It is important to note that although the Muslim community or Ummah is rather unified due to the rigidity of its five pillars, the Holy Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, two larger communities exist, which are Sunni and Shiite. The former group is the largest one, but they both agree on the core Islamic beliefs. Therefore, the split of the Ummah is a result of historical disagreement among early Muslims after the death of the Prophet Muhammad.
Historically, the Muslim Ummah was unified under Islam with its leader and last Prophet Muhammad. The split took place after his death because Muslims did not agree on the succession of leadership after Muhammad. The group that would form Sunnis believed that the most prominent members of the Ummah should become the successors, while the group that would form Shiites stated that only Muhammads family should take on leadership, such as the Prophets cousin Ali. Sunnis comprise 85% of 1.6 billion Muslims globally, whereas only 15% belong to Shiites. The most important characteristic between the two groups can be seen in regards to leadership, where Shiites perceive their Imams as sinless and infallibly authoritative. However, Sunnis do not believe that leadership is a birthright, which is why their leaders must earn their positions within the Ummah. The majority of Shiites live in Iran, whereas the most well-known Sunni country is Saudi Arabia.
In conclusion, both Shiites and Sunnis believe in the core Islamic faiths, such as the five pillars of Islam, the Quran, and Hadith. The split originated after the death of Prophet Muhammad, where one side wanted to appoint his family member and the other top Muslims of the Ummah. Therefore, the most significant difference can be found in leadership-centered beliefs. Iran is an example of a Shiite nation, and Saudi Arabia is Sunni.
Today’s Muslim world is divided into two major sectors, namely Sunnis and Shias. Sunnis make up around 80-85% of the Muslim population. The remaining 15% is the Shias. Amongst the Muslim countries, Iran has the majority of Shia population.
There are noteworthy Shia populations in countries like Afghanistan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen. Today, Sunnis and Shias share most prominent sects of Muslims.
However, the differences between the laws and theories of both the communities have been responsible for intolerance and sectarian violence in some parts of the world where the two sects co-exist. This paper throws light on the history, development of the Sunni-Shia split and the differences in beliefs, laws and practices between the two sects. Some similarities are also included.
History
After the death of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in 632 AD, there emerged certain disagreements among the Muslims, The primary reasons for the disagreements were the issues of succession to the Prophet and the leadership of the Muslim community.
The debate was focused on whether to make someone who is from the family of Prophet (as he himself declared Ali as the next leader in his life) or to award leadership to someone who is socially admirable by the people who are to elect their next leader. Though many Muslims accepted this decision, some of the Muslims supported Ali (A.S). Ali played a major role throughout the struggles of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Muslim community from the early days of Islam.
The only problem was the thought to bring leadership out of Prophet’s family (Ze’evi). Supporters of Ali (A.S) wanted him to be the next successor as Ali was the one who spent time with Prophet more than anyone else. He was brought up by Prophet and was being taught all in depth be Prophet himself. On the other hand, Abu Bakr accepted Islam in his old age. His whole life was spent as a non-Muslim.
However, Abu Bakr was socially famous in Arabs and due to his strong community, he was awarded the leadership of the Muslim community and Ali (A.S) became the caliph later on (Blanchard). Muslims also presented a reason to choose Abu Bakr from the fellows of Prophet (PBUH) that he was older and senior than Ali (A.S) while this reason was not quite valid as there was another Sahabi (fellow of Prophet) Salman Farsi who was more aged than Abu Bakr.
Some of the Muslims felt that it was unjustified not to name Ali as the leader. These Muslims supported Ali more than his counterparts. These were the people who considered Abu Bakr and some other notable companions to be illegitimate candidates for leadership as most of them did not belong to the family of Prophet (PBUH) or his bloodline and were not intimated by Prophet as the next leader when Prophet was among them. Later, some of the supporters of Ali murdered the third Caliph Usman in 656 AD due to some political conflicts and unfair actions by Usman.
