Subgroups of Islam

[SMKolins]

It might be worth adding subgroups. The larger majority are called Sunni. A minority are Shi in the Iran/Iraq area which we somewhat hear about on radio or tv these days for non-religious reasons. There is also the Sufi aspect to Islam though again not everyone would say Sufism is indeed part of Islam.

There are also Moslem movements in the States, especially Nation of Islam which have been more or less in favor with the Sunni and Shi portions of Islam.

I guess all that was put into the sticky definition fit but each subgroup adds a particular context and history.

The Sunni/Shi division is one I've paid some particular attention to. Of course voicing the details will get into points of view about what happened and why, and more, since I am not really either, my view however informed is clearly from somewhat of an outsider pov. All that being said, until someone wants to put a more formal effort in, I thought I might do alittle more than just broach the subject.

Without getting it details of dates and places, on one of Muhammad's last travels, on the way home, he suddenly called a halt, stood on a nearby dune and announced a position and relationship to the Moslems assembled. I beleive it is this occurance where Ali's title "Commander of the Faithful" comes from. Statements like "Who has beleived in Ali has believed in Me" and the like - identifying a priority position for Ali.

However this particular trip had few of the prominant followers of Islam with Muhammad, as Islam had transitioned to being a major society and there were many things that needed taking care of and this was no little task with tribal rivalries and injustices to settle as well as civic development and trade to do and oversee.

And Muhammad soon fell ill. On his death bed he asked for a pen and paper, perhaps for a Surah or perhaps just out of the fevered condition he was in. In any case he was denied and soon he passed away. With his passing his family took to mourning, including Ali, who was married to his favored daughter Fatimah and with whom Muhammad had his only grandchildren. During this period of mourning the community had no formal leadership and by acclamation the informal leadership of Abu Bakr was established. A noble man who had spent his wealth buying the freedom of slaves, and seeking to be of sincere service when his wealth was spent, Abu Bakr was favored of Muhammad and had earned the respect of the community. But the leadership wasn't something established through the formal means available before Muhammad's passing. So when Ali emerged from mourning it was done.

Over time differences emerged between Ali and many of the leaders of the Faith. Some had commited the whole of the Qur'an to memory but they were of essentially two minds and Ali was a member of the minority. When Abu Bakr was about to pass away he appointed a means for the next leader, Caliph, to be chosen. Neither the process of mass acclamation or committee work had been affirmed as the means of choosing the Caliph but here we were.

The next Caliph seems to have gained the position more out the position of his family in the scheme of things - the dominant economic power of the day, and previously the most determined enemies of Muhammad and the spread of Islam. Formally now Moslem, some bad things happened under his leadership. In any case the community became more polarized and some followed the formal leadership and others began to follow Ali. I'm a bit confused by the details - there were Caliphs before and after this one, and Ali was one of them but emediately when Ali was Caliph the community became sundered in civil war.

It should be noted that the Revelation of God in the Qur'an had spoken often and in striking tones about the unity of the community, how much Moslems were to be at peace with eachother and that fighting should be impossible. Alas when that Caliph or the family that had opposed Muhammad perviously passed away he appointed the highest family member, establishing a dynasty, in still a third way to appoint the Caliph, and open hostility began.

Quickly however a truce was called - as it was said, war should have been impossible so both sides were very uncomfortable with fighting other Moslems though in the same breath each held their own leader as Caliph for what they felt were good reasons. A third group however, not attached to either leadership, felt that both sides had erred and sought to end the situation by killing both of them. They succeeded at killing Ali, while the leader of the other side survived, perhaps in tune with prophecy. Giving the aweful situation, the followers of Ali essentially withdrew and many entered Persia which had become a Moslem region. Following family lines, leadership in Muhammad's surviving family fell to his eldest grandson. Though he made no motion to making waves for the new Caliph he was pressed into signing a formal document dening any claim to leadership in the community. He was Hasan. But he was killed anyway. Then the leadership of the family fell to his brother, Husayn. Husayn took care of the extended family now mourning so many dead fathers. He sought no leadership though others took note of his choices and many outright begged he intervene in happenings in the court of the Caliphate - certain decision were being made that seemed on the face of it incompatible with the explicit text of the Qur'an.

In what is compared to a civil rights march of the day, Husayn embarked on a march, begging to only go alone. Others pressed to go along and eventually 72 people travelled with him. Most were his emediate family and babies were among them. Only a sick child was left at home. The rest of the group were a kind of honor guard to help the family across the desert.

Word spread quickly of this march. The acting Caliph sent an army of 3000 or so to meet this march of 72ish. They met in the desert. The situation was so outlandish the general ultimately switched sides and another general was sent.

In the end, Husayn would not go back and the general decided to slaughter every single person there. The only witnesses were members of the opposing army and some there ultimately switched sides to tell the tail. Husayn atttempted a last march, baby in arms, only to have the baby struck from his arms by arrows. Husayn's head was ultimately severed for proof of his death for the Caliph.

This is the defining moment when the two sides would never be at east with eachother ever again. War often broke out between them, and character assasination of all the figures of history became rampant even as both sides took great pains to be full of authority for their views.

Where Husayn fell became a place of pilgrimige for the Shi' as they came to be called, and today it is Karbila in Iraq.

The term Imam in Islam generally refers to any religious leader of the community. To the Shi' it gained a special status for the male members of the family of Muhammad - so Ali, Hasan, Husayn and that sick child that grew up and lead the family and so on for some twelve generations in all - all are considered by the majority of Shi as Imams by birth, and given to special guidance by God. Most are known to have been killed and the rest feared so.

I beleive these are the critical historical issues per the Sunni and Shi' split. There are of course many other issues involved - theological, economic, political, cultural.... I know that Shi' have traditions of bloodying themselves to feel personally involved with the suffering of Husayn for example, as well as out of penance for one tribe having abandoned the side of Ali at a crucial battle as well as being the tribe from which the assasins succeeded in killing Ali but failing against the other Caliph claiment.

It all becomes very tragic to me.

Checking over at Wikipedia I see far more detail though the thrust of my rendition is recognizable. Not bad for not having reviewed the details in some years. Western accounts of all this are far and few between.

I do know that there are divisions among the Shi' as well - some don't accept all twelve as Imams because of various reasons. And on and on ... many divisions. But it begins pretty much the the Sunni/Shi split. A split that was not supposed to happen, and yet prophecy seems to have also seen it happen. But clearly any such interpritation would step right into the debate and lead to many other issues.