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Shia Sunni
After the Prophet Review
The book opens with a story about the Sunni extremist group that is known as Al Qaida. This group is quiet infamous and has been the target of much of the geopolitical efforts derived from the West. In the Western media, much of the attention about Al Qaida has been directed upon their terrorist activities that affect the West. However, the stories told about Al Qaida's activities in Iraq are quite revealing and this is the story that many people in the West do not hear about.
In the seventh century, not even fifty years after Muhammad had passed, his closest male descendants were murdered at Karbala. On March 4th, 2004, Al Qaida launched an attack that back known as the "Ashura Massacre" on the Shia's at the same location (Hazleton 2009). This was a preview of the ensuing civil war that would explode after the fall of the reign of Sadam Hussein in Iraq. To understand these events fully it is necessary to put them in the context of history. The roots of the conflict are nearly as old as the religion itself.
When Muhammad passed away in his chamber in Aisha, he did not leave any sons to claim his heir. If he would have had a son or...
Not only did Muhammad not have any sons, but he also failed to designate any heir that would take his place upon his passing; or at least a designation that was clear to his followers. This represents the beginning of the conflict that has persisted throughout the centuries.
After the Prophet
It is interesting that Muhammad did not appoint a successor. The explanation provided in the book is that appointing a successor would have been a risk for Muhammad. The tensions between different groups or tribes were high in the period and appointing a successor would have put his life at risk. The book mentions that it could have also put Muhammad's life a risk if the successor would want to speed up the process by murdering the prophet. Whatever the case may have been for the lack of a clearly designated successor, it is this situation that created the initial division among the Sunni and Shias and it is even possible that Muhammad himself foresaw the discontent that grew after his death.
The two people that arose to attempt to fill the role of the successor were Muhammad's…
Works Cited
Hazleton, L. After the Prophet. New York: Doubleday, 2009.
Instead, it is increasingly evident that stark political conditions have weighed heavily on the nature of either side's identity, indicating that that conformity is a powerful force in the Islamic world. Social Perception and Social Cognition: Social perception and social cognition are rampantly distorted in many parts of the Middle East. For many Shiite and Sunni combatants, a lack of access to education, history or the ability to critically assess global
Sunni Muslims argue that control of the community is not hereditary or a birthright, but a trust that must be earned and therefore can be given or taken away by the people themselves. Another difference comes in the sanctity of religious texts. Shia Muslims have some resentment to some of the contemporaries of the Prophet Muhammad. This sprouts from their stands and deeds in the historical years of discord about
Sunnis and Shiites Shia and Sunni are two major sects of Islam. Shias or Shiites as commonly known share most of the fundamental beliefs with Sunnis but there are differences in practices, rituals and some beliefs as well, due to which they are considered two completely different sects. These differences are however not considered as major as probably with some other sects like Ahmedis, Bohras, and Ismailis but are still enough
In the lines of the Apostles, Bishops of particular Churches throughout the world in charge of particular diocese are part of the Church and form the College of Bishops when the College is united as a decision-making body under the leadership of the Pope. The College may exercise power over the Universal Church by coming together in an ecumenical council when the council is recognized by the Pope, the
Finally some sects command their followers to perform ziyara, or what they consider to be minor pilgrimages, to the tombs of Imams in addition to the pilgramage to Mecca ("Shiism," 2005). While recognizing the two Islamic holidays Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha, Shi'ites incorporated additional festivals into their system, some of which will be described here. The first major festival is the Festival of Muharram and Ashura, in which Shi'ites observe the
Shia-Sunni Split Many religions have different denominations and Islam is not an exception in this regard. The two primary denominations of Islam are Sunni Islam and Shia Islam. The majority of Muslims across the globe are Sunni, estimated to be roughly 85% to 90% of the Muslim population. The remaining smaller number of Muslims, say about 15%, are Shia. Further demarcations indicate that most Shias belong to the tradition known as