What are the sects within islam?

Answer 1

Prophet Muhammad has prophesied that 71 sects willbe created in his religion. So far, the numebr is quite less than this. It stands at about 20-25. Some of the main sects are sunni, shia, hanafi, shaafi, deobandi, maalki etc.

Answer 2

The sects of Islam are Sunni and Shia

The best definition of sect I know of is thoroughly modern Western, and does not exactly confirm to the relations in Islam. It defines graduations of cults, sects, and denominations based on their relation to the larger society

By this definition, Western religions start as cults, and always retain cults at their core. Cults are not concerned with a flawed world, but are concerned with ritual and purity, however they define them.

When a cult increases to a size where it impinges on the larger society, its focus turns to reforming that society. Sects become oppositional to aspects of the larger society, and "sectarian."

When a sect grows to the point where it is a significant fraction of the society, and as more members enter the sect thru the birth canal than adult conversion, the sect becomes a Denomination. A Denomination is supportive of the larger society, with which it is in basic agreement as to the "Foundational Myth" of the society.

The only stage beyond that is theocracy (or, to be more accurate, rule by religious authorities of the State.)

Note, religions contain denominations, denominations contain sects, all have cults.

These categories by no means correspond to Islamic practice, which still has two outright theocracies.

Sunni is not a denomination or a sect, but a foundational myth almost equivalent to Islam. Many states approach theocracy through Sharia, at least to Western viewers. Shia, with its own state and history, represents a deeper division within Islam than the difference between Catholics and Protestants does, in general, yet, in Syria, Turkey, India, America, both Shia and Sunni resemble Western denominations in that they are equally part of the larger society, rather it is Islamic or not. In the Sunni monarchies, tho, Shia is an oppositional sect.

I will ignore the differences between Seveners, Twelvers, Ismailis etc, due to my ignorance.

Within the Sunni consensus, the closest analog to Western Denominations are the Four schools of jurisprudence, but these are not separate denominations in the way Methodist and Baptists are.

Sufism is primarily a cult concerned with helping an individual approach the divine. It can become an oppositional sect, as it did with the Sinussi of Libya. It can also perform many of the functions of denominations thru its institutions of charity, but, as I understand it, one can be simultaneously a Sufi and a member of any legal school, or even a Nazarene or a Jew, according to some Sufi orders.

It is my understanding that the Wahhabis consider Sufism unIslamic for that reason, among others. But Wahhabism appears to me to be the closest thing to a "sect" in modern Islam, as it is dedicated to imposing its own interpretation of Islam on a broader society that is resistant, for many reasons.

That is my answer, based on an attempt to parse Islam by a Western standards. I apologize for any error, and beg correction.

Answer 3

There are many sects but the most common division is into three: Mahayana (which includes Zen), Theravada, and Vajrayana. Each of these traditions has many smaller groupings by lineage within them. More recently, some new forms of Buddhism are evolving as the ancient traditions meet Western culture. Loosely called "Western Buddhism" these include Engaged Buddhism, Secular Buddhism, and Skeptical Buddhism, and more.

Answer 4

The two major religious sects of Islam are Sunni Islam (88%) and Shi'a Islam (12%). Within Sunni Islam, there are four madh'habs, or schools of thought or religious jurisprudence. These aren't sects, but people who are associated with them usually follow that madh'hab's interpretation of the Qur'an and Sunnah.

The Four major madh'habs are:

1. Hanafi
2. Maliki
3. Shafi'i
4. Hanbali

In Shi'a Islam, there are many different sects, not schools of thought. The most followed one is Twelver Shi'a Islam. They believe in the Twelve Imams in the common lineage. The other sects, the Zaidi and Ismaili, all follow a different line of Imamate at the Sixth Imam, Ja'far As-Sadiq.

Answer 5

The two major sects of Islam are Sunni Islam and Shia Islam. Within each of these sects are a group of mystics known as Sufis, who focus less on doctrine and law and more on spirituality and getting closer to God.

Within Shi'ism are three major divisions, each believing in a different amount of rightful Imams after Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA). Isma'ili Shias believe that there were only seven Imams, with the last being Isma'il, the eldest son of Ja'far (the sixth Imam). The Ja'fari Shi'as, the most common group, believe that there are Twelve Imams (often called Twelvers), and the last one, Mohammad Al-Mehdi, went into hiding and will return with Jesus marking the end of the world. Zaidi Shi'as believe there were five Imams, with Zayd bin Ali (Ali ibn Abi Talib's great-grandson) being the fifth.

Sunni Islam is one sect, but within it, there are different madh'habs, or schools of jurisprudence. The only differences between them is the way they interpret certain doctrine and laws, but the beliefs of all madh'habs are the same, and they are not considered different sects, as people don't have to associate with a certain madh'hab.

There is also another group, called the Khawarij, or Ibadis, present mainly in present-day Oman. This group approves of the first two Caliphs of Islam, Abu Bakr and Omar, referring to them as the "Two Rightly Guided Caliphs" (vs. the four for Sunnis). They originate after Hasan ibn Ali made an agreement with Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, complaining that the Imam (leader) must be spiritually pure, and the agreement was a compromise of his spiritual purity, therefore a compromise of his legitimacy as Caliph.

Refer to the link to the image below, which is a diagram detailing all the branches of the Islamic religion.

Answer 6

A long list. Among them: the idolaters during the First Temple period, the Sadducees, the Baitusim (Boethusians), the Nesinim, the apikursim and minim, the Karaites, the followers of Shabbetai Zevi and others of that type, Jewish communists (Yevsektsia), Yiddishists, Bundists, assimilationists, and more.

The Samaritans may or may not have ever been Jewish in the past.

Most of these breakaway groups were lost to history, while others (such as the Karaites) are moribund and remain only a shadow of their former selves.

Answer 7

Mainly Shiites and Sunnis. refer to question below.