So this is a delicate subject, and I’m going to try to treat it as such, but before I start, I should note that I am not a Muslim. As a result, many of my comments will perhaps seem critical of the faith. Do not misconstrue it as such, but simply know that this is my view of the matter, and I find that there is a concerning lack of understanding of how and why this split happened. Today, we’re just going to be laying the groundwork for the split, going through the Battle of the Camel (you’ll know what that means by the end) and covering some basics of Islamic theology such as the Umma. By the end of this series hopefully you’ll understand the basics of the Shi’ite-Sunni split, as well as a little about other major groups such as the Ibadi and Sufi. A short disclaimer here, I learned most of what I know of Islam from Sunnis, and what I know of the Shi’a comes from my own research. As a result, I might phrase things in a way that sounds a little Sunni-esque. This is not intentional, it’s just the way I learned it. There will be no images (aside from one diagram) used for these posts out of respect for the Islamic faith.
So, let’s begin. Islam teaches about much of what would be considered the Judeo-Christian Old Testament. Adam, Noah, Abraham, and others are all mentioned in the Qu’ran, and Muhammad, in many ways, viewed himself as the last in a succession of prophets going back to more or less the creation of man. On the other hand, Muhammad viewed himself quite differently than the others, for it was his message by which people would be saved. As a result, all Muslims recite the Shahada “the testimonial word,” that declares, “There is no god but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God.” Typically, the Muslim god is called “Allah” in English, but Allah simply means “God” in Arabic. From here on out, I’ll be using Allah to reference the Muslim deity.
Along with Shahada, Sunnis believe Muhammad mandated four other principal teachings, which are today known as the “Five Pillars of Islam.” These are:
Shahada. An almost mantra-like expression of faith, upon which the believer is to meditate. This is the first step one takes in order to become a Muslim.
Salat. This is the Islamic tradition of prayer, which consists of five daily prayers – Fajr, Dhuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib, and ‘Isha. These prayers may be performed anywhere, but if available, prayer in a mosque is best.
Zakat. One of the originally most attractive features about Islam is charity. Today, Muslims donate more to charity than any other active faith, and in the highly stratified society that Muhammad presented his message in, this resonated with people. Like Salat, Zakat breaks down into five basic parts: on must declare one’s to Allah his intent to give, the zakat must be given on the day it is due, afterwards one may not exaggerate one’s spending, the giver must give zakat according to what he has, and the zakat must be given in the place where one earned it.
Sawm: Sawm handles the entire Muslim diet, but specifically it refers to ritual fasting, particularly during the month of Ramadan. This year, Ramadan will start on June 6 and will continue until July 5. During Ramadan, Muslims may not eat while the sun is still up, although special exceptions are granted by most groups to diabetics, nursing mothers, the old and infirm, etc.
Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca. This is to be done during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah (will be September 2 to October 2 in 2016), and every Muslim is obliged to do this at least once in their life. Once within a certain distance of Mecca, the traveler will don the Ihram a simple garment of two white sheets. Whilst in Mecca, one walks around the Kaaba seven times, touches the Black Stone known as Istilam and symbolically “stones the devil.”
Now, non-Sunnis might phrase the Five Pillars differently, but pretty much none of them would dispute that the Five Pillars are good things to do. Please note that the Five Pillars of Islam are not listed in the Qu’ran.
Shi’a promotes an alternative set of pillars, which are more theological in nature rather than practical. Most Shi’ites would say that you need to understand these five tenants before practicing the five Sunni pillars, called Usul-e-Deen.
- Tawheed: The Oneness of Allah. This one’s pretty self-explanatory.
- ‘Adl: The Justice of Allah. Also, not hard.
- Nabuwat: Prophethood/Apostleship. In essence, this is about the nature of the succession of prophets all the way down to Muhammad.
- Imamat: Leadership (more on this next time, but this is the first difference between Shi’a and Sunni)
- Mi’ad: The Day of Judgment. Shi’ites do not believe that they will ever see God. This is a somewhat contentious issue.
From there, a Muslim may practice Islam with the ten Furu’-e-Deen, which includes the Sunni Five Pillars. For the sake of brevity, I won’t go into all those, because we have a little history to get to.
Anyway, one of Muhammad’s most attractive teachings was the Umma – that when one becomes a Muslim, one’s old identity is gone and one is absorbed into the new tribe and nation of Allah. For a man from arguably the most powerful Arab tribe (the Quraysh) to offer membership to all in his tribe was revolutionary, and although Arab tribal identity did not evaporate overnight (largely due to some events we’ll cover next time), Islam and the Umma offered something that the traditional faiths could not – unity.
After Muhammad died, people began to realize that he hadn’t really left much of a succession plan. Like I said before, this is not meant to be a critique of Muhammad; it’s just an observation. Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s good friend, became the first Caliph in 632, upon the Prophet’s death, but he died two years later, leaving the Caliphate to Umar. Under Umar, Islam experienced its most rapid growth, sweeping over Palestine and Egypt, but upon his death in 644, it was less clear as to who should be the new Caliph. Ali ibn Abi Talib was Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, but he was passed over for Uthman ibn Affan. Uthman, fair or not, was increasingly viewed as nepotistic, and on July 17, 656, he was murdered by a mob of protestors.
What followed is known as the First Fitna. After the death of Uthman, the Umayyad clan desired to keep the Caliphate within their line. Ali, however, contended that the Banu Hashim clan (both his and Muhammad’s clan) held the superior claim. Muawiyah, the de facto leader of the Umayyads, viewed Ali as having been complicit in the death of Uthman. While Muawiyah assembled his forces in Syria, Aisha, Muhammad’s widow, took an army of 30,000 to Basra, where she was met by Ali. In the ensuing battle, Aisha was counseled to mount the camel and ride through the battle (hence the name “Battle of the Camel” to get the men to stop fighting one another. Aisha’s forces crowded around the camel to keep their leader safe, but Ali’s forces managed to cut the back legs of the camel, and Aisha fell from her mount. She fled, only to be captured by Ali.
Ali pardoned her, but Aisha would never again involve herself in politics. Although the situation seemed to have calmed itself, the lines had already been drawn between to camps in the Islamic world. The full Shi’ite-Sunni split had not yet fully begun, but the gap between the two factions could not be resewn.
To be continued… 🙂
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