The Alawites form a Middle Eastern religious group prominent in Syria. Bashar al-Asad, the president of Syria, is an Alawite.
Alawites call themselves Alawi (Arabic علوي), after Ali, the son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad. The term Alawi was recognized by the French when they occupied the region in 1920. Historically they had been called Nusairis, Namiriya, or Ansariyya. Nusayri had become a term of abuse and they preferred to be called Alawis to show their reverence for Ali. To avoid confusion, this article uses the modern term.
The Origin of the Alawites is in dispute. According to some sources they were originally Nusayri, a sect that broke ties with Twelver Shiites in the 9th century. The Alawites trace their origins to the eleventh Shia Imam, Hasan al Askari (d.873), and his pupil Ibn Nusayr (d.868). Nusayr proclaimed himself the "bab" or door (representative) of the 11th Imam. The sect seems to have been organised by a follower of Ibn Nusayr's known as al-Khasibi who died in Aleppo in about 969. Al-Khasibi's grandson al-Tabarani moved to Latakia on the Syrian coast. There he refined the Nusayri religion and, with his pupils, converted much of the local population. Today Alawites exist as a minority, but politically powerful, religious sect in Syria.
In the 10th century, Alawites were established during the Hamdanid dynasty of Aleppo but they were driven out when the dynasty fell in 1004. In 1097 Crusaders initially attacked them but later allied with them against the Ismailis. In 1120 the Alawites were defeated by the Ismailis and Kurds but three years later they fought the Kurds successfully. In 1297 Ismailis and Alawites tried to negotiate a merger, but it came to nothing.Alawites were actively persecuted under Mameluke rule from 1260 onwards. When the Ottoman Empire took control of Syria in 1516, the Turks are said to have killed over 90,000 Alawites. Afterwards, Alawites were regarded as outcasts and the empire sent Turks to settle their lands. Reportedly some of the Turks converted to become Alawites. After Alawites attacked the Ismaili village of Masyaf in 1832, the Pasha of Damascus sent troops against them.
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Syria and Lebanon came under French mandate. The French gave autonomy to Alawites and other minority groups and accepted Alawites into their colonial troops. Under the mandate, many Alawite chieftains supported the notion of a separate Alawite nation and tried to convert their autonomy into independence. A territory of "Alaouites" was created in 1925. In May 1930 was created the Government of Latakia, that lasted until 28 February 1937.
In 1939 a portion of northwest Syria, the Sanjak of Alexandretta, now Hatay, that contained a large number of Alawites, was given to Turkey by the French, greatly angering the Alawite community and Syrians in general. Zaki al-Arsuzi, the young Alawite leader from Antioch in Iskandarun (later named the Hatay by the Turks) who led the resistance to the annexation of his province to the Turks, later became a founder of the Ba'ath Party along with Michel Aflaq. After World War II, when the Alawite provinces were united with Syria, Alawite followers of Sulayman al-Murshid tried to resist integration. He was captured and hanged by the newly independent Syrian government in Damascus in 1946.
Syria became independent on April 16, 1946. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War over Palestine, Syria endured a succession of military coups in 1949, the rise of the Ba'ath Party, and unification of the country with Egypt in the United Arab Republic in 1958. The UAR lasted for three years and broke apart in 1961, when a secretive military committee, which included a number of disgruntled Alawite officers, including Hafiz al-Asad and Salah Jadid, helped the Ba'ath Party take power in 1963. In 1966, Alawite-oriented military officers successfully rebelled and expelled the old Ba'ath that had looked to Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Bitar for leadership. They promoted Zaki al-Arsuzi as the "Socrates" of their reconstituted Ba'ath Party.
In 1970, then-Air Force Colonel Hafez al-Assad took power and instigated a "correctionist movement" in the Ba'ath Party. In 1971 al-Assad became president of Syria. Alawite status was significantly improved and in 1974 Imam Musa al-Sadr, leader of Twelver Shiites of Lebanon proclaimed that he accepted the Alawites as real Muslims. Until that time, Muslim authorities - both Sunni and Shiite - had refused to recognize them as true Muslims. The Assads have been vigilant in promoting religious toleration.
