Sunni Islam

After the Durud recite this du`a:
ALLAHUMMA INNI ¨ZALAMTU NAFSI ¨ZULMAN KATHIRAW WALA YAGHFIRUDH-DHUNUBA ILLA ANTA FAGHFIRLI MAGHFIRATAM-MIN `INDIKA WARHAMN INNAKA ANTAL GHAFURUR-RAHIM
O Lord! Make me and my children steadfast in prayers; Our Lord! Accept my prayer. Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents and all the believers on the Day of Judgement

SALAAM
Complete the salaah by turning the face to the right saying:

ASSALAMU `ALAYKUM WA RAHMATUL-LA
Peace be on you and Allah's Mercy.

Then turn the face to the left, and repeat the salaam.
ASSALAMU `ALAYKUM WA RAHMATUL-LA
Peace be on you and Allah's Mercy.

When making salaam one should make intention of greeting the angels. When making salaam the eyes should be fixed onto the respective shoulders.

DU`A AFTER COMPLETION OF SALAAH
On completing the salaah one should recite "Astaghfirullah" three times softly. Then one should raise both hands to the level of the chest and make du'a (supplicate) to Allah I, the one below is a typical example;

O Allah pardon us. O Allah pardon us. O Allah pardon us.
O my Lord! You are the source of peace;
You confer peace; Blessed are you and full of majesty and honour.
O Allah help us in remembering You and thanking You and worshiping You in the best manner.
Our Rabb, accept from us (this duty).
Definitely You only are the Hearer, the (all) Knower.
Surely You only are the Most Relenting, the Most Merciful.
O Allah, Our Rabb, grant us good in the world and good in the Aakhiraat and save us from the punishment of the fire (Jahannum).
Glorified is the Lord, the Lord of Might above that which is ascribed upon him and peace be on the Prophets.
And praise to Allah the Lords of the worlds.
Ameen

AYATUL KURSI
This ayah should be memorised and read once after every Fardh salaah and also before sleeping:

BISMILLAHIR-RAHMANIR-RAHIM
ALLAHU LAA ILAHA ILLAA HUWAL-HAY-YUL-QAYÛM. LAA TA'KHUDHUHÛ SINATUW-WA LAA NAWM. LAHÛ MAA FIS-SAMAAWATI WA MAA FIL-ARZ. MAN DHAL-LADHI YASHFA`U `INDAHÛ ILLA BI IDHNIH. YAA`ALAMU MAA BAYNA AYDIHIM WA MAA KHALFAHUM WA LAA YUHEETÛNA BI-SHA'YIM-MIN `ILMIHI ILLAA BI MAA SHA'.AA WASI`A KURSIY-YUHUS-SAMAWATI WAL-ARZ. WA LAA YA'ÛDUHÛ HIFZUHUMA WA HUWAL-`ALIYYUL-`AZIM.
In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful
Allah! There is no God but He, the Living; The Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there that can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as he Willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High. The Supreme (in glory).

It depends on the time period in question.

Part 1: First Years of the Schism

the friends and followers of Ali believed that after the death of prophet, the caliphate and religious authority belonged to ALI. this belief came from consideration of Ali's position and station in relation to the prophet , his relation to the chosen among the companions , as well as his relation to muslim as general.

it was only the events that occurred during the few days of the prophet final illness that indicated that there was opposition to their view, contrary expectation, at the very moment when the prophet died and his body lay still unburied while his household and a few companion occupied with for his burial and funeral services , the friend and followers of Ali received news of the activity of another group who had gone to the mosque where community where gathered faced with this sudden loss of its leader.

this group ,Which was later ti form the majority , set forth in great haste to select a caliph for the muslim with the aims of the ensuring the welfare of the community and solving its immediate problems. they did this without consulting the household of the prophet , his relatives or many of his friends who were busy with funeral and without providing them with the least information. thus Ali and his companions were presented with a fait accompli .

