Historical Shia-Sunni relations
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Origins of the schism
Shias record the start of the schism with the death of Muhammad, and in their view, a violent coup d'état against Ali in his first day as caliph, which they argue was automatic without recourse to an election or a formal investiture. After that, Shias contend that they were systematically persecuted and killed by the first three Caliphs of Islam, with a brief respite ensuing during the caliphate of Ali, although he was at constant war with those the Shia regarded as their enemies. Sunnis hold that the schism did not begin at the accession of the first Caliph, Abu Bakr, since Ali ultimately swore allegiance and served all his predecessors before his own accession. Sunnis in general reject dynastic claims of the Prophet's household to the Caliphate. They hold that First Islamic civil war between Ali and the Umayyad Muawiyah I, whose 20 year rule Shias regard as the most difficult in early Islam, marked the beginning of the breach. For more detailed information, see Succession to Muhammad.
It is noteworthy that the terms "Shi'a" and "Sunni" were not yet in general usage at this time.
Practical Differences Between Sunni's and Shia's
On a practical daily level, Shias have a different call to prayer, they perform wuzu and namaz differently including placing the forehead onto a piece of hardened clay from Karbala, not directly onto the prayer mat when prostrating, as the majority Sunni do. They also tend to combine prayers, sometimes worshipping three times per day instead of five.
The Shias also have some different ahadith and prefer those narrated by Ali and Fatima to those related by other companions of the Prophet (pbuh). Because of her opposition to Ali, those narrated by Aisha count among the least favored. Shia Islam also permits muttah - fixed-term temporary marriage - which is now banned by the Sunnis. Muttah was originally permitted at the time of the Prophet (pbuh) and is now being promoted in Iran by an unlikely alliance of conservative clerics and feminists, the latter group seeking to downplay the obsession with female virginity which is prevalent in both forms of Islam, pointing out that only one of the Prophet's thirteen wives was a virgin when he married them.
Abbasid era
The Umayyads were overthrown in 750 by a new dynasty, the Abbasids. The first Abbasid caliph, As-Saffah recruited Shiite support in his campaign against the Umayyads by emphasizing his blood relationship to the Prophet's household through descent from his uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. The Shia also believe that he promised them that the Caliphate, or at least religious authority, would be vested in the Shiite Imam. As-Saffah assumed both the temporal and religious mantle of Caliph himself. He continued the Umayyad dynastic practice of succession, and his brother al-Mansur succeeded him in 754.
The sixth Shi'a imam died during al-Mansur's reign, and there were claims that he was murdered on the orders of the caliph.[1].
Soon, Shias claim, intolerance reached such high levels that even the founder of a Sunni school of law, Abu Hanifah, was imprisoned by al-Mansur and tortured. He also had Ibn Hanbal, the founder of another school of law, flogged. [2]
Shia sources further claim that by the orders of the tenth Abassid caliph, al-Mutawakkil, the tomb of the third Shia Imam Husayn ibn Ali in Karbala was completely demolished [3], and Shias were sometimes beheaded in groups, buried alive, or even placed alive within the walls of government buildings still under construction.[4]
The Shia believe that they thus continued to live for the most part in hiding and followed their religious life secretly without external manifestations. [5]
Fatwas
Some Sunni scholars, mainly from the Salafi sect of Sunni Islam, have been known for producing Fatwas, legal edicts of Takfir or labelling other Muslims as infidels, on Shi'a with some even promoting and legalising their murder.
The spread of Shiism in the middle ages
The Buyids, who were Shi'a and had a significant influence not only in the provinces of Persia but also in the capital of the caliphate in Baghdad, and even upon the caliph himself, provided a unique opportunity for the spread and diffusion of Shi'a thought. This spread of Shiism to the inner circles of the government enabled Shias to withstand those who opposed them by relying upon the power of the caliphate.
