal Will of God; andhistorically, events take place according to a well studied plan. Nothingis arbitrary, nothing is a hit of chance. This kind of look pushes theDruze doctrine to a very high level of idealism and encourages the beliefin determinism. Many Druze thinkers tried to escape this theory in orderto justify God's right of judging man for his actions and sentence himto either eternal paradise or eternal hell. But all these attempts werein vain. It is almost impossible to deny the factors of determinism whichhinder any possibility of human liberty in the Druze doctrine. The destinyof every human being is written in advance on his forehead. Predeterminationrules everywhere. It is very difficult to make space for any form of personalwill in such a belief. Nevertheless, the conclusion obtained from suchsets of ideas leads to the acceptance of every other religion because theyincarnate God's Will, and Christianity is one of the most important stagesin the human history of religions; it preceded Islam and affirmed the returnof Christ once more to save the believers from their agony and torturein this damned life.

What is more special is the identities of the prophets responsible forChristianity and other religions. According to the Druze's belief theyhave the same personality and every prophet's soul transmigrates to a newprophet to continue the spreading of God's message to every human being.This genuine idea leads consequently to consider that the prophets of Christianityare as well the prophets of Judaism and the prophets of Islam. They havedifferent names but their souls are the same. Similarly, these prophetsare also the prophets of the Druze. In the Druze culture we find scheduleswhich classify the different personalities of the prophets in every roleand every epoch.

Thus the Druze faith is considered by its believers as the last stage ofpreaching by these prophets. In it the Monotheism and divine Wisdom reachedtheir climax. Every reality has been transferred to humanity, and now thedestiny of every human being is decided forever.

What is the Druze's evaluation of Christianity ?

The answer to this question is quite special. The Druze believe inJesus and his four disciples, who wrote the Gospels. According to theirclassification Christ is the Greatest Imam and the incarnation of UltimateReason (Akl) on earth and the first cosmic principle (Hadd). He is directlysecond to God. His four disciples are considered as the four cosmic principles(Houdoud). The Gospels are Holy Books. With Christianity, the developmentof Monotheism was decisive. God promised the Christians the salvation ofthe tortured souls, and made it clear that Jesus had come to lead his followersto the safety shore. As for the crucifixion of Jesus, the Druze believethat he was not crucified but another person who resembles him was crucifiedin his place. Such a belief may seem very queer to a traditional Christian,but we have to remember that the Druze follow also the koranic verses andthe Koran made it clear that Jesus Christ was not crucified. Nevertheless,the Druze maintain a great value to the meaning of sacrifice. John theBaptist is considered next to Jesus and he personifies the Ultimate Sacrifice.

One of the Druze manuscripts reveals a fascinating idea by mentioning thatJesus and the Holy Spirit are one identity. This idea is very near to theconcept of the sacred Trinity in Christianity. The Druze's manner of thinkingenabled them to accept the idea of the all in one. The diluted pantheismof their faith leads to such a conclusion.

Another remark that shows a close relation with Christianity is the Druzerefutation to polygamy unlike the traditional Muslim sects. It is truethat the Druze refer to their refutation to certain Koranic verses, buttheir attitude gives them a special character and brings them close tothe Christian opinion about marriage. What is more remarkable about theDruze with respect to the matter is the adoption of Monasticism by someDruze Sheikhs. This conduct is highly praised in the Druze community andit is considered as the highest degree of chastity. A sheikh may ask hisfiancee to agree to marry him without conjugal relations, and there aremany cases in which a Druze priest has remained single for all his life.Sex is not an aim in itself; it is only stressed for the sake of reproduction.A part of that sex maybe considered as a sin. Such a belief proves beyonddoubt that the Druze have inherited much of the Christian dogmatics withrespect to marriage and to the sincere mutual relations between man andwoman. The general outlook on marriage in the Druze community is quitesimilar to that of the Christians and has the same pious spirit.

The Druze faith originated and evolved in a totally Islamic atmosphere.It is Written in one of its Epistles that the Fatimid Caliph (Prince ofBelievers) Al Hakim Bi Amr Allah declared that every person in his kingdomhad the right to adopt the religion he liked. This decree made it possiblefor some Ishmaili preachers to construct a new dogma. This dogma inheritedalmost all the Ishmaili teaching and modified certain rules.