Usman appointed his cousin Muawiyah as Governor for Syria. Muawiyah was not the capable candidate so this action proved personal favor and it ultimately raised more conflicts. Ali had no connection with the assassination of the Caliph by any mean. After the death of the third Caliph, Ali was made the Caliph for the Muslim community.
Ali was later martyred in 661 AD, and his son Hussein was killed in a battle against the army of a wicked caliph in 680 AD. Ali’s eldest son Hassan is also respected by not only Shia Muslims, but by the entire Muslim community who believes that he was poisoned by the Sunni caliph Muawiyah.
Those who supported Ali and believed in his superiority became Shia Muslims. The term Shias are the supporters of Ali. But the other group did not agree with the concept of political succession based on bloodline to the Prophet though it was not just the case of bloodline.
The caliphate later declined as a religious and political institution after the 13th century. The term “caliph” continued to be used by some Muslim leaders until 1924 though the Islamic element was absent. Then it was overthrown by the Turkey’s first President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The abolition of the caliphate in 1924 became alarming to many Sunni Islamic activists during the nineteenth and twentieth century, and to this day, the Muslim world is in search for an undisputed leadership at the head of a billion strong Muslim populations..
Core similar practices
All the Muslims are to live in harmony with the five pillars of Islam:
Shahada—recital of the belief “There is no God, but Allah, and Muhammad (PBUH) is his last Prophet” (Wikipedia);
“Salat—five obligatory prayers in a day;
Zakat—giving alms to the poor” (Blanchard, Islam: Sunnis and Shiites).
Sawm or Fasting—fasting from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan.
Hajj—As per Blanchard, “making a pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime if one is physically and financially capable” (Blanchard).
Islamic Law
Islamic law developed through the Mecca and Medina periods during the stages of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) prophet-hood. During the early Mecca period, the small group of believers was persecuted, assaulted and often murdered by their unbelieving families. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) prescribed moral and ethical attitude for the believers and discouraged and kind of violent confrontation.
He advised polite disassociation from the unbelievers in order to reduce the frequency and extremity of conflicts between the Muslims and the unbelievers of Mecca. He proposed defensive methods such as “kitman” which means to keep a secret and “takiyya” which means complying with the religious teachings in case of conflict.
Another approach adopted was to keep limited contact with non-believers. These defensive approaches gained scholarly acceptance and later during the Medina periods became a priority codified formally in the Islamic law. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave practical guidance for deciding conflicts by encouraging the Muslims to carefully contact the non-Muslims in order to protect the Muslim community against hostile forces.
Relevant revelations include Surah (chapter) 3 verse 28, Chapter 4 verse 139, Chapter 4 verse 144, chapter 5 verse 57, chapter 9 verse 23, and chapter 60 verses1, 2 and 13. These revelations made it clear to the Muslims to keep away from the non-believers and not to be friend the idol worshippers or to keep any kind of association with the non-believers as they were the open enemy of the Muslims.
Codification is rare in both Sunni and Shia laws. Instead, there are sources for the interpretation of laws. Shia interpretation also allows more space for human analysis than the Sunni interpretation (Gawthrop).
Sunni Islam
Sunnis make up the majority of the Muslim population today. Sunnis believe that the leader or the “imam” of the Muslim community should be elected on the basis of public consensus. Political order and the capabilities of the candidate are to be given the highest priority while deciding to award him the leadership. This principle has been practiced by the Sunni Muslim community throughout history. Sunnis have a less complicated and debatably less powerful political hierarchy as compared to the Shias.
Sunnis and Shias show slight differences in the performance of their daily obligatory prayers.
The schools of jurisprudence rely usually on traditions and analogy or correlation to devise legal rulings. In some countries like Turkey which boast about their secular system, the opinions of the religious scholars give moral and social guidelines for Muslims.
The four schools of jurisprudence are the:
Hanafi: The oldest school of jurisprudence. It was founded in Iraq by Imam Abu Hanifa.
Maliki: “It is prevalent in countries like Northern Africa, Mauritania, Kuwait, and Bahrain” (Blanchard, Islam: Sunnis and Shiites).
