Each year, Druze communities in Israel gather at the Maqam al‑Nabi  Shu’ayb near Kfar Zeitim, close to Tiberias, to mark the holiday that honors the Prophet Shu’ayb. According to Druze tradition, Shu’ayb withdrew to a cave in this area and was later buried there. Another story tells that on the eve of the Battle of Hittin in 1187, Sultan Saladin dreamed an angelic message: he would defeat the Crusaders if, afterward, he rode west until he was shown the lost burial place of Shu’ayb—thus establishing the site that is venerated today. Although central to the Druze faith, Nabi  Shu’ayb is also respected in Judaism. In the Torah he appears as Yitro (Jethro), Moses’ father‑in‑law, who joins the Israelites in the wilderness and offers them essential guidance. To those making the pilgrimage, I extend the traditional greeting: Ziyarat Maqbula — “May your pilgrimage be accepted.”
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