Unity of Muslims

Quaid-e-Azam made it clear to the mission that the Muslim lion's share regions ought to be gathered together to make a sovereign and free Pakistan. He said,

55). Not understanding this diversity could lead non-Muslims to a biased position and see all things as equal. According to Qureshi (2014) Shia make up approximately 10 to 15 percent of the world Muslims that follow after the authority of Muhammad, the Sunni’s make up about 80 percent that follow after caliphate Abu Bakr and 5 to 10 percent fall in the other category (Qureshi, 2014, p. 55). There are instances where Muslims will consider other Muslims as non-Muslims, as such where someone claims to be a prophet or places their authority above Allah. Although there is some disparity among Muslims, Qureshi believes the pillar that identifies a man as Muslim is if he exclusively declares that Allah is God and Muhammad is Allah’s messenger (Qureshi, 2014, p. 57-58). All Muslims through the practices, disciplines, and teachings of Allah share differences, but there are ambiguities among the sects and depending on which sect you believe, the others may be viewed as infidels. Where there are differences in opinion, they rely on the Ulema, which are religious Muslim scholars that are wise and experienced in Islam (Qureshi, 2014, p.

One of the most famous religious splits in human history is the well known Sunni-Shia split. The Sunni-Shia split is highly divisive throughout the world, and predominantly in the Middle East. These sects share similarities, such as they all believe that Allah is the one true god, and Muhammad is his messenger. They also believe in the same five religious pillars that Muslims follow. Although these sects are very similar, there is one big schismatic difference that separates the two. This difference lies with the question of: “Who is the rightful successor of the Prophet Muhammad?” Through this 1,400 year conflict Most sunnis believe that Abu Bakr the Prophet 's closest companion is the true successor. In contrast most Shias believe that Ali, who was the prophet 's cousin and son in law is the true successor. Abu bakr was the rightful heir to lead Muslims after the Prophet’s death. Abu Bakr was arguably his closest confidant throughout their lives, and Abu Bakr understood the Messenger teachings the best. It can also be argued that that Ali would be the fourth caliph instead of the first because choosing a successor to the Prophet based on bloodline could be seen as committing idolatry according to Islamic teaching.

division between Shia (followers of Ali) and Sunni (followers of the custom of the caliphate)

In 1961 James Baldwin met Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam movement at the time. Baldwin’s experience within the Christian Church prior to his meeting with Elijah helped him analyze the Nation of Islam. This also allowed him to draw parallels between the Nation of Islam movement and the Christian Church. How James Baldwin understood the way the Christian Church worked, and a close look at the Nation of Islam, brings to light the credibility of organized religions.

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

Although the both the Ottoman and Safavid Empire were Muslim, the Safavid empire used its religion differently to promote order and stability within its region. The Islam religion was divided in the year 632 AD, with the death of the Islam prophet, Muhammed. (Footnote). While on his death

The disharmonious presence of different societies and religions has been seen all through this present nation's history and today. Paine recognizes that "no doubt the union of such an individuals was impracticable" and to some extent it is. While the vast majority can exist together with their neighbors calmly, it is clear this is not generally the situation. After 9-11, Muslims

As a nation we should unite to move on from our prejudices and come together as a

The history of the split of Shiites and Sunnis Muslims dates back thousands of years. It is not a new event, however the conflicts between Shi'ites and Sunnis still exist to this day and they have been increasing. Muslims were one interconnected group without divisions or conflicts. However, in 632, after the death of prophet Muhammad Muslims needed to caliph or successor to mastermind their affairs. Therefore, they divided into two groups; Sunni and Shia. Sunni claimed that prophet Muhammad did not choose caliph to him before his death, so they chose Abu-Bakr, who prophet Muhammad’s friend and the father of his wife. Then Umar, Othman and finally, Ali. The second group was Shia who believed that prophet Muhammad before

The discrepancies with the main ideas cause the split in Islam as we see it today.

From this initial split other divisions and changes occurred within the religious practices and laws of Islam. While both share a belief in the Qur’an and the sunna (sayings or actions) of the Prophet Muhammad there are religious and legal differences. Imams are by the Shia definition the divinely guided ones but the Sunni defines Imaans as saints (Diffen n.d.). The Shia declared Ali and his descendants Imams with a special connection to the will of God with religious and legal authorities. The number of Imams and who were truly the divinely guided Imams would split Shias. There arose many branches but it came down to three main ones the Twelvers, the Seveners, and Zayids (Goldschmidt Jr. 2013). The Imams were mystical beings and the Twelvers believe that the 12th Imam disappeared and will one day return to set thing right for Muslims. Within the Sunni sect there are four branches of Islamic Law:

The split among the umma began with selecting Muhammad’s successor. Prophet Muhammad didn’t name as successor before his passing, so the umma

Unicity exists in all three, but in Islam it is divine unicity; the idea that “there is is no god but God,” which conflicts with the present sectarianism (57). Sunni, Shī‛a, and other Islamic sects all believe in Allah as all Christians and Jews believe in God, however, division comes through interpretation, which varies from person to person and the acceptability of beliefs depended on the influence of their leaders. Each sect has different answers to particular questions, such as what qualifies a person to be Muslim, which groups like the Seceders believed that any serious sinners could no longer be Muslims but the Murjia believe “anyone making the profession of faith was a Muslim.” There is also the question of predestination and free will that coincides with whether or not the Quran was created. The Mu‛tazila believed in the Created Quran while the Ash‛aris believed in the Uncreated Quran, differing on the essence of God and his unicity, with that latter having a philosophy of acceptance without asking questions (66-67).

For the one billion or more Muslims (about six million in the United States), who are of many racial and ethnic backgrounds -- Arabs being a minority -- Islam is the middle way between Judaism and Christianity; it restores the unity of the children of Abraham and overcomes the limitations of Judaism and Christianity. Jesus, the prophet to "the lost sheep of Israel," limits Christianity; Judaism is similarly limited. Islam proclaims a practical synthesis of Judaism and Christianity for all humanity.