The Syrian-Sunni majority did not appreciate Alawite power and the Muslim Brotherhood tried to assassinate Assad in June 25, 1980. Assad answered by sending troops to the Brotherhood stronghold in the town of Hama. The Syrian Army practically wiped out the Brotherhood sympathizers in the Hama Massacre during which over 10,000 were killed. Since the Hama uprising and its suppression, Syria has been an island of stability in the region.After the death of Hafez al-Assad in 2000, his son Bashar al-Assad maintained the outlines of his father's regime. Although Alawites predominate among the top military and intelligence offices, the civilian government and national economy is largely led by Sunnis. The Assad regime is careful to allow all the religious sects a share of power and influence in the government.
Theologically, Alawites today claim to be Twelver Shiites, but traditionally they have been designated as “extremists – ghulat” and outside the bounds of Islam by the Muslim mainstream for their deification of Ali ibn Abi Talib or Ali. Only one holy book of the Alawites, Kitab al Majmu`, has been translated into French and printed. This was done in Beirut in the mid-nineteenth century by an Alawite convert to Christianity, who was later killed by a fellow Alawite for his disloyalty. The Alawite religion has many similarities to Isma’ilism. Like Ismaili Shi`as, Alawis believe in a system of divine incarnation as well as an esoteric reading of the Qur'an. Unlike Ismailis, Alawis regard Ali as the incarnation of the deity in the divine triad. As such, Ali is the "Meaning;" Muhammad, whom Ali created of his own light, is the "Name;" and Salman the Persian is the "Gate." Alawi catechism is expressed in the formula: "I turn to the Gate; I bow before the Name; I adore the Meaning." An Alawi prays in a manner patterned after the shahada: "I testify that there is no God but Ali." But he also must declare that he is a Muslim. Alawites believe that they are the true and best Muslims.The Alawite religion is secret and Alawites do not accept converts or the publication of their sacred texts. The vast majority of Alawites know precious little about the contents of their sacred texts or theology which is jealously guarded by a small class of male initiates. At the age of 15 or 16 all Alawite men are given a few hours of initiation classes, but from then on, it is up to them to decide whether they want to become students of the religion, attach themselves to a Shaykh, and begin the lengthy initiation process and course of study in the religion.
Because only one book has been translated, outsiders know little about Alawite theology and much nonsense is repeated on web pages. Hanna Batatu’s last book has a short but reliable section on Alawite doctrine, theology and recent debates within the community. Many leading Shaykhs today reject much of the tradition laid out in the Kitab al-Majmu`. How sincere is this rejection of bida` or innovation? There is no way to tell, but it has a long tradition within the community. The French tried to pressure leading Alawite Shaykhs to declare the Alawite religion a separate, non-Muslim religion during the early 1920s but they lost their battle because many religious leaders refused to do so. After all, Alawites declare themselves to be Muslims in their catechism and believe that Muhammad is God’s messenger.
The Alawite religion seems to be based on Gnosticism and Neo-Platonism. According to Alawi belief, all persons at first were stars in the world of light but fell from the firmament through disobedience. The material world is a place of danger, enemies and impurity. The essential evil of this present existence can be escaped by the help of the divine creator. Every Alawite has within his soul a bit of the light of the divine creator, which can be accessed and lead him on the right path and salvation. Faithful Alawis believe they must be transformed or reborn seven times before returning to take a place among the stars, where Ali is the prince. If blameworthy, they are sometimes reborn as Christians or Jews, among whom they remain until atonement is complete. Infidels are reborn as animals.
Because of the highly syncretistic nature of the religion, scholars have claimed that Alawism is related to Christianity because they have a trinity, drink wine as a possible form of communion, and recognize Christmas. Various sources claim that their rites include remnants of Phoenician sacrificial rituals.
Although Alawites recognize the five pillars of Islam, they consider them symbolic duties and few perform them. Hafiz al-Assad’s efforts to bring his people into the main-stream of Islam included building mosques in major Alawite towns. Reforming clerics have encouraged fellow Alawites to pray regularly and perform the basic tenets of mainstream Islam. Bashar has followed his father’s lead in pushing his community to shed their idiosyncratic rituals and theology. Alawite shaykhs are encouraged to deny the divinity of Ali and proclaim themselves Twelvers.