The decree stated:

Remove ye the causes of fear and estrangement from yourselves. Doaway with the corruption of delusion and conformity. Be ye certain thatthe Prince of Believers hath given unto you free will, and hath sparedyou the trouble of disguising and concealing your true beliefs, so thatwhen ye work ye may keep your deeds pure for God.He hath done thus so thatwhen you relinquish your previous beliefs and doctrines ye shall not indeedlean on such causes of impediments and pretensions. By conveying to youthe reality of his intention, the Prince of Believers hath spared you anyexcuse for doing so. He hath urged you to declare your belief openly. Yeare now safe from any hand which may bringeth harm unto you. Ye now mayfind rest in his assurance ye shall not be wronged. Let those who are presentconvey this message unto the absent so that it may be known by both thedistinguished and the common people. It shall thus become a rule to mankind;and Divine Wisdom shall prevail for all the days to come.

The time was the beginning of the 11th century A.D., the place was Cairo,the capital of Egypt, in the Era of the Fatimid dynasty during the reignof the caliph Al Hakim Bi Amr Allah.We have clear evidences that this caliphgranted this new Call (Daawa) his financial, political, and moral support.
Al Hakim was aiming to reign all the Islamic Empire, so he encouraged theIshmaili preachers to call for a new dogma which permits the Unificationbetween two main Islamic sects i.e. the Sunna and the Shi'aa. He himselfwas a descendant of the family of Muhammad (pbuh); and it was believedby the different Shi'aa parties, that the members of this family are qualifiedto continue the message of their Ancestor the prophet Muhammad (pbuh).Every Imam descending from the family of the prophet has the right to legislateand to develop for the welfare of the Umma because he inherits the Divineknowledge from his ancestors. He is invincible,impeccable and exempt fromcommitting mistakes.
It is evident that this new religious approach was very ambitious and itwas not easy for a prince to make his people change their traditional beliefsand customs of worship to convert to it, moreover the kingdom of Al Hakimconsisted of more than one religion: The Sunna and Copts in Egypt, Orthodox,in addition to Islamic esoteric sects and Christian minorities. For thissake Al Hakim mobilised all his staff to reach for this new movement. Theadoption to such movement was optional. The preachers were counting ona new understanding to the Koran and the other Holy Books.
This new look at religion demanded an omniscient character to the knowledgeof its canvasser (promoter).This new theology was inherited from the effortsmade by Ikhwan Al Safa who preceded this new call. The two parties (IkhwanAl Safa and the Fatimid Preachers) were aiming at the same goal:The reunificationof religions under one belief titled as Al Tawhid (i.e.Monotheism) forthat sake high estimation was given to philosophy in addition to the threecelestial religions. Ikhwan Al Safa considered philosophy on the same levelas Islam; and they considered the work of Aristotle and Plato as validas the Koran.

However, we find that the Fatimid movement was a logical consequence tothe Ishmaili jurisprudences about the Islamic doctrine. So, it is not strangeto see the Koran is at the origin of every new thought or conduct, butthe interpretation of verses was different. There is also a philosophicaltouch which makes the issues treated more relevant and logical.

Hence, the Druze faith descending from the Fatimid religious trend wasnot an innovation independent from its precedent esoteric movement of theIshmailism. The difference between these two confessions is very slight.The two confessions inherited the same metaphysical issues from the neo-platonismphilosophy and they built up a new approach to the moral concepts and IslamicEthics was adopted by both.
But we have to be cautious about the Islamic identity of monotheism orTawhid, because if we look at this trend with a fundamentalists eye, manyobstacles will hinder us from accepting this trend as Islamic. Legislationin the Tawhid regarding a number of issues differs radically from the commonIslamic view. We have in hand for example: the reincarnation, monogamy,and the free will to transmit inheritance.
These legislations seems to be quite different from the Islamic laws. Yet,the Tawhid doctrine refers these issues to the Koran. A new understandingof the verses was possible by means of esotericism and allegory, and thisled to a new look at ethics and traditions. So a progress in human relationshipswas set on, and a new kind of justification was made without violatingthe scripts of the Koran. This new Islamic trend was formulated to bringover the new believers from all the precedent dogmas of Islam, Christianity,and Judaism.

In spite of its simple requirement with respect to other confessions ,this new call did not find much success. One of the main causes of thatfailure is the quarrels which took place between its preachers notablyHamza Ibn Ali and Mohammed Al Darazi. Al Darazi proclaimed without thepermission of Hamza the Imam that Al Hakim is the incarnation of God onearth; and such a claim did not match with the other doctrines. So a generalrefutation spread between the people of Egypt. This refutation evolvedinto a struggle between the traditional Muslims and the new believers andled these believers to work underground for fear of liquidation.

