Shia or Sunni. Does It Really Matter?
Here’s the thing, and there is really no getting around it. We can argue about all the differences of all the denominations of all Faiths of this world forever. But most Muslims and some Christians and Jews and others will agree that Zionism is a deadly scourge on this planet. And that is all that really matters. Zionism plays a huge part in our lives.....and yet mysteriously, we never read about it in Newspapers, magazines, books, or hear about on the radio, lecture halls or in schools.
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To start with, we should all remind ourselves of this quranic verse and ponder over it: "As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, thou hast no part in them in the least: their affair is with Allah. He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did. (Al'Anam 6:159)
Let's all, for our own sake, UNITE and do away with our sectarian mindset, lest we suffer and die in the hands of unbelievers for being the followers of one true God - Allah (swt).
When Zionists in Israel or communists in China or Shiv Sainiks in India, goes hunting for Muslims and rampaging their homes, they don't demarcate between Shias or Sunnis. Sunnah and Shi`a are Muslims who pray to the same God. Both believe in the same Qur'an, have faith in the same message of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and you are recommended to pray with the Iranian Muslims in their mosques sticking to your Sunni understanding of Islam as it is high time for the Muslim Ummah to appreciate all the segments of this Ummah and to have common understanding and appreciation of the Islamic faith.
The Qur'an calls us to unite and cooperate and avoid causes of dissent. Allah Almighty says: " And hold fast, all of you together, to the cable of Allah, and do not separate. And remember Allah's favor unto you: how ye were enemies and He made friendship between your hearts so that ye became as brothers by His grace; and (how) ye were upon the brink of an abyss of fire, and He did save you from it. Thus Allah maketh clear His revelations unto you, that haply ye may be guided.” (Al `Imran: 103)
It does not mean that you are required to relax your understanding of the principles of Islam for the sake of unity of others but to live with them and appreciate what they have.
http://www.guidedones.com/metapage/frq/shsunni10.htm
Differences between the philosophers, scholars and thinkers of the schools of thought can be either constructive or destructive. If they lead to the fragmentation of the Muslim nation, then they are unacceptable, as the Holy Qur'an says: "But they have broken their religion among them into sects, each group rejoicing in its belief."
Such groups of people support ideas which are not based on the truth and use them only to serve their own purposes, whereas the Holy Qur'an refers all arguments to one source: "And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute with one another lest you lose courage, and your strength depart, and be patient; surely, Allah is with those who are patient."
The weakness of the Muslim world due to this type of disunity can unfortunately be witnessed today. However, constructive differences are a sign of a healthy society.
Nevertheless, Muslim unity is one of the goals of Muslim society and is an obligation on all Muslims, both individually and collectively. Allah says in the Holy Qur'an: "Truly, your nation is one united nation, and I am your Lord," and: "Verily this (your nation) is one nation, and I am your Lord, so keep your duty to Me." Throughout the twenty-three years of his propagation, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf) emphasized the unity of his nation and called them "my nation (ummati)."
"If Allah willed, He would have made you one nation (religion) but that He may test you in what He has given you. So strive (as in a race) in good deeds."
Differences in scientific and jurisprudential opinions can lead to progress and prosperity, and, on a philosophical level, are beneficial if they lead to certainty (yaqin) since all people must doubt, question, and differ from a matter before arriving at the truth. Therefore, Islam does not reject reasoning in the field of jurisprudence (ijtihad) as long as it is not contaminated with politics or personal aims and conceit.
Thus all Muslim scholars agree that the mujtahid (juristic scholar) receives two rewards for every correct decision and even one for every incorrect one, for he is endeavoring with all his effort to reach the correct decision.
The concept of unity itself is discussed in the Holy Qur'an on three levels. Foremost is the unity of humanity: "O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is the one who has piety."
The aim of this unity is to direct all the racial, tribal, and religious differences into a constructive direction. Thus the emphasis on "knowing one another" (li-ta'arifu) emphasizing that people find mutual understanding rather than conflict so that no one denies another's rights for life and prosperity.
One of the greatest achievements of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf) was to unite hundreds of fragmented Arab tribes throughout the Arabian Peninsula into a single, strong nation. When he (pbuh&hf) united them, he did not eliminate differences of opinion between them, but he enabled them to have dialogue with each other and come to a sense of mutual understanding.
Under this philosophy, the Muslim nation was a powerful nation in the past, and only with this understanding will it be able to return to this respected position among the nations of the world and have the same significant role that it did in the past.
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“Your remedy is within you, but you do not sense it. Your sickness is from you, but you do not perceive it. You presume you are a small entity, but within you is enfolded the entire Universe. You are indeed the Evident Book, by whose alphabet the Hidden becomes Manifest. Therefore you have no need to look beyond yourself.
What you seek is within you, if only you reflect”.
Imam Ali, cousin and nephew to the prophet Mohammed.
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Here’s the thing, and there is really no getting around it. We can argue about all the differences of all the denominations of all Faiths of this world forever. But most Muslims and some Christians and Jews will agree that Zionism is a deadly scourge on this planet. And that is all that really matters. Unfortunately!
Zionism plays into a huge part in our lives, whether we know it or not. But you never read about it in Newspapers, magazines, books, or hear about it on the radio, lecture halls or in schools.
It is evil’s best kept secret.
