The shiasunni schism is about politics, not about islam. After the prophet the epic story of the shia sunni split in islam. This split in the religion comes down to a political and spiritual difference of opinion about who should have succeeded muhammad after his death in 632 ce. After the prophet the epic story of the shia sunni split. The split between the two main sects within islam goes back some 1,400 years.
The successor of the messenger of allah and his first caliph. The middle east journal, volume 64, number 2, spring 2010. The sunnishiite islam split stations reading by reading history. What was the ultimate issue that caused the split between sunni and shia. Nov 02, 2011 the split essentially occurred due to disputes over who was the rightful successor to the prophet. Split in sunnis who backed up the umayyad and the shia who backed up with ali.
Differences between shia and sunni muslims business insider. Why the myth of sunnishia conflict defines middle east. The differences between shia and sunni muslims business insider. Husayn with a small party was killed at karbala in 680. Prince alwaleed bin talal center for muslimchristian understanding. Looking at the icon of the book, i expected nothing less. In iraq and syria, shia powers fight off largely sunni opposition. Mar 18, 2020 the sunnishia split is complicated by the nationalistic schism among middle east countries. Sunni shia distribution map write one generalization about the information the map is providing. Shia article of faith that are also found in the sunni corpus of.
One of the most crucial differences between shia and sunni muslims is the importance that the shiites give to ali, whom the sunni do not recognize as being the prophets rightful successor. In the 1920 mandate of iraq, the british worked to check the shia majoritys power by keeping sunni arabs in senior positions in government and the. The epic story of the shiasunni split in islam by lesley hazleton. The epic story of the shia sunni split in islam by lesley hazleton.
Sunnishia split today at least 87% of muslims are sunnis. There was no warning from amazon that the ad was pushing a 20 page pamphlet that aims at a child in grade three in its scope and detail. For example, in 2006 israel went to war with hezbollah in lebanon and in 20082009 with hamas in gaza. Separate one page or a whole set for easy conversion into independent pdf files. Isis, quran, shia, sunni, muslim, sharia, al qaeda the heirs of muhammad. From the price i expected a 200 to 300 page history of the sunni shia split from the death of hussein to present day. This essay is excerpted from his book divisions within islam, part of a 10volume. The split essentially occurred due to disputes over who was the rightful successor to the prophet.
A history of the shiitesunni split the division of islam into sunni and shiite branches goes far back in muslim history to the aftermath of the death of the prophet muhammad. Associate professor of history at creighton university in omaha, nebraska. The islamic split between the sunni and shia have had profound effects on the politics of islam and the middle east. What the west needs to know,islam for dummies,islam. There is no god but allah, muhammad is the messenger of allah, ali is the friend of allah. Its a complex topic, but ill try my best to give you a quick overview of it. Prepared by emily hawley, research associate after the death of the prophet mohammad in 632 ce, the muslim community diverged over how to select the next leader of the islamic community they had formed on the arabian peninsula. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The sunni shia split after mohammeds death there is a conflict over who should lead the religion of islam sunni muslims supported abu bakr as the first caliph of the muslim faith the first group of shia were a small group who opposed bakr and wanted a man named ali to take control 6. Although shia muslims only constitute between 10% and % of the global muslim population, they. The origins of the sunnishia split in islam by hussein abdulwaheed amin, editor of introduction the shia shahadah declaration of faith states. Semantic scholar extracted view of after the prophet. This reading looks at the history of the split, as well as the characteristics of sunni and shiite denominations. Islams first century and the origins of the sunni shia split islam.
The words sunni and shia appear regularly in stories about the muslim world but few people know what they really mean. Prophet muhammad died in the evening of june 8, 632 a. The external factors and much of the incidents were a real eye opener and the splits lineage to the current political situation of the middle east with reference to sunni shia split was very knowledgeable too but though i. Arabs descend from the ottoman empire, which existed from the 15th through the 20th century. The historical split occurred 1400 years ago, following the death of muhammad in medina, in modern day saudi arabia. The sunni and shia split because after the death of muhammed, muslims couldnt agree on who should lead islam the sunni branch accepted abu bakr because he was agreed to be the best candidate to be caliph. Parallels the division between islams shiite minority and the sunni majority is deepening across the middle east. Sunnishia distribution map write one generalization about the information the map is providing. Being played out through proxy wars saudi arabia sunni is bombing the houthi rebels in yemen shia who are being supported by iran.
Shias claim that before muhammads death in 632, he appointed ali, his blood relative, to lead the community. For shias, the month also is a time to mourn the events that sparked the centuriesold schism between shia and sunni muslims. Islams first century and the origins of the sunnishia split islam. Shia sunni discussion new pdf documents are added on daily basis. In 1736, nader, the military commander from the turkoman afshar tribe, overthrew the rule of the safavid dynasty by declaring himself. They are the majority in afghanistan, saudi arabia, egypt, yemen, pakistan, indonesia, turkey, algeria, morocco, and tunisia. The division between islams shiite minority and the sunni majority is deepening across the middle east. Sunnishia tensions are more about politics, power and privilege than theology. Shia usoolaldeen which path should you follow did allah tell muslims follow the quran and sunnah or the quran and ahlulbayt the practise of shia islam from sunni books the shia perspective on historical events. Shia islam holds that ali ibn abi talib was the appointed successor to the islamic prophet muhammad as head of the community.
