Alawites (Alawis) — a Shia-derived community of the Levant

A religious community within the Shia tradition, concentrated in Syria. This article explains Alawite beliefs, origins, social role, geographic distribution, and distinctions from other Muslim groups.

Author: Leandro Alegsa Creation date: November 13, 2022 Last updated: June 14, 2026

Overview

The Alawites, also called Alawis, are a religious community historically associated with the Shia branch of Islam. Their Arabic name is often rendered as ʿAlawīyyah. They are commonly described as a sect with ties to Shia Islam, though classification has been debated by scholars and religious authorities. The name "Alawite" literally means followers or partisans of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, whom Alawites revere.

Beliefs and practices

Alawite theology blends elements of Twelver Shia doctrine with local traditions and esoteric interpretations. Many Alawites respect the Twelve Imams and draw on the Twelver school, but their rituals and calendar include practices that are distinct from the Sunni and mainstream Shia communities. Religious observances have often been private or communal rather than liturgically public, and practices can vary widely between families and regions.

History and development

Emerging in the medieval centuries, the Alawite community developed in the eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. Over time they were socially peripheral under successive empires. Their fortunes changed in the 20th century when modern political forces and military recruitment brought members of the community into national institutions. The largest concentration has been in northwestern Syria, but there are also Alawite populations in neighboring countries.

Distribution and contemporary significance

Today Alawites remain closely identified with particular regions and with social networks that have political influence in some states. In Syria the community has played a prominent role in public life and governance in recent decades. At the same time, many Alawites emphasize cultural continuity with the wider Muslim world and participate in broader religious and civic life.

Distinctive features and controversies

Scholars note that Alawite beliefs are syncretic and that community identity includes both religious and ethnic dimensions. Debates continue about classification: some Muslim authorities have accepted Alawites as within Islam, while others have questioned doctrinal conformity. Because of historical marginalization and later political prominence, the community often appears in discussions of sectarian identity, minority rights, and regional politics.

Overview of theological orientation and reverence for Ali.
Historical emergence in the medieval period and concentration in Syria.
Links to Twelver Shia traditions alongside distinctive local practices.
Varied self-identification and ongoing scholarly debate about classification (sect).

For further general background and sources consult introductory treatments of Levantine religious communities and modern Middle Eastern history (Arabic terminology, Shia context).

The tsülfikar, sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib, is considered the identification symbol of the Alawites.

Religious subgroups among the Alawites

It has been known since the early 19th century that there are various "subgroups" among the Alawites. However, the data on the number and names of these "groups" are contradictory. The best known is the rivalry between Ḥaidarīya and Kalāzīya. The former is said to go back to a certain ʿAlī Ḥaidar (16th century) from the Antakya area, the latter to Sheikh Muḥammad ibn Yūnus, who appeared in the village of Kalāzū near Antakya around 1600. The Ḥaidarīya is mainly spread in the north of the Alawite settlement area (Hatay region, Adana) and is therefore also called Shamālīya ("north group"); the Kalāziyya, whose followers are more likely to be found in the south of the settlement area, accordingly has the epithet Qiblīya ("south group"). Other names for the two groups are Shamsīya ("sun group") and Qamarīya ("moon group"), apparently having to do with the fact that the divine light is identified with the sun in the case of one group and with moonlight in the case of the other. Differences between Ḥaidarīya and Kalāzīya otherwise exist only with regard to the course of ritual acts and the beard costume of the sheikhs (Ḥaidarīs predominantly wear full beards, Kalāzīs mustaches).

Muršidiyya

In addition to Ḥaidarīya and Kalāzīya, there used to be another religious subgroup among the Alawites called Ghaibīya ("hiddenness group"). Félix Dupont explained its name by saying that its followers worship a hidden, absent god. Today, the Ghaibīya seems to have been completely absorbed into the Murshidīya, a religious community founded by Sulaimān Murshid that has about 100,000 to 200,000 followers in Syria.

The Muršidiyya, also called Muršidites, developed into a separate religious community within the special religious community of the traditional Alawites from 1964 onwards. In comparison to traditional Alawites, Murshidite women are allowed to participate in the (Murshidite) religious areas and to learn. Furthermore, the Murshidite religious doctrine does not contain any secret religious knowledge, thus the arcan principle of the traditional Alawites is omitted.

Reformation and Orthodoxy

Beginning in the 1930s, the Alawite faith was partially redefined by some of its religious scholars, starting with Shaykh ʿAbd al Rahmān al-Khayr, and non-Muslim aspects of the Islamic group were rejected as later being altered by outside influences.

The general rejection of the name "Nusairī" among Alawites today was also initiated by al-Khayr and presented as an incorrect, as well as pejorative, foreign designation. The designation "ʿAlawi" was used in religious texts as early as the 11th century and has been in common use since the beginning of the 20th century.

A major official statement on the Alawite faith came in 1973, when 80 spiritual leaders from the various Alawite-majority areas came together for the signing of a joint declaration stating that the Qur'an is their book, that they are Muslims, and that they are partisans of the Ahl al-Bait (family of the Prophet Muhammad).

In Alawite courts within the Alawite state, justice was administered according to the Jafariyya school of law (madhhab).

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