- Who are Sunnis and Shiites?
- Sunnis
- Movements of Sunni Islam Sufism
- Salafia
- Twelver Shiites
Various currents in the Muslim religion began to form during the reign of the Umayyads, and this division continued during the reign of the Abbasids due to the fact that scientists began mass translations of the works of ancient and Iranian scientists into Arabic, after which these works began to be interpreted from the point of view of Islam .
In Muslim countries, there were still strong contradictions between people on an ethno-confessional basis, although the Islamic religion greatly contributed to the unity of people on religious grounds. These contradictions have given rise to various currents, which are based on disagreements in matters of law enforcement, so the difference between Shiites and Sunnis is due precisely to part of such contradictions.
Sunnis and Shiites are the two main movements in Islam; both Shiites and Sunnis are represented in different proportions in the Russian Muslim ummah. Most sources indicate that 85% of all Muslims in the world are Sunnis, and the remaining 15% are Shiites and religious minorities, including Ismailis and Druze, Ibadis and Alawites, Ahmadis and others.
Sunnis
The name of the Sunni Islamic movement completely sounds like “Ahlyu Sunna wal-Jamaat”. The Sunni movement in Islam is considered the largest. Sunnis or Sunnah People recognize that the rightful successors of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ were the righteous caliphs, that is, the first four Islamic caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali.
Sunnis or People of the Sunnah recognize the Holy Book of Allah the Quran and, along with it, the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ - numerous hadiths or legends about the life and work of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, about his explanations of the Quran and the teachings that he conveyed to his companions. There are a large number of collections of hadiths, two of which are recognized as the most authoritative sources in the Muslim world: the collection of Muslim and the collection of Al-Bukhari.
Sunnis are characterized by their commitment to the values of Islam, which are recorded in the Holy Tradition, as well as the fact that it is the Muslim community that plays a leading role in resolving important issues and problems that arise in the life of a Muslim.
The main legal religious schools or madhhabs are recognized as Sunnis - Hanbali, Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanafi. The remaining Sunni madhhabs in modern Islam, due to the loss of continuity, are considered to have ceased to exist. Among themselves, the four Sunni madhhabs recognize the validity of the others, and a Muslim can follow the madhhab whose position is most acceptable to him: a Muslim is not obliged to follow any particular madhhab, and following a particular madhhab fanatically is condemnable.
Contemporary divisions of opinion
Being the second largest religion in the world, Islam over time has given rise to many sects, trends and views on the essence of religion. Salafis and Sunnis, the difference between which will be discussed further, arose in different periods of time. The Sunnis were initially the fundamental movement, and the Salafis appeared much later. The latter are today considered a more extremist movement. Many religious scholars argue that Salafis and Wahhabis can only be called Muslims with great reserve. The emergence of such religious communities comes precisely from sectarian Islam.
In the realities of the modern political situation, it is extremist organizations of Muslims that become the cause of bloody conflicts in the East. They have significant financial resources and can carry out revolutions, establishing their dominance in Islamic lands.
The difference between Sunnis and Salafis is quite big, but this is at first glance. A deeper study of their principles reveals a completely different picture. To understand it, one should consider the characteristic features of each of the directions.
Currents of Sunni Islam
Along with religious and legal schools in Islam, there are also Islamic movements, of which there are several dozen. The differences between these movements lie in a number of religious issues.
Sufism
One of the currents of Sunni Islam, the essence of which is that at the center of this teaching is a call for a person to purify his heart for Allah Almighty. Sufism is based on the concept that instructs man to strive to achieve connection with Allah. According to Sufism, this is achievable through tariqats and orders formed and led by leaders who represent the spiritual successors of the teachers of antiquity.
In the traditional religion of Islam, Sufism dominates in a number of countries, but there are also countries where the attitude towards Sufism remains ambiguous, since opponents of this movement say that Sufism distorts Islam in certain matters through the traditions of Hinduism and Christianity. According to opponents of Sufism, some practices of Sufism conflict with Islam - excessive veneration of deceased ancestors, erection of mausoleums for the dead, ecstatic dances of representatives of Sufism. The fundamental concept of Sufism, the essence of which boils down to the fact that the Sufi dissolves in God, is also criticized.
A large number of people in the world consider themselves to be Sufism, using the practices listed above. And since in their practice they also use methods that cause criticism, deviating from true Islam, criticism extends to all Sufism, although the differences between Sufi organizations, orders and tariqas can be very significant.
Salafia
Salafiya is another Islamic religious movement or trend, and its name translated from Arabic into Russian means “ancestors” or “predecessors.” In this Islamic movement, many Muslim figures found common ground, who adhered to the version of the faith that prevailed during the time of the first Muslim religious community, and at different historical stages of the development of Islam called on their followers to do so.
Salafia suggests that Muslims should focus on the righteous Muslims who stood at the origins of Islam, and Salafis consider everything that was subsequently introduced into Islam to be heresy (bida). According to Salafis, bida:
- interpretation of the Holy Book of Allah the Koran from the point of view of the symbolic-allegorical method;
- innovations introduced into the religion of Islam after the contact of Islamic civilization with the Western world.
Famous Salafis include such Islamic theologians as Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Ibn Taymiyya, as well as other theologians. In the literature of the West, terms such as “fundamentalism”, “renaissance” and “traditionalism” are mainly used to denote salafism and its ideology.
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab believed that true Islam was practiced by the first three generations of