Explanation of different sects--Sunni, Shi'a, Sufi....and Dil Se.

[tjdee]

I was very happy to find this group created, even though I'm a Christian, partly because as you know, my sweet SRK is a Muslim.

A while ago I watched one of his films, Dil Se, and while I was looking up song translations I stumbled onto a site which talked briefly about Sufism (is that it?) and how Dil Se is a meditation on Sufism (again, ?), with the seven stages of love...or something...I'm forgetting now. :dunce:

So I wanted to ask what the different sects of Islam were and what the differences were. I know that the Sunni/Shi'a divide was over who should be leader after Mohammed. Um, I think.

[PsychoDad]

1. Islamic Denominations and Sects

You have a very good question. The media seems to portray Islam as monolithic and many Americans have the same view. In reality there are a few different denominations.

Here are the explanations of a few as found on http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/sects.htm


Sunni (Sunnah) Islam
With 940 million adherents, Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Followers of the Sunni tradition are known as Sunnis or Sunnites; they sometimes refer to themselves as Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jamaa'h, "adherents to the Sunnah and the assembly."

Sunnis have their historical roots in the majority group who followed Abu Bakr, an effective leader, as Muhammad's successor, instead of his cousin and son-in-law Ali. The Sunnis are so named because they believe themselves to follow the sunnah or "custom" of the Prophet.

Sunnis base their religion on the Quran and the Sunnah as understood by the majority of the community under the structure of the four schools of thought. The four Sunni schools of law (madhahib) - the Hanafi, the Maliki, the Shafi'i and the Hanbali - are sometimes mistakenly understood as different sects, but they are not. These four schools of religious law associate themselves with four great scholars of early Islam: Abu Haneefah, Malik, Shafi'i, and Ahmad bin Hanbal. These scholars were known for their knowledge and piety throughout the Muslim world. They differed only in minor issues of application of certain principles in the religion and were not in opposition to each other. In fact, Ahmad bin Hanbal was a student of Shafi'i, who was a student of Malik.

Sufism is considered by the majority of Sunnis to be integral part of Sunni Islam. It deals with the spiritual aspects of a Sunni Muslim's everyday life. Some of the most famous Sufi schools are the Qadiri, Naqshbandi, Shadhili, Chishti, and Rifa‘i paths or tariqas.

Sunnis view the Shi'ites as from the ahlul-bidah; i.e., the people of innovation. Sunnis oppose Shi'ite beliefs concerning some of the companions of the Prophet, the belief in the Imamate and difference on the Caliphate, and others. Other groups considered to be outside Islam by Sunnis are Nation of Islam, Ahmadiyya, and Ismailis.


Shi'a Islam
Shia Islam includes most of the Muslims that are not counted among the Sunni. The primary division within Islam, between Sunni and Shi'a, dates to the death of the Prophet Muhammad when his followers were faced with the decision of who would be his successor as the leader of Islam. Shi'ites are those who followed Ali, the closest relative of Muhammad, as Muhammad's successor. Today there are approximately 120 million Shi'ite Muslims in the world.

The Shia consist of one major school of thought known as the Jafaryia or the "Twelvers," and a few minor schools of thought, as the "Seveners" or the "Fivers." These names all refer to the number of imams they recognize after the death of Muhammad. The term Shi'a is usually meant to be synonymous with the Jafaryia/Twelvers.

Sufism
Sufism is less an Islamic sect and more an alternative way of approaching the Islamic faith. Sufis are mystically-inclined Muslims who seek a direct experience of God. Sufism has been a prominent movement within Islam throughout most of its history. By the 19th century CE, more than half of the male Muslim population was attached to a Sufi order (tariqa).


Ahmadiyya
Ahmadiyya Islam was founded in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (c. 1839-1908) in Qadian, Punjab, India. Ahmad claimed to be the appearance of the Promised Messiah (or, according to some sources, a reappearance of the Prophet Muhammad) as well as an incarnation of the Hindu god Krishna.

Ghulam Ahmad taught that Jesus feigned his crucifixion and resurrection, then lived to be 120 years old in India, contradicting the orthodox Muslim doctrine that Jesus was taken up into heaven before his death. Ahmad also reinterpreted jihad as a nonviolent battle against nonbelievers, using as its weapon the pen instead of the sword. These doctrines, along with the teaching that Ahmad was a prophet like Muhammad, have led Ahmadiyyas to be denounced as heretics by most of orthodox Islam.

Upon the death of Ahmad, Mawlawi Nur-ad-Din was elected as successor (caliph). When he died in 1914, the Ahmadiya group split into two groups.

Ahmadiyya Islam is also associated with several Sufi orders, most notably the Al-Badawi order of Egypt, named for an Islamic saint who died in 1276.


If you wish, I can supply some websites for more information on the differnt groups.

Peace

[ianna_kur]

3. Request for more information :-)

Do you happen to have any good sites that outline the modern-day differences between Shi'a and Sunni practices, customs, and beliefs? I am currently studying the Imperial period of Islamic history, so a modern perspective would be most helpful.

Thank you in advance.

[PsychoDad]

9. Here some sites.

These may be useful, :) Insha Allah. (by the will of God)

http://islam.about.com/cs/divisions/f/shia_sunni.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/subdivisions/sunni_shia/
http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islamic_sects.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunni
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia
http://ask.yahoo.com/20041021.html

Please remember, what should define a Muslim is simply the declaration of Faith, The Shahada. "I declare that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is it's messenger", that declaration by itself defines a Muslim.

Everything else should simply be seen as differences in doctrine or interpretation.

Peace.

