Prophet Muhammad

[Because the "two groups" are not specified in this question, it has been kept separate from the question: Why did Islam split into Sunnis and Shiites? which is a much better-written answer and for which a link is provided below.]

Answer 1

They divided into more then two groups. Like Christianity there are always differences of opinion about interpretation and disagreement about who wields power over the faithful. Over time rifts develop and you end up with different groups under the same religion all claiming to have it right and often committing acts of violence upon each other in order to get more power over those that are just not interested.

Answer 2

Because the Shiites and the Sunni had trouble picking a leader so they split into two groups.

Answer 3

It is not a real split. It is just two different schools that looking differently to some minor issues that not belonging to the main Islam principles. Refer to related question below.

Answer 4

Ali was a member of the Hashim Clan. Ali was Muhammad;s causin and his son-in-law. Mu'awaiya was upset because Uthman's death, which was caused by an angry group of Egyptians. Ali was elected caliph, but Mu'awaiya was pressuring him to charge the people who had killed Uthman. This caused a split between the Muslims. They became the Sunnis and the Shiites.

Answer 5

Sunnis- they feel that decout Muslims can be caliphs. They support the rolde of the first three caliphs, who were not blood-related to Muhammad.

Shiites- NEVER accepted caliphs who werent blood related decendents of Muhammad.

Answer 6

Muslims did not split into two groups. They split into many, many more than that.

According to Muhammad (peace be upon him) the Muslims would break up into many sects. He said "seventy-three", but in the classical Arabic language, the numbers seven, seventy, seven hundred, etc., simply means "a lot".

Then Muhammad said that ALL of those sects are headed for Hell - except ONE.

When he was asked, which one, he replied: The one that remains on what I and my Companions are on today. It is the Majority.

A solid 85% of all Muslims follow the Qur'an and the example of the Prophet. We are referred to as "Sunni" Muslims; but, in fact, we are the original, orthodox, pure Muslims.

In my understanding, ALL of the others have deviated from Islam.

Of course, a Shiite, a Sufi, a Zaydi, an Ahmadi, a Druze, an Alawi, woulddisagree with me. BUT . . . read the Qur'an, and the teachings of Muhammad, and you can see where they have gone astray. My opinion, of course.

Answer 7

The end of the Rightly Guided Caliphs

It was after the sorrowful death of the third Rightful Caliph Hazrat Usman RAU by the rebels that the Muslims split occured. The two groups are now known as Sunni (almost 85%) and Shias (10%).

The rebels killed the third Rightful Caliph and forced Hazrat Ali RAU to become the caliph. It was rumoured about that Hazrat Ali RAU didn't want to save Hazrat Usman RAU from the rebels. While the fact was that Hazrat Ali RAU had deputed two of his sons -Hazrat Hassan RAU and Hazrat Hussain RAU to watch the house of the Caligh and try to defend him. This misunderstanding resulted into bloodshed of thousands of Muslims fighting against one another. Those who favoured Ali were called Shiyan-i-Ali and those who opposed and demanded that the rebels and killers of the caliph should be brought to book were the other group. A third group-Khawarjis- also appeared out from this split.

Answer I ( Shia version)

he was grandson of prophet and son of daughter of prophet and Imam Ali (sa) and brother of Imam Hussain (sa)

Answer II ( Sunny Version )

Hazrat Hasan (ra ) was Grandson of Prophet Muhammad saw . He was selected caliph after death of his father Hazrat Ali (ra ) . He left khilaphat in favour of Hazrat Amir Muawia (ra) .

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Muhammad didn't bring any new faith , he just made the teachings of Allah , the teachings of Jesus more specific and famous . since the concept of worship was same except without any corruption like Christianity with time...

As per Muslim ,Islam and Quran ... the Islam is absolute religion which exists from the day one of the mankind and Adam (peace be upon him) was the first prophet/messenger of Allah ....and the last being Muhammad (peace be upon him) ......

The following verses from Quran proves the point ....

And He(Allah) taught Adam the names of all things; then He placed them before the angels, and said: "Tell me the names of these if ye are right."

( Quran,Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #31)

Allah did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of 'Imran above all people,-

( Quran,Aal-e-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #33)

We(Allah) have sent thee inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him: we sent inspiration to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the Psalms.

( Quran,An-Nisa, Chapter #4, Verse #163)

And remember We(Allah) took from the prophets their covenant: As (We did) from thee: from Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary: We took from them a solemn covenant:

( Quran,Al-Ahzab, Chapter #33, Verse #7)

We(Allah) gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of apostles; We gave Jesus the son of Mary Clear (Signs) and strengthened him with the holy spirit. Is it that whenever there comes to you an apostle with what ye yourselves desire not, ye are puffed up with pride?- Some ye called impostors, and others ye slay!