Shaf’i: “This school was found by Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’i. It is widely followed in countries like Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, parts of Yemen, Indonesia, and Malaysia” (Blanchard, Islam: Sunnis and Shiites).
Hanbali: This school was found by Imam Ahmad Hanba. “It is followed in countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, parts of Oman, and the United Arab Emirates” (Blanchard, Islam: Sunnis and Shiites).
Shia Islam
The Shia sect had a wide following in countries which are now called Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and parts of the Central and South Asia. In most of the world today, Shias form the minority of the Muslim population. Today, Shia Muslims constitute about 10% to 15% of the world’s Muslim population (Blanchard).
Leadership
In Shia Islam, the first true leader of the Muslim community is Ali, who is considered an Imam (leader). Imam is a term used among Shia Muslims not only to emphasize leadership qualities and respect, but also to indicate blood relations of the Imam to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Shiite Practices and Beliefs:
Shia religious practices are based on the remembrance of Ali’s younger son, Hussein (A.S), who was martyred near Karbala a town in Iraq by the so-called Sunni forces. Under the leadership of non-deserving and a wicked ruler Yazeed who was not capable by any mean to be a caliph in 680 AD in a political clash between the two sides. On the day of Ashura, the Shia community commemorates Hussein’s death by performing rituals of voluntary lashes and sadness as a sign of grief and pain.
Sunnis / Shias Disparity
The most major difference between the two sects emerged on the occasion of the death of Prophet (PBUH) and the succession of Abu Bakr as the new leader. Abu Bakr was not as deserving as Ali (A.S) as Ali was Muslim and a follower of Prophet (PBUH) since day one of the prophet-hood. Prophet himself declared him as the next caliph, but unfortunately, people didn’t follow prophet’s preference as Abu Bakr was socially and financially stronger than Ali (Jeffrey Hays ).
As far as law is concerned, there can be many differences pointed out to. To name a few:
Laws regarding Divorce
In Sunnis, Divorce is easy and is done when a husband says verbally that he divorces his wife three times. On the other hand, Shia divorce is done by two Islamic leaders where they recite a Quranic verse and both the husband and wife are divorced.
In Sunni Law verbal divorce is seriously taken, even in anger one can divorce though there is much debate on the issue whether a divorce is permitted in anger or not. It is advised by many scholars that utterance of the word Talaaq (divorce) be made after intervals not all at once. However, Sunnis accept Talaaq even if it is done in anger with one three attempts in one go.
In Shia law divorce in anger has no value. Ulma and scholars give sufficient time to husband to think over his decision. So that he leaves a lady in all senses in a specified span of time.
Laws regarding religious authority, leadership and succession
In Sunni Islam, leaders are to be selected on the basis of individual capabilities of the candidates and consensus among the senior members of the community. In Shia Islam, the leader has to be from the bloodline of the Prophet (PBUH) and genuinely deserving of the position of the leader.
Temporary Marriage Agreement
Sunni Islam does not give permission for temporary marriage while Shia Islam gives permission. Mutah or temporary marriage is common in countries like Iran.
The issue of the permissibility of Mutah has been debated by many scholars from both the sides, but there has never been the unanimous decision as Sunnis and Shias often do not accept the authenticity of the respective sources of law of the other party. However, descriptions indicate the history event where soldiers were sent far of their families for battles where they had to stay for long.
Their sexual needs were making them impatient and sick. It has been said that at that time, Islam allowed them to engage in duration based marriage with some lady who must not be unmarried. A lady may be someone who is involved in physical business or is divorced, etc. There is a strict law for Muttah. The validity of Muttah can be verified from Surah Nisah (in Al-Quran) that indicates it as valid.
Clergy
In Shia Islam, Imams and Ayatollah are given highest authority. In Sunni Islam Caliphs are given the highest authority.
Traditions
Some traditions also differ between the two sects. Both Shias and Sunnis are reluctant to accept the books of tradition and sayings of the other party.
