The
Origins of the Sunni/Shia split in Islam
by Hussein Abdulwaheed Amin, Editor of IslamForToday.com
Introduction
The Shia shahadah (declaration of faith) states:
"There is no god but Alláh, Muhammad is the Messenger of Alláh, Alí is the Friend of Alláh. The Successor of the Messenger of Alláh And his first Caliph."
If you are already familiar with standard Sunni beliefs, you will immediately notice the addition to the shahadah regarding Imam Ali (ra), cousin of the Prophet (pbuh), husband of his daughter Fatima, father of Hassan and Hussein and the second person ever to embrace Islam. The term Shia or Shi'ite derives from a shortening of Shiat Ali or partisans of Ali.
History
Ali is the central figure at the origin of the Shia / Sunni split which
occurred in the decades immediately following the death of the Prophet
in 632.
Sunnis regard Ali as the fourth and last of the "rightly guided
caliphs" (successors to Mohammed (pbuh) as leader of the Muslims)
following
on from Abu Bakr 632-634, Umar 634-644 and Uthman 644-656. Shias feel
that Ali
should have been the first caliph and that the caliphate should pass
down only
to direct descendants of Mohammed (pbuh) via Ali and Fatima. They often
refer to
themselves as ahl al bayt or "people of the house" [of the
prophet].
When Uthman was murdered while at prayer, Ali finally succeeded to the caliphate. Ali was, however, opposed by Aisha, wife of the Prophet (pbuh) and daughter of Abu Bakr, who accused him of being lax in bringing Uthman's killers to justice. After Ali's army defeated Aisha's forces at the Battle of the Camel in 656, she apologized to Ali and was allowed to return to her home in Madinah where she withdrew from public life.
However, Ali was not able to overcome the forces of Mu'awiya Ummayad, Uthman's cousin and governor of Damascus, who also refused to recognize him until Uthman's killers had been apprehended. At the Battle of Suffin Mu'awiya's soldiers stuck verses of the Quran onto the ends of their spears with the result that Ali's pious supporters refused to fight them. Ali was forced to seek a compromise with Mu'awiya, but this so shocked some of his die-hard supporters who regarded it as a betrayal that he was struck down by one of his own men in 661.
Mu'awiya declared himself caliph. Ali's elder son Hassan accepted a pension in return for not pursuing his claim to the caliphate. He died within a year, allegedly poisoned. Ali's younger son Hussein agreed to put his claim to the caliphate on hold until Mu'awiya's death. However, when Mu'awiya finally died in 680, his son Yazid usurped the caliphate. Hussein led an army against Yazid but, hopelessly outnumbered, he and his men were slaughtered at the Battle of Karbala (in modern day Iraq). Hussein's infant son, Ali, survived so the line continued. Yazid formed the hereditary Ummayad dynasty. The division between the Shia and what came to be known as the Sunni was set.
An opportunity for Muslim unity arose in the 750's CE. In 750 except for a few who managed to flee to Spain, almost the entire Ummayad aristocracy was wiped out following the Battle of Zab in Egypt in a revolt led by Abu Al Abbass al-Saffah and aided by considerable Shia support. It was envisaged that the Shia spiritual leader Jafar As-Siddiq, great-grandson of Hussein be installed as Caliph. But when Abbass died in 754, this arrangement had not yet been finalised and Abbas' son Al Mansur murdered Jafar, seized the caliphate for himself and founded the Baghdad-based Abbassid dynasty which prevailed until the sack of Baghdad by the Mongols in 1258.
Theological
Differences and Attempts at promoting Unity
The line of Mohammed (pbuh) through Ali and Hussein became extinct in
873CE
when the last Shia Imam, Al-Askari, who had no brothers disappeared
within days
of inheriting the title at the age of four. The Shias refused, however,
to
accept that he had died, preferring to believe that he was merely
"hidden" and would return. When after several centuries this failed
to happen, spiritual power passed to the ulema, a council of twelve
scholars who
elected a supreme Imam. The best known modern example of the Shia
supreme Imam is the
late Ayyatollah Khomeni, whose portrait hangs in many Shia homes. The
Shia Imam
has come to be imbued with Pope-like infallibility and the Shia
religious
hierarchy is not dissimilar in structure and religious power to that of
the Catholic
Church within Christianity. Sunni
Islam, in contrast, more closely resembles the myriad independent
churches of
American Protestantism. Sunnis do not have a formal clergy, just
scholars
and jurists, who may offer non-binding opinions. Shias believe
that
their supreme Imam is a fully
spiritual
guide, inheriting some of Muhammad's inspiration ("light") .
