F A I T H A L I V E At ti r st, t h e ri v al I sl a mi c f a cti o n s p e a c ef ull y a g r e e d
A b u B a k r ( 6 3 2 – 6 3 4 C E) U m a r ( 6 3 4 – 6 4 4 C E) U t h m a n ( 6 4 4 – 6 5 6 C E) Ali ( 6 5 6 – 6 6 1 C E)
t h at a r e p r e s e nt ati v e g r o u p of
el d e r s w o ul d el e ct t h e c ali p h. F o u r s u c c e s si v e c ali p h s w e r e c h o s e n i n t hi s w a y: • • • •
K E Y C O N C E P T
T h e U m m a h is t h e n a m e giv e n t o t h e w orl d wi d e Isl a mic c o m m u nity.
T h e f o u rt h c ali p h, Ali , w a s M u h a m m a d’ s c o u si n a n d s o n -i n -l a w. Aft e r M u h a m m a d’ s d e at h, a n e nt h u si a sti c f a cti o n d e m a n d e d t h at Ali b e m a d e c ali p h. T h e y b eli e v e d t h at o nl y a bl o o d r el ati v e of M u h a m m a d s h o ul d s u c c e e d hi m a s l e a d e r of t h e U m m a h . D E B AT E
C H E C K Y O U R U N D E R S T A N DI N G I N T H E Z O N E T HI N K A B O U T ...
H o w e v e r, t h e y w e r e o p p o s e d b y a m o r e p o w e rf ul g r o u p w h o t h o u g ht t h at Ali s h o ul d n e v e r h a v e b e e n m a d e c ali p h at all. T h e y t h o u g ht t h at it w o ul d b e b ett e r f o r t h e U m m a h t o b e l e d b y a m a n of p r o v e n a bilit y r at h e r t h a n a bl o o d h ei r. T h e y w a nt e d t h e c ali p h c h o s e n b y a g r e e m e nt a m o n g t h e l e a d e r s of t h e I sl a mi c c o m m u nit y.
W h e n Ali w a s a s s a s si n at e d b y a ri v al, t h e I sl a mi c c o m m u nit y s plit. T w o ri v al t r a diti o n s w e r e f o r m e d: t h e S u n ni a n d t h e S hi’ a . T h e S u n ni a c c e pt e d t h e n e xt c ali p h, M u’ a wi y a . H o w e v e r, t h e S hi’ a s u p p o rt e d Ali’ s d e s c e n d a nt s, b e gi n ni n g wit h hi s s o n H u s a y n , w h o w a s l at e r kill e d at t h e B attl e of K e r b al a ( 6 8 0 C E).
T h e S u n ni a n d t h e S hi’ a h a v e v e r y diff e r e nt i d e a s a b o ut t h e ti r st f o u r c ali p h s. A c c o r di n g t o t h e S u n ni t r a diti o n, all f o u r l e a d e r s aft e r M u h a m m a d w e r e ‘ t h e ri g h tl y g ui d e d c ali p h s’. A c c o r di n g t o t h e S hi’ a t r a diti o n, Ali w a s t h e o nl y t r u e s u c c e s s o r t o M u h a m m a d. Si n c e t hi s s c hi s m, m e m b e r s of b ot h t r a diti o n s h a v e f o u g ht o n e a n ot h e r i n bitt e r fi t n a (i. e. ci vil w a r s) o n a n d off o v e r t h e c e nt u ri e s.
T w o tr a diti o n s of I sl a m: S u n ni a n d S hi’ a W e h a v e s e e n h o w t w o t r a diti o n s d e v el o p e d q uit e e a rl y i n t h e hi st o r y of I sl a m: t h e S u n ni a n d t h e S hi’ a . T h e t w o t r a diti o n s diff e r s h a r pl y o n a n u m b e r of i s s u e s.
