Notes about the Druze belief

• The Druze does not recognize Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam (May Allah grant peace and blessings to him and his family)
• The Druze believe in the Divinity of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah and reincarnation 
• The Druze are not obligated to perform the daily prayers even in their house of worship 
• The Druze do not fast in the month of Ramadhan. 
• The Druze do not require or perform pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah 
• The Druze do not observe the zakat as prescribe in Islam

The Druze do not see themselves as Muslims, despite the fact that most of the Druze believers are apparently of Muslim origin and despite the fact that they focus their activity primarily in proximity to Muslims[1].

"The founders of the Druze religion were, moreover, greatly influenced by certain beliefs, notably the incarnation or hulul of the divine essence in human bodies, held by the early Shıı ghulat, especially the Khattabiyya, who believed in the divinity of the imams. Under such influences, Hamza and his chief associates believed in the periodical manifestations of the divine spirit in human form. They taught that in their time, the ultimate One, the Godhead, who had created the universal intellect or intelligence (al-aql al-kullı), the first cosmic emanation or principle who was himself beyond name or rank, was embodied in the person of al-Hakim. In other words, al-Hakim was the last maqam, or locus, of the Creator, and it was only by recognising al-Hakim that men could purify themselves. On 27 Shawwal 411/13 February 1021, he left for one of his usual outings to the Muqattam hills and never returned. The Druzes interpret al-Hakim’s disappearance as a voluntary retreat initiating his ghayba or occultation." [2]

Discussions: 1, 2, 3, 4

References

[1] The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status by Nissim Dana (2003)

[2] The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines by Farhad Daftary (2007)