Shah Muhammad Khudabandah, the famous builder of Soltaniyeh, was among the first of the Mongols to convert to Shi'aism, and his descendants ruled for many years in Persia and were instrumental in spreading Shia thought. [6]
Mention must also be made of the kings of the Aq Qoynlu and Qara Qoynlu dynasties who ruled in Tabriz and whose domain extended to Fars and Kerman, as well as of the Fatimid government which was ruling in Egypt.(al-Ka-mil of Ibn Athir, Cairo, 1348; Raudat al-safa'; and Habib al-siyar of Khwand Mir)
Shias claim that despite these advances, many Shi'as in Syria continued to be killed during this period merely for being Shi'a. One of these was Muhammad Ibn Makki called Shahid-i Awwal (the First Martyr), one of the great figures in Shi'a jurisprudence, who was killed in Damascus in 1384CE.(al-Ka-mil of Ibn Athir, Cairo, 1348; Raudat al-safa'; and Habib al-siyar of Khwand Mir)
Shihab al-Din Suhrawardi was another eminent scholar, killed in Aleppo on charges of cultivating Batini teachings and philosophy.(al-Ka-mil of Ibn Athir, Cairo, 1348; Raudat al-safa'; and Habib al-siyar of Khwand Mir)
The Sunni and Shia in modern times
Sunni Muslims make up the majority (85%) of Muslims all over the world. Significant populations of Shia Muslims can be found in Iran and Iraq, and large minority communities in Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, and Lebanon.[[16]]
Modern Shi'a-Sunni relations
Shia statehood
Over the centuries, the Shi'a have gained suzerainty in Iran. With the rise of the Safavid empire, the Shi'as were finally able to establish a political state in which they were ascendant [7]. This political domination gradually led to discrimination against Sunni Iranians. In present-day Iran, while Shi'a religious institutions are encouraged, Sunni institutions are blocked. In 1993 a newly constructed Sunni mosque in Sanandaj was destroyed by a mob of Shi'a zealots. Despite the fact that more than one million Sunnis live in Tehran, many of them Kurds, no Sunni mosque exists to serve their religious needs [8]. In a rare public protest, eighteen Sunni parliamentarians wrote to the authorities in July 2003 to criticize the treatment of the Sunni Muslim community and the refusal to allow construction of a mosque in Tehran that would serve that community. [9]
Relations between Sufis and the Shi'a establishment are also tense. In February 2006, Qom witnessed a violent standoff between the two groups in which many Sufis were arrested [10]
In addition to Iran, other Shi'a-dominated states have recently emerged however, such as Iraq when the Shi'a majority achieved political dominance in 2005.
The two communities have often remained separate, mingling regularly only during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. In some countries like Iraq, Syria, and Bahrain, some communities have mingled and intermarried. Shi'a claim that modern Shi'a have commonly been tolerant towards the Sunni, tolerating them even when the state religion is Shi'a, as in Iran. However, they claim, when attacked (as in Pakistan) they have retaliated violently.
Improving relations
Modern Shi'a and Sunni communities are becoming less confrontational. Scholars such as Hassan al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb, Allamah Mawdudi, Shaikh Muhammed Kashak, Allamah Sheikh Muhammed al Ghazali, Sheikh Muhmud Shaltut, Professor al Bahansawi, Altalmasani, Anwar al Jundi, Hassan Ayyub, Said Hawi, Fathi Yakun, Abu Zuhrah, Yusuf al Azm, Professor Rashid al Ghannachi among others have encouraged Sunni and Shi'a unity. Others have not. Yet within both sects, it has been stressed to seek unity among the faithful. Organizations such as the Shi'a Lebanese Hezbollah have been gaining respect among Sunnis and are seen as a credible resistance militia as well as a modern political party, often praised by all Lebanese sects, including Sunnis.
The renowned al-Azhar Theological school in Egypt, one of the main centers of Sunni scholarship in the world, announced the al-Azhar Shia Fatwa on July 6, 1959:
- "The Shi'a is a school of thought that is religiously correct to follow in worship as are other Sunni schools of thought."