The insistence on conformism has brought rich political rewards – Alawites enjoy all the rights of Muslims in Syria and can hold the office of President, which must be filled by a Muslim according the constitution. Nevertheless, Alawites have paid a steep price for political success by denying their distinct religious tradition. In essence, they have given up their religion, or more accurately, converted to Sunni Islam, for a share of political power and equality in the nation.Alawis who have speculated on the success of this bargain are considerably more optimistic about the percentage of Syrians who considered them Muslim than are their Druze counterparts. Several claim that 50% of Syrians or more accepted them as Muslims.
(Unscientific surveys suggest that few Sunnis really believe they are Muslim, although liberal Syrians weave them into the fold much as liberal Christian Americans accept Mormons as fellow Christians despite the fact that they add another book to the Bible and believe in latter-day prophets.) The reason Alawis give for their success is that they try harder than the Druze to be like Sunni Muslims and to assimilate to the textbook version of Islam. One native of Latakia, an Alawi woman who is in her thirties with an advanced degree, gave the following explanation:"We are accepted as Muslims because we have worked hard to be accepted. We have copied the Sunnis. Some Alawis cover their hair and wear hijab, either for personal reasons or when they marry Sunnis. We don’t eat ham, and even when we do, we don’t eat it in front of people. We fast – or we pretend to fast; out of respect for others, we don’t eat in front of them during Ramadan. We have built mosques in our major towns. Some Alawis go to Friday prayer and to the Hajj. My grandfather was a modern shaykh who encouraged everyone to pray at the mosque in Jable. The charitable foundation established and run by Jamil al-Asad (the brother of former President Hafiz al-Assad) finances hundreds of Alawis to go on Hajj, and the women working for the organization have to wear the hijab. Hafiz al-Asad prayed in Mosque and fasted.
When his mother and son died, he prayed for them in Mosque. He built the Na`isa mosque in Qardaha, his home town, in the name of his mother. All these things are proof to Sunnis that we try hard to be part of Islam and like Sunnis. They accept it. We have succeeded."Today, most Alawites only know the tenets of Sunni Islam because they are taught them in mandatory religion classes from first grade through twelfth grade. Syrian school texts do not mention the word Alawite once or refer to diversity of belief and practice in Islam. The introduction of the state school system into the Alawite region during the last 50 years has transformed the religious identity of Alawites. Although they know they are different from Sunnis, they don’t know exactly how. Most will tell you about the popular religious ceremonies their families engage in, which include annual visits to saints’ shrines, the sacrificing of sheep, and wearing of talismans.
Traditionally, Alawites have five subsects; Ghaibiyya, Haidariyya, Murshids (after Sulayman al-Murshid), Shamsiyya (Sun Sect) and Qamari (Moon Sect). Sects are oriented by tribe. Today, few Alawites are found who know much about these sects. Although most young Alawites can tell which tribes their parents belong to, there is little effort today to marry within the tribe, and on a social level, tribes have very little meaning. In politics, this may not be true. Evidently, the Asads go to great lengths to make sure that the different tribes are equally represented in top military posts, just as they try to divvy out government posts among the various religious and ethnic groups of Syria.
Alawites live in the mountains along the Mediterranean coast. Latakia and Tartous are the region's principal cities. They are also concentrated in the plains around Hama and Homs. Today Alawites live in all the great cities of Syria. Estimates about their exact numbers range from 1.5 to 1.8 million or about 12% of the Syrian population.
There are also less than 100,000 Alawites who live in Lebanon and others who live in the Hatay, Adana, and Mersin of southern Turkey. The Alevis of Turkey are different from Syria’s Alawites, though they share the same name. Turkey’s Alevis are descended from the Kizilbash, a Sufi-Shi`a offshoot with connections to early Safavid Iran, whereas the Alawites are Nusayris.
