Transcript Sunni & Shi`a

Islam in Iran
SUNNI // SHI’A DIVIDE
Word Worm!
• Sect:
– A subdivision of a
larger religious
group
Definitions:
Sunni
• one of the two main
branches of Islam and
differing from Shia in its
understanding of the
Sunna and in its
acceptance of the first
three caliphs.
Shi’a
• one of the two main
branches of Islam,
followed especially in
Iran, that rejects the first
three Sunni caliphs and
regards Ali, the fourth
caliph, as Muhammad's
first true successor.
Approximately 85-90% of Muslims
today are Sunni
• Both Sunni and Shia Muslims share the
fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith. The
schism between the two initially stemmed not from
spiritual differences but from political ones. After the
death of the Prophet Muhammad, a debate ensued
over who should take his place as leader of the faith.
Most of the prominent Muslims of Medina claimed that
Muhammad had named no successor and elected Abu
Bakr, the Prophet’s closest advisor and companion, as
the first caliph (successor). This was an extremely
controversial appointment, as other Muslims argued
that Muhammad had designated Ali as his
successor. Ali was the Prophet’s son-in-law and
closest male relative, and those who supported him felt
not only that his succession had been the intention of
the Prophet but also that his blood tie to Muhammad
was a sacred bond.
• Ali’s supporters, who believed that direct
descendants of Muhammad were the only rightful
leaders of the faith, would become known as the
Shia (from “Shi’at Ali,” or “the party of Ali”). Those who
became the Sunni believed instead that their leaders
should be elected from among those most capable,
politically. Both sides occasionally gained control in the
fractious early Caliphate, and although Ali eventually
became the fourth caliph, his reign was short and
ended in assassination. He was followed by Muawiyah
of the prominent Umayyad family, but when Muawiyah
was succeeded by his son, Yazid I, the Shia revolted,
demanding that Ali’s son, Hussein, be named caliph.
Hussein set out from Mecca to meet his supporters, but
he and his family were massacred by Umayyad troops at
the Battle of Karbala. While political power would
occasionally still shift after this, the Shi’a were to
remain an often-persecuted minority throughout the
era of the Caliphate.
• Shia doctrine is based on a interpretation of Islam
established by the “imams,” religious leaders who were
descendants of Muhammad and whom the Shia consider
to be the sole interpreters of Islamic theology. In Shiism,
the Qur’an contains layers of meaning beneath the literal
meanings that were revealed by the imams. The Shia
also have their own versions of the “hadith,” the collected
sayings and deeds of the Prophet, and thus have a
distinct interpretation of Islamic law and culture. The Shia
tradition adds to Islam a significant passion element, the
observance of the murders of Ali and Hussein, and an
occult and messianic element, the belief that
Muhammad al-Mahdi, the twelfth and “hidden” imam
who disappeared in 874 A.D., is alive but hidden from
the world by God and will return in the final days to
restore the world to justice. Politically, generations
spent as a persecuted minority have made the Shia
quicker to resent authority than the Sunni and to view
spiritual life as a struggle for social justice and
against oppression.
Caliph: The successor of Muhammad (King-ish)
Caliphate: Constitutional theocracy, kingdom of
Islamic Empirical influence from the death of
Mohammed until the 13th century
4) Ali: (Muhammad’s son-in-law)
1) Abu Bakr:
Killed by saber!
(early convert and trusted advisor)
2) Umar
Ali’s Sons…
3) Utman
•
5) Hassan:
6) Hussein:
Poisoned
Beheaded at Karbala
After Muhammad’s death, there is no direct line to become Caliph
– Sunnis back Abu Bakr
– Shi’a back Ali
– Ali is killed in 5 year civil war (true split of Islam begins)
•
Sunni’s WIN and Caliphate becomes monarchy (called Umayyads):
–
•
@ Battle of Karbala (Present day Iraq)
• Supporters of Ali vs Sunni Umayyad Caliphate
• All men killed, Hussein martyred
BEGINNING OF SHI’A OPPRESSION:
–
Shi’a flee to present day Iran
Shi’a = oppression
• Muhammad established no church or institutional structure for Islam; indeed,
the faith's basic notion that all believers were equal before God seemed to rule
out the notion of a priesthood. But Islam was a social and political movement
as well as a religious one. And as the Arab empire expanded, Islam
incorporated elements of the cultures it encountered, giving rise to varying
schools of interpretation of the texts of Islamic belief:
• the Qur'an
• the "sunnah" (the exemplary words and deeds of Muhammad)
• the "hadith" (the records kept by Muhammad's companions).
• With the rise of religious institutions and the expansion of Islamic scholarship,
doctrinal arguments developed, which led to the development of a number of
sects and schools of thought.