[ianna_kur]

10. Excellent sites

Thank you again :-)

[GrpCaptMandrake]

11. Peace be upon you

In truth, I think what we *really* need to examine is the relationship of the Wahabis to the rest of the world. Wahabis control the Grand Mosque as well as Saudi society and deem both Sunni and Shi'a to be insufficiently pious.

Interestingly, T.E. Lawrence mentions the Wahabis in his "Seven Pillars of Wisdom." If one didn't know better, one could almost as equally imagine he was describing American "Christian" fundamentalists.

[Agnomen]

2. Here's a link to a good site on Sufism

http://www.uga.edu/islam/Sufism.html

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. There are many sites about Sufism

and there are many Sufi schools. This is the sect I am most familiar with, as I have been a Sufi initiate for 16 years.

A little more information on Sufism, as I understand it:

There are many different Sufi orders, all of which, I believe, are initiatic (in other words, you have to be initiated into the order to receive practices). A person can be initiated in more than one Sufi Order-I am an initiate of two. There is a connection between the initiate and their teacher or guide. There are different levels of Sufism, and one receives different initiations as they go further down their spiritual path. "Sufi" is actually a level of initiation, and so I don't call myself a Sufi, but rather an initiate-God willing, I'll reach the level of Sufi someday.

The main spiritual practice of Sufis is "zkr" (also spelled "dhkr"), which means "remembrance". The goal is direct experience with God, and zkr is one way to have that experience. It is basically reciting words and phrases, such as "La illaha il Allah Hu". The phrases can be chanted, sung, or even danced. Zkr is usually open to anyone who wishes to come-I have not seen anyone turned away from zkr-in fact, to paraphrase the poet Rumi, it is often said, "Come, come, whoever you are, even though you've broken your vows a hundred times, come, come, again."

My husband's spiritual teacher, Murshida Tasnim Hermila Fernandez, has a website with links to the Sufi Order International, the Mevlevi Order of America, and the Dances of Universal Peace, which you might find interesting, as they show how Sufism has developed in the US. Her website is:

http://www.churchofall.us

[plasticwidow]

5. Thank you, ayeshahaqqiqa!

Salaam alaykum! I find everytime I talk to or read anything PsychoDad has written, I learn something new. Wow! Thank you, Psychodad. :)

However, I wanted to specifically thank you, ayeshahaqqiqa, for sharing the information on Sufism and providing the link. I have been interested for sometime in learning more about Sufism, have browsed a couple of sites, but really don't know that much about it. It is covered in mysticism and lore, and on outward appearances sake for those who do not know or understand, seems to be the most "different" in appearance from other Islamic denominations or sects. But its not really that different. I am fascinated and definitely want to know more.

Peace to you! and everyone else. :)

[PsychoDad]

8. But please remember...

I am only a parrot. I can only pass on what I myself have learned in the hope that you will pass it on also.

Knowledge is like any other form of wealth. It has been given to us by Allah, subbahanna wa tala, so that we may give it freely to others. To not pass on knowledge is as great a sin as to horde wealth!

And all that I say that is good and correct comes from the will of Allah, and if I am wrong in anything, it is my own mistake, and please forgive me.

Peace.

[Agnomen]

6. Sufi Prayer

I offer you peace.
I offer you joy.
I offer you friendship.

I hear your needs.
I see your beauty.

Our wisdom comes from
a Higher Source.
Our wisdom comes from
a deeper source.
I honor that Source in you.

[PsychoDad]

7. Zikr, Zkr, dhkr, etc..

Salaam Aliekum

Indeed, "Remembrance" of Allah should be the primary habit/goal/act of each Muslim in everything we do.

But the material world, which should remind us of our Rabb, our beloved creator, all so often gets in the way of us remembering the One.

That's why according to sunnah we should say "Bismillah", In the name of God, before every undertaking as remembrance to remind ourselves that without God this would not be possible.

For most Sunni, Sufism is interwoven into our practices to one degree or another, without many even realizing it.

Many Sunni, and I'm sure this probably also applies to Shia, practice some form of Zkr, often after prayers and other times of the day by reciting the names of Allah, or as you mentioned, through chanting or meditation upon the one.

In fact the Salat itself should be a form of Zikr, as it is a direct connection with the one, if we but remember that while performing it. :)

Peace, and may we all remember our Rabb with the fervor of our Sufi Sisters and Brothers :)

[plasticwidow]

12. Universal Message...

Stumbled upon this website, International Association of Sufism, and was reading an article by Seyedeh Dr. Nahid Angha, "An Introduction to Sufism", is taken from the journal Sufism: An Inquiry.

The ahle suffe believed that it was the unique human right and privilege to be able to find the way towards understanding the reality of the Divine. As the cognitive tools of ordinary mental logic are limited in their ability to comprehend such a great and all- embracing subject, disputation and all discussions based on language alone cannot open any door to understanding such reality. Instead, such a path of understanding necessitates spiritual striving, the understanding and the knowledge of the heart, in its quest to realize the existence of the Divine. Such an approach separates Sufis from philosophers, and indeed from any other group of scholars whose knowledge is founded upon traditions, words, assumptions, and the imagination instead of the actual and direct understanding of all that exists. Thus the path of Sufis, of cognizant Moslems, was separate from that of the traditional understanding. They became the people of the tarigh, or the way; their particular goal was to understand and introduce the esoteric aspect of Islam, as opposed to the exoteric public elements of this universal religion.

The url for those interested in reading the whole article: http://www.ias.org/articles/Introduction_to_Sufism.html


Its amazing, it sounds very similar to Taoism, and other religions of Asian/Eastern cultures. And the similarities in many religions are uncanny.. which corroborates the Quran in that Allah's (swt) message was sent to all corners of the world, and Muhammad (pbuh) was the last messenger of Allah. There are way too many elements similar in each religion to refute this.

Peace!