Alawites in the Muslim World Picture this: a devout Muslim traveler enters the mosque, and he notices of a large number of animals and straw. As he is starting his prayer, he hears a loud, rude voice telling him, "Don’t bray, the fodder will come to you." The voice could have been from a member of the same sect, who when they made a sneak attack on the [Muslim] village of Jabala in the middle of the Friday prayer shouted, "There is no God but ‘Ali, no veil but Mohammed, and no door but Salman." as they massacred the men and turned the mosques into taverns, -- yes, wine-taverns! Who are these guys, and when they attacked Christians, Jews, and fellow Muslims, were they really Muslims? These "Muslims" are recognized as true Muslims by many Shi’ites and some Sunnis. "Muslim" is in quotes however, because these people are considered heretics (Ghali), outside of Islam, by a great many Muslims. Who are these people? What do the following have in common: a persecuted people, wild outlaws, a battery-powered electric messiah, and control of the country of Syria today. Who is it that believes in a "Trinity", whose Supreme manifestation is Muhammad, ‘Ali, and Salman al-Farisi? The purposes of this paper are to give both Muslims and non-Muslims a different perspective on the world of Islam, break down stereotypes about Muslim people, and perhaps, through a brief glimpse of the strange ways of the ‘Alawites, you might find some deep things to ponder. We will answer all of these questions, but in order to do so, we have to go back and understand a few things about their origin. Origin of the ‘Alawite People There is actually great disagreement on the origin of the ‘Alawite people. They prefer the name ‘Alawi (follower of ‘Ali), but they were for a long time called Nusayris. Some think the Nusayri were descendents from the Nazerini in Syria Roman historian Pliny mentioned in History 5:23. The ‘Alawites are composed of a number of tribes, some of which were native to northwest Syria; other tribes emigrated from Iraq in the 12th century. In 1516, the Ottoman Emperor Selim "The Grim" killed over 9,400 mainly ‘Alawite Shi’ites with the blessing of the Sunni religious leaders. He settled many Turks in the ‘Alawite homelands of northeast Syria, but over time, many of them joined the ‘Alawites also. The ‘Alawites tried to set up their own country, first called "The ‘Alawite State", and then changed to "Sanjak of Latakia", from 1920-1936. Today there are up to 3 1/2 million ‘Alawites, and they control the country of Syria. History of their Religion According to themselves, their this Shi’ite group came from God, and their religion is what Mohammed and ‘Ali taught. According to question 44 of the Druze Catechism, they split off from the Druze because they worshipped ‘Ali, when they really should be worshipping Lord al-Hakim (996-1021 A.D.) who is visible God to the Druze. According to Patrick Seale, in Asad : The Struggle for the Middle East, Univ. of Ca. Press 1968, p.8, "Like the related sects of the Druze and Isma’ilis, the Nusayris were a remnant of the Shi’i upsurge which had swept Islam a thousand years before. They were islands left by a tide which had receded." Some trace the teachings of the ‘Alawites to Muhammad ibn Nusayr an-Namiri (c.850 A.D.), who called himself the Gate (Bab) to Truth. It apparently evolved through the teachings of Husayn ibn Hamdan al-Khasabi (c.970 A.D.). When the Shi’ites lost power, ‘Alawites were killed by Crusaders, Mamelukes, Ottomans, and ‘Alawites also fought among themselves. As a side note, there was a Sunni ‘Alawiyya dynasty of Morocco, but it is unrelated. Conflict Over the ‘Alawite Religion ‘Alawites are an offshoot of Twelver Shi’ites. They were recognized by the Lebanese Twelver Shi’ite leader Imam al-Sadr in 1974 as legitimate Muslims, after the ‘Alawite Hafez Assad was elected to power in Syria in 1971. His son, Bashar is likewise an ‘Alawite. Other, smaller groups also believe in the deification of ‘Ali, and these groups along with ‘Alawites are called ‘Alawi. Ibn Taimiya/Taymiyya (d. 1328), orthodox Muslim scholar and founder of Wahhabism, issued a fatwa (legal judgment) against the ‘Alawites with rather harsh language. He said they were not trustworthy, "they were greater infidels than the Christians and Jews…greater even than idolators." He authorized Jihad against them, saying it was legal to take their property and blood, unless they show repentance. In 1097 the Crusaders initially massacred a group of Nusayris, but when they heard they were not true Muslims, the Crusaders tolerated them and even aided them in fighting the Isma’ilis. In 1120, the Kurds and Isma’ili Muslims