Muslim Diversity

Muslim Unity

►Muslims make a strong claim to universal unity.

► “And hold fast, all together, unto the bond with Allah, and do not draw apart from one another.” (Sura, 6:159)

►Unity in customs, values.►Most Muslims have Arab names

(Abdsammad in Kyrgystan)►Celebrate the same feasts, recite the same

prayers

Muslim Unity

►There is Dar as-Salaam (“house of Islam/Peace”) or the present Muslim community.

►Dar al-Harb (“land of the ignorant or disbelief”) or those outside of Islam.

►Generally, Sunnis and Shi’is regard one another as brothers.

Muslim Diversity

►Muhammad (hadith) predicted sects within Islam:

►“Verily, it will happen to my people even as it did to the children of Israel. The children of Israel were divided into seventy-two sects, and my people will be divided into seventy-three. Every one of the sects will go to hell, except one sect.”

Q: Cause for diversity?

►Historical developments (i.e. choice of caliph; see Braswell, 89)

►Reform movements (i.e. Wahhabis)

Sunni Islam

►The majority Muslim group— 85-90% of all Muslims

►Regarded as the orthodox group.►Originated with the death of

Muhammad and choice of Abu Bakr to be the caliph.

Sunni Islam

►A decision for Abu Bakr was made by consensus (ijma)—the community should select the new leader.

►The “rightly guided” caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali) led from Medina (632-661)

►These caliphs administered the sunna (hadith)

►Sunni’s developed the comprehensive system of law (sharia)

Shia (Shiite) Islam

►The Shi’is were birthed with the succession of the caliphate.

►Sunni’s believed the caliph was a decision of the community (umma)

Shia (Shiite) Islam

►Shi’is insisted that the caliph should be taken from the “house” or blood line of Muhammad.

►Shi’is claim tradition that Muhammad wanted to appoint Ali as his successor.

►Formed the Shiat Ali (“party of Ali”)►Of course disputed by Sunnis.►See

http://www.redtears.co.uk/karbala/trailer.html

Shia (Shiite) Islam

►Ali was murdered His tomb is in Najaf near Kufa, Iraq (map) For Shi’is, a pilgrimage to Najaf is worth

100,000 martyrdoms and forgiveness of past and present sins.

►After Ali’s murder, his son Hassan was briefly named caliph Abdicated to Mu’awwiyah and then was

poisoned in Medina

Shia (Shiite) Islam

►Hussein, Hassan’s brother also was in Medina

►Hussein sends a delegation to Kufa to sound his support as the caliph—they were killed.

►Hussein and left with his family and followers to Kufa— they were surrounded and killed at Kerbala on the 10th day of Muharram.

Shia (Shiite) Islam►Now Kerbala is a key Shi’a place for

pilgrimage worth a thousand pilgrimages to Mecca, a thousand martyrdoms, a thousand days of fasting

►10th of Muharram (celebrates Hussein’s martyrdom) There are sermons, special stories, and

prayer meetings about Hussein. Also passion plays (taziyahs). Men don white cloths and beat their

chests to the point of shedding blood

Shi’a Doctrinal Distinctives►The Shi’a Quran has a few variants in

it not used by the Sunnis.►Shi’a have their own collections of

hadith collected in the 10th century.►Shi’a Islam stresses the imamate

(succession of prayer leaders) more than the caliphate.

Shi’a Doctrinal Distinctives►In the Shia version of the shahadah,

an additional phrase is added that Ali is the commander of true believers and the friend of God.

►Light (nur) A divine light is passed from imam to

imam; a near sinlessness and infallibility.

Shia Splinter Groups

►Twelvers (Ithna Ashariya)►Seveners (Ismailis)►Khariji (“Seceders”)►Mutazilites ►Ahmadiyans

Twelvers (Ithna Ashariya)

►Make up the majority Shi’is►90% of all Twelvers live in Iran►They accept the line of twelve imams from

Ali to Muhammad al-Muntazzar (b. 878) of Samarra (modern Iraq)

►Al-Muntazzar’s father declared him to be the mahdi (“messiah”)

►At the age of 9, he disappeared and during the “concealment” the Muslim community was to be led by guides (ayatollah)

►At the end of the world, he will appear and convert the world to Islam.

Seveners (Ismailis)

►Accept the first seven imams in the house of Ali to Ismail ibn Jafar

►Tend to be more radical and secretive in their activities

►They helped the Fatimid Empire in Egypt (969-1174) to come to power through being revolutionaries

Seveners (Ismailis)

►Helped to found Al-Azhar University in Cairo

►Seveners split into two groups: Nazaris who look to a modern imam

known as the Aga Khan Mustalis (Bohoro Muslims) who believe

in a hidden imam not descended from Hassan or Hussein.