Al-Azhar later distanced itself from this position. Many Islamic groups also currently maintain this distance, regarding the Shia doctrine at best as fisq (transgression or severely deviated)[11]. Some, such as Mufti Afzal Hoosen Elias openly consider the Shia as "Kafir" [12].
The Shi'a in Kuwait,India and pluralist Lebanon have achieved higher levels of tolerance and integration than in other Sunni-majority Arab countries.
Sunni Positions
The Birth of Shiaism in Iran
The fall of Tabriz in 1501 before the advancing forces of Shah Isma‘il Safawi marked the beginning of a new era in Iranian history. The land of Persia, whose population up to that time had been mainly Sunni, was now beginning to be transformed into a Shi‘ite homeland. Suppression of the Sunni Iranians was swift and merciless. The Sunni ‘ulama and Sufis were specifically targetted for persecution. Many preferred exile to certain death, and with the extermination and exodus of their ‘ulama the Ahl as-Sunnah in Iran lost the leadership capable of maintaining their ‘Aqidah as the dominant creed of the land. Thus the time-honoured Persian tradition of Sunni learning and spirituality that started with the likes of Ibrahim ibn Adham, ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak and Abu Dawud of Sijistan, and was sustained by men like al-Ghazali, ar-Razi and ‘Abd al-Qadir of Jilan, came to a horrendous end in the relentless persecution of the Safawids.
Divine Guidanance - Ijthihad
While the Sunni Muslims believe that after the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the door for any new divine guidance has been closed for ever, Shia Muslims believe that divine guidance continued after the Prophet by 12 divinely appointed Imams who were infallible (like the Prophet) and had advantage of accessing unseen knowledge where necessary. This means that Shia clergy have more room to maneouvre in interpreting the Qur'an than their Sunni counterparts.
Attempted Conversions of Sunni's
While all devout Muslim's are expected to do dawa or raise Islamic consciousness amongst people outside the fold, many Sunni accuse Shia clergy of tending to view missionary work among Sunnis to convert them to 'true Islam' as a worthwhile religious endeavor. As the senior sect within Islam, the Sunni's are somewhat more relaxed about Inter-sectorial preaching and conversion.
Shia positions
House of Saud
Shias claim that The House of Saud has made no secret of declaring the Shi'a as "not being Muslims"[13], or "Mushrik". They claim this is evident from the Shia minority in Saudia Arabia which has absolutely no political power or rights [14] Note that Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy and that generally no rights are available by law or plurality to any political participation outside the ruling family and its supporters. Also that being an absolute monarchy, they ruling elite have tried to portray a homogenous society in culture and religon. Since the religon of the rulers is Salafi/Wahhabi, they have tried to create a uniform Salafi society thus leaving out Shi'as from the main stream.
Internet
Many other extremist Sunnis have waged a virtual war of information on the internet against the Shi'a, with the Salafis and Saudi Arabia as the major sponsors of this movement [15]. Examples:
- It is the belief of all the shias that... Allah often lies and does mistakes.[16]
- Shi'ism and Islam are indeed different religions..[17]
- Shiaism (The Rafidah) and Islam are indeed different religions. This sect has developed into what we now know as the Shia whose beliefs and thoughts are repugnant beyond belief. [18]
- The religious beliefs and practices of SHI'AS differentiate and segregate them from the entire Muslim Ummah...Contrary to the universal and basic teachings of monotheistic religion, Shi'ism teaches... [19]
- The protracted contrariety between Islam and Shi'ism is but a clear reflection of fundamental differences between the two. The only common denominator between Islam and Shi'ism is the Islamic Kalimah. The rest of Shi'ism has very little in common with mainstream Islam. The unbridgeable divide between the two is entrenched in some of the core fundamentals of this sect... [20]
- Islam and Shi'ism are two parallel streams of thought that can never converge. They are as distinct from each other, as is Islam to the Ahlul-Kitaab.To ignore these differences is to ignore the stark reality.
