I. Introduction
In 610 AD, at the age of 40, Muhammad founded "Islam" on the basis of "Christianity" and "Judaism", and in 613 AD Muhammad began his 19-year mission as a "prophet".
Muhammad and his followers, with the blessing of "scriptures and machetes", insisted on taking the road of "the bottom encircling the upper layer" and finally completed the unification of the Arabian Peninsula and the "Islamization" of the tribes, and at the same time established the rudiments of the Arab Empire.
As the spread of Islam increased, the number of its adherents increased dramatically, and internal contradictions gradually became prominent, resulting in the gradual division of Islam into multiple sects and many contradictions between factions.
It is worth mentioning that the is not like other religions between Islamic sects, although there are contradictions, but they can 'seek common ground while reserving differences'. The contradictions between The Islamic sects are irreconcilable, so much so that "internal hatred is greater than external conflict".
Take the two largest factions of Islam, the Sunnis and Shiites, whose "blood feud" continues to this day, and it is certain that their relationship determines the stability of the Middle East. It can also be said that the vast majority of the problems in the Middle East are between "Sunnis" and "Shiites".
So why do they end up with a grudge? Can the contradictions between them be completely resolved? Today we will briefly talk about the ins and outs of the "Sunnis" and "Shiites" in forming a "thousand-year feud.".
Second, the emergence of factions
Since Muhammad 's missionary process" "inspired" different tribes and different classes, the difference between them is very obvious. The followers within Islam during Muhammad's lifetime can be broadly divided into four main parts:
1. The Kulaish tribes and the Hashemite nobles, who were Muhammad's own people and the first believers to recognize Muhammad's "prophet" status. Because they had migrated with Muhammad from "Mecca" to "Medina", they were also called "Emigrants".
2. The aristocratic forces of Medina, after Muhammad came to Medina, received their affirmation and support, so this group was called the "Auxiliary Sect".
3. Bloodlines, this group of people insists that only Muhammad and those who are related to Muhammad are worthy of respect.
4. The magnates, which mainly refer to the Group of Makkahites who held political, economic and military power in Mecca before Muhammad's mission.
Third, the origin of the contradiction
Muhammad died of illness on 7 June 632, and the ensuing "heir question" sparked a political struggle between the major powers.
The Kulaish tribes and the Hashemite aristocracy, the Medina aristocracy, and the magnates, though each with selfish intentions, agreed that the new "caliph" (the title of islamic religious leader, meaning agent/successor) must "pass on the good and not the son."
Bloodlines, however, believe that the new "caliphate" should not be elected, but should be elected by someone or relative designated by Muhammad. Since Muhammad had no heirs, they elected Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law Ali as his successor.
In the end, after much deliberation, the Chosen Sect won the final victory, and they elected Abu Bakr Abdullah (one of Muhammad's earliest disciples, and the most trusted person of Muhammad's later years, or Muhammad's father-in-law) as the first "caliph".
As a result, Islam split into two major factions, recognizing Abu Bakr Abdullah as a "Sunni" and a small number of those who still followed Ali as "Shiites."
From here, there is a clear distinction between them:
Sunnis, meaning 'hadiths', became the largest sect of Islam, calling itself "orthodox", with about 85 to 91 percent of Muslims worldwide belonging.
The Shiites, meaning 'followers/cohorts of Ali', refer to religious leaders as "imams", meaning leaders/role models, in order to prove their uniqueness. They stubbornly believed that only Muhammad's son-in-law and cousin Ali was the first imam, and would never associate with Sunnis, to which about 10 to 15 percent of Muslims around the world belonged.
Third, the sign of a rupture
In 656, the third "caliph" Uthman was assassinated, and Ali was elected as the fourth "caliph", which was a great joy for Shiites, but a disaster for Islam.
After Ali ascended to the throne, he still claimed that only the descendants of Muhammad were eligible to become religious leaders, and his followers openly denied the first three "caliphs", which angered the Sunni believers who had resisted Ali, which immediately triggered the first large-scale civil war in Islam.
In June 656, rebels led by Muhammad's wife Aisha and Ali fought fiercely near Basra, resulting in Aisha being defeated and captured and many of his followers killed. Because this battle was commanded by Aisha sitting on a camel, it is also known as the Battle of the Camels,
Not long after the civil war, the governor of Syria, Muawiyah, wearing the blood clothes of Osman and his wife, incited Muslims in Damascus to claim that the third "caliph" had been killed by Ali, demanding that many Muslims follow him to avenge himself.
In 657 AD, the "Battle of Suifen" broke out between the two sides, which ended with Ali accepting the Quran's ruling that "both sides renounced their positions as caliphs". Ali's decision led directly to a split within the Shiites, and some of the fleeing Shiites became the Khawarijis.
In 661 AD, the Khawariji faction assassinated Ali, and Muawiyah took the opportunity to ascend to the throne of the "caliphate", and after he ascended the throne, he began to adopt the "hereditary system", declaring his son the next "caliph", establishing the "Umayyad dynasty" of the monarchy, and ending the "caliphate".
Since then, the "Sunnis" and "Shiites" have completely broken up, and both sides believe that the other is in debt to their own blood, and the millennium feud has begun............
Finally, let's popularize the basic knowledge of Islam.
1. Islam
A. Islam was founded in the 7th century AD, has a history of more than 1400 years, the founder is Muhammad, Tang Yonghui introduced to China in the second year.
b. Islam is also known as "Islamic", which means obedience, peace and tranquility in Arabic and Islam in English.
c. Islam, meaning obedience, peace.
d. Muslims, those who believe in Islam are collectively referred to as "Muslims" (meaning "conformists").
e. Islam is a monotheistic religion that opposes the belief in polytheism and idolatry.
f. The five virtues of Islam are "chanting, worshiping, fasting, lessons, and pilgrimages."
The Quran is the teachings of Islam, the source of sharia and the spiritual reading of Muslims.
(h) Islam loves green, which means peace.
i. The core idea, a Allah "Allah", a final Prophet "Muhammad"
j. Mecca and Medina are the two "holy cities" of Islam, located in Saudi Arabia.
The "Al Haram" in Mecca is the largest mosque in the world and the holiest place in Islam, with the "Kaaba" inside, which is the daily pilgrimage direction of Muslims around the world.
Islam is known as the world's three major religions along with Christianity and Buddhism, with about 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide by 2020, accounting for 24.9% of the world's population, making it the fastest growing religion in the world.
2. The three main sects of Islam:
a. Sunnis, orthodox, numerous, characterized by the pursuit of political stability.
b. Shia, characterized by descent theory, are paranoid that only the descendants of Muhammad are qualified to become leaders.
C. Ibadists, characterized by an emphasis on the personal character of the leader, honored Muhammad and the first two caliphs. They believe that their reign was the most ideal era of Islam, and that the subsequent "caliphs" were not qualified as Muslim leaders in terms of personal morality.
Let us also say that Sufism, the most mysterious in Islam, has the greatest characteristic that it does not care about politics, but only pursues personal spiritual sublimation. Those who believe in this doctrine encompass all factions of Islam, and sufi adherents are called "Sufi walkers."
Symbols of Sufism are the winged red heart with the symbol of the star and the moon, and the long skirt that flies due to the whirling dance. The main way they practice is "rotation", and it is said that there was a master named Rumi who actually became enlightened after thirty-six hours of continuous rotation, so the latecomers all followed his practice, which was really shocking!