Muslims and Islam So all Muslims are the same, right? There was only one Mohammed who served as the final Prophet, and only one Qur’an authored by him, so all Muslims are unified under one Islam, correct? No, not correct. Within the religion lies a division, which has been a source of conflict (and in many circumstances as of late resulting in violence) which the Muslim community has had to deal with since Mohammed’s death. Add to this the fact that believers are further subdivided over various “schools of thought”. These schools of Islamic thought (madhahib) are the paths people follow to the Noble Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad, and were founded considerably after the death of the Prophet. So for someone to call themselves a Muslim is like someone who calls themselves a Christian. At the heart of a Muslim’s belief are the same basic fundamentals of the Qur’an, but then they need to further clarify if they are Shia (Shiite) or Sunni, and they would need to identify which “school of thought” they follow. The differences lie in the fields of doctrine, ritual, law, theology and religious organization. Their leaders also often seem to be in competition. From Lebanon and Syria to Iraq and Pakistan, many recent conflicts have emphasized the sectarian divide, tearing communities apart. Sound familiar? If you look at our own Christian church history it is easy to find the same. The Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation. The beginning of Lutheran churches, Reformed Churches, Presbyterian churches and the Anglican church, led by the prominent figures in the reformation: Martin Luther, Huldreich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Knox and Henry VIII. Pre-trib, post-trib or mid-trib? Cessationist or Continuationist? Denominational or non-Denom? Musical instruments or vocals only, “contemporary” or traditional worship? The list goes on. So it should not be too difficult then to look into the Muslim world and understand that they have religious conflicts just like we as Christians do, with theirs taken to a level of violence as of late that we haven’t seen in the Christian church for some time. The heart of the “Middle East Conflict” just isn’t political power and wealth (although those are major drivers as well), but stems all the way back to just after Mohammed the great Prophet died and how his successor in the Islamic religion would be chosen. The Islam Religion The Islam religion was founded by Mohammed in the seventh century. In 622 he founded the first Islamic state, a theocracy in Medina, a city in western Saudi Arabia located north of Mecca. Since his death two major branches developed. Shia and Sunni Muslims share the main articles of Islamic belief and are considered by most to be brethren in faith. In fact, most Muslims do not distinguish themselves by claiming membership in any particular group, but prefer to call themselves simply, “Muslims.” They are all bound by the same Quran, the same five pillars of Islam – belief in one God, daily prayer, fasting, charity, and hajj, or pilgrimage. Where they mainly differ is on the question of who should have succeeded the Prophet Muhammad, who founded Islam in 620. Sunni The Prophet Muhammads close friend and advisor, Abu Bakr, became the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. The word Sunni in Arabic comes from a word meaning one who follows the traditions of the Prophet.” Sunni Muslims agree with the position taken by many of the Prophets companions, that the new leader should be elected from among those capable of the job. Sunni Muslims believe that there is no basis in Islam for a hereditary privileged class of spiritual leaders, and certainly no basis for the veneration or intercession of saints. Sunni Muslims contend that leadership of the community is not a birthright, but a trust that is earned and which may be given or taken away by the people themselves. Sunni Muslims make up the majority (85%) of Muslims all over the world. Sunni Muslims regard themselves as the orthodox and traditionalist branch of Islam. In Pakistan and Afghanistan, hardline Sunni militant groups - such as the Taliban - have often attacked Shia places of worship. Shia (Shiite) Muslims On the other hand, some Muslims share the belief that leadership should have stayed within the Prophets own family, among those specifically appointed by him, or among Imams appointed by God Himself. Significant populations of Shia Muslims can be found in Iran and Iraq, and large minority communities in Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, and Lebanon. Estimates of the number of Shia range from 120 to 170 million, roughly one-tenth of all Muslims. The Shia Muslims believe that following the Prophet Muhammads death, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali bin Abu