defeated 25,000 Nusayris, but in 1123 the Nusayris with the help of some defecting Isma’ilis defeated the Kurds. In 1291, ‘Alawite and Isma’ili leaders met unsuccessfully to try to merge together. The Egyptian (Muslim) Mameluke rulers persecuted them from 1260 to 1518. When the Ottomans took over Syria, starting in 1516, they persecuted the ‘Alawites too. In 1832, after the Nusayri attacked the Ismai’li village of Masyaf, the Pasha of Damascus sent thousands of troops to fight them. They were also persecuted in 1870 and 1877. The French pacified ‘Alawi lands from 1918-1922. After ‘Alawites massacred some Christian nuns on 4/27/1924, the French killed more ‘Alawites. Under Sliman Murshad, many ‘Alawites fought against the Nationalist Syrian troops, until Sliman was hung in 1946. ‘Alawites are 8-12% of the Syrian population today. They are 65% of the population in the Latakia regions of east Syria and a small part of south Turkey. After Hafez Assad had been in power, the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood (Ikwan) almost assassinated Assad on 6/26/1980. Many of the Ikwan were in the town of Hama, and the government sent 500 Syrian troops to punish them. The Ikwan killed all of them. All the mosques of Hama blared out that the guerilla war against Assad was over, now was time to openly support the Ikwan and drive out the "infidels". The streets of Hama were too narrow for tanks, so Assad’s brother ordered the artillery flatten the town, and then sent in troops to kill everyone else. Between 20,000 and 38,000 people were killed. An ‘Alawite told me that Assad’s brother was expelled from Syria for this. However, Syria has not had any trouble with Sunni holy warriors since. Summary: Non-Alawite Muslims are not all agreed whether the ‘Alawites are genuine Muslims or not. ‘Alawites claim to follow the essential teachings of Islam, but there are obviously wide differences in interpretation. In a similar manner, all Muslims claim to follow the teachings of Jesus, yet few have read them and know of the intrinsic contradictions between the Prince of Peace (that is, Jesus) and Islam. While many Muslims considered ‘Alawites as ghulat (a cult) farther from Mohammed’s teachings than even Christians and Jews, some might consider Islam a ghulat with respect to Jesus’ teaching. Beliefs of ‘Alawite Islam Secrecy: ‘Alawites have tried to keep their inner teaching and rituals secret, somewhat like the masons or Mormons. One of their rituals is a communion, including drinking wine. Like Catholics, they believe that the wine is transubstantiated into deity, Allah. The Five Pillars of Islam: the creed, prayer, alms, pilgrimage, fasting during Ramadan, are believed only as symbols and there is no need to practice them. They have two other pillars: Jihad, or holy struggle/war, was also considered the sixth pillar by the Kharijites. Worship of ‘Ali, (called Waliya), is the seventh pillar. This involves not only devotion to ‘Ali, but also struggle against ‘Ali’s enemies. A "Trinity": Almost all Shi’ites (Zaydis excepted) believe ‘Ali, the son-in-law of Mohammed, was the rightful first caliph. However, ‘Alawites go further and believe ‘Ali is a member of an appearance of a "Trinity" of Allah. Most Muslims deny any Trinity. Like the other Isma’ilis, Allah has appeared in a threeness at least seven times. The last appearance was Mohammed, ‘Ali and Saliman al-Farisi. "al-Farisi" means "the Persian". Saliman was the one who suggested digging a large trench around part of Medina at the Battle of the Trench. Seven Cycles: ‘Alawites believe Allah appeared in seven cycles of three parts. Revealed Hidden Gate Adam Abel ? Noah Seth ? Jacob Joseph ? Moses Joshua ? Solomon Asaph/’Asaf ? Jesus Peter ? Mohammed ‘Ali Saliman al Farisi Note that Noah and Seth are together, even though they lived over a millennia apart. Reincarnation: People who deny ‘Ali will be punished by being reincarnated into animals. Attending Mosque is not important to most ‘Alawites. However, they do have ceremonies in the famous Ummayad mosque in Damascus. Holidays: Like both Sunnis and Shi’ites, they celebrate the sacrificial feast Id al-Azha. Like other Shi’ites, they celebrate the festivals of Idr i-Fitr, Idr i-Kabir, and Ashura. They also celebrate Christmas and Epiphany. They also celebrate Nawruz, which is the New Year of the Zoroastrians. Other Shi’ites celebrate this also, teaching this was the day Mohammed gave the Caliphate to ‘Ali. Astrology: While Mohammed was against astrology, ‘Alawites use astrology; perhaps they were influenced by Zoroastrians here. They believe the stars in the Milky Way are actually the deified souls of believing men. Women