Sunni, Shia, and Sufi sects in political Islam

Philosophy

The Sects of Islam - Shi'i and Sunni

The Shi'i and Sunni Islamic sects enjoy many commonalities, but some key differences as well. The Sunnis are one of the largest Islamic sects, and represent some of the most traditional Islamic beliefs. Initially, many of the core differences between Sunni and Shi'i were grounded in politics, but theology has taken root, as well. For example, Sunni's view their relationship with God as direct, unmediated by any religious "officer" such as a priest or rabbi. In addition, they only recognize four schools of legal thought, while the Shi'i recognize only one major school of thought, the Jafaryia or the "Twelvers," combined with a few minor schools. The Shi'i are the only sect to recognize the Imamate, and consider themselves the followers of "Ali," the true descendent of the Prophet.

As noted, the Sunnis are the most populous of the Islamic sects, while the Shi'i are the second most populous. The Shi'i are considered to be more dissident and opposed to other sects, and tend to be the lower classes of Islam, or at least the oppressed. Suffering and martyrdom are both very important aspects of the Shi'i beliefs, as well. These two sects are two of the most active in the Iraq strife occurring throughout the country. While Sunnis are the most populous sect, they are not the most populous in Iraq; they only represent about 40% of Iraqi Muslims, while the Shi'i represent the majority in Iran, almost 90%.

As can be expected, there are quite a few differences in the way the two sects view their religions and how they worship. As noted, the two groups' morning calls to prayer use different words, but there are many other subtle differences, as well. For example, both sects celebrate the holidays of Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha, but the Shi'i also mark several other holidays that the Sunni do not, such as the Remembrance of Muharram and Ashurah (which commemorates Imam Husayn ibn Ali's martyrdom for the Shi'i). To the Sunni the holiday represents Moses fasting for a day after he led the Israelites out of Egypt. The Shi'i also celebrate Arba'een, Milad al-Nabi, (Muhammad's birth date), Mid of Shaban (the birth date of the 12th and final imam), Eid al-Ghadeer, and Al-Mubahila. The Sunnis do not celebrate any of these holidays.

In addition, both sects pray five times each day, but like the wording, some of the prayer times differ. Shi'i do not believe that there is a set time for as'r and Ish'a prayers, and therefore, they are prayed together with the Thu'hur and Mugrib prayers, rather than separately. Likewise, the Tar'raweeh is different between the two sects. The Shi'i do not perform non-obligatory prayers like this in congregation, but the Sunnis pray the Tar'raweeh in congregation during Ramadaan.

All of Islamic law is based on the hadith, but because the two sects recognize some differing aspects of the hadith, their versions of the specific laws differ in some cases. In fact, many Sunnis believe the Shi'i are not true Muslims, and many Sunni sects have not issued fatwas accepting the Shi'i as part of the Muslim tradition. Another difference is on the subject of "temporary marriage," (or Mut'ah), which the Shi'i allow, because it has been historically permitted in a number of Shi'i customs. Many Shi'i suppress the practice, but do believe it is permitted in their doctrine, while the Sunnis do not permit it at all. The Shi'i hadith center on direct descendents of Muhammad, (Ahl al-Bayt), and do not include some of the hadith not associated to him are not included in their Qur'an. Both sects believe in the Five Pillars of Islam, but they do give some of them different characteristics. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two is their belief in preordination. The Sunnis believe God has preordained what will happen in life, while the Shi'i do not. Finally, the two sects see one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad very differently. The Sunnis think Aisha was an ideal woman, while the Shi'i do not think she had a good character.

Sufis are the mystic Muslims, dedicated to love, knowledge, and dedication of the heart to God. Sufis believe that a pupil must learn from a master, and so they teach in small, personal groups. They also believe one must know oneself to reach meaning and purpose, and that one must always seek the truth. It is a mystic religion, much more so than the other Muslim orders, and some have compared it to Zen Buddhism and other mystic orders. In fact, many people believe Sufism is derived from Islam, but also from other mystic beliefs, such as shamanism. They preach loving one another no matter what religion or race a person is, and in that they differ from other Muslim sects, who believe theirs is the only correct explanation of the Qur'an. The Sufis believe in the Six Subtleties, Nafs, Qalb, Ruh, Sirr, Khafi & Akhfa, which represent six "organs" or sensory awareness. The more traditional Sufi orders believe in traditional Muslim law, which puts them much closer to the Sunnis than the Shi'is. Traditional Sufis believe they can practice Sufism within Islam, and in fact, they must do this. Some Muslim scholars accept Sufism, while others do not.

Sufis have a variety of religious practices that are far different from the traditional Muslim prayer five times a day. All Muslims practice dhikr, the remembrance of God, but the Sufis dhikr included ritualized dance and singing, costumes, and even trance-like states. These are far different from the very conservative prayer meeting five times a day. Some Sunnis still practice kahlwa, which is a form of retreat. Sufis also believe the esoteric meanings of the Qur'an can be perceived by mystic trance or interpretation, while the Sunnis and Shi'is do not.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Sufis and Sunnis is the Sunni reliance on personal godliness and internal self-knowledge, rather than the more scholastic view of the Sunnis. The Sufis also believe a Mahdi, a holy figure somewhat like a Messiah will come rescue the Muslims at the end of the world.

The Ghulat (extremist) sects can be just about any sect of Islam; the word is used to denote an extremist in any of the sects of Islam. These sects usually exaggerate the status of a member of the Prophet Muhammad's family or a saint, and thus, they are an offshoot of the Twelvers or Shi'i. They tend to be more liberal than many other sects are which also sets them apart. Perhaps the most controversial belief held by many of these sects is equality for women, which goes totally against the beliefs of Shi'i, who contend women are lower class citizens then men. They also tend to believe in religious freedom and secular government, while most other sects believe in government by their own sect.

Most Muslims believe that the Ghulat sects are not a part of Muslim faith at all.

Third essay theme (1 Page): The historical evolution of political Islam, and the prognosis for secular Islamic polities. The Ghulat cannot inherit items from Muslims, and they cannot marry Muslim women, which sets them far apart from the Shi'i. The Ghulat often believe in more than one god, which makes them polytheists and unholy in Shi'i eyes. In fact, some Ghulat do not believe Muhammad is God, which is heresy to other Muslims.

One Ghulat sect is the Alawite, who are mostly active in Syria. These Alawites identify with Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, and thus, they share this ideology with the Twelver Shi'is. However, they revere Ali as a god, which sets them apart from the more traditional Shi'is. They also believe there is not enough knowledge of Muhammad's family to truly understand the Qur'an, even though it is their only holy book. They study the book of Jafaar al-Saadaq. They also believe Ali is the purpose of life and the divine knowledge of the prophet Mohammed, which actually rises him above the Prophet in their eyes. The religion is also very secretive, and they do not publish their texts or share them with other sects.