Their
imams are believed to be inerrant interpreters of law and
tradition.
Shia
theology is distinguished by its glorification of Ali. In Shia
Islam
there
is a strong theme of martyrdom and suffering, focusing on deaths of Ali
and, particularly, Hussein plus other important figures in the Shia
succession.
Shi`ism attracted other
dissenting groups, especially representatives of older non-Arab
(Mawali)
civilizations (Persian, Indian, etc.) that felt they had not been
treated fairly
by the Arab Muslims.
Sunnis and Shias agree on the core fundamentals of Islam - the Five Pillars - and recognize each others as Muslims. In 1959 Sheikh Mahmood Shaltoot, Head of the School of Theology at Al Azhar university in Cairo, the most august seat of learning of Sunni Islam and the oldest university in the world, issued a fatwa (ruling) recognizing the legitimacy of the Jafari School of Law to which most Shias belong. As a point of interest, the Jafari School is named after its founder Imam Jafaf Sidiq who was a direct descendent through two different lines of the Sunni Caliph Abu Bakr. And Al Azhar University, though now Sunni, was actually founded by the Shia Fatimid dynasty in 969CE.
However, there remain significant differences between the two forms of Islam and these are what tend to be emphasized. Many Sunni's would contend that Shias seem to take the fundamentals of Islam very much for granted, shunting them into the background and dwelling on the martyrdoms of Ali and Hussein. This is best illustrated at Ashura when each evening over a period of ten days the Shias commemorate the Battle of Karbala, with a wailing Imam whipping the congregation up into a frenzy of tears and chest beating. It is alleged that instead of missionary work to non-Muslims, the Shia harbor a deep-seated disdain towards Sunni Islam and prefer to devote their attention to winning over other Muslims to their group. There is ongoing violent strife between Sunnis and Shias in Pakistan. On the other hand, in recent years there has been signification co-operation between the two groups in the Lebanon. And some of the most dynamic developments in Islam today are taking place in Shia-dominated Iran.
Practical
Differences
On a practical daily level, Shias have a different call to prayer, they
perform wudu and salat differently including placing the forehead onto
a piece
of hardened clay from Karbala, not directly onto the prayer mat when
prostrating. They also tend to combine prayers, sometimes worshipping
three times per day
instead of five. The Shias also have some different ahadith and prefer
those
narrated by Ali and Fatima to those related by other companions of the
Prophet (pbuh).
Because of her opposition to Ali, those narrated by Aisha count among
the least favored.
Shia Islam also permits
muttah - fixed-term temporary marriage - which is now banned by the
Sunnis. Muttah was originally permitted at the time of the
Prophet
(pbuh) and is now being promoted in Iran by an unlikely alliance of
conservative
clerics and feminists, the latter group seeking to downplay the
obsession with
female virginity which is prevalent in both forms of Islam, pointing
out that
only one of the Prophet's thirteen wives was a virgin when he married
them.
Shias Today
Iran is overwhelmingly Shia. Shias also form a majority of the
population in
Yemen and Azerbaijan and 40 to 50% of the population of Iraq. There are
also
sizeable Shia communities in Bahrain, the east coast of Saudi
Arabia
and
in the Lebanon. The well known guerilla organization Hizbollah,
which
forced the Israelis out of southern Lebanon in 2000, is
Shia.
Worldwide, Shias constitute ten to fifteen percent of the overall
Muslim population.
Within
Shia Islam there are different
sects.
Most Shias are "Twelvers",
i.e. they recognize the 12 Imams. There are also Sevener and Fiver
Shias who
don't recognize the later Imams. . . .