The term shia or shiite derives from a shortening of shiat ali or partisans of ali. Introduction sunni and shia mosaic tiled columns in a mosque. I have already composed some responses to questions around the issue of succession to the prophet muhammad s, and will share links at the end of this piece. The epic story of the shiasunni split in islam ebook. In this gripping narrative history, lesley hazleton tells the tragic story at the heart of the ongoing rivalry between the sunni and shia branches of islam, a rift that.
Jun 30, 2014 the origins of shia anglicized shiite and sunni islam begins with the question of who should lead the muslim community. History ali is the central figure at the origin of the shia sunni split which occurred in the decades immediately following the death of the prophet in 632. Become a supporter and enjoy the good men project ad free it is often pointed out that the schism between shia and sunni islam was born immediately in. The split occurred soon after the death of the prophet muhammad, nearly 1,400 years ago. Further attempts for reconciliation of sunnishia sects in xviii century, there was a new attempt to reconcile sunni and shia sects of islam by nader shahthe ruler of the afshar dynasty. The ascendancy of iraqs sunni community began under the sunni ottoman turks, whose empire ruled the middle east for nearly 400 years. The sunnishia split is complicated by the nationalistic schism among middle east countries. What students need to know by john calvert april 2010 vol. The split between the sunnis and shia can be traced back to the death of the prophet muhammad, and the dilemma of the successor of muhammad as the leader of the muslim nation. Major tenets and beliefs are often similar between the two branches because sunnis and shias are both muslims, but some important. The sunnishiite islam split stations reading by reading. The split in the islam world began as muhammad lay lseley. The origins of shia anglicized shiite and sunni islam begins with the question of who should lead the muslim community.
Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the history of the sunnis and shias like never before, in no time at all. An example of an early shia sunni fitna shootout occurred in kurram, one of the tribal agencies of the northwest pakistan, where the pushtun population was split between sunnis and shia. Shia, however, believe the caliphate should be descended through muhammeds family. Sunni muslims supported abu bakr as the first caliph of the muslim faith the first group of shia were a small group who opposed bakr and wanted a. Sunni islam and shiism only assumed their current forms in the ninth century, after the collection of the prophets sayings hadith and the end of the line of shia imams. The succession to muhammad is the central issue that split the muslim community into several divisions in the first century of islamic history, the most prominent among these sects being the shia and sunni branches of islam. Sectarian conflict is becoming entrenched in a growing number of muslim countries and is threatening to fracture iraq and syria. Islams 1,400yearold divide explained 14 pilgrimage to the saudi arabian city of mecca is one of many rituals that are shared by both sunni and shia muslims. In this gripping narrative history, lesley hazleton tells the tragic story at the heart of the ongoing rivalry between the sunni and shia branches of islam, a rift that dominates the news now more than ever.
Tensions between sunnis and shias, exploited by regional rivals. Time period 656 to 661 ce conflict type religious underlying causes resentments began to build over how the booty from the conquests should be divided among the tribal groups that made up the islamic community which came from sudden successes of muslim armies and the sudden rise of the arab empire. But what id like to suggest here, first, is that your question is not quite right. The history of the sunni and shia split traces the origins of the split and the historic effects of the main divide within islam. However, dividing the middle east along sectarian lines is not an accurate way to assess the loyalties or predict the actions of various regional actors. Look at each document and complete the analysis questions below. This week sunni and shia muslims ushered in the islamic new year and the beginning of the holy month of muharram. May 07, 2017 over the last decade at least, the socalled sunni shia divide has been a defining characteristic of the middle east for pundits and other nonexpert observers of the region. After the prophet is not a novel, it is narrative history, that is, the story of things that happened and of things that people say happened, told in a highly compelling way. Bbc news middle east long path to iraqs sectarian split. After the death of the prophet, abu bakr became the leader of the umma the caliph. What are some causes and effects of the shiasunni split. Sunni muslims supported abu bakr as the first caliph of the muslim faith the first group of shia were a small group who opposed bakr and wanted a man named ali to take control the sunni shiite split. Feb 28, 2007 the sunni and shia split because after the death of muhammed, muslims couldnt agree on who should lead islam the sunni branch accepted abu bakr because he was agreed to be the best candidate to be caliph.
The split between the two main branches of islam is nearly 1,400 years old, and started with a fight over who should lead the faithful after the prophet muhammads death in 632. In september 1996 more than 200 people were killed when a gun battle between teenage shia and sunni escalated into a communal war that lasted five days. There were nine explosions in all, 30 minutes of car bombs, suicide bombs, grenades, and mortar fire. The report also relates sunni and shiite religious beliefs to discussions of terrorism and sectarian violence that may be of interest during the 111th. Iran, on the other hand, descends from the 16th century persian empire. Be able to relate the shi asunni split with issue in the contemporary middle east. Aug 19, 2009 introduction sunni and shia mosaic tiled columns in a mosque. Feb 12, 2007 the division between islams shiite minority and the sunni majority is deepening across the middle east. Included in this product is a lesson plan that allows you to differ. Over the last decade at least, the socalled sunnishia divide has been a defining characteristic of the middle east for pundits and other nonexpert observers of the region.
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