Ali and his friends such as Abbas , Zubayr , Salman . Abu Dharr , Meghdad and Ammar, after finishing with the burial of the body of the prophet became aware of the proceedings by which the caliph had been selected . they proteted against the act of choosing the caliph by consultation or election , and also against those who were responsible for carrying it out.

they even presented their own proofs and arguments but the answer they received was that the welare of the muslims was at sake and the solution lay in what had been done.it was this protest and criticism which separated from the majority the minority that were following Ali and made his followers known to society as the partisans or shiah of Ali . the caliphate of the time was anxious to guard against this appellation being given to the Shiite minority and thus to have muslim society divided into sections comprised of a majority and a minority .

THE supporters of the caliph considered the caliphate to be a matter of the consensus of the community , and called those who objected the opponents of allegiance . they claimed that the shiiah stood, therefore opposed to muslim society .sometimes the shiiah were given other pejorative and degrading names.

shiism was condemn from the first moment because of the political situation of the time and thus it couild not accomplish anything through mere political protest.

Ali in order to safeguard the well-being of islam and the muslims and also because of lack of sufficient political and military power did not endeavor to begin an uprising aganst the existing political order which would have been of a bloody nature . yet those who proteted against the established caliphate refused to surrender to the majority in certain questions of faith and continued to hold that the succession to the prophet and the religious authority belonged by right to Ali. they believed all spiritual and religious matters should be refered to him and invited people to becime his followers.

Part 2: Over the Centuries:

The victory by the Umayyads over Ali in the Islamic Civil War (661 C.E.), led to the dominant position of Sunni Islam over Shiite Islam. Shiite Islam became a repressed and violently reactionary minority, leading to the overthrow of the Umayyads in the Middle East by the Abbassids. The Abbassids had promised the Shiites a better position in the empire, but this turned out to be a lie. This resulted in several Shiite revolts and independent Islamic States in Northern Africa, such as the Idrissids who were Zaydi Shiites and the Fatimids who were Ismaili Shiites.

The Rise of the Fatimid Caliphate altered the balance between Sunnis and Shiites since both were now able to raise large armies and control empires. It also led to the crystallization of Islamic sects being a symbol of citizenship in these new empires. This would become even more important after the Crusades when the Ottoman Empire, the Sunni successor to the Seljuk Sultanate (also Sunni) had a rivalry with the Safavid Empire of Persia which was Twelver Shiite. The Ottomans saw all Twelver Shiites as an internal fifth column and the Safavids saw their Sunnis similarly. This led to repression of the minority sect with strong national overtones. It is worth noting, though, that these repressions were internal and localized. As many calls as there were in the Middle Ages to launch jihad on Non-Islamic Countries, almost none were directed against Islamic countries of the other sect.

Another major change that occurred over the centuries was that the Sunni and Shiite theology which were originally similar diverged. The concept of the Infallible Imams as well as differences in Prayer Styles and Eschatology emerged and crystallized, leading to actual faith differences as opposed to leadership differences. Some sects of Shiites, like the Druze, Baha'i, Alawites, and Alevis are considered to be so different from the Shiite mainstream that they are seen as distinct religions (sometimes by their adherents as well).

However, there is no general conflict between all or almost all Sunnis and Shiites in the way that there were conflicts in Europe between almost all Catholics and Protestants in the 16th and 17th century (Thirty Years War et al.). While there are certainly conflicts between Sunnis and Shiites, it is always in a localized or national context, not an international one. In much of the Muslim world, "Sunni" and "Shiite" are viewed as more than just religious labels, but are still seen as a mark of citizenship or belonging. It has the power to determine social groups and political organizations, prompting conflict on those grounds. In countries today with both Sunnis and Shiites, we see friction between the two groups on a domestic level.