The new philosophical concepts used to attract people were not so explicitor easy to grasp by the lay man. The metaphysical complexity of its thesisdemanded special qualifications which overpasses the ordinary, while thetraditional Islam was still more tolerant in dealing with what may be calledhuman conduct. So the people regarded the call as Anti-Islamic; and thislook made the spreading very difficult. The new believers were trying desperatelyto show the Islamic milieu, where they were dwelling that this new movementwas not against Islam but was only a wider scope to its teachings.
This attempt to convince other Muslims that the Fatimid movement was quitean Islamic movement and not a conspiracy against it, was in vain. The maincause for such a failure was the close connection between different Islamicparties with the political motivations that lay behind. The other partiesknew very well that such a movement might threaten their existence andlead to the sovereignty of the Fatimid dynasty over all controversial dynasties.So all the logical proofs and the philosophical approaches of this newcall met deaf ears. The greed for power was the dominant factor, and everyparty had its dogma to serve a special regime. It was impossible to separatepolitics from the religious legislations. This has been and is still oneof the main characteristics of Islam.

Eventually, the call was put to an end after 27 years of hard struggleand since that time the Druze prohibit preaching because they believe thatevery thing possible has been done, and there is no need for further preaching;hence, a believer must not speak about his faith, and the holy teachingof the sect should be kept in total secrecy. This conduct has been respectedfor almost one thousand years, and the studies about this special sectdid not see light before the second half of the 18 century. Sylvester DeSacy, a French orientalist, was the first pioneer who tried to give a completeinformation about this sect in his book Expose de Religion Des Druzes andwith the increasing interest in the Druze people many books were writtenafterwards.
The acceptance of the Druze as an Islamic sect is still under questionin most of the Arabic countries; controversial casuistries has been presentedabout that case.
However, the majority of Druze communities maintain the claim which ascertainthat the Druze is an Islamic sect. The main arguments this claim can beclassified as follows:

*The chain of Imams who oriented and gave the legal decision for thecall were the descendants of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
*The Epistles of Wisdom, which contain the whole dogma of the Druzefaith, made it clear that the confessed religion in front of God is Islamand nothing else
*All the prayers and rituals practised during birth, marriages, funerals,obituaries....etc. are totally Islamic word and spirit.
*The Druze religious status in the Islamic Hanafi legislation with someslight modification.
*The Sufi conduct of the Druze priests (Okkal) is quite Islamic in nature.With Sufism , the Druze conformity with Islam reaches its Climax.
*The history of the Druze reveals beyond any doubt that the Druze werein Alliance with the other Islamic sects in their struggle to protect theIslamic Empire from the crusades and other enemies of Islam.

The Koran is the source of legislation for the Druze and it is consideredas the Holy Book of God. Moreover, the Koran as well is the Book of theDruze, while the Epistles of Wisdom are their culture and tradition.
Most of the rules which regulate the Druze ethics and social conduct areinspired from the tradition of the prophet Mohammed (pbuh).
In spite of these arguments we cannot deny that the Druze faith has itsown particular characteristics and it contains for certain some revolutionaryideas. So the claim affirming the Islamic identity of the Druze does noteliminate their special character. The Druze rest as an independent Islamicsect and we can compare the Druze sect with respect to other Islamic sectsas similar to that of the Protestants with respect to the Roman Catholics.
In the past, the Druze possessed about 20 Mosques in Lebanon where prayerswere practised. The majority of these mosques were destroyed due to thebloody conflicts that took place between the Druze and other sects. Nowadays, the Islamic identity of the Druze community is accepted politically inmots of the Arabic countries. The Druze in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan areconsidered as an Islamic sect and this recognition is a kind of reliefwith respect to them. The link between the Druze and Islam is very tight.All the Druze insist on being Muslims. Many attempts were done to provethe contrary but the Druze refutation to it was total.

They maintain strongly the attitude of loyalty to the Islamic legislationand faith. This has been always a general conduct and a final end. Onepoint remains most critical about the relation between Druze and Islamand it is the very strict relation of Sufism. The Druze as a Sufi communityis closely attached to Islam, whereas the intellectual dogma is very closeto Neoplatonic philosophy.