Roza and Namaz
Roza is fasting and Namaz is offering prayers. Shiites and Sunnis offer prayers identically. Sunnis pray directly on cloth while the Shias pray over Turba of mud especially used when prostrating as they believe that prostrating is not allowed on something that can be used to cover body.
The fasting concepts of Sunnis and Shias differ in the length of time. Sunnis fast from dawn to dusk while Shias commence the fast earlier before dawn and break the fast a little later than the Sunnis. As it is stated in Al-Quran that one should begin to fast in dark and end up fasting when dark is seen.
Conclusion
The development of the two major sects of Muslims has been continuing for centuries. It was not until the 19th century that the differences between the two sects led to violent conflicts and bloodshed.
For centuries, such differences were not allowed to disrupt the integrity of the Muslim community though these differences existed. In the modern world of secret games, fear politics, superpowers, alliances, warfare and the divide and rule doctrine these differences between the two sects have been highlighted and propagated to such an extent by an extremely biased and corrupt mass media that at times these sects of one mighty religion became bloodthirsty enemies of each other.
The differences, big and small, in law and the sources of law have negligible influence of one party on the actions of the other party. Though many scholars have attempted to debate over the issue of sectarianism in Islam (which is prohibited by divine revelations) not so many practical solutions have been devised to reconcile and reunite the two groups (Brown).
Works Cited
Blanchard, Christopher M. “Islam: Sunnis and Shiites.”2006. DTIC. Web.
—. “Islam: Sunnis and Shiites.” 2008. Congressional Research Service. Web.
Brown, Daniel W. A New Introduction to Islam. 2nd. United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing, 2009.
Islam is the second largest religion in the world in terms of the population as well as global spread. Prophet Muhammad started the religion in the year 610 CE after receiving a revelation through Gabriel who delivered a message to him from God. Islam believers and followers are referred to as Muslims.
The Quran is their holy book that acts as a guide for all Muslims as it contains the message from Prophet Muhammad. It guides Muslims on how to live and or conduct their lives religiously. Blanchard (2009, 2) indicates that several Muslim groups have emerged. The groups are defined by their beliefs and practices through their interpretation of the Quran.
Among them are the Shia, the Sunnis, Sufism, Ahmadiya, Ibadi, and Yazdanism amongst others. The paper focuses on the Sunni and Shia groups, which are the largest in the world of Muslims, in an effort to find out their defining factors in terms of development, beliefs and traditions, and their significant followers amongst other parameters.
Development of the Shia
The Shia group of Muslims is the second largest group after the Sunnis. It constitutes about 10-20% of the whole Muslim population in the world. The development of the Shia community started immediately the prophet died due to the different schools of thought adopted by leaders who were around the prophet.
This difference was brought about by a succession in terms of who should succeed the prophet in addition to how it should be done. In fact, the prophet had died without clearly indicating how the succession would happen. Therefore, the leading clerics around him took upon themselves to define what the prophet’s succession would have meant thus leading to the emergence of the two groups.
Shomali (2003) postulates that the Shia group was guided by the belief that the prophet had appointed his caliph through divine messages that he had given his followers when he was alive. This revelation was simply an interpretation of the messages he had left behind, which was contrary to what the Sunni group believed.
The Shia group is guided by the belief that the Muslim nation’s leadership is a prerogative of God who should be the sole appointer of their leader. This teaching led this group to follow Ali ibn Abi Talib who was Prophet Mohammad’s son in-law.
Development of the Sunni
The development of the Sunni can be traced back to the time when the prophet Muhammad died. There was a need to appoint a successor in his place. The Sunni can be described as the largest branch of Islam making up 75-90% of the Muslim population in approximation. The emergence of the Sunni group came about the same time as the Shia group. The two can be described as the original groups of Islam immediately after the demise of the prophet.
Elshamsy (2008) states that the Sunni came about due to the belief that the appointment of the caliphate was a prerogative of the people and that the first four caliphs were supposed to be the successors of the prophet because he had not appointed a successor nor defined the succession procedure to his followers at the time of his death.