Answer 1

It is not Islam splitting. It is just different view points on non critical issues. Both Shiites and Sunnis believe in:

• one and only one God; with no partner, no companion, no son, no father, no associate, and no equivalence.
• all God prophets (from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ismael, Isac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, ..., Jesus, and the last Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon them all)
• all God angels
• Hell and Paradise (or Heaven)
• all God holy books including Torah, Bible, and Qur'an
• destiny, whether good or bad
• Resurrection Day and 2nd eternal life

Both Sunnis and Shiites follow the same Qur'an and prophet Muhammad teachings including the five basic pillars of Islam (including praying, fasting, alms giving, and hajj and both are practicing them per prophet Muhammad detailed teachings although Shiites added to them some other minor items based also on prophet Muhammad sayings.

The main difference is that: they considered that Ali Ibn AbouTaleb (Prophet Muhammad's Cousin) was legitimate to success Prophet Muhamad (after his death) in ruling the Muslims rather than that the election of the successor Abou Bakr who was followed by Omar and Osman Ibn Affan and then Ali Ibn AbouTaleb.

The other important point is that no one has the right to expel anyone out of Islam and to consider him/her unbeliever (or Kafir) so far:

• he/she witness that no god Except one God (Allah) with no partner and that Muhammad is God messenger and prophet, and that
• he/she doesn't deny intentionally the praying (Salah), paying Zakat (Alms giving), fasting Ramadan, and pilgrimage (Hajj).

Answer 2

The main split in Islam is over how the leaders of the faith should be chosen - in particular, who should have succeeded Muhammad and over doctrinal issues stemming from which successors they accept, in particular, over what writings to accept as authoritative outside the Qur'an - these additional writing are referred to as the "hadith" and are composed of writings and collections of oral traditions.

The Sunni branch accepts the first four "caliphs" as rightful successors of Muhammad and accepts hadiths narrated by the "companions" of Muhammad. The Sunnis believe that Muhammad did not specifically appoint a successor to lead the Muslim community before his death, and a group of his most prominent companions gathered and elected Abu Bakr Siddique a father-in-law and close friend of Muhammad as the first "caliph" of Islam. The Sunni canon of hadith took its final form more than 230 years after the death of Muhammad (632 AD). Later scholars may have debated the authenticity of particular hadith but the authority of the canon as a whole was not questioned. This canon is referred to as "the six major Hadith collections".

The Shia, by contrast, believe that the leadership of Islam should have passed to his surviving family or "Ahl al-Bayt" (the People of the House)because Allah decided selected them as leader, not only because they are relatives of prophet SAWW. They assert that his descendants, known as Imams, are the only ones with special spiritual and political authority rule over the community. They also assert that Ali ibn Abj Talib, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, was the first of these Imams and was the rightful successor to Muhammad, and consequently reject the legitimacy of the first three "caliphs". In the Shia hadith you will often find sermons attributed to his successor Ali. Shi'a Muslims do not use the six major Hadith collections followed by the Sunni, instead, their primary hadith collections are written by three authors who are known as the 'Three Muhammads'.

Despite what the first answerer said - there are differences in what each group believes including what each considers to be faithful practice of Islam, acceptability of terrorist actions in the name of Islam and whether it is mandatory to kill or imprison anyone who chooses to leave Islam. Most outsiders would consider many of these to be "critical issues".

Commentary on Answer 2

I agree on the information in Answer 2, however:

• Ali ibn Abu Talib himself (Allah be pleased with him), and all who were supporting his legitimacy to the first Caliph, supported the first three caliphs during their ruling and Ali was their arm in advice and support. (according to shia Islam more than 100 Sahaba; although of much less percentage of all Muslim Sahabis; opposed Caliphate of Abubakr and did not give Bayat to him)
• The claimed differences between Shiites and Sunnis are not crucial and not expelling any of them to be true Muslims and good believers.
• Terrorist actions against civilians are condemned by both Shiites and Sunnis
• Both Shiites and Sunnis accept, of course, the Qur'an saying that no compulsion in religion. Accordingly, they don't agree to kill or imprison anyone who chooses to leave Islam unless he attacks Islam and use his convert from Islam as a way for earning money through working with some media agencies to propagate lies against Islam.

