DARAZI, MUHAMMAD IBN ...

born , Bukhara, Turkistan [now in Uzbekistan] died 1019/20 propagandist for the Isma'ili sect of Islam and the man for whom the religion of the Druze sect is named. Ad-Darazi was probably at least part-Turkish and is believed to have traveled from Bukhara to Egypt as an Isma'ili preacher in 1017/18. He gained favour with the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim and, together with Hamzah ibn 'Ali and others, created a theology that was based upon the caliph's divinity. According to ad-Darazi, the divine spirit that had been invested in Adam had been transmitted through successive imams to al-Hakim. Al-Hakim actively promoted the belief in his own divinity, and, when ad-Darazi publicly proclaimed the doctrine in the principal mosque of Cairo, rioting ensued that quite probably led to his own death. The Druze religion was named for ad-Darazi because his preaching established his preeminence among the founders in the public's mind, even though Hamzah had been the first to organize the movement.