Khariji (“Seceders”)

►Initially favored Ali, then broke with him.

►Ali was murdered by a member of the Khariji

►Distinctives: The caliph and all Muslims must be pure Equality among believers is stressed

►Historically a large presence in North Africa where the corrupt Arab leadership was opposed.

Mutazilites ►Arose opposing the fanaticism of the

Kharijites►Defended free will and moral

responsibility►Denied forgiveness for repeated

sinners

Mutazilites ► Incorporated Greek metaphysics into their

thought Resisted attributing human characteristics to

God Insisted on the unity of God Opposed the idea of an uncreated Quran Provoked thoughtful reflections among Muslims

►Al-Ashari (d. 935) Initially a Mutazilite, later a Sunni He elevated revelation over reason then later

used reason to support revelation

Ahmadiyans

►Founded in India in the late 19th century

►Founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, declared himself the imam of Islam

►Regarded as heretical by other Muslim groups

►500,000 mostly living in Pakistan►Yet very missionary oriented (i.e.

Ahmad Deedat) http://www.ahmed-deedat.co.za/

frameset.asp

Ahmadiyan Distinctives

►No verse in the Qu’ran can be abrogated

►Jihad is no more (no coercion in religion) Caner and Deedat

►To say that Muhammad is the seal of the prophets does not make him the last one

►Jesus is dead and did not ascend to heaven very anti-Christian

►Hell is not eternal

Ahmadiyan Distinctives

►Apostasy is not punishable by death►Innovation in worship is forbidden,

including worshipping saints►Consensus was limited to

Muhammad’s companions►Belief in Ahmad is obligatory

that he is the mahdi►Spirituality is more important than

legalism

Sufis

►Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam stressing emotions, the personal attributes of God, personal relationship with God, love and heartfelt religion

►Means “wool” or “purity” Possibly because of garments worn by early

mystics

►Developed as a reaction to Islamic legalism (law, ritual, duty) and focus on

the intellect; A direct experience with God was desired over ritual

The worldliness of Ummayad leaders in Damascus

Sufis

►How to find God?►Through introspection and inward

experiences►God is a light that burns through the

lamp (man)►Enabled through prayer, fasting, self-

denial, discipline►Dhikr sessions or constantly repeated

the name of God

Sufis

►Muhammad’s night journey is interpreted allegorically to mean the ability of the soul to rise to God through prayer and discipline and to be unified with God.

Sufis

►Some Sufis see the Qu’ran as an allegory for the soul’s quest to be united to God Could this be “sonic?”

►Consider an 8th century Sufi woman: Against worshipping God out of fear of

hell or the promise of paradise “If I worship you for your own sake,

withhold not your everlasting beauty”

Al-Ghazali (d. 1111)►Most famous Sufi thinker►A professor of Islam in Baghdad, he began

to have doubts about his faith►Trying Sufism, he had a personal

experience with God►He taught that

Religious certainty could only be found through religious experience

The love of God, more than union with God, was the key to religion

►A moderate Sufi who combined Quranic and traditional study with mysticism

Sufis►Orders and brotherhoods were formed► Jalal ad-Din Rumi (1207-1273) found the

“whirling dervishes” Devotees whirl or dance while repeating the

name of God http://www.whirlingdervishes.org/

►Music and poetry is an important part of Sufi worship As music was not allowed in the mosque, Sufis

have built their own lodges “House of blessing” in Tunis

Wahhabis

►A reform movement that began in Saudi Arabia in the late 17th century.

►Eventually the house of Saud, the ruling dynasty of Saudi Arabia, adopted Wahhabi thought.

►Strict legal interpretation of Islamic law

►Similar ideologies in Libya, Saudi, Iran, and Pakistan have created an environment for Islamic fundamentalism.

Wahhabi Distinctives

►Against veneration of saints, folk Islam.►Doctrine must only come from the Quran

and Hadith.►Mosques must be simply adorned.►No music.►No smoking.►No bad language.►Men must have a beard.► Jihad is an obligation.

Nation of Islam

►Founded by Elijah (Poole) Muhammad in the 1930s

►Mixed African American liberation with Islam

►Has never been accepted by orthodox Muslims

►Made famous by Malcolm X►Presently led by Louis Farrakhan

Q: Reasons for Muslim Diversity?

►Political discord (Kharijis, Shi’is)►Theological differences (Mutazalites)

They surely occur in a large religious movement

More tolerance has been shown to non-Muslim thought than to inter-Muslim thought (Akther)

►Mystical movements (Sufis)►Reform movements (Wahhabis)►Advent of charismatic leaders (Ahmad)