This is I think the most accurate part in your sources.
http://www.guidedones.com/metapage/frq/shsunni10.htm
As can be seen from the above explanation, the difference between the Shiite and the Sunni schools are not trivial, rather these differences are "very" basic.
Unity (total assimilation) is impossible because of this very basic difference. And besides the "basic sunni/shia" rift there are also those self mutilating people on Ashura, groups targeting civilians, "muslim mystics" and a lot of those called muslims who are even worse in following the rules of Islam than your average atheist.
I don't think you would want to associate with them as well.
However I think cooperation to a reasonable/good extent is possible between the followers of the "sunni & shia" sects and christians, jews, atheist etc, but you can unfortunately forget about unity.
Regardless of the type of religion (sect, ideology) or degree of devotion, I think it's good to ask ourself a basic question: do I own my belief system or my belief system owns me?
If my belief system owns me, then I really don't have a lot to worry about. I will act according to the instructions and guidelines and give those instructions and guidelines as reasons for my actions and life style.
If I own my belief system, then the question is: is it a precious antique item I am taking care of as they do in the museums? Or is it a living matter that I can nurture and let it grow in me and transform from knowledge to wisdom and percolate deep down in my conscience?
Knowledge is a quantitative transportation from outside to inside (anyone can do!). Wisdom is a qualitative transformation of knowledge inside to inside (requires deep genuinity!).
I think the navigational competence and confidence in interacting with other religions, sects, philosophies, nonreligious, antireligious, etc. is the degree of this spiritual wisdom we have developed. Fear of committing sin, avoiding to learn from others, tossing labels and discrediting from afar, boasting how much you don't need to know about other 'inferior' belief systems, etc. etc... should all remind us of how much work we need to do on our passive spiritual competency. Knowledge brings arrogance as much as ignorance does. Spiritual maturity and wisdom brings humility and confidence.
with this post Rhianon and may God help us to implement it to the end. I am sick of this stubborn grudge permeating not just Muslims but mankind as a whole. Alas we forgot that we are human beings created and brought to life with the very spirit of God. I am certain that evil is making us forget and ignore that basic fact of common humanity. I am for cooperation and unity and if we have to put on hold certain theological differences I think that is insignificant price to pay for unity and salvation of mankind.
"Let there be Light!"
http://carmenisacat.blogspot.com/
If only it was that simple Rhiannon. If only.
There is a fundamental difference between the two sects and really, only one of them is an actual sect...but which one? That is the question.
Many muslims in the modern age, particularly those who were not born into the practice have no idea really what is the core issue.
Sunnis...well some of them have been allowed to study the history of the division but most have not. Like I said, it is forbidden in Egypt to "convert" to Shia. What is at stake in an actual "arab" or "muslim" society isn't what you think and it isn't at all simple.
First, some countries actually create legal systems based on sectarian premises. Here in Lebanon, a person who is Shia petitions the Shia court/council for legal matters/judgments/marriages/probate/etc.
A Sunni does the same and believe it or not, so do Christians and Druze. The "sectarian" laws actually can take precedence over the civil ones (Lebanon and some others maybe). Sunni states do not allow for this and in fact most Sunni states prohibit the existence of any legal system that is not Sunni. Basically, for almost the entire history of Islam, the Sunni approach has been considered the "right" one but not as a matter of choice...it has been a matter of majority "preference" but in most cases that preference is under the control of the state.
Therefore, for Sunni dominated states such as Egypt....the Shia/Sufi/others are not adequately represented in their legal approach. And when it comes to the Shia and Sunni approaches..there are VAST differences in jurisprudence even if to the untrained observer Iran and Saudi Arabia (two great examples) they look essentially the same i.e. covered women, Islamic law, etc.
You must remember though that Iran was originally a Sunni dominated territory and it changed via the free will of the people and the Persians who are NOT Arabs. Saudi on the other hand has never allowed the "people" that kind of freedom and Sunni doctrine is peppered with stories of force, police statism and a non elected "theocracy".
No offense to Saudis or others in that but it is the truth.
Secondly, in these countries with large populations of various members of various parties...the political base of the rulers is ALWAYS at stake and always an issue. Although Iran is a Shia state, it allows for the practice of Ahl al Sunna but probably not with complete abandonment of common sense in an age of US interventionism and Al Qaeda insurgencies. Saudi on the other hand completely forbids the expression of ANY doctrine other than the hard core Sunni one and for the most part it is "salafi" style which is rooted in the history of a tribe called the Kharjites who felt that anyone who wasn't one of them was a kafir (unbeliever) and they used deadly force against those muslims to eradicate their existence (centuries ago until now). Syria as a third example is a predominantly Sunni state but it is ruled by Alawites (who are not Shia) and in turn American media have presented the Syrians as "Shia" but just loaded with Sunni Al Q training camps including some connected to the Palestinian cause.
But at its core, it is a Sunni state. It is probably the most pluralistic state however outside of Lebanon and Iran in terms of "muslim countries".
The majority/minority issues are clearly a problem even in predominantly Shia countries and the US has historically fostered leaderships composed of minority groups over majority populations and this has created not only tension but ethnic cleansing (Iraq a great example of that).
I'm glad that you are trying to talk about it and understand it. It ain't easy but it is definitely worth it in order to be a better reader of political events in an area of the world most people completely fail to comprehend.
Peace