( Quran , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #87)

in which surah of quran the largest number mentioned

The correct answer to that question is Surah Al-Safat page:451, Aya: 147

it is about prophet Yunis.

The answer above is misleading and not reflecting the true facts.

1. Islam per Quran revelation to prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) limited the number of wives that one cam marry with to four as maximum and subject to strict conditions. There was no limit of number of wives in previous religions and faiths including Judaism and Christianity. This limitation in Islam is imposed by Quran and not by prophet Sunnah.
2. Having concubines was a common practice before the prophet and was practiced by all faiths and religions all over the world. However, Islam religion imposed rules to limit having concubines. as one of these measures, if one can't afford to marry a free woman he can marry licitly a concubine after approval of her parents and after giving her a present to his capacity. The other measure was that if he gets a child from a concubine then she should be freed and announced as a licit wife to him.
3. All the marriages of prophet Muhammad were per God instructions him and for the support and benefit of religion and society and to give a practical examples of who you are entitled to marry. He married who is older than him and who is younger. he married the widow and the virgin. He married the Muslim, the Christian, and the Jew wife. etc.
4. Refer to related question below.
   

When Muhammad was twenty-five years old he married for the first time. His wife, Khadijah, was fifteen years older than him. She remained the only wife of the prophet for the next twenty-five years, until she died (may Allah be pleased with her). Only after her death did the prophet marry other women.

Now, it is obvious that if the prophet was after physical pleasure he did not have to wait until he was more than fifty years old to start marrying more wives. He lived in a society in which it was quite acceptable to have many wives. But the prophet remained devoted to his only wife for twenty-five years. When she died she was sixty-five years old. His later marriages were for various reasons.

Some marriages were with the view to help the women whose husbands had been killed while they were defending their faith. Others were with a view to cement relationships with devoted followers like Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. Yet others were to build bridges with various tribes who were otherwise at war with the Muslims. When the prophet became their relative through marriage, their hostilities calmed down, and much bloodshed was averted. Recent non-Muslim writers who had the opportunity to study the life of the prophet first-hand reached a similar conclusion about his plural marriages.

John L. Esposito, Professor of Religion and Director of the Centre for International Studies at the College of the Holy Cross, says that most of these marriages had "political and social motives" (Islam: The Straight Path, Oxford University Press, 1988, p. 19). This he explained as follows: As was customary for Arab chiefs, many were political marriages to cement alliances. Others were marriages to the widows of his companions who had fallen in combat and were in need of protection (John L. Esposito, Islam: The Straight Path, pp. 19-20). Esposito reminds us of the following historical fact: Though less common, polygyny was also permitted in biblical and even in post-biblical Judaism. From Abraham, David, and Solomon down to the reformation period, polygyny was practiced (p. 19).

Another non-Muslim Caesar E. Farah writes as follows: In the prime of his youth and adult years Muhammad remained thoroughly devoted to Khadijah and would have none other for consort. This was an age that looked upon plural marriages with favor and in a society that in pre-biblical and post-biblical days considered polygamy an essential feature of social existence. David had six wives and numerous concubines (2 Samuel 5:13; 1 Chronicles 3:1-9, 14:3) and Solomon was said to have had as many as 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3) Solomon?s son Rehoboam had 18 wives and 60 concubines (2 Chronicles 11:21).

The New Testament contains no specific injunction against plural marriages. It was commonplace for the nobility among the Christians and Jews to contract plural marriages. Luther spoke of it with toleration (Caesar E. Farah, Islam: Beliefs and Observances, 4th edition, Barron?s, U.S. 1987, p. 69). Caesar Farah then concluded that Muhammad?s plural marriages were due "partly to political reasons and partly to his concern for the wives of his companions who had fallen in battle defending the nascent Islamic community" (p. 69). When people hear that the prophet had many wives they conclude without much thought that the prophet was a sensuous man. However, a quick historical review of his marriages, proves otherwise.

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All the other marriages of prophet Mohammad (PBUH) were due to circumstances… either of a social reform, or a political gain. The Qur'an mentions in Surah Nisa, Chapter 4, Verse No. 3, that you can maximum have 4 wives. But there is another Verse in Surah Ahzab, Ch. 33, and Verse 52, which says that... 'O Prophet you cannot marry more women, neither can you exchange any other women for the present one, even if their beauty attracts you, except what your right hand possesses. This Verse of the Qur'an, Surah Ahzab, Ch. 33, Verse No. 52, gives the permission to the Prophet, to keep all his wives, but at the same time, cannot marry any other women, except which your right hand possesses. If you analyse why Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was not allowed to marry more wives - and besides that, he could not neither divorce them, because there is one more Verse in the Qur'an, which says that… 'As for the wives of the Prophet, whether they are divorced or whether they become widows, no person can marry them; because they are Um-ul Mominin… they are the Mothers of the believers'. So since no one could marry the wives of the Prophet, but natural …the Prophet could not divorce them also.

