Elijah

== In Druze Faith ==
[[File:Maqam Al-Kader.jpg|thumb|The Druze maqam Al-[[Khidr]] in [[Kafr Yasif]], [[Israel]].]]
Druze tradition honors several “mentors” and “prophets”, and Elijah is honored as a [[prophet]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Sacred Places, 2nd Edition [2 volumes]| first=Norbert |last= C. Brockman|year= 2011| isbn=  9781598846553| page = 259|publisher=ABC-CLIO|quote=}}</ref> [[Druze]] venerate Elijah, and he is considered a central figure in [[Druzism]].<ref name="Historical Dictionary of the Druzes">{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of the Druzes| first=Samy|last= Swayd|year= 2015| isbn=  9781442246171| page = 77|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|quote=}}</ref> And due to his importance in [[Druzism]], the settlement of Druze on [[Mount Carmel]] had partly to do with Elijah's story and devotion. There are two large Druze towns on the eastern slopes of [[Mount Carmel]]: [[Daliyat al-Karmel]] and [[Isfiya]].<ref name="Historical Dictionary of the Druzes"/> The Druze regard the [[Cave of Elijah]] as holy,<ref name="Hammer 2009 76">{{cite book|title=Holy Places in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Confrontation and Co-existence| first= Leonard |last= Hammer|year= 2009| isbn=  9781135268121| page = 76|publisher=Routledge|quote=}}</ref> and they identify Elijah as "al-[[Khidr]]", the green prophet who symbolizes water and life, a miracle who cures the sick.<ref name="Hammer 2009 76"/> He and [[Jethro (biblical figure)|Jethro]] ([[Shuaib]]) are considered [[patron saint]]s of the [[Druze people]].<ref name="Fukasawa 2017 310">{{cite book|title=Religious Interactions in Europe and the Mediterranean World: Coexistence and Dialogue from the 12th to the 20th Centuries|first=	Katsumi|last=Fukasawa|year=2017| isbn=9781351722179| page =310|publisher=Taylor & Francis|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder|first=Raphael |last=Israeli|year=2009| isbn=9783110852479| page =244|publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG|quote= Nabi Shu'eib, biblical Jethro, is the patron saint of the Druze.}}</ref>
 
Druze, like some [[Christians]], believe that Elijah came back as [[John the Baptist]],<ref name="Swayd 2015 77" /><ref name="Bennett 2010 77">{{cite book|title=Cannabis and the Soma Solution| first=Chris|last=  Bennett|year= 2010| isbn=  9781936296323| page = 77|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|quote=transmigration of the soul is a Druze tenet, and Druze believe that El Khidr and John the Baptist are one and the same. (Gibbs, 2008) The mythology of Khizr is thought to go back even further than the time of John the Baptist or Elija}}</ref> since they believe in [[reincarnation]] and the transmigration of the soul, Druze believe that El Khidr and John the Baptist are one and the same; along with [[Saint George]].<ref name="Bennett 2010 77"/>

Due to the [[Christianity and Druze|Christian influnce on the Druze faith]], two [[Christian saints]] become the [[Druze]]'s favorite venerated figures: [[Saint George]] and Saint Elijah.<ref name="Beaurepaire">{{cite book|title=Religious Interactions in Europe and the Mediterranean World: Coexistence and Dialogue from the 12th to the 20th Centuries|first=Pierre-Yves|last=Beaurepaire|year=2017|isbn=9781351722179|page=310-314|publisher=Taylor & Francis}}</ref> Thus, in all the villages inhabited by Druze and Christians in central [[Mount Lebanon]] a Christian church or Druze maqam is dedicated to either one of them.<ref name="Beaurepaire" /> According to scholar Ray Jabre Mouawad the Druze appreciated the two saints for their bravery: [[Saint George and the Dragon|Saint George because he confronted the dragon]] and Saint Elijah because he competed with the pagan priests of [[Baal]] and won over them.<ref name="Beaurepaire" /> In both cases the explanations provided by Christians is that Druzes were attracted to [[Military saint|warrior saints]] that resemble their own militarized society.<ref name="Beaurepaire" />