do not have souls according to ‘Alawite theology. They teach that women were created from devils, or else the sins of devils. This too differs markedly from Mohammed, where he taught the majority of the inhabitants of Hell were women (Bukhari 2:161; 1:301, and 1:2 . However, contrary to multiple written sources by non-Alawites, an ‘Alawite told me that they do in fact believe women have souls. I plan to investigate whether some or all ‘Alawites have changed this doctrine, or someone was misinformed. Wine: ‘Alawites in Syria drink wine. The National Geographic Magazine has a picture of two Syrian men in traditional Arab dress drinking wine together. ‘Alawite Sects The ‘Alawites themselves are have five sects, the Sun Sect (Shamsiyya), the Moon Sect (Qamari), the Murshids named after their Messiah, Sliman Murshid/Murshad, the Haidariyya, and the Ghaibiyya. All agree on the ‘Alawite "fundamentals", but when the divine manifestation of God, ‘Ali ibn Abi/Abu Talib, left earth, the Sun and Moon sects disagree on whether he now lives in the sun or in the moon. The Moon sect is made up of six tribes of ‘Alawites. The majority of ‘Alawites belong to the sect of their religion that their parents and tribe belonged to. However, probably a majority of people in the world belong to a religion simply because it is their family’s tradition. Lots of people today are looking for a tradition; how many are looking for the True God? Sliman Murshad, the Electric Messiah Sliman Murshad was born sometime before 1900. He proclaimed himself the Messiah, and like Mohammed, apparently had symptoms that appeared like epileptic fits. Like Mohammed, his followers claimed he did miracles too. For example, he would secretly bury food in a mud wall, and when he hit the wall hard, food would come out for the villagers to eat. His legs would glow in the dark, because he painted them with phosphorus. The phosphorus would glow when he would literally light up, because he had lights connected to a small battery he carried. He led a rebellion against the government of Syria, he was supported some by the French, and was finally hung by the Syrians in 1949. Most curiously, even some people who were suing Sliman, and did not believe him to be any kind of Messiah, were sad to see him killed because he promoted the cause of ‘Alawite autonomy. Anyway, after that time, many ‘Alawites joined the army and the Syrian Baath political party. (The Iraqi Baath political party is not ‘Alawite.) In 1971, Hafiz/Hafez Assad became the President of Syria, and his son Bashar rules today. Is your religion true, or does it too need "batteries" to keep on going. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). Just as bugs fly into bug lights and die when they should seek to fly by the sun, people’s souls go to Hell when they seek the "bug light" that needs phosphorus and batteries, when they should seek the true light of God. If you are tired of religions that need props, coercion, or traditions to keep alive and fired up, look to Jesus who transforms us. You do not need long books of commentaries or hadiths on all the finer legalisms of ritual religion; these too are bug lights, when you need God. God does not allow His word to become corrupted, and if you believe that, then trust in God’s word, the Bible. The Attractiveness of the ‘Alawite Faith Why are people ‘Alawite Muslims? Some might think it is because this allows one to be a Muslim (with its corresponding benefits in a Muslim society) and not have to do all the rituals and go to the mosque very much. One can also drink alcohol as an ‘Alawite Muslim. But there is more to it than that. In orthodox Islam, Allah is nearly unknowable. In Sunni Islam, if you want to know all that pleases and displeases Allah, you "vicariously observe" everything Mohammed did as written in the traditions (Sunnah) preserved in the hadiths. The hadiths are in a sense more influential than the Qur’an, because there is so much more that is spelled out in all those volumes. Shi’ite Islam has its own teachings of Ja’far and others, but for practical application they listen to the imams. ‘Alawites have a great respect for Mohammed and ‘Ali, and so they worship them as Allah. ‘Alawites want to know God, and they think they can by substituting Mohammed, ‘Ali, and Salman al-Farisi as a Trinity. A problem with this is that Mohammed and ‘Ali never claimed to be God, one with God, or claimed to forgive sins. They never accepted worship or the title of Lord, or allowed others to call them God. The True God is knowable in the Old Testament. It shows how God interacted with kings, judges, and commoners. Of course, in the New