Answer 3 (shia view)

The reason is for Imamat (leadership). shia Muslims believe Imamt is one of pillars of Islam and only God has the right to select the leader (Caliph) for leading humans and this leader is deputy of God on earth and has divine knowledge and never says "I do not know" and can answer any question of humans and can lead humans to meet God. Shia Muslims believe God selected Imam Ali as first leader after prophet Muhammad SAWW and prophet declared it at Ghadir in front of 120,000 Muslims and companions including Abubakr and Umar and Uthman congratulated this to Ali a.s. and given him Byat (pledge of alliance). this made Shia Muslims do not recognize Abubakr as leader and follow in Ali and 11 other Imams after him as their leaders even if not officially in power. please refer to below books for more details about Imamat.

Answer 4

Differences in the Five Pillars:

Five Pillars of Islam according to shia Muslims are:

1. Monotheism: The Oneness of Allah (tawhid)

2. Divine Justice ('adl)

3. Prophethood (nubuwwa)

4. Succession to Muhammad (imamat)

5. The Day of Judgement and the Resurrection (Qiyama)

Practices of Islam according to shia Muslims:

1- Prayers (salaat) - 5 times a day

2- Fasting (sawm) during Ramadan

3- Alms giving (zakaat and khums)

5- Pilgrimage to the city of Makkah (hajj)

6- Holy Defense (Jihad)

7-8. Enjoining good (amr bil-ma'rouf) and forbidding evil (nahiy an al-munkar)

9- Supporting those who walk in the path of Allah (tawalli li awliyaa' Allah)

10- Turning away from the enemies of Allah (tabarri min a'daa Allah)

Five Pillars of Islam according to Sunni Muslims are:

1. professing (Shahadah)

2. Prayer (Salat)

3. Alms-giving (Zakāt)

4. Fasting (Sawm of Ramadan)

5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)

also different sects of sunni have differs in five pillars. for example Mu'tazilate Sunni Scholars like shia consider Adl as one pillar. but Ash'arites does not believe Adl is one of Pillars although believing in Adl as an attribute of God but with an interpret of Adl that in view of shia and Mu'tazilate is equal to not having Adl.

a question about succession to the khalifahship, or deputy status, after Mohammed died. The Sunnis wanted it to be by a political process open to all the early and important followers, the Shia wanted it to be a family or dynastic line.

Somewhat ironically, the Shia candidate, Ali, did eventually become Khailfah under the political process and equally ironically, the khalifahship has become defunct. However, the hostilities stirred up by the conflict lived on and the two sects have grown apart in other ways.

Answer 5

They just got divided on the way the successor of the prophet (after his death) should be. Muslims elected Abou Bakr to be the first Caliph after prophet Muhammad (PBUH) death. However, some Muslims believed that the successor should be from the family of the prophet and hence should Ali Ibn Abou Taleb (the prophet cousin and husband of his daughter). However, after the election of AbouBakr, they joined the majority and even Ali Ibn Abou Taleb (God be pleased with him) supported the elected Caliph. The same scenario was repeated after election of Omar Ibn Alkhattab as the second Caliph and Othman Ibn Affan as the third Caliph. Ali Ibn Abou Taleb was then elected as the fourth Caliph.

However, Sunnis and Shiites are just two Islamic schools that differ in minor issues.The outsiders are trying to feed up assumed differences and conflicts between Muslim groups to gain control on Muslim countries and on their resources. The two main groups are Sunnis and Shiites. Both groups agree upon basic Islam pillars, believe in same and only version of Quran, believe and follow the sunnah of same prophet (PBUH), pray to same direction (facing Kaba in Makkah or Mecca in Saudi Arabia, go to same places on pilgrimage (or Hajj), and adhere to same Islam morals and ritual worships. They only differ on some side issues that are not critical.

Some other groups as Taliban and Al-Qaeda are in conflict with both Sunnis and Shiites true Muslims.