The Sunnis therefore believe that a caliph should be chosen by the community and can be anyone as long as he or she is righteous as per the Quran teachings. They therefore do not believe that only the descendants of the prophet should lead the Muslim community.
Beliefs and Traditions of the Shia
The Shias just like all other Muslims believe that Prophet Mohammad was God’s last prophet and that he was sent by Allah as a messenger to the people to spread Islam. The Shia people believe in the hadith, which are defined as the sayings of the prophet and his aides, which usually form part of the Quran.
The Shias believe in the five pillars of Islam, which are Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Saum, and Hajji. These five tenets are the guiding principles that all Muslims should follow for them to attain holiness. Other than the Quran, the Shia derive their teachings and practices from the Sunna, which are the customs and practices done by the prophet ranging from the qiyas, which are analogies to the Ijma, which can be described as a consensus, not ignoring the ijtihad, which is a given individual’s reasoning as Barzegar (2008, 88) reveals.
The Shia group believes that the leadership of Islam should be God appointed since He (God) appointed the prophet and that it should follow the prophet’s bloodline. The group also holds that the mujtahids, who are spiritual people, took over the leadership of faith and community when the Imams who were offsprings of Ali ended and that the heads have the mandate to construe lawful, supernatural, and holy knowledge to the community.
The Shia group views and commemorates Ashura, which is the tenth day of the month Muharram according to the Islamic calendar according to Fibiger (2010, 32). This day marks the time when Hussein who was Ali’s youngest son was killed by Sunni forces in Karbala Iraq.
Thus, it observes the day by self-flagellation. Hussein was killed in the year 680 by Sunni forces. The Shia group is strongly guided by the doctrine of the imamate. It centers most of its beliefs and teachings on Ali. According to it, the Imam is sinless and infallible and a source of religious absolute.
Beliefs and Traditions of the Sunni
Just like the Shia, the Sunni came about due to the succession debate within the Muslim society. The Sunnis suppose that the religious head should be chosen through consent of the community and not simply from the bloodline of the prophet. They believe that the prophet Muhammad was a messenger sent by God. They believe in the hadith and the teachings of the Quran.
Just like the Shia, the Sunni believe and practice the five pillars of Islam, which are Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Saum, and Hajj. Shias’ teachings are based on the Quran, the Sunna, the hadith, the qiyas, the Ijma, and Ijtihad. The Sunnis never bestow the status of the prophet to their leaders, as they believe that the last person to have the status was the prophet himself. The Sunnis do not have a strict and complicated religious hierarchy.
They allow laypersons to lead prayers at the mosque. The practice is only restricted to religious leaders under the Shia group. The Sunnis have several permissible institutions that provide jurisprudence when it comes to the construal of legal issues. The four are Hanfi, founded by Abu Hanifa, Maliki, founded by Malik ibn Anas, Shafi founded by Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi, and the Hanbali, which was founded by Ahmad Hanbal.
These legal schools are prevalent in specific regions of the world, which have chosen to use them as Blanchard (2009, 3) points out. Within the Sunni group, there is a movement called Wahabi, which can be described as purist that interprets the Quran in a fundamentalist way.
The Sunni group believes that they are the original group and that their interpretation of the Quran is the correct one. Under the Sunni group, the Imams have a big responsibility when it comes to matters of birth, marriage, and death. They are viewed as the leaders of the religion.
Leaders and Significant Followers of Shia
The Shia can be described as the most fragmented group in the Muslim nation because of the different factions it has among its followers. The Shia group follows Ali who was Muhammad’s cousin as well as the son in law with the belief that Muslim leadership is God appointed. The Shia group has most of its followers in Iraq, Iran, Yemen, central Asia, and Southern Asia. The Shia group is divided into different groups with two major ones coming out prominently.
