The Al-“Saraya” family from Iraq to the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine)
An example of the displacement of Druze Unitarian families amid persecution, and the struggle to preserve their existence across the diaspora of history…
Yahya Hussein Ammar states in Al-Usul wa al-Ansab, pp. 93 and 94, that Al-Saraya is one of the branches of the numerous Albu Saraya clans,
and Abu al-Fida states in (Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, Vol. 12) that their lineage traces back to Banu Hamdan, famous in the history of Syria, just as Al-Ashrafani states in his book (Umdat al-Arifin, Vol. 3, Ansab al-Arab, p. 328) that they were inhabitants of Al-Hillah in Iraq, including Safi al-Din al-Hilli, stating: Safi al-Din ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Saraya al-Hilli. It is understood from this that Safi al-Din al-Hilli, author of the famous poem that opens with “Ask the high spears of our glories,” is among them. Prior to the Call of Tawhid, they were fervent Shiites devoted to Ali ibn Abi Talib. In Kufa, the movement of the Albu Saraya was launched in support of Muhammad ibn Ibrahim from the family of Ali ibn Abi Talib, which resulted in Abu al-Saraya being killed along with Al-Hasan ibn Zayd ibn Ali ibn Al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib. This Abu al-Saraya was a companion of Muhammad al-Akbar from that branch (Jamharat Ansab al-Arab, Vol. 1). Some historians trace their lineage to Banu Tayy, and there are missing links in the history of this traditional Arab clan, but it is clear that their Shiism was their gateway to embracing the Fatimid Call—referring to this branch whose history we are addressing.
It is clear that they moved from Iraq to Syria around 879 CE, settling alongside the princes of Banu Munqidh, rulers of the city of Shayzar, who, like them, adhered to the Tawhid call, at a time when the Tawhid doctrine was widespread across the plains and mountains of the country before the rise of the wave of persecutions with the dominance of the Seljuk Turks and those who succeeded them over the Arab Mashreq.
Al-Saraya in Combat with the Crusaders:
Usama ibn Munqidh notes in his book Kitab al-I'tibar, p. 117, the killing of Muhammad ibn Saraya in a battle fought against the Crusaders on Sunday, 19 Muharram 509 AH / 1116 CE, in a confrontation with a Crusader knight who struck him with a spear in his thigh. Muhammad attempted to wrest the spear from his enemy's hand while the blade was lodged deep in his thigh, which caused Muhammad's wound to widen, ultimately leading to his death.
After that, the exact time of their migration from the environs of Aleppo—where they embraced the Tawhid faith—to Wadi al-Taym (the regions of Rashaya and Hasbaya) remains unknown to us, except through the general movements of the families of Bani Ma'ruf. It is likely that their migration took place after the great earthquake that struck Shayzar and claimed the lives of many inhabitants of those lands, or due to some persecution that befell them.
It is clear that they migrated during the Crusades and became well-known and renowned among the inhabitants of the town of Al-Kunayseh in the southern Bekaa. They continued to reside there until its destruction during sectarian fighting with the Sunnis of the Bekaa around 1465 CE. Afterward, they moved to the neighboring village of Kafr Qouq and lived there for a long time. It is known that when they resided in the town of Al-Kunayseh, their livelihoods were abundant, their financial conditions were prosperous, their community was growing, and they held great influence and respect in the region. Following their move to Kafr Qouq, factions of them later migrated to Jabal al-Druze during the forced Druze migrations in the early nineteenth century.
Yet their community in Kafr Qouq continues to thrive, as is the case with their relatives in As-Suwayda.
What can be noted is that many groups of Al-Saraya still inhabit northern Syria in the Euphrates regions of Deir ez-Zor, including the national leader Ramadan Shallash.
A group of them was also known in Palestine in the town of Yarka, including a prominent figure: Ghanayem ibn Muhammad Abu al-Saraya, mentioned in the book Umdat al-Arifin by Al-Ashrafani. Among those who lived in Palestine was also Muhammad ibn al-Muzaffar Hibat Allah ibn Saraya, author of the book Al-Taqrib wa al-Irshad, who died in 548 AH / 1153 CE (1). See Al-A'lam by Al-Zirikli, Vol. 7, p. 132, and Vol. 4, pp. 17 and 18.
Ibrahim Al-Aaqel, Studies in Society and History
Tuesday, June 16, 2026.