En terminant, on peut ajouter qu'on a beaucoup écrit sur l'isma'ilisme mais que très peu de ces écrits sont basés sur des sources originales. Nous pouvons citer parmi les meilleurs :

1. W. Ivanow, qui a bien écrit sur L'Histoire des Isma'ilites en Perse.

2. Henri Corbin, qui a publié les meilleurs textes et traductions concernant la philosophie générale des Isma'ilites.

3. Asaf A.A. Fyzée, qui est spécialiste de jurisprudence fatimide.

4. Bernard Lewis, qui s'occupe de l'histoire des Isma'ilites syriens.

5. R. Strothmann, qui a édité plusieurs manuscrits des Isma'ilites yéménites.

6. Mohamed Kamel Hussein, qui a donné sur la doctrine fatimide des études très intéressantes.

Après cet exposé sur l'histoire et la philosophie isma'ilite, il faudrait dire un mot maintenant d'al Qasida al-safia que je présente ici aux savants et aux chercheurs.

En ce qui concerne l'analyse philosophique du texte, j'en ai traité dans l'introduction arabe ; je ne crois donc pas nécessaire d'y revenir ici, surtout après cette longue description de la philosophie et de l'histoire ismai'lites.

Pour ce qui est de l'établissement du texte, la chose importante c'est que le premier manuscrit de cette Qasida se révéla plein de défauts et très confus, ce qui m'a obligé à l'abandonner. Malgré cela, mon ami Sami Makarem de Beyrouth l'a pris et l'a employé pour rédiger une thèse de doctorat

à l'Université de Michigan. Mais quelques années après, j'ai trouvé la copie originale, dont je présente ici la publication .

En tout cas, nous pouvons ajouter que cette Qasida, sous sa forme poétique, jette une grande lumière sur notre philosophie, et sur L'Histoire de la littérature arabe.

Les Haqa'iq accentuent beaucoup le parallélisme entre le macrocosme et le microcosme. Le Tawhid islamique y est porté à sa dernière limite et les attributs dérivant de l'expérience des sens de ne sont point donnés à Dieu. Par un acte de volition prééternelle, l'unique produit la première (sabiq) émanation (munba'at), s'accordant en cela avec le système plotinien, c'est le aql al-Kull, ou le principe formateur conscient répandu partout, le premier "initiateur" du monde (mubdi). La seconde émanation , qui apparaît à partir de la précédente, est le principe vivifiant conscient, nafs al-kull, le troisième élément de la triade politinienne originale. Ici apparaît un nouveau développement, évidemment dû à un effort pour concilier cette idée avec le système de Ptolémée. Quelques nouveaux aql s'introduisent. Ce sont les principes mouvants "logiques" des différentes sphères (falak), par exemple de la sphère des étoiles fixes et des constellations zodiacales, des cinq planètes, du soleil et de la lune. Le dernier est le aql actif de la terre, al-aql al-fa''al, le créateur actuel des formes (sura) appelé le second mubdi. C'est sur lui que sont transférées toutes les fonctions qui, dans le système plotinien, appartiennent au nafs al-kull. Les formes qui, en travaillant sur le substrat de la matière, la hayyula, produisent le monde visible, ou leurs prototypes parfaits, d'après lesquels elles ont été créées. C'est évidemment une version de la théorie des idées de Platon, qui a été faussement interprétée. Elle forme ici un pont jeté entre la philosophie et la religion. S'il doit exister un prototype parfait de l'humanité, l'homme parfait, il doit exister ici dans ce monde, sans quoi l'humanité n'existerait pas. Mais qui pourrait être l'homme parfait, sinon l'Élu unique, le dernier et le plus grand Messager de Dieu, son prophète Muhammad ? Comme homme, il est le couronnement de la création, et l'homme parfait étant le couronnement de l'humanité, le prophète correspond à ce qui dans le monde cosmique est le aql al-kull. Quant au nafs al-kull, il ne peut être quelqu'un d'autre que le wasi, ou l'héritier du prophète, c'est-à-dire Ali. Et les imams qui ont en permanence la charge de ce monde, sont l'hypostase du aql' final. L'âme, qui est la "forme" de l'être humain, appartient au monde spirituel le plus haut, mais est entraîné dans le monde impur du "devenant et du malfaisant", kawn wa fasad. En s'associant avec la plus proche substance supérieure, l'imam, l'âme doit "monter" et retourner à la source originelle, pour atteindre l'ultime salut. La méthode de cette association est al-ibada al-ilmiya, c'est-à-dire l'acquisition du savoir révélé par les imams et l'obéissance à leurs ordres : "qui meurt sans avoir reconnu l'imam de son temps, meurt kafir.

