Sunni History Essay

A change that occurred in the political life of Islamic civilization was the shift from the election of a Caliphate to a more dynastical system. Previously, the caliphates were elected by the Islamic community. Capable leaders were preferred over heirs who were not as qualified. Sunni Muslims were firm believers of this concept, while Shia muslims believed that Ali should’ve

When Muhammad died, Muslims faced the challenge of creating institutions to preserve the community. This is the Middle period of Islam. Muslims believe that the revelation was completed with the work of Muhammad, who is described as the seal of the prophets. The leaders after Muhammad were described only as caliphs, or successors to the Prophet, and not as prophets themselves. The first four caliphs were companions of the Prophet and their period of rule (632-661) is described by the majority of Muslims as the age of the Rightly Guided Caliphate. This was an era of expansion during which Muslims conquered the Sasanid (Persian) Empire and took control of the North African and Syrian territories of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. The Muslim community was transformed from a small city-state controlling much of the Arabian Peninsula into a major world empire, in this case the Umayyad empire, extending from northwest Africa to central Asia. The emphasis

Many Muslims knew the cause of Utham’s death and were angry at Ali, for he had not brought Utham’s killers to justice, one of whom was Mu’awiya, who had been the governor of Damascus and cousin of Utham. When Ali was assassinated in 661 A.D., Mu’awiya felt great pleasure in his death and found his revenge in stealing Ali’s old position; there was, yet again, another Sunni leader. Mu’awiya lead the Sunni Muslims through a prosperous time, the Umayyad dynasty. This period of growth played a huge role in the power, control, and population of the Sunni Muslims while the Shi’ttes remained uninvolved. In the year 661 A.D. many converted to the Sunni ways, for they were very successful.

The Umayya remained a powerful clan as Islam spread under Muhammad and, after his death in 632, his two successors, or caliphs—successors of the Prophet. Still, the clan’s power had far from peaked. After the death of Umar, the second caliph, a member of the Umayya became his successor: Uthman ibn Affan (Kishlansky, Geary and O'Brien). Uthman, however, was quickly murdered because he privileged the Meccan elite over the early converts. Shaken by his death, the Umma charged the fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib, as being complacent with Uthman’s murder. Eventually Ali himself was murdered by the Umayyad’s supporters, giving rise to an Islamic state ruled by the Umayya, the Umayyad Caliphate, where the Islamic

One being who would succeed the Prophet Muhammad after his death; Shias holding the belief that Muhammad had elected someone to be his successor; this being Ali, the closest relative to Muhammad. On the other hand, Sunni Muslims believe Muhammad did not choose a specific person to follow this death, but instead the best community would vote the most qualified candidate to take over the role as Caliph. This one controversy has spawn fights, debates, and even wars over who is correct, and is the primary cause in the split between the Sunnis and

Ali’s son Husayn was sought out and asked to lead a revolt against the Uyammad’s. When Husayn set out on his journey to overthrow Yazid, the current caliph, his “supporters” failed to join his band. Husayn and 72 of his followers were killed on the plains of Karbala, Iraq. Thus the Shi’at Ali (Party of Ali) or Shia sect of Islam was born (Egger 2004). The Sunni sect would continue to support what they saw as the traditional path of Islam.

Umayyad • The Umayyad Caliphate began when the Shi’ite belief developed, who believed that Ali was the successor to Muhammad and God. They were later overthrown by Abbasid Caliphate. • The Umayyad Caliphate was an extra step in the Islamic state to become influential through their religion. The Umayyad Caliphate, unfortunately, fell after over a decade of instability, after being overthrow by the Abbasids.

The division between Sunnis and Shiites is at the largest scale and oldest in the history of Islam. This article compares the differences between the two. There are number of reasons of conflict between them. We will discuss these conflicts in a general form. Initially the difference between Sunni and Shiites was merely a question of who should lead the Muslim community. Today there are significant differences in the structures and organisation of religious leadership in the Sunni and the Shiites communities. There is a hierarchy to the Shiites clergy and political and religious authority is vested in the most learned who emerge as spiritual leaders. These leaders are transnational and religious institutions are funded by religious taxes called Khums (20% of annual excess income) and Zakat (2.5%). Shiites institutions abroad are also funded this way.

We know that sometimes many events of history are told differently by different groups. The Sunni view, which has become majority amongst Muslims, believe that there is no such procedure laid by either Muhammad or by Qur’an stating who was to become a successor. As stated “the theory as well as the practice of Sunnism had been to recognize only one caliph: as God’s religion is only one, reflecting the divine unity, so should God’s ‘best umma’ be one” explains that, for Sunnis, as long as the leader ruled under God, following the guidance of Qur’an and Sunna, it was a role that could be fulfilled out with any man, based on his piety and wisdom. Leadership was to be merit not by inheritance, birth or family.

Muslim culture generally reflects the traditions and customs of Muslims that they adopt for a perfect and respectable life in the society according to the lessons of Quran. Muslim culture is a giant combination of diverse cultures, That’s because Muslims live in various countries all over the world. Most of the practices are common faiths and guidance for all Muslims no matter what country or even content they reside in.. These basic faiths and belives are based on the teachings of Islam. The Muslim culture is a subject of debate for many people who lives in different parts of the world and belong to diverse communities. Muslim culture represents the unification of brotherhood where all Muslims are bound to

caliphs and it is acknowledge to be an influential period in Islamic history. The founder of

Islam is divided into two branches called the Shi’ite and the Sunni. The Sunni make up the majority of muslims today. The Shi’ite Muslims believe that Ali (Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law) was the rightful successor to Muhammad, and that leadership of the community should remain in the family line of the prophet. Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism. Sufis place emphasis on the inward experience of God, and on individual acts of spiritual discipline. (Basic facts about)

“Shi'ism was not brought into existence only by the question of the political succession to Muhammad as so many Western works claim (although this question was of course of great importance). The problem of political succession may be said to be the element that crystallized the Shi'ites into a distinct group, and political suppression in later periods,

After ‘The Year of Sorrow’ in which both Muhammad’s uncle- Abu Talib and wife- Kadijah died Muhammad is warned by the angel Gabriel that the situation is getting too dangerous for him in Mecca. “Muhammad knew the faith must find expression in a community which would insure its external force and the opportunity to prevail against opposition” (Cragg). It is at this point that Muhammad is invited to become a leader in Medina (622ce).

According to Sakkwatanci: A Caliphate is defined as an Islamic State governed by a Caliph or Sultan; where the Caliph exercises both political and religious powers as the states supreme head, he holds the title of AMIR AL-mumin (Commander of the Faithful) and in Hausa, SARKIN MUSULMI. Islam of itself follows the teachings of Muhammad, the prophet as he was both the religious head and political leader of the faithful. Currently known to the world today as Northern Nigeria the Sokoto Caliphate followed the Sufi traditions an Islamic sect—incorporating a very different method of prorogating the religion of the faithful and was successful for the greater part of the nineteenth century. Not since the first jihads during the time of Muhammad when the city of Medina sought an income by raiding the caravans of the Meccans had the jihad made such an impact on the growth of Islam. A jihad declared by Usman dan Fodio and initially directed by his kinsmen, Sokoto in Nigeria had such an effect in the spread of Muslim influence in Sub-Sahara Africa; whereas in the prior centuries Islam was proliferated without as much blood shed in the most northern reaches of the Sahara.