As Shomali (2003) explains, there is the twelver Shiism that believes in the line of twelve imams who are descendants from Ali whose appointments were divine from birth. The twelve Shia leaders are Ali ibn Abu Talib, Hassan ibn Ali, Husayn ibn Ali, Ali ibn Husayn, Muhammad ibn Ali, Jafar ibn Muhammad, Musa ibn Jafar, Ali ibn Musa, Muhammad ibn Ali, Ali ibn Muhammad, Hassan ibn Ali, and Muhammad ibn Alhassan. All of these leaders were assassinated. They existed at different lines with all of them being descendants of Ali.
Leaders and Significant Followers of the Sunni
The Sunnis believe in the first four Caliphs after the demise of the prophet. The Sunni subscribe to four schools of Jurisprudence brought about by the four leaders at different times. These schools of jurisprudence have been spread across the Sunni followers across the world with people in specific areas subscribing to specific schools of thought.
Fibiger (2010, 34) lists four scholars that the Sunnis look up to. They include Abu Hanifa (d. 767 AD) whose jurisprudence is called the Hanafi having followers in Bangladesh, turkey, the Balkans, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Jordan, Central Asia and India. The other scholar is Malik ibn Anas (d. 795 AD) whose followers call themselves the Maliki group.
They are mostly found in Bahrain, Kuwait, North Africa, and Mauritania. Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’s (d. 819 AD) school of jurisprudence is called Shafi group and is prevalent in Malaysia, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, parts of Yeme,n and Ethiopia. Ahamad Hanbali (d. 855) has Hanbali as his school of jurisprudence. He has followers in the following parts of the world who subscribe to his views and thoughts: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arabs Emirates, and Oman.
Ground Breaking Events of the Shia
Groundbreaking events of the Shia Muslims can be traced back to the day the prophet Mohamed was born. This period was in earnest the start of Islam as a religion, which would later on lead to the development of the Shia group. The death of Muhammad in the year 632 AD led to succession events with the majority siding with Abu Bakr while the minority sided with Ali only for the group to secure the name Shiat Ali.
During this period, the once unified Muslim nation became divided thus giving birth to the Shia and Sunni. Fibiger (2010) states that the killing of Husain who was Ali’s youngest son and a third successor after Ali led to the remembrance of the day by celebrating the day of Ashura when he was killed. This experience further aligned the Shia Muslims towards having their identity in the leadership of Prophet Muhammad’s lineage thus strengthening the Shia group.
Ground Breaking Events of the Sunni
The groundbreaking events for the Sunni following can be ascribed to the birth of the prophet who later on led the Muslim world. All Muslims celebrate the birth of the prophet because it was the first step to the birth of Islam. The demise of the forecaster led to the separation of the Muslim world between the two groups under scrutiny.
From this point, the Sunnis were able to define their principles and beliefs. Before the death of the prophet, the Muslims were one group under the leadership of the prophet. According to Sunni News (2009), the Sunni also celebrate the Ashura but not with the same reasons as the Shia but rather as instructions from the prophet who observed the day by fasting. Generally, very few Sunni events can be described as specifically belonging to the Sunnis because most of the days they celebrate are also common with the Shia.
Where the Shia Stand Today
The Shia group remains small in terms of followership compared to the Sunni. The Shia group is concentrated in specific countries. Their interpretation of the Quran has been criticized as being manipulative to fit their own theories. Nevertheless, the Shia group remains a big force to reckon within the Muslim world because they form almost a quarter of the Muslim population.
The Shia Muslims continue to be persecuted in countries where there is the majority of Sunnis. The situation has led to what can be described as an intra-religious war between the two groups. The current structure of the Shia continues to be led by Imams who are regarded as their spiritual leaders.
Although they have had splits, the different Shia groups have minor differences that tend to define their existence. For instance, the seveners and the twelvers are the major Shia groups in existence. The groups are divided along diverse schools of thought about the lineage of Imams to follow.
As Barzegar (2008) states, some of the Shias’ hadiths differ from those of the Sunnis. In fact, they include some imams that are not recognized by the Sunni. The Shias just like other religious groups has an expansionist agenda of converting more followers into its group.