Ce système se cristallisa dans la tradition musta'lienne, mais les Nizaris l'altérèrent légèrement. Les fatimides n'encourageraient pas les idées extrémistes et, dans l'ancienne littérature, l'imam était à peu près le même que le halifa. Les Fatimides se donnèrent pour les lieutenants du fondateurs de la religion, le prophète. Les Nizris, sans doute grâce à la forte influence des idées sufies, accentuèrent la vie spirituelle, réduisirent le zahir et firent de la "lumière" de l'imamat le prince suprême. Ils considèrent le principe de l'imamat, ou conduite divine, comme éternel, ayant son point de départ avant la création. Le monde N'est jamais dépourvu d'imam, sans quoi il périrait instantanément. L'imam est l'hypostase de la volition primale, amr ou "parole", logus, kalima le "sois" coranique. Cette substance demeure dans l'imam qui par ailleurs est un homme mortel, et ne se transmet que de père en fils, par nass (testament). Il n'y a pas d'imams inférieurs et supérieurs, tous sont une et la même substance. L.imam n'est pas "incarné", il n'y a pas de Hulul ou de Tanasuh dans l'isma'ilisme. Le premier imam au début de la période (dawr) de Muhammad fut Ali, et ses descendants (duriya) sont ses successeurs. Hasan, qui est considéré comme le premier imam par les Must'liens, est rayé de la liste, car il ne fut qu'un suppléant en faveur de son frère. Le prophète reste le aql al-kull, mais le nafs al-kull a son hypothèse dans les hugga (à l'époque fatimide, l'un des douze ou des vingt-quatre chefs). C'est d'ordinaire un parent proche de l'imam, parfois même une femme ou un enfant. Le Hugga possède une connaissance miraculeuse innée de l'imam et il instruit le fidèle.

On ne trouve pas de traces dans la littérature originale isma'ilie, ou dans la tradition, de plusieurs "degrés d'initiation" analogues aux degrés maçonniques dans lesquels chacun a son propre "secret". La révélation du système ésotérique dépendant évidemment simplement du niveau d'éducation et de l'intelligence. La hiérarchie des dignitaires, hudud al-din, ne correspondit sans doute avec l'initiation qu'à a période ancienne où la science était uniquement confinée dans les classes sacerdotales. Plus tard, les hudud furent changés ou placés sur un schème différent. Le mustagibn "initie", ma'din "autorisé à instruire", da'i "prédicateur" et hugga "chef de diocèse" (gazira) furent les rangs fondamentaux. Le nombre sept appartient aux nombres mystiques : il y a des cycles de sept imams, les sept cycles millénaires de grands prophètes (Adam, Noé, Abraham, Moïse, Jésus et Muhammad, chacun Avec son wsi ; le septième est le qa'im, attendu), etc.

Le système de fiqh fondé par Qadi Nu'man, et conservé par les Musta'liens, n'a jamais par la suite reçu de développement. Le calendrier des Musta'liens diffère du calendrier général musulman, il le devance d'un jour ou deux, car le début du mois lunaire est calculé astronomiquement et ne dépend pars de la visibilité de la lune.

L'enquêteur impressionné par les habituels récits sur la grand impiété et les tendances anti-islamiques de la doctrine secrète isma'ilite serait amèrement déçu en lisant les plus secrets parmi les livres isma'ilis, comme par exemple : Rahat al-Aql (1) de Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani, le Asas al-Tawil (2) de Qadi Nu'man, quelque maglis ésotériques d'alMu'ayyad al-Sirazi, Zahr al-Ma,ani de 'Imad al-Din Idris, etc. Ces ouvrages prouvent sans aucun doute que les principes fondamentaux de la doctrine ésotérique la plus élevée étaient les fondements mêmes de l'Islam, la croyance inébranlable en l'unité de Dieu, la mission divine de Muhammad, la révélation divine du Coran, etc... Il est également indubitable que le seul but des auteurs fut de développer et d'affirmer les principes primitifs de l'Islam, en les rendant acceptables et attrayants pour les esprits critiques et sophistiqués des hommes cultivés, bien éloignés alors de la grossière mentalité des Arables non cultivés du VIe siècle.

