The Fourth Virtue in the Monotheistic Faith is dissociation from devils
The universe consists of opposing forces: forces of good and forces of evil. The forces of good appear in various forms, for example: when true faith and love for the Creator, glory be to Him, emerge in a person, or when a person has good intentions and pure, clear thoughts, or when they perform good deeds, benefit society, and help the weak. In contrast, the forces of evil also take various forms in our daily lives; they exist in temptations and seductions that cause a person to perform evil deeds and commit sins. They exist in wicked, dishonest, and divisive people who can incite a believer to do evil, lead them astray, and influence them negatively. They can also awaken within the human soul as an instinct that insists upon and drives one to perform an act that harms society, their relatives, or themselves.
The Monotheistic faith advises its followers to embrace and nurture the forces of good within their souls, while at the same time, distancing themselves from and avoiding the forces of evil to protect their souls, as these forces can pose a danger to them and even corrupt them. It is stated in the Holy Quran: "Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded." (Surat An-Nahl (16), Verse (90). The idea of strengthening the forces of good and avoiding the forces of evil is also present in the holy books of Jews and Christians. In the beginning of the Book of Psalms, it is stated: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish." (The Holy Bible, Old Testament, Book of Psalms, Psalm 1, verses 1-6). The Christian religion speaks of the seven acts of mercy, which are considered virtuous and praiseworthy traits in Christian doctrine, including: compassion, mercy, helping others, generosity, and hospitality. In contrast, there are what are called the seven deadly sins: pride, lust, greed, avarice, envy, sloth, and wrath, which believers must distance themselves from, avoid, and cleanse themselves of.
Based on these realizations and concepts, the virtue of dissociation from devils in the Druze Monotheistic faith is established. The meaning of this virtue is that the monotheistic believer must deal with others with integrity and uprightness, tolerance, patience, leniency, modesty, humility, generosity, forgiveness, and magnanimity. In addition, they must work to prevent acts of injustice, oppression, tyranny, prejudice, corruption, and vice by others, and defend the various rights of others, such as the right to life, the right to security and safety, physical integrity and health, the right to equality and justice, and the right to dignity and respect. This virtue focuses specifically on people with a negative influence in their environment and surroundings, such as tyrants, despots, and oppressors, knowing that some of these have attained high positions and reached an elevated status that grants them influence, wealth, and the power to affect others, and they may exploit their position and status to harm the weak, those with limited capabilities, and the helpless, and to violate their rights. Based on the above, in order for the society in which we live to be a just society in which equality prevails, it is the duty of the monotheistic believers not only to refrain from injustice, prejudice, and social oppression themselves, but to hasten and work toward reforming society.
The purpose of this virtue is to cultivate a sense of social justice and loyalty to the community among monotheistic believers, which leads them to work toward reforming and improving the environment in which they live. A society suffering from exploitation, injustice, disparities, gaps, and inequality among its members—who are preoccupied with a daily struggle for survival—cannot have the faith of the religion prevail in it. For example, a cruel and unjust Sultan named Ali al-Zahir took power in Egypt at the beginning of the eleventh century AD—these were the first years of spreading the Monotheistic faith and calling for it.
This al-Zahir pursued, persecuted, abused, and attacked the Druze monotheists, killing hundreds of thousands of them, to the point where those who wanted to stay alive were forced to hide their faith or even abandon it.
Excerpted from the Monotheistic Heritage