Where the Sunni Stand Today
The Sunnis comprise the largest Muslim group in the world with a 75-90% followership in the whole Muslim nation. Their spread in the world is also the largest due to its popularity. Blanchard (2009, 2) finds that the Sunnis have an organized leadership in the countries where they exist with the highest honor being bestowed on the most learned leader in religious matters.
They can be found in countries like Iran where the Ayatollah wields so much influence in both spiritual and political matters. The Sunnis view the Shia people as a group that is out to distort Islamic teachings for selfish reasons by taking every opportunity to fight them. The Sunnis continue to popularize Islam wherever they are by starting community projects that help the community with the aim of winning more converts by generally performing their religious duty as per the Quran.
Bibliography
Barzegar, Kayhan. “Iran & Shiite Cresent: Myths and Realities.” Brown Journal of World Affairs 15, no. 1 (2008): 87-99.
Blanchard, Christopher. Islam: Sunnis and Shiites. London: Congressional Research Service, 2009.
Elshamsy, Ahmad. “The first Shafii. The Traditionalist Legal Thought of Abu Yaqub alBuwayt.” Islamic Law & Society 14, no. 3 (2007): 301-341.
Fibiger, Thomas. “Ashura in Bahrain.” Social Analyst 54, no. 3 (2010): 29-46.
This paper is aimed at examining two religious groups, representing the Islamic community. In particular, it is necessary to focus on Shias and Sunnis because they can be regarded as the most influential Muslim movements. Each of these groups includes a great number of minor sects that can share various attributes. In this case, one should focus on the set of beliefs and assumptions that are held by the representatives of these groups.
Furthermore, much attention should be paid to the way in which Sunnis and Shias interact with various minority groups. The status of women should also be examined very closely. These are the main questions that should be discussed. To a great extent, this report is based on the results of the interview which was conducted with the representatives of these communities.
One should keep in mind that the experiences of the respondents may not coincide with the views of Sunnis and Shias who may be living in other countries. Additionally, it is critical to consider the information that various scholars can provide because they can offer a more objective evaluation of this topic.
Discussion to the two religious groups
At first, one should mention that Sunnis and Shias can share the essential beliefs that are embedded in the Quran. In particular, it is possible to refer to the so-called articles of faith. For instance, Shias and Sunnis emphasize the oneness of God and the recognition of Muhammad as the Prophet.
Additionally, both Shias and Sunnis believe in Judgment Day. Overall, it is possible to say that the core principles outlined in the Quran are accepted by both groups (Torstrick and Fair 29). To a great extent, these beliefs resemble other monotheistic traditions. This argument was also confirmed during the interview. One should also mention that the differences between Shias and Sunnis can be traced to the political conflict that broke out after the death of Muhammad (Wendlandt 62).
In particular, this struggle emerged because Muslims had different views on the questions about who should govern the Islamic community after the death of the Prophet (Wendlandt 62). Nevertheless, it is important to mention that the participants did not attach much attention to this issue.
One should note that the respondents were relatively young people who grew up in the United States. Nevertheless, these conflicts can have profound implications for such countries as Iraq and Iran (Dabrowska 16). Therefore, one should not suppose that the experiences of the interviewees can be easily generalized. Such an assumption may not be quite accurate. This is one of the main aspects that can be singled out.
In addition to that, Sunnis and Shias lay emphasis on the religious education of children. It should be mentioned that both respondents chose to join these religious groups because these beliefs and convictions were an inseparable part of their family background. This is one of the factors that prompted them to join their work.
Furthermore, both participants believe that membership in this group could be important for their socialization. Nevertheless, these people did not say that religion was the only part of their identity. In particular, they also perceived themselves as American citizens. These issues were mentioned by both participants.
Another question that should be examined in greater detail is the position of women. One should first point out that their status can strongly depend on the legislation of the country in which these people live. Nevertheless, one should mention that there are unwritten rules that govern the relations between people. It is possible to say that both Sunnis and Shias accept the premise that men should act as the main decision-makers in family and society.