And if you analyse, that all the eleven marriages which the Prophet did… all were either for social reform or for political reason - Were not to please his sex or desire. The first marriage that he did was with Khatija, (May Allah be pleased with her). She was at the age of 40, when he was only 25 - And she was a widow twice. Imagine, if he married for sex or his desire, why would he marry a woman who was fifteen years elder to him, and who was a widow twice. And if you analyse, till the time Khatija (May Allah be pleased with her)… till the time she was alive, Prophet Muhammad did not take any other wives. When he was the age of 50, Bibi Khatija (May Allah be pleased with her) died. Only between the ages of 53 to 56, did Prophet take all the other wives. Imagine… if the Prophet was hyper sexu­al, he would have married at a young age. Science tells us… 'The older the man gets, the less sexual he gets'. It is an insinuation, on the Prophet. Only 2 of his marriages were normal -with Bib Khatija (MABPWH) and Bibi Ayesha (MABPWH) All the other marriages were due to circumstances… either of a social reform, or a political gain.

If you analyse all, only 2 wives were below the age of 36 - All the other wives were between the age of 36 and 50 - You can give instances… each marriage had some reason. For example Johariya, who was from the Banu-Mustalik tribe… which very powerful tribe, was, and which was at logger heads with Islam - After a certain time, they were suppressed by the Islamic Army, and later on, the Prophet married her. And after he married her, the companions said…'How can we keep as captives, the relatives of the Prophet' - And they freed those people…and after that, both these tribes became friendly. There are examples, when he married Maimoona (May Allah be pleased with her), who was the sister of the wife of the chief of the tribe of Najad, which killed 70 Muslim, men of the Islamic deputation. After Mo­hammed (May peace be upon him)… when he married her, they accepted Medina as their leader­ship, and they accepted Prophet as their leader. All the… all the marriages which he did, had some political reason or social reform. He married Umme Habiba, who was the daughter of the Chief of Mecca, Abu-Sufiyan - but natural this marriage played a great importance in the conquest of Mecca. Other example like Safiya (May Al­lah be pleased with her), she was the daughter of a powerful Jewish leader - After this, the Jewish became very friendly to the Muslims. If you see, all the marriages had some social reforms - he married the daughter of Hazrat Ummer, Hafsa (May Allah be pleased with her), to get closer relationship between the companions. As a social reform, he married a lady who was divorced…the first cousin Zainab - After she was divorced, he married her. All the marriages have some political reason or social reform - So all his marriages were based, to improve the community and to better rela­tionships - It was not for sex.

Polygamy in the Bible: The Bible allows polygamy in both the Old Testament and the New Testament in unlimited numbers. In Exodus 21:10, a man can marry an infinite amount of women without any limits to how many he can marry. In 2 Samuel 5:13; 1 Chronicles 3:1-9, 14:3, King David had six wives and numerous concubines. In 1 Kings 11:3, King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. In 2 Chronicles 11:21, King Solomon's son Rehoboam had 18 wives and 60 concubines. In Deuteronomy 21:15 "If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other and both bear him sons...." Qur'an permits limited polygamy As I mentioned earlier, Qur'an is the only religious book on the face of the earth that says 'marry only one'. The context of this phrase is the following verse from Surah Nisa of the Glorious Qur'an: "Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one." [Al-Qur'an 4:3] Before the Qur'an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygamy and many men had scores of wives, some even hundreds. Islam put an upper limit of four wives. Islam gives a man permission to marry two, three or four women, only on the condition that he deals justly with them. In the same chapter i.e. Surah Nisa verse 129 says: "Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women...." [Al-Qur'an 4:129] Therefore polygamy is not a rule but an exception. Many people are under the misconception that it is compulsory for a Muslim man to have more than one wife. Broadly, Islam has five categories of Do's and Don'ts: i. 'Fard' i.e. compulsory or obligatory ii. 'Mustahab' i.e. recommended or encouraged iii. 'Mabah' i.e. permissible or allowed iv. 'Makruh' i.e. not recommended or discouraged v. 'Haraam' i.e. prohibited or forbidden Polygamy falls in the middle category of things that are permissible. It cannot be said that a Muslim who has two, three or four wives is a better Muslim as compared to a Muslim who has only one wife.

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