Answer 6

They just got divided on the way the successor of the prophet (after his death) should be. some of top Arab tribe bosses at Saqifeh elected Abou Bakr to be the first Caliph after prophet Muhammad (PBUH) death and other Muslims were forced and even killed (for example سعد ابن عباده Saad Ib Ebadeh) to accept this ruler. Some like Ali ., Salman, Abuzar, Miqdad, Bilal,... disagreed this election. they believed that the successor should be Ali a.s. because God selected him as leader and not because he is relative of prophet SAWW. However, after the election of AbouBakr, they did not fight for power and Ali a.s helped the elected Caliph for survive of real Islam and to big enemies like Roman and Persian empires can not destroy Islam using civil war of Muslims. and always declared his disagreement with this election bu did not made civil war for power. The same scenario was repeated after election of Umar as the second Caliph by will of Abubakr and Othman as the third Caliph by election in a 6 persons meeting. When Uthman was killed in civil war , Ali was then elected as the fourth Caliph by majority of Muslims while he was not interested in power.

However, Sunnis and Shiites are two Islamic schools that differ in major (pillars of Islam) and minor issues. The world Imperialists know Islam is truth and if people know this they will lost power. so they try to make wars between Muslim groups to gain control on Muslim countries and on their resources. for example they bomb a shia mosque and tell in media that sunni did it and so on. The two main groups are Sunnis and Shiites. Both groups agree upon basic Islam pillars(unless Imamat (Islamic rules for political leadership)) and believe in same and only version of Quran and follow the sunnah of same prophet (PBUH), pray to same direction (facing Kaba in Makkah or Mecca in Saudi Arabia, go to same places on pilgrimage (or Hajj), and adhere to same Islam morals and ritual worships. Thier main differ is in Imamat.shia beleives based on Quran and Islam the only one who has the right to elect the leader is God and Muslims do not have such a right in Islam.

Answer 7

No one has noticed the wording of question which says " Why did Islam split into ......." while all answers are related to splitting of Muslim in two groups . Islam is the religion as per Quran , its interpretations by its followers vary. Majority of the Muslim is Sunni while Shia are in minority .This split in Muslim is a ground reality and can't be denied , and such issues can't be settled .Final conclusion is Sunni and Shia muslim disagry on many basic principals including caliphate or imamat.

Answer 8

As explained above; It is no splitting. It is just different view points on non critical issues. Both Shiites and Sunnis believe in:

• one and only one God with no partner, no son, no father, no companion, no associate, and no equivalence,
• believe in all God prophets (from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ismael, Isac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, ..., Jesus, and last Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon them all),
• all God angels
• all God holy books including Torah, Bible, and Quran
• destiny, whether good or bad
• Resurrection Day, judgement, and 2nd eternal life

Both are bound to the five pillars of Islam and following them. These five pillars; despite the different interpretations of Sunnis and Shiites; are based on the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) hadith.

The main difference is that: they considered that Ali Ibn AbouTaleb Prophet Mohammed's Cousin) was legitimate to success Prophet Mohamed (after his death) in ruling the Muslims rather that the successor Abou Bakr who was followed by Omar and Osman Ibn Affan and then Ali Ibn AbouTaleb

No one has the right to expel anyone out of Islam and to consider him/her unbeliever (or Kafir) so far:

• he/she witness that no god Except one God (Allah) with no partner and that Muhammad is his messenger and prophet, and that
• he/she doesn't deny intentionally the praying (Salah), paying Zakat (Alms giving), fasting Ramadan, and pilgrimage (Hajj).

Refer to related question below.

Answer 9

The Shia-Sunni split is not a recent phenomenon. The root of this division can be traced to just a few days after the death of our Prophet (pbuh&hp). Shi'as believe that the Prophet within his lifetime unambiguously appointed Imam Ali bin Abi Talib as his successor, and the caliph of the Muslim ummah (nation) after his death.