La doctrine ésotérique comporte deux parties principales. L'une est la ta'zil du Coran et de la Sari'a dans quoi excellèrent Qadi Nu'man et Ga'far b. Mansur al-Yaman. La seconde bien plus intéressante consistait dans les haqa'iq (vérités), c'est-à-dire les système isma'ili de philosophie et de science, coordonné avec la religion, servant de révélation de ses parties internes.

Le système est une production typique de l'esprit musulman du IVe/Xe, ou du Ve/XIe siècle, et ressemble sur plusierus points à la philosophie d'al-Farabi.

L'élément le plus saillant de ce système est la philosophie néoplatonicienne, dérivée non directement des Ennéades de Plotin ou de ses premiers commentateurs, mais de quelques versions postérieures, considérablement altérées et mêlées à des matières hétérogènes. L'isma'ilisme essaya de trouver dans la philosophie politicienne la solution entre l'idée monothéiste et la pluralité du monde visible. Le système de la science grecque ancienne sur lequel Plotin aurait bâti le sien, était au Xe siècle assez différent. Beaucoup de théories étaient oubliées, beaucoup d'ouvrages grecs demeuraient inconnus des Musulmans, et beaucoup d'écrits truqués étaient d'un usage général. Ainsi la philosophie naturelle de l'isma'ilisme, avec ses idées sur le monde organique et inorganique, la psychologie, la biologie, etc..., est dans une certaine mesure basée sur Aristote, et en partie sur les anciennes spéculations néopythagoriciennes et autres. Il ne s'y trouve pas toutefois de références à ces ouvrages grecs originaux, et l'on n'y peut découvrir que très rarement une vague mention des "philosophes grecs". On y a ajouté beaucoup de la science avilie des périodes récentes, sous la forme de grossières croyances, astrologiques, alchimiques et cabalistiques, de spéculations sur le pouvoir mystique et magique des nombres, des lettres, etc. Tout cela, à la vérité est familier à quiconque étudie la culture médiévale ancienne. Le Christianisme fait sentir plus fortement son influence ; les auteurs isma'ilis, quand ils citent les écritures chrétiennes, sont d'ordinaire remarquablement exacts et donnent la preuve qu'ils ont lu avec soin les véritables livres, et non simplement suivi leur propre fantaisie, comme la majorité des auteurs orthodoxes.

Celui qui veut former une première idée maîtresse de ce que sont les Haqa'iq pourra consulter avec grand profit la célèbre Encyclopédie des Ihwan al-Safa. Cet ouvrage est considéré par les Isma'ilis comme une compilation du second des imams cachés. Ahmad ; et il est commun d'en trouver des citations dans les livres de Haq'iq.

Ainsi, comme on peut le voir, il n'y a que peu de chose qui soit original ou inconnu dans ce système. Sa seule originalité consiste dans la façon dont tous ces matériaux hétérogènes ont été combinés et amalgamés avec l'Islam. Mais même à ce point de vue, les Haqq'iq ressemblent complètement aux spéculations des Sufis, qui ne s'en différencient que par leur terminologie et par le fait que le sufisme a accepté d'authorité la doctrine plotinienne de l'extase, tandis que l'isma'ilisme l'ignore complètement.

Il est à noter que les Musta'liens croient fermement que tout cela a été révélé par leurs imams, que personne excepté eux ne possède ce savoir, et que même il serait inintelligible aux profanes. Même à l'heure actuelles, les Bohoras demeurent délibérément à l'écart de la science moderne, qu'ils considèrent comme hérétique.

Consista dans le zahir ou sari'a, et dans le batin. Le zahir ou forme "claire" de la religion, est une forme d'islam très conservatrice, ressemblant sous plusieurs aspects à la pratique itna-asari, mais coïncidant en quelques ponts avec le Sunnisme. L'observation stricte des prières, des jeunes et de toutes les prescriptions de sari'a était obligatoire pour tous, y compris les détenteurs de la plus haute connaissance ésotérique.

Il est remarquable que tous les hérésiologues aient complètement méprisé cet aspect de l'isma'ilisme, en préférant leurs propres fictions.

Le batin, qui était nécessaire pour chaque Isma'ili, consistait dans les interprétations allégoriques (ta'wil) des versets du Coran, des hadit, et dans des prescriptions religieuses ayant pour but de prouver l'origine divine de l'institution de l'imamat et les droits exclusifs des Fatimides à ce dernier. Il est notable que l'idéal de l'isma'ilisme fut toujours la forme de la religion convenant au niveau d'éducation et à l'intelligence du croyant.