Islam

From ArticleWorld

In Islam there are different Schools of Thought or denominations. They all share the same essential belief, but differ in theological and legal interpretations.

Sunni

Sunnis are the largest group in Islam with a percentage of almost 90% of total Muslims belong to the Sunni school. Sunnis follow what came in the Qur'an, the "Sunnah" and "Hadith". In Arabic "Al Sunnah" means the way of Prophet Muhammad, and "Hadith" are collections of what the Prophet did, said or approved.

Sunnis have four schools of thought or "Madhhabs", which are: Maliki, Shafi', Hanafi, and Hanbali. Every "madhhab" is named after the Islamic scholar who founded it. A "madhhab" is a certain rules of interpreting "shari'a" (Islamic law). All four accept the legality of the others and Muslims can choose any madhhab to follow.

Both Sunnis and Shi'a agree on the fundamentals of Islam. In 1959, Al Azhar, the seat of learning of Sunni Islam in Cairo, issue a ruling "fatwa", recognizing the legitimacy of the Ja'fari School of Thought "The Twelver Imami Shi'ites" as a school of thought that is religiously correct to follow in worship like Sunni schools of thought. However, there are still clashes between Sunnis and Shi'a, especially in countries like Iraq and Pakistan.

Shi'a

Shi'a Muslims are the second largest after Sunnis. The main difference between Shi'a and Sunnis, is that Shi'a reject the authority of the first three caliphs after Prophet Muhammed. They believe that Prophet Muhammed chose Ali to be his successor. It is important to note that naming a successor by the Prophet means that Ali was also appointed by God "Allah." Shi'a believe that only the household "Ahl al Bayt" and descendants of the Prophet have the right to rule. This same idea contradicts what the Sunnis believe in as they believe that consultation "shura" is essential in Islam.

The origin of the word Shi'a, is derived from Shi'at Ali (the party of Ali). Ali ibn Abi Talib was the cousin of Prophet Muhammad, and he also became his son-in-law after marrying the Prophet's daughter Fatima Al Zahraa.

The major school of thought of the Shi'a is called the Ithna 'ashariyah or the Twelvers, with followers living in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Lebanon. Other schools are known as Seveners or the Fivers. Their names refer to the number of leaders or Imams they recognize as the illegitimate leaders after the Prophet's death. The Imamate, coming from the word "Imam" or a religious leader, is the essence of Shi'ism. The Shi'i and the Sunni differ also in the interpretation of some versus in the Qur'an and Hadith

Sufism

Sufis focus on the internal or more spiritual aspects of Islam, such as perfecting one's faith and fighting one's own ego. Some Sufis can be classified as Sunni or Shi'a. Sufism is a spiritual practice where the followers seek inner knowledge of God. Sufism emerged around the 10th century and has divided into different schools or "tariqa" such as: Ahmadiyya and Qadariyya. The Sufis believe their roots can be traced back to Islam in the early 7th century. However, many Muslims scholars believe that Sufism is outside the sphere of Islam and contradicts with its teachings.

The Sufis follow a path of meditation and deprivation. They renounce worldly objects and trust in God's will. Their aim is to reach a higher knowledge of Allah. Some Sufi believers developed the view of pantheism, which simply means that God and the universe are one. The majority of Muslims reject this idea since God is the creator of the universe and therefore separate from it.