However, Sunnis believe that the Prophet did not decicively fix the choice of the caliph after him, nor did he fix or proscribe any method of selection of this next caliph. As a result, Sunnis accept Imam Ali (a.s.) to be the fourth caliph, not the first (the first three recorded in their histories are Abu Bakr, Umar al-Farook and Uthman bin Affan).

The Shi'a call themselves so, because we describe ourselves as "Shi'an-e-Ali" (Party/Followers of Ali - "Shia" means party member or follower). Now this difference of belief did not immediately result in a division amongst Muslims at that time. The division occurred later when the self-appointed caliphs of the Islamic nation began persecution of Shi'as because of their refusal to acknowledge the caliphate of these rulers.

These Shi'a refused to acknowledge the caliphate of these rulers because of the Shi'a belief that only the Prophet (under instructions from Allah) could appoint a caliph for the Muslim ummah, as he had already done so during his lifetime.

The history of the Muslim ummah, after the demise of the Prophet, unfolded in the following manner. After a large portion of Muslims refrained from acknowledging Imam Ali as the first caliph, he (Imam Ali) chose to wait with patience over this affair, rather than fight for his right, since the Prophet had advised him in the last days of his life to deal with the clamities that followed his (the Prophet's) death with patience, so as to not cause divisions within the Muslim ummah. As a result, he withrew himself from active participation in political affairs and with matters regarding the handling of the government.

After the death of the third caliph, the state of the Muslim nation had severely deteriorated since the time of the Prophet, and much of the injustice and suffering that was prevalent during the pre-Islamic era had creeped back into society. Muslims, acknowledging the dire situation their nation was in, then earnestly appealed to Imam Ali to take up the caliphate as they realized that there was no one more worthy than him for that position. After a lot of persuasion, Imam Ali reluctantly agreed.

Now within the rule of Imam Ali, Muawiyah bin Abu Sufyan rose up and waged a bloody war against him. He (Muawiyah) unjustly claimed that Imam Ali was either responsible or connected to the death of the previous caliph, and that this war of his was revenge for that death. Eventually, after a long war, a compromise was reached, and partial peace was restored.

However, after the death of Imam Ali, Muawiyah declared himself caliph of the Muslim ummah, and confronted Hasan bin Ali (a.s.), the son of Imam Ali, who was appointed by him as his successor. Again Muawiyah tried to wage a war against the true caliph, but this time Hasan bin Ali (a.s.) managed to work out a compromise with him that permitted him governance of the Muslim ummah till his death, after which it would return to Hasan bin Ali (a.s.) or his successor.

However, before Muawiyah died, he appointed his son Yazeed bin Muawiyah as the next caliph, blatantly contradicting the terms of the peace-treaty that he had given his oath of allegiance to earlier with Hasan bin Ali (a.s.). Meanwhile Hasan bin Ali (a.s.) had appointed his brother Husayn (a.s.) as his successor, and he was thus the rightful caliph. But Yazeed had taken that title for himself, and ordered Husayn (a.s.) to pay allegiance to him. Husayn (a.s.) refused. As a result, Yazeed's forces salughtered Husayn (a.s.), the grandson of the Prophet (pbuh&hp), and his family members in the land of Karbala, on the day of A'shurah.

In Yazeed's rule, and in the rule of the succeeding rulers appointed by him, the Shi'as suffered extreme levels of injustice and mistreatment from these rulers, who deliberately persecuted Shi'as without inhibition, and without any regard for Islam or morality. As a result the Shi'as withdrew themselves from the government (which was mainly Sunni), and remanied secluded from matters of caliphate for hundreds of years that followed, and this seclusion has resulted in the prominent Shi'a-Sunni split that you see today.

For a much more detailed analysis of the historical causes of this issue, read the online book in the Related Links below.