THE SHAHADAH: THE
DECLARATION OF FAITH
La iláha il
Alláh, Muhammadan Rasúl
Alláh, Alíyun Walí-Alláh, Wasíyu
Rasulillah, wa Khalífa tuhu bila fasl.
There is no god but Alláh, Muhammad is the Messenger of
Alláh, 'Alí is the
Friend of Alláh. The Successor of the Messenger of Alláh
And his first Caliph.
USUL
AL-DÍN: THE
FUNDAMENTALS OF ISLAM
1) Tawhíd (The Oneness of Alláh)
2) 'Adl (Divine Justice)
3) Nubuwwah (The Prophethood)
4) Imámah (The Imamate)
5) Qiyámah (The Day of Judgement)
FURU AL-DIN:
THE MAIN
BRANCHES OF ISLAM
1) Salat (Prayer)
2) Sawm (Fasting)
3) Zakát (Poor-due of 2.5%)
4) Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah)
5) Khums (The Charity of 20%)
6) Jihad (To Struggle in the Path of Alláh)
7) Amr bil ma'ruf (To Promote the Good)
8) Nahy 'an al-munkar (To Forbid the Wrong)
9) Tawalla (Loving the Prophet's Family)
10) Tabarra (Shunning the Enemies of the Prophet's Family)
THE PROPHETS
OF ALLÁH
(mentioned in the Holy Qur'án)
1) Adam
2)Idrís (Idrees)
3) Núh (Noah)
4) Húd
5) Sálih
6) Ibráhím (Abraham)
7) Ismá'íl (Ishmael)
8) Isháq (Isaac)
9) Lút (Lot)
10) Ya'qúb (Jacob)
11) Yúsuf (Joseph)
12) Shu'aib
13)Ayúb (Job)
14) Músa (Moses)
15) Hárún (Aaron)
16) Dhu l-kifl (Ezzekiel)
17) Dawúd (David)
18) Sulaimán
19) Ilyás (Elijah)
20) al-Yasa' (Elisha)
21) Yúnus (Jonas)
22) Zakaríya (Zakariyah)
23) Yahyá (John the Baptist)
24) 'Ísa (Jesus)
25) Muhammad
In a famous hadith (prophetic tradition), the number of prophets given was 124 000. May the blessings of Alláh be upon them all. Prophethood ended with Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny). Then, Alláh deputed Imams to guide us.
THE
LAW-BRINGING PROPHETS
1) Núh
2) Ibráhím
3) Músa
4) 'Ísa
5) Muhammad
THE BOOKS OF
ALLÁH
1) Sahífa (scroll revealed
to Nuh)
2) Sahífa (scroll revealed to Ibráhím)
3) Taurat (the book revealed
to Músa)
4) Zabúr (the psalms revealed to Dawúd)
5) Injíl (the gospel
revealed to 'Isa)
6) Qur'án (the Koran revealed to Muhammad)
THE PANJATAN:
THE FIVE HOLY ONES
Muhammad,
Fátima al-Zahra, 'Alí, Hasan, Husayn
THE FOURTEEN
MASUMIN: THE RIGHTLY-GUIDED
Muhammad, Fátima al-Zahra and the Twelve Imams
THE TWELVE
IMAMS
1) Imam 'Alí ibn Abu Talib
al-Murtadha (The Satisfied One)
2) Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtabah (The Chosen One)
3)
Imam al-Husayn Sayyid al-Shuhudah (The Lord of the Martyrs)
4) Imam 'Alí Zayn
al-Ábidín (The Jewel of the Believers)
5) Imam Muhammad al-Báqir (The
Spreader of Knowledge)
6) Imam Ja'far al-Sádiq (The Truthful One)
7) Imam Músa
al-Kazim (The Patient One)
8) Imam 'Alí al-Ridhá (The Accepted One)
9) Imam
Muhammad al-Taqí (The Pious One)
10) Imam 'Alí al-Naqí (The Pure One)
11)
Imam Hasan al-Askarí (The One with an Army)
12) Imam Muhammad al-Mahdí (The
Rightlyl-Guided One)
The Twelth Imam is still alive. He is in a state of occultation. He will reappear at a moment determined by Alláh. He is the Awaited One who will spread justice throughout the world.
