The alleged Prophet Sabalan, also referred to as “Sabilan,” is a revered figure in the Druze religion. He is considered one of their major prophets and is believed to have lived in the Levant, particularly in the Upper Galilee region of Palestine. The Druze hold a sacred shrine for him in the village of Hurfeish in the Upper Galilee, where they perform annual pilgrimages on the 10th day of the ninth month (*) and conduct periodic visits.

Details about him remain ambiguous due to the general secrecy surrounding the Druze faith, as most of their teachings are transmitted orally.

What is striking is the lack of information about the era in which he lived. Some claim he was Zebulun, one of the sons of Prophet Jacob, though this is not a definitive belief among them. Furthermore, Jews do not agree that Zebulun is buried in that area (*). It appears this is a claim made for alignment with Muslim beliefs. However, in reality, Sabalan is thought to have lived after the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and was reportedly alive in 390 AH. Some Druze even assert he was a prophet of their deity Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah of the Fatimid dynasty, sent from Egypt to the Galilee to propagate the Druze faith (*). He is sometimes identified as Abu al-Khayr Salama ibn Abdullah al-Samiri, the fourth of the five most significant Druze prophets, symbolizing the blue color on their flag (*). When the people of Galilee rejected his faith, he reportedly fled to a mountain later named Jabal Sabalan (*).

He is said to have lived in a cave on the mountain named after him (Jabal Sabalan), where he kept sheep and engaged in worship for a thousand years.

A shrine was built for him atop the mountain based on a vision reportedly seen by a Druze elder named Suleiman al-Hariri. In the vision, Sabalan allegedly requested that a dome be constructed over the cave, approximately 140 years ago (*).