Nabi Shuʿayb (also

transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or L ...

Neby Shoaib, Nabi Shuaib, or Nebi Shu'eib, meaning "the Prophet

Shuaib Shuaib, Shoaib, Shuayb or Shuʿayb ( ar, شعيب, ; meaning: "who shows the right path") is an ancient Midianite '' Nabi'' (Prophet) in Islam, and the most revered prophet in the Druze faith. Shuayb is traditionally identified with the Biblical ...

"), known in English as Jethro's tomb, is a religious shrine west of

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...

, in the

Lower Galilee The Lower Galilee (; ar, الجليل الأسفل, translit=Al Jalil Al Asfal) is a region within the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. The Lower Galilee is bordered by the Jezreel Valley to the south; the Upper Galilee to t ...

, containing the purported tomb of prophet

Shuayb Shuaib, Shoaib, Shuayb or Shuʿayb ( ar, شعيب, ; meaning: "who shows the right path") is an ancient Midianite ''Nabi'' (Prophet) in Islam, and the most revered prophet in the Druze faith. Shuayb is traditionally identified with the Biblical ...

, identified with the biblical Jethro,

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu ( Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pr ...

' father-in-law. The complex hosting the tomb is the most important religious site in the

Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...

religion. A Druze

religious festival A religious festival is a time of special importance marked by adherents to that religion. Religious festivals are commonly celebrated on recurring cycles in a calendar year or lunar calendar. The science of religious rites and festivals is known ...

takes place in the shrine every year in April. The Prophet

was an object of traditional veneration by the Druze through Palestine. The shrine figured down to the Israeli-Arab war of 1948 as a place where Druze took vows (''nidhr'') and made ''

ziyarat In Islam, ''ziyara(h)'' ( ar, زِيَارَة ''ziyārah'', "visit") or ''ziyarat'' ( fa, , ''ziyārat'', "pilgrimage") is a form of pilgrimage to sites associated with Muhammad, his family members and descendants (including the Shī'ī Imā ...

'' ("pilgrimages"). After the 1948 war, Israel placed the ''maqam'' (shrine) under exclusive Druze care.

Mahmoud Yazbak Mahmoud Yazbak ( ar, محمود يزبك, he, מחמוד יזבק) is an Israeli Arab academic. He is the first Arab elected as President of the Middle East & Islamic Studies Association of Israel, (MEISAI), the main scholarly association of rese ...

, 'Holy shrines (''maqamat'') in modern Palestine/Israel and the politics of memory,' in Marshall J. Breger, Yitzhak Reiter, Leonard Hammer (eds.
''Holy Places in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Confrontation and Co-existence,''
Routledge 2010 pp.231-246 p.241. The tomb of the Prophet Shuaib has been a site of annual pilgrimage for the Druze for centuries.Dana, Nissim. (2003).
''The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status,''
Sussex Academic Press, pp. 28–30.''

History

PikiWiki Israel 6935 In the holy place of jethro

tradition, it is believed that towards the end of his life, Shuʿayb took refuge in a cave outside

Hittin Hittin ( ar, حطّين, transliterated ''Ḥiṭṭīn'' ( ar, حِـطِّـيْـن) or ''Ḥaṭṭīn'' ( ar, حَـطِّـيْـن)) was a Palestinian village located west of Tiberias before it was occupied by Israel during the 1948 Arab- ...

(a village just west of

), where he would die in old age. His followers buried him at the site and placed a tombstone at his grave. Another Druze tradition holds that the

Ayyubid The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish origin, Saladin ...

sultan

Saladin Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سه‌لاحه‌دین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt an ...

had a dream the night prior to the

Battle of Hittin The Battle of Hattin took place on 4 July 1187, between the Crusader states of the Levant and the forces of the Ayyubid sultan Saladin. It is also known as the Battle of the Horns of Hattin, due to the shape of the nearby extinct volcano of ...

in which an angel promised him victory on the condition that after the battle, he would ride his horse westward; then, where the horse would stop, the angel said he would find the burial site of Shuʿayb. The tradition holds that when Saladin's dream was realized, the Druze built a shrine for Shuʿayb at the site. Nabi Shuʿayb has been expanded and renovated over time. The older section of the existing structure was built in the 1880s, under the direction of Sheikh Muhanna Tarif, the ''shaykh al-aql'' (Druze spiritual leader) of

Julis Julis ( ar, جولس ''Jūlis'', he, ג'וּלִס ''G'ulis'') is a Druze village and local council in the Northern District of Israel. In it had a population of . Etymology According to local legend, the name is derived from "Julius," the na ...

. Sheikh Muhanna summoned an assembly of religious leaders in the community to discuss and collaborate on its construction. A delegation of high-ranking community members traveled to

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

in order to collect funds for new construction and renovations and the local Druze of the

Galilee Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Gali ...

and

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel ( he, הַר הַכַּרְמֶל, Har haKarmel; ar, جبل الكرمل, Jabal al-Karmil), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias ( ar, link=no, جبل مار إلياس, Jabal Mār Ilyās, lit=Mount Saint Elias/ Elijah), is a ...

also made considerable contributions. After

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

's establishment in 1948, and the total depopulation of Hittin which had been a predominantly Muslim village, the Druze were granted full custodianship over the tomb, and an additional 100

dunam A dunam ( Ottoman Turkish, Arabic: ; tr, dönüm; he, דונם), also known as a donum or dunum and as the old, Turkish, or Ottoman stremma, was the Ottoman unit of area equivalent to the Greek stremma or English acre, representing the amou ...

s surrounding it. Under the leadership of Sheikh

Amin Tarif Amin Tarif ( ar, أمين طريف, Hebrew: אמין טריף; born 1898, died October 2, 1993) was the qadi, or spiritual leader, of the Druze in Mandatory Palestine from 1928 and then Israel until his death in 1993. Such was the esteem in whic ...

, the shrine was then renovated and numerous rooms were added for the hosting of pilgrims. The Israeli government also paved the road leading to Nabi Shuʿayb and provided electricity and water infrastructure services there.

Pilgrimage

The first mention of the tomb dates back to the 12th century CE, and the Druze have held religious festivals there for centuries. According to Druze tradition, the imprint of Shuaib's left foot (''da'sa'') can be seen on the grave. Pilgrims visiting the site pour oil into the imprint, and then rub the oil over their body in order to be blessed with good fortune. The Druze customarily had no fixed date for their annual pilgrimage, which generally occurred sometime in the spring. When the Israeli government granted official recognition of the pilgrimage as a Druze religious holiday, the dates were standardized, such that the event now takes place between April 25 and April 28.Kais Firr
''The Druzes in the Jewish State: A Brief History,''
BRILL, 1999. During the festivities, mass celebrations are held at Nabi Shu'aib, and Druze religious leaders gather there for ritual purposes and to discuss religious questions. Prior to Israel's establishment, Druze from

and

also used to participate in the festival, but are no longer able to do so today.

References

Bibliography

* {{Druze footer, uncollapsed Druze holy places Ziyarat

Shu'ayb Shuaib, Shoaib, Shuayb or Shuʿayb ( ar, شعيب, ; meaning: "who shows the right path") is an ancient Midianite ''Nabi'' (Prophet) in Islam, and the most revered prophet in the Druze faith. Shuayb is traditionally identified with the Biblical ...

Tourist attractions in Israel Buildings and structures in Northern District (Israel) Land of Israel Tourist attractions in Northern District (Israel) Religious buildings and structures in Israel Tombs in Israel Jethro (biblical figure)

History

Pilgrimage

See also

References

Bibliography