Answer 10

th cause or reason of the separation of the Shiite minority from the Sunni majority :the friends and followers of Ali believed that after the death of prophet, the caliphate and religious authority belonged to ALI. this belief came from consideration of Ali's position and station in relation to the prophet , his relation to the chosen among the companions , as well as his relation to muslim as general.

it was only the events that occurred during the few days of the prophet final illness that indicated that there was opposition to their view, contrary expectation, at the very moment when the prophet died and his body lay still unburied while his household and a few companion occupied with for his burial and funeral services , the friend and followers of Ali received news of the activity of another group who had gone to the mosque where community where gathered faced with this sudden loss of its leader.

this group ,Which was later ti form the majority , set forth in great haste to select a caliph for the muslim with the aims of the ensuring the welfare of the community and solving its immediate problems. they did this without consulting the household of the prophet , his relatives or many of his friends who were busy with funeral and without providing them with the least information. thus Ali and his companions were presented with a fait accompli .

Ali and his friends such as Abbas , Zubayr , Salman . Abu Dharr , Meghdad and Ammar, after finishing with the burial of the body of the prophet became aware of the proceedings by which the caliph had been selected . they proteted against the act of choosing the caliph by consultation or election , and also against those who were responsible for carrying it out.

they even presented their own proofs and arguments but the answer they received was that the welfare of the Muslims was at sake and the solution lay in what had been done.it was this protest and criticism which separated from the majority the minority that were following Ali and made his followers known to society as the partisans or shiah of Ali . the caliphate of the time was anxious to guard against this appellation being given to the Shiite minority and thus to have Muslim society divided into sections comprised of a majority and a minority .

THE supporters of the caliph considered the caliphate to be a matter of the consensus of the community , and called those who objected the opponents of allegiance . they claimed that the shiiah stood, therefore opposed to muslim society .sometimes the shiiah were given other pejorative and degrading names.

shiism was condemn from the first moment because of the political situation of the time and thus it could not accomplish anything through mere political protest.

Ali in order to safeguard the well-being of Islam and the Muslims and also because of lack of sufficient political and military power did not endeavor to begin an uprising against the existing political order which would have been of a bloody nature . yet those who protested against the established caliphate refused to surrender to the majority in certain questions of faith and continued to hold that the succession to the prophet and the religious authority belonged by right to Ali. they believed all spiritual and religious matters should be refered to him and invited people to becime his followersIslam is Sunni and it did not split.It passed down from the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of god be upon him).Shias are a sect which changed alot of the teachings of the Prophet.Most of the Muslims regard them as non Muslim.

Answer 11

Islam is Sunni and it did not split.It passed down from the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of god be upon him).Shias are a sect which changed alot of the teachings of the Prophet.Most of the Muslims regard them as non Muslim.

Answer 13 The question phrasing is wrong. There is no splitting in Islam. The westerners are trying to amplify some differences between Sunnis and Shiites to create unjustified conflicts to allow the West in getting control of the Islamic countries and putting hands on the resources of the Islamic countries.

As explained before, it is just different view points on non critical issues. Both Shiites and Sunnis believe in:

• one and only one God; with no partner, no companion, no son, no father, no associate, and no equivalence.
• all God prophets (from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ismael, Isac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, ..., Jesus, and the last Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon them all)
• all God angels
• Hell and Paradise (or Heaven)
• all God holy books including Torah, Bible, and Qur'an
• destiny, whether good or bad
• Resurrection Day and 2nd eternal life

Both Sunnis and Shiites follow the same Qur'an and prophet Muhammad teachings including the five basic pillars of Islam (including praying, fasting, alms giving, and hajj and both are practicing them per prophet Muhammad detailed teachings although Shiites added to them some other minor items based also on prophet Muhammad sayings.

The main difference is that: they considered that Ali Ibn AbouTaleb (Prophet Muhammad's Cousin) was legitimate to success Prophet Muhamad (after his death) in ruling the Muslims rather than that the election of the successor Abou Bakr who was followed by Omar and Osman Ibn Affan and then Ali Ibn AbouTaleb.

