Shii-Sunni Divide:

632 - The Prophet [s] passed away: extremely traumatic event for the
Community, marking the end of chain of prophethood and direct intermediary
between man and God with the loss of the prophet
-

Abu Bakr; `Umar; `Uthman; and then `Ali succeeded the Prophet Sunni
Muslims regard these four as the Rightly Guided Caliphs al-Rashidoon
Shia (contemporary and historical supporters of Ali) rejected the rule Abu
Bakr, refusing to give allegiance to him, claiming the Prophet directly
appointed Ali and the Ahl al-Bayt (family of the Prophet) as the successor
and protectors of the interpretation of Islam.

Reign of `Ali: (656-661)

The people rushed to Ali following the death of Uthman (656) to give
allegiance (bayah) to him; Ali initially refuses to accept their bayah and
rule as a Caliph. Eventually, he accepted their request to take up political
leadership
Politcal base was in Kufa (Iraq)
Married to the Prophets daughter, Fatimah
Lineage of the Prophet would continue through the children of Ali and
Fatimah
Regarded as 4th Sunni Caliph and 1st Imam of the Shia
Tension
- His rule was marred with constant internal conflicts and uprisings
against him as well as the dissent of the Khawarij
- the Prophets wife, Ayeesha, is known for her stern opposition to Ali
as well as other Companions who fought against Ali. Some include:
Talha, Zubayr, and Muawiyyah.
Battle of the Camel 656
- Ayeesha (riding a Camel) and others (Talha & Zubayr) led a rebellion
against Ali and the latter two were killed by the army of Ali
Battle of Siffin
- 657: Army of Ali and army of Muawiyya met in battle and parties
were forced to arbitration
Battle of Nahwaran 658:
660 Muawiyya declares himself Caliph in defiance to Ali
Kharajites (detractors from the army of Ali) fought against him and
were defeated at Nahwaran
Ali was eventually murdered by a Kharajite

Three views of leadership:

Sunni: Any member of the Quraysh can be elected; unless there is open kufr
(disbelief) on part of the ruler, he must be obeyed under all circumstances even
if he was tyrant if the people have given their allegiance to him.
Kharijite: pious Muslim should be Caliph; leaders who err (such as Uthman and
Ali in the eyes of the Kharijites) are to be removed.
Shii: leadership was exclusive to selected members of the Prophets who are to
act as the just legal and spiritual guides of the community.
Interesting trend of Ummayyad opposition to the Prophets Family:
Abu Sufyan was a stern opponent of the Prophet
Muawiyya son of Abu Sufyan fought and opposed against Ali
Yazid son of Muawiyya opposed against Husayn son of Ali
Alis descendants:
- Hasan declared Caliph only to agree on a peace treaty with Muawiyya
(which the latter would go on to break)
- Yazid succeeds Muawiyya his fitness to rule was question by many
including Husayn who led a revolt against yazid due to the latters tyranny
Karbala
- 10th of Ashura, Husayn and 72 of his companions were slaughtered on the
banks of river Euphrates
- Shia recall the sacrifice of Husayn through various cultural practices
Sacred Space:
Karbala Shrine of Husayn
Najaf Shine of Ali
Terminology:
Imam the Leader of prayer and essentially leader of a group of people.
Shia use this word to denote the leader of the community. The term is used
in the Quran where God grants this position to Abraham [2:124]
Theological divisions:
-

Sunni Islam: Ashari and Murtaridi theological schools

Shii Islam: Twelvers (Imami); Ismailis (Seveners); Zaydis (Fivers)

Zaidis
- Now based almost exclusively in Yemen
- Resemble the Hanafi school in matters of Fiqh
- Favoured Zaid ibn Ali as the 5th Imam over Muhammad al-Baqir who is
regarded as the 5th Imam in Twelver and Ismaili theology
- Requirement for office of Imamate is that they rise up against the
illegitimate ruler
- Regard first 3 Imams as infallible (free of sin)
- The early Zaydis held extremely negative views of the first 3 but as tiem
progressed, the Zaydis began developing a more acceptiving view of the
first 3 caliphs
Ismailism
- Established the Fatimid dynasty (909-1171) centered in Cairo
- Named after Ismail eldest son of the 6th Imam al-Sadiq whose progeny
carries the Imamate
- They are distinguished by their emphasis on the Batini (inner) or esoteric
aspects of the religion, including rituals and Quranic verses
- Current Imam is the Agha Khan Prince Karim al-Husayni
Twelvers:
- believe in the Imamate of Ali, Hasan, Husayn and 9 Imams from the line of
Husayn (12 in total hence twelvers
- Second largest branch of Islam
- Regards the 12 Imams as chosen infallible guides
- The son of 11th Imam Hasan al-Askari, Muhammad, is expected to return
as the 12th Imam and emerge from Occultation towards the end of time to
establish justice and remove all forms of oppression.
- Known as the Mahdi or Qaim (One who will rise)
Alawites:
- Quite secretive in regards to their practices and beliefs
- Predominately in Syria
- Allegedly claimed divinity to Ali
- Population of 1.8 million
- Belief in incarnation/reincarnation
Druze:
- Faith shrouded in secrecy
- Emerged as an offshoot from the Ismailis
- Appox. 1 Million Druze worldwide
Ahmadis
- Messianic group founded by Mirza Ghula Ahmad in Qadian in 1889
- Claimed to be the physical Mahdi and spiritual return of Jesus in one
- Rejected by majority of Muslims as a heretical group because of claims of
prophethood which contradicts the Quran confirming the finality of
prophethood sealing with Muhammad [33:40]

Lahori and Qadiani factions

Transformations in Sunni Traditions:

Much of Sunni thinking in the modern period has been politically

accommodationist (minvervas word not mine :P) but significant
challenges to this point of view have also appeared
Sunni realism has been essentially conservative, opposed to discord
(fitna) and fearful of undermining the established ulema as the political
authorities
Lay intellectuals have also emerged, and many have quitly pushed for
greater polticial openness