This is one of the principles that are included in the Quran. Nevertheless, women are not barred from receiving education or finding employment. The main issue is that the position of women does not necessarily depend on the religious movement within Islam. More attention should be paid to the legislative system adopted in the country because this set of norms profoundly influences the status of an individual.
Apart from that, it is vital to examine the way in which minority groups are treated. First, one should mention both religious groups tolerate the representatives of other confessions such as Christianity and Judaism. This argument is particularly relevant if one speaks about Shias and Sunnis living in the United States. Still, one should also point out that both Sunnis and Shias do not tolerate minorities that differ in terms of lifestyle.
For instance, one can speak about the LGBT community. Therefore, the representatives of these minority groups may feel marginalized if they are either Sunnis or Shias. They do not want to discuss these issues openly. These attitudes do not manifest themselves in an open way. This detail should not be overlooked.
It is possible to argue that both respondents were optimistic about the future of Islam in the United States. They believed that both Sunnis and Shias would integrate into American society. Moreover, they argued that the conflicts between Sunnis and Shias would not manifest themselves in American society.
In turn, the respondents were rather uncertain about the future of Sunni and Shia communities in other parts of the world. Overall, their responses reflect the experiences of people who believe that their rights are properly protected. This is one of the details that should be taken into consideration.
The relevance to the concepts discussed during classes
Overall, this analysis can be related to the concepts that have been studied during classes. In particular, one should focus on the rituals which are embedded in Sunni and Shia traditions. The representatives of these groups have different fasting times and prayers (Tucker 117).
One should mention that these ritualistic elements play a significant role in other religious communities such as Christians (“St. Anthony’s Monastery Web Site”). This is one of the aspects that can be singled out. Additionally, the concept of monastic life does is not relevant to various Islamic communities. In contrast, this element plays a key role in Christianity (“St. Anthony’s Monastery Web Site”). This is one of the points that can be made.
Conclusion
On the whole, this discussion indicates that the Islamic community is not homogeneous as many people can often assume. It incorporates a diversity of religious movements that do not necessarily resemble one another.
The examples of Sunni and Shia groups demonstrate that Muslims can have different views on ritualistic elements and political aspects of Islam. Nevertheless, one should take into account that the experiences of people living in various countries can differ dramatically. The opinions of the interviewees do not reflect the experiences of Sunni and Shias living in different countries.
Works Cited
Dabrowska, Karen. Iraq Then and Now: A Guide to the Country and Its People, New York: Bradt Travel Guides, 2008. Print.
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It is important to note that although the Muslim community or Ummah is rather unified due to the rigidity of its five pillars, the Holy Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, two larger communities exist, which are Sunni and Shiite. The former group is the largest one, but they both agree on the core Islamic beliefs. Therefore, the split of the Ummah is a result of historical disagreement among early Muslims after the death of the Prophet Muhammad.
Historically, the Muslim Ummah was unified under Islam with its leader and last Prophet Muhammad. The split took place after his death because Muslims did not agree on the succession of leadership after Muhammad. The group that would form Sunnis believed that the most prominent members of the Ummah should become the successors, while the group that would form Shiites stated that only Muhammad’s family should take on leadership, such as the Prophet’s cousin Ali. Sunnis comprise 85% of 1.6 billion Muslims globally, whereas only 15% belong to Shiites. The most important characteristic between the two groups can be seen in regards to leadership, where Shiites perceive their Imams as sinless and infallibly authoritative. However, Sunnis do not believe that leadership is a birthright, which is why their leaders must earn their positions within the Ummah. The majority of Shiites live in Iran, whereas the most well-known Sunni country is Saudi Arabia.
In conclusion, both Shiites and Sunnis believe in the core Islamic faiths, such as the five pillars of Islam, the Quran, and Hadith. The split originated after the death of Prophet Muhammad, where one side wanted to appoint his family member and the other top Muslims of the Ummah. Therefore, the most significant difference can be found in leadership-centered beliefs. Iran is an example of a Shiite nation, and Saudi Arabia is Sunni.