Alawites (Nusayriyyah)

Outside the Fold

العلويون (النصيرية)

Overview

An esoteric religion founded by Muhammad ibn Nusayr (d. circa 868 CE), a disciple of the 10th Twelver Shia Imam al-Hadi. The Alawites venerate Ali ibn Abi Talib as a divine manifestation, incorporate elements of Christianity (celebration of Christmas and Epiphany), Neo-Platonism, and ancient Syrian religions. Their religious texts are kept secret from outsiders and even from lay Alawites. Concentrated in coastal Syria, where they form a significant minority and the Assad family is Alawi.

Key Beliefs

  • Ali ibn Abi Talib is a divine manifestation — the highest expression of the divine
  • A divine triad: Muhammad, Ali, and Salman al-Farisi (as three aspects of the divine)
  • Celebration of Christian holidays (Christmas, Epiphany, Palm Sunday) and Nowruz
  • Secret religious texts accessible only to initiated males
  • Transmigration of souls (tanasukh)

Scholarly Evaluation

Outside the fold of Islam by unanimous scholarly consensus. Declared kafir by Ibn Taymiyyah (in a famous fatwa requested by the Egyptian Mamluk Sultan), al-Qurtubi, and all classical Ahl us-Sunnah scholars who examined their beliefs. Their deification of Ali, incorporation of non-Islamic religious elements, and abandonment of the Islamic shari'ah place them categorically outside Islam. The Syrian Alawi community has historically presented itself as Muslim for political protection — a practice (taqiyyah) that itself has no precedent in Sunni Islam.

Key Figures

  • Muhammad ibn Nusayr al-Namiri (d. circa 868 CE)
  • Al-Husayn ibn Hamdan al-Khasibi (d. 969 CE — major systematizer)

Sources

  • Ibn Taymiyyah's fatwa on the Nusayriyyah (Majmu' al-Fatawa)
  • Al-Milal wal-Nihal (al-Shahrastani)
  • Al-Farq bayn al-Firaq (al-Baghdadi)

Founder

Muhammad ibn Nusayr al-Namiri

Founded

245h (859 CE)