Testament, God is even more knowable since Jesus came to earth. Contrast with the Bible Secret teachings are a part of the ‘Alawite religion. Christianity has deep truth that was only known through God’s revelation. However, God has revealed all He wants us to know. There is no Christian doctrine, experience, or practice Christians teach today that is not readily available for non-Christians to hear or read. Paul in Ephesians 3:9-10 said his mission was "to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known…" (NIV) Worship of others is expressly forbidden in the first of the Ten Commandments. "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:3 NIV) Reincarnation: The Bible teaches reincarnation is wrong; Hebrews 9:27 says that man is destined to die once. In 2 Samuel 12:22-23 David said of his dead baby: "I will go to him [the grave] but he will not return to me." (NIV) Reincarnation does not make sense, since we all go to Heaven or Hell after death. Ecclesiastes 11:3 also shows that "wherever a tree falls, there it will lie." Astrology, trusting heavenly bodies for advice about the future is wrong according to the Bible in Leviticus 19:26; 22:27; Deuteronomy 18:11-14; 2 Kings 17:16; 21:3,5; 2 Chronicles 33:3-6. Women: In the Bible men and woman have different roles. However, in regard to value, Galatians 3:28 shows that there is neither male nor female in Christ Jesus; all believers have the privilege of being children of God. Wine: The Old Testament shows that drinking wine is acceptable, but Ephesians 5:18 commands us not to be drunk. ‘Alawites drink wine, but I have no evidence that they believe in getting drunk either. Gospel for ‘Alawites (and everyone else) God is Greater than Our Thoughts: ‘Alawites rightly believe God is more complex than just Allah, but they worship Mohammed, ‘Ali, and Saliman al-Farisi as God. It is amazing that they would worship Mohammed, who taught he was not God, and not worship Jesus, when centuries before He and the early Christians had taught that Jesus was God. Jesus did not show that He was God merely in some abstract sense, but He accepted worship, forgave sins, which only God could forgive, and accepted others calling Him God too. God Created Us: How you ever stopped to wonder why God created human beings at all? The Qur’an does not directly answer, but the Bible provides a number of reasons. · We were created for God’s glory (Isaiah 43:7; 62:3) to proclaim His praise (Isaiah 43:21) as His witnesses (Isaiah 43:10) · God loves us and delights in us (Zephaniah 3:17) · As a Father loves His children (Malachi 1:6; 1 John 3:1), God cares for us. (Psalm 8:4; Nahum 1:7; 1 Peter 5:7) · God wants us to live with Him forever (Revelation 21:3; 2 Corinthians 5:4) · Our joy (Philippians 3:1) and light will be God (Revelation 21:23-25; John 1:5,7-9) which is better than looking forward to wine (Psalm 4:7) · We are created in Christ Jesus to do works (Ephesians 2:10) We have a purpose, and do not let religion, or anything else, stop you from fulfilling our purpose. People run from God’s Truth: We have no reasons to look down on ‘Alawites who believe ‘Ali lives today on the sun, or the ones who believe ‘Ali lives on the moon, because haven’t most people, at one time or another choose to believe something just because they wanted to, without caring foremost about the truth? Not only do people prefer to believe crazy, made-up doctrines, but people do not want to believe that God’s way is the best way. When someone who knows the truth about God decides to do drugs, get drunk, be immoral, or chase money as their idol, is their thinking any more rational than the ‘Alawites? No, we all are in the same boat without God, and God not only needed to reveal the truth, but He has to guide people to it, as people are so prone to chase after the deceptions of this life. There is one way, God’s way: Though we have all turned aside from God and followed our pet deceptions, God was not through with us. While we were still God’s enemies, God sent His son Jesus Christ to die for us, as Romans 5:10-11 shows. Mere prophets came to teach; Jesus not only taught like other prophets, He came to die to our sins (John 1:29; 1 Timothy 2:6; 1 John 2:2). Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. None comes to the Father except through me." We must seek God: Jesus told us we had to seek Him in Matthew 7:7-12. Mt 7:14 adds, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that lead to life, and only a few find it." We must confess Jesus as Lord: "if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Any-one who trust in him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’" (Rom 10:9-13)
