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

859 CE (245 AH)