THE
PROFESSION OF FAITH OF THE TWELVER SHI'I
I
bear witness that there is no god but Alláh and that Muhammad,
peace be upon
him, is His servant and Messenger, and that 'Alí, the Commander
of the
Faithful, and the Chief of the Deputies of Alláh, is the Imam
whose obedience
has been made incumbent by Alláh on all people; and that Hasan
and Husayn, 'Alí
ibn al-Husayn, Muhammad ibn 'Alí, Ja'far ibn Muhammad, Musa ibn
Ja'far, 'Alí
ibn Musa, Muhammad ibn 'Alí, 'Alí ibn Muhammad, Hasan ibn
'Alí, and the
Living One, the Mahdí (the blessings of Alláh be upon
them all), all the Imams
of the believers and the Proofs of Alláh for the whole of
creation are my
Imams, the rightly-guiding and the pious. I bear witness that:
Alláh is my God,
Muhammad is my Prophet, Islam is my religion, the Qur'án is my
scripture, the
Ka'aba is my qibla, 'Alí ibn Abú Tálib is my Imam,
Hasan ibn 'Alí is my
Imam, Husayn, the Martyr of Karbala, son of 'Alí, is my Imam,
'Alí Zayn al-'Ábadín
is my Imam, Muhammad al-Báqir is my Imam, Ja'far al-Sádiq
is my Imam, Musa al-Kádhim
is my Imam, 'Alí al-Ridhá is my Imam, Muhammad
al-Taqí is my Imam, 'Alí al-Naqí
is my Imam, Hasan al-Askarí is my Imam, and al-Huja al-Muntazar
is my Imam.
They, upon whom be peace, are my Imáms, Masters and Intercessors
before Alláh.
I love them, all of them, and shun their enemies in this life and the
next.
I bear witness that: Alláh, the Almighty, the Exalted, is the best Lord; that Muhammad, the blessings of Alláh be upon him and his Family, is the best Prophet; and that the Commander of the Faithful, 'Alí ibn Abú Tálib, and his offspring, are the best Imams; and that the message Muhammad brought from Alláh is true, death is true, the questioning in the grave by Munkar and Nakír is true, the Resurrection of the dead is true, the appearance before Alláh is true, the Bridge (al-sirát) is true, the Divine Scales are true, the dissemination of the book of one's deeds at Doomsday is true, paradise is true, and hell is true; and that there is no doubt about the coming of the inevitable Hour of Reckoning; and that the rising of the dead from their graves is true.
THE POSITIVE
ATTRIBUTES OF ALLÁH
1) Qadím:
Alláh is eternal. He has neither a beginning nor an end.
2) Qadir: Alláh is
omnipotent. He has power over all things.
3) 'Alim: Alláh is omniscient. He is
all-knowing.
4) Hai: Alláh is living. He is alive and will remain alive
forever
5) Muríd: Alláh has his own discretion is all affairs. He
does not do anything
out of compulsion.
6) Mudrik: Alláh is all-perceiving. He is all-hearing,
all-seeing,
and is omnipresent. Alláh sees and hears everything though he
has neither eyes
nor ears.
7) Mutakalim: Alláh is the Lord of the Worlds. He can create
speech
in anything: the burning bush for Musa and the curtain of light for
Muhammad.
8)
Sadiq: Alláh is truthful. His words and promises are true.
THE NEGATIVE
ATTRIBUTES OF ALLÁH
1) Sharík:
Alláh has no partners.
2) Murakab: Alláh is neither made, nor composed, of any
material.
3) Makán: Alláh is not confined to any place and has no
body.
4)
Hulúl: Alláh does not incarnate into anything or anybody.
5) Mahale hawadith:
Alláh is not subject to changes. Alláh cannot change.
6) Marí: Alláh is not
visible. He has not been seen, is not seen, and will never be seen,
because he
has no form or body.
7) Ihtiyaj: Alláh is not dependant. Alláh is not
deficient, so he does not have any needs.
8) Sifate zayed: Alláh does not have
added qualifications. The attributes of Alláh are not separate
from His being.