The other important point is that no one has the right to expel anyone out of Islam and to consider him/her unbeliever (or Kafir) so far:

• he/she witness that no god Except one God (Allah) with no partner and that Muhammad is God messenger and prophet, and that
• he/she doesn't deny intentionally the praying (Salah), paying Zakat (Alms giving), fasting Ramadan, and pilgrimage (Hajj).

It remains to mention that:

• Ali ibn Abu Talib himself (Allah be pleased with him), and all who were supporting his legitimacy to be the first Caliph, supported the first three caliphs during their ruling and Ali was their right arm in advice and support.
• The claimed differences between Shiites and Sunnis are not crucial and not expelling any of them to be true Muslims and good believers.
• Terrorist actions against civilians are condemned by both Shiites and Sunnis
• Both Shiites and Sunnis accept, of course, the Qur'an saying that no compulsion in religion. Accordingly, they don't agree to kill or imprison anyone who chooses to leave Islam unless he attacks Islam and use his convert from Islam as a way for earning money through working with some media agencies to propagate lies against Islam.

Answer 12

the friends and followers of Ali believed that after the death of prophet, the caliphate and religious authority belonged to ALI. this belief came from consideration of Ali's position and station in relation to the prophet , his relation to the chosen among the companions , as well as his relation to muslim as general.

it was only the events that occurred during the few days of the prophet final illness that indicated that there was opposition to their view, contrary expectation, at the very moment when the prophet died and his body lay still unburied while his household and a few companion occupied with for his burial and funeral services , the friend and followers of Ali received news of the activity of another group who had gone to the mosque where community where gathered faced with this sudden loss of its leader.

this group ,Which was later ti form the majority , set forth in great haste to select a caliph for the muslim with the aims of the ensuring the welfare of the community and solving its immediate problems. they did this without consulting the household of the prophet , his relatives or many of his friends who were busy with funeral and without providing them with the least information. thus Ali and his companions were presented with a fait accompli .

Ali and his friends such as Abbas , Zubayr , Salman . Abu Dharr , Meghdad and Ammar, after finishing with the burial of the body of the prophet became aware of the proceedings by which the caliph had been selected . they proteted against the act of choosing the caliph by consultation or election , and also against those who were responsible for carrying it out.

they even presented their own proofs and arguments but the answer they received was that the welare of the muslims was at sake and the solution lay in what had been done.it was this protest and criticism which separated from the majority the minority that were following Ali and made his followers known to society as the partisans or shiah of Ali . the caliphate of the time was anxious to guard against this appellation being given to the Shiite minority and thus to have muslim society divided into sections comprised of a majority and a minority .

THE supporters of the caliph considered the caliphate to be a matter of the consensus of the community , and called those who objected the opponents of allegiance . they claimed that the shiiah stood, therefore opposed to muslim society .sometimes the shiiah were given other pejorative and degrading names.

shiism was condemn from the first moment because of the political situation of the time and thus it couild not accomplish anything through mere political protest.

Ali in order to safeguard the well-being of islam and the muslims and also because of lack of sufficient political and military power did not endeavor to begin an uprising aganst the existing political order which would have been of a bloody nature . yet those who proteted against the established caliphate refused to surrender to the majority in certain questions of faith and continued to hold that the succession to the prophet and the religious authority belonged by right to Ali. they believed all spiritual and religious matters should be refered to him and invited people to becime his followers.

countries with more than 80% of Muslim population are:

1. Afghanistan
2. Tunisia
3. Iran
4. Western Sahara
5. Azerbaijan
6. Mauritania
7. Yemen
8. Morocco
9. Iraq
10. Niger
11. Somalia
12. Maldives
13. Comoros
14. Jordan
15. Turkey
16. Algeria
17. Saudi Arabia
18. Djibouti
19. Libya
20. Pakistan
21. Uzbekistan
22. Senegal
23. Kuwait
24. Gambia
25. Egypt
26. Turkmenistan
27. Mali
28. Syria
29. Kosovo
30. Bangladesh
31. Indonesia
32. Oman
33. Kyrgyzstan
34. Guinea
35. Tajikistan
36. Bahrain