- The often repeated hallowed call for "Muslim Unity" simply serves as a smokescreen, behind which Shi'a missionaries penetrate Muslim societies. Any attempt to resist this imposition is branded as "divisive". Would it be divisive to protect Islam from a sect that inherently debases the Qur'an, the Anbiyaa, and the Sahaaba? [21]
In some cases, Salafis have dedicated entire websites like ansar.org with the single purpose of attacking the Shias. Shias have answered with sites like answering-ansar.org
Al Qaeda
Some Sunni groups, often labeled as extremists, such as the Taliban or Al Qaeda, have even advocated the persecution of the Shi'a as heretics [22] Such groups have been responsible for violent attacks and suicide bombings at Shi'a gatherings at mosques and shrines, most notably in Iraq during the Ashura mourning ceremonies where hundreds of Shias were killed in coordinated suicide bombings [23], but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
However, many Shi'as have come to welcome the ostracization by the Sunni majority, which helps distance them from such Sunni phenomena (albeit extremist) as the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
Iraq
In Iraq, where the Shia have been a majority of the population, the Sunni establishment ruled them for many years. The British, who, having put down a Shia rebellion against their rule in the 1920s, "confirmed their reliance on a corps of Sunni ex-officers of the collapsed Ottoman empire" [24].
The Shia suffered indirect and direct persecution under independent Iraqi governments since 1932, especially that of Saddam Hussein. Shia religious leaders have been particularly targeted. "Between 1970 and 1985 the [Baathist] regime executed at least 41 clerics" [25], and Shia opposition to the government following the first Gulf War was reportedly suppressed.
The Sunni act of ostracizing however is turning out to have serious consequences for the political world as events in Iraq continue to unfold. Iraq is poised to become the first Shi'a ruled state in the Arab world, and Shi'a Iran has shown no hesitation in trying to support Iraq in this way, filling in the vacuum left by Sunni Arab countries.
Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi has quoted Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab on various occasions in statements he made, especially the infamous statement that urged his followers to kill Shi'a of Iraq for their religious affiliation.
Other
Elsewhere in the Arab world, the Shia, though not openly persecuted, are often subject to thinly-veiled persecution, particularly in Bahrain, where the generally poorer Shi'a majority is ruled by a wealthy Sunni elite without deference to their numerical superiority[26]
References
- ^ (Ya'qubi; vol.lll, pp.91-96, and Tarikh Abul Fida', vol. I, p.212.)
- ^ (Ya'qubi, vol.lll, p.86; Muruj al-dhahab, vol.lll, p.268-270.)
- ^ (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. XII, on the life of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq)
- ^ (Shi'a Islam, p62)
- ^ (Ya'qubi. vol.ll, p.224; Abu'l-Fida', vol.l, p.192; Muruj al-dhahab, vol.lll, p.81., also Shi'a Islam, p60.)
- ^ (Abu'l-Fida', vol.ll, p.63 and vol.lll, p.50)
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ pdf!
- ^ [3][4]
- ^ (see query from Sunni Imam)
- ^ [5] (another Sunni source)
- ^ [6], (The Arab Shia, chap1)
- ^ [7][8][9]
- ^ [10]
- ^ allaahuakbar.net
- ^ ahya.org
- ^ allaahuakbar.net
- ^ allaahuakbar.net
- ^ alinaam.org
- ^ alinaam.org
- ^ [11]
- ^ [12][13][14]
- ^ (The Arab Shia, p46)
- ^ (ibid, p101)
- ^ (ibid. chap1)
also:
- The Arab Shia: The Forgotten Muslims, by Graham E. Fuller and Rend Rahim Francke. New York: Saint Martin's Press, 1999, ISBN 0-312-23956-4
- Shi'a Islam, by Tabatabaei and Nasr, SUNY Press, 1979.
See also
- Status of religious freedom in Iran
- Status of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia
- Misconceptions about the Shi'a
- Succession to Muhammad
- Early historical view differences between Shia and Sunni
- Historic background of the Sunni-Shi'a split