’ T HI N K A B O U T ... I N V E S TI G AT E
K E Y C O N C E P T
T h e S u n ni: T h ei r n a m e m e a n s ‘ t h e p a t h s h o w n b y M u h a m m a d’. T h e y m a k e u p a b o ut 8 5 % of t h e w o rl d I sl a mi c c o m m u nit y. K e y b eli ef s f o r S u n ni M u sli m s i n w hi c h t h e y diff e r f r o m S hi’ a M u sli m s i n cl u d e: •
• •
N o o n e si n c e M u h a m m a d h a s r e c ei v e d a n y s p e ci al wi s d o m f r o m All a h.
M u sli m s s h o ul d b e g ui d e d b y t h e c o n s e n s u s (i. e. o v e r w h el mi n g m aj o rit y vi e w) of t h e w h ol e c o m m u nit y, w hi c h i n cl u d e s b ot h s c h ol a r s a n d t h e l ait y.
2 7 2
All f o u r of t h e o ri gi n al c ali p h s, i n cl u di n g Ali, w e r e p r o p e rl y c h o s e n. T h e f oll o w e r s of Ali w e r e w r o n g t o b r e a k a w a y a s t h e y di d.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253 |
Page 254 |
Page 255 |
Page 256 |
Page 257 |
Page 258 |
Page 259 |
Page 260 |
Page 261 |
Page 262 |
Page 263 |
Page 264 |
Page 265 |
Page 266 |
Page 267 |
Page 268 |
Page 269 |
Page 270 |
Page 271 |
Page 272 |
Page 273 |
Page 274 |
Page 275 |
Page 276 |
Page 277 |
Page 278 |
Page 279 |
Page 280 |
Page 281 |
Page 282 |
Page 283 |
Page 284 |
Page 285 |
Page 286 |
Page 287 |
Page 288 |
Page 289 |
Page 290 |
Page 291 |
Page 292 |
Page 293 |
Page 294 |
Page 295 |
Page 296 |
Page 297 |
Page 298 |
Page 299 |
Page 300 |
Page 301 |
Page 302 |
Page 303 |
Page 304 |
Page 305 |
Page 306 |
Page 307 |
Page 308 |
Page 309 |
Page 310 |
Page 311 |
Page 312 |
Page 313 |
Page 314 |
Page 315 |
Page 316 |
Page 317 |
Page 318 |
Page 319 |
Page 320 |
Page 321 |
Page 322 |
Page 323 |
Page 324 |
Page 325 |
Page 326 |
Page 327 |
Page 328 |
Page 329 |
Page 330 |
Page 331 |
Page 332 |
Page 333 |
Page 334 |
Page 335 |
Page 336 |
Page 337 |
Page 338 |
Page 339 |
Page 340 |
Page 341 |
Page 342 |
Page 343 |
Page 344 |
Page 345 |
Page 346 |
Page 347 |
Page 348 |
Page 349 |
Page 350 |
Page 351 |
Page 352 |
Page 353 |
Page 354 |
Page 355 |
Page 356 |
Page 357 |
Page 358 |
Page 359 |
Page 360 |
Page 361 |
Page 362 |
Page 363 |
Page 364 |
Page 365 |
Page 366 |
Page 367 |
Page 368 |
Page 369 |
Page 370 |
Page 371 |
Page 372 |
Page 373 |
Page 374 |
Page 375 |
Page 376 |
Page 377 |
Page 378 |
Page 379 |
Page 380 |
Page 381 |
Page 382 |
Page 383 |
Page 384 |
Page 385 |
Page 386 |
Page 387 |
Page 388 |
Page 389 |
Page 390 |
Page 391 |
Page 392 |
Page 393 |
Page 394 |
Page 395 |
Page 396 |
Page 397 |
Page 398 |
Page 399 |
Page 400 |
Page 401 |
Page 402 |
Page 403 |
Page 404 |
Page 405 |
Page 406 |
Page 407 |
Page 408 |
Page 409