Talib. Throughout history, Shia Muslims have not recognized the authority of elected Muslim leaders, choosing instead to follow a line of Imams (Priest/Leader/Prophet) which they believe have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself. Shia Muslims believe that the Imam is sinless by nature, and that his authority is infallible as it comes directly from God. Therefore, Shia Muslims often venerate the Imams as saints and perform pilgrimages to their tombs and shrines in the hopes of divine intercession. In countries that have been governed by Sunnis, Shias tend to make up the poorest sections of society. They often see themselves as victims of discrimination and oppression. Some extremist Sunni doctrines have preached hatred of Shias. The Five Schools of Islamic Thought Ja’fari - The Ja‘fari school of thought was headed by Imam Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq who lived from 83H to 148H. Once the Umayyad government became weak, Imam Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq found a golden opportunity to formulate and spread the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad and his family. At one time, four thousand scholars, commentators of the Qur’an, historians, and philosophers attended his classes in the holy city of Madina. Hanafi - The Hanafi school of thought was headed by Imam al-Nu΄man ibn Thabit (Abu Hanifa) who lived from 80H to 150H. Imam Abu Hanifa was born to a non-Arab father, was raised in Kufa, and died in Baghdad. This school of thought prevailed during the time of the Abbasid Empire when a student of Imam Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf al-Qadi became the head of the judiciary department and the highest judge, and thus he spread this madhhab (school of thought), in particular, during the caliphates of al-Mahdi, al-Hadi, and al-Rashid. Maliki - The Maliki school of thought was headed by Imam Malik ibn Anas al-Asbahi who lived from 93H to 179H. He was born in the holy city of Madina, and his fame spread throughout Hijaz. The Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid sat on the floor to listen to him, and the caliphate in general exalted him to the point where they said that no book on earth, except the Noble Qur’an, was more authentic than that of Imam Malik’s. Shafi΄i - The Shafi΄i school of thought was headed by Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi΄i who lived from 150H to 198H. Imam Shafi΄i was born in Hijaz and his school of thought emerged in Egypt. Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi came and waged an extensive war against the school of Ahlul Bayt by banning the teaching of their madhhab (school of thought) in al-Azhar and resurrecting the other madhahib, including that of Imam Shafi΄i, who was killed in Egypt in 198H. Hanbali - The Hanbali school of thought was headed by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal who lived from 164H to 241H. He was born and died in Baghdad. He only gained popularity in Najd (a region of the Arabian Peninsula) due to the ideas of Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of Wahabism. The Hanbali madhhab spread in Najd primarily due to the teachings of Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Halim al-Dimishqi ibn Taymiyyah (661H–728H) and his student ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya. Today, the five schools of Islamic thought accepted by all Muslims are the Ja‘fari, comprising 23% of the Muslims; the Hanafi, comprising 31% of the Muslims; the Maliki, comprising 25% of the Muslims; the Shafi΄i, comprising 16% of the Muslims; and the Hanbali, comprising 4% of the Muslims. The remaining small percentage follow other minority schools, such as the Zaydi and the Isma΄ili. Various governments were the main factor in the birth and spread of these schools. Governmental aid took physical and financial forms by establishing schools, sponsoring books of fiqh (law), adopting and sponsoring official madhahib, and giving freedom to the founders and scholars of some of the “official” madhahib. This trend has occurred in almost every religion worldwide; for example, one might compare this trend in Islam to the birth of the Anglican Church in 1534AD by the English king, Henry VIII who made it the official religious tradition of the state, thus giving it 55 million followers. islam.about/cs/divisions/f/shia_sunni.htm religionnews/2014/06/13/sunni-vs-shiite-primer/ bbc/news/world-middle-east-16047709 hnn.us/article/934 al-islam.org/inquiries-about-shia-islam-sayyid-moustafa-al-qazwini/five-schools-islamic-thought theopedia/Protestant_Reformation en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessationism_versus_Continuationism
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 13:25:00 +0000
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