ISLAMIC CULTURE

SECTS IN ISLAM

NEDA ISMAIL KHAN

10044663
 The split

 Today’s world

 School of studies

 Similarities

 Differences

 Further search into sects

After the death of Prophet Muhammad [S.A] in 632 AD, there was a disagreement on who would succeed the
legacy. This existed between two parties one being the Caliphs namely Abu Bakr [R.A], Umar ibn Al-
Khattab[R.A],Uthman ibn Affan [R.A] and Ali ibn Abi Talib[R.A] and the cousin of prophet also husband of
Fatima[R.A]: Ali ibn Abi Talib[R.A] who was considered as the first Imam according to Shi'ism.
 SHIA
SUNNI

Some believe that Ali [R.A] deserved to continue the teachings as

Sunni beliefs support the tradition of Khalifas ruling since
he was close to the prophet and his family. He was seen as a great
they were close companions of the prophet and the Sunni
leader and was often praised for his wisdom, justice, nobility and
school believed in a political system where anyone could
so on. This is the Shia school of study, and they continue their
be elected as a caliph as long as they preserved the truth of
beleifs that Ahlul-Bayt are the true inheritors known as Imams and
Islam no matter what their roots were.
only them.
Hanafi: This is the first school of thought created by a merchant
called Abu Hanifa. It was based mostly on juristic preferences,
analogical reasoning and was considered the easiest and liberal form
since it gave proper reasoning on situations rather than extremist
opinions.

Maliki: This is the second school of thought by Malik ibn Anas al-
Asbahi from the sacred city of Medina. Although its very similar to
the Hanafi school the differences arise in the degree of the matter. It
talks about issues where there is no exact answer in the Islamic
jurisprudence and formed answers leaning more towards public
interest than analogical methods.

Shafi: This third school was found by Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi,
he was a disciple of Malik ibn Anas. This ideology was based on
implementing more of the Islamic laws and jurisdiction than working
on interpretations. working on interpretations.
Hanbali: Mostly followed in Saudi Arabic, this was found by Imam
Ahmad bin Hanbal. This compared to the rest three schools is stricter
and derives laws from the exact meanings from the Quran.
Twelver: This is the largest Shia group that believes in the succession to the
twelve Imams starting from Imam Ali to Imam Mahdi since they accept
Imam Ali [R.A] to be the first leader and this position being passed down to
his lineage. They follow the teachings of these Imams and seek guidance
from them along with the Quranic lessons and the prophet’s sunnah.

Ismaili: Within the branch of Shia, Ismailis are followers to Ismail, the
oldest son of Imam Jafar as- Sadiq. The Ismailis continue to believe in the
line of Imamat in hereditary succession continuing from Ismail to His
Highness the Aga Khan, who is their present, 49th Imam in direct lineal
descent from Prophet Muhammad. Under this jurisprudence they present a
cosmology within an adapted Neoplatonic framework but tries to create an
alternative synthesis

Zaidi: This group is the closest to sunni school in relationship with the
other Shia sects. They follow the grandson of Husain ibn Ali: Zayd ibn Ali.
They believe in the power of knowledge and leadership qualities than
assigned positions due to lineage. Their Imams don’t stay Imams forever
since they pass on the titles.
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES?

•When it comes to similarities both parties follow the same pillars and same
teachings. They believe in the monotheism of Allah, they pray and fast in the month
of Ramadan and consider Makkah and Medinah to be holy places of pilgrimage.

•The differences come in with tiny variations in practices. For example; Sunnis pray
5 daily prayers with their hands tied while Shia combine their prayers and shorten it
from 5 to 3 and they let their hands loose unlike sunnis. Shia group give great
importance to their Imams that of like saints where they are seen as ones of divine
knowledge while sunnis don’t. Ahlul-Bayt is again given a significant role and the
family is looked upto in terms of practices for the shia while sunnis only follow path
of the prophet. The major difference comes in the the theories and doctrines
regarding Islamic laws that are interpreted different by different scholars.
KHARIJITE:

These were followers of Imam Ali but

disobeyed and left the community this is
significant through the word “khwarij” itself
that translates into the ones who left. Generally,
this is considered to be an extremist group since
they tend to use violence and consider anyone
who goes against them to be disbelievers
including anyone who makes a mistake in their
faith. They have a different path in comparison
to the sunni and shia sect and are often
considered misguided due to their opinions on
scholars and Muslim laws and rulers.
SUFISM:

This is a mystic group in Islam that believes

in having a spiritual connection with God.
Unlike sunni and shia practices, Sufis indulge
in activities like visiting shrines of scholars,
celebrating their belief through dance and
music, multiple celebrations and meditation.
They give importance to the act of dhikr
through which they aspire to get a relation
with the Almighty. Poetry is another form of
expressing their devotion and through works
of literature. Being a minority, they receive a
lot of criticism for their unconventional
methods for acts of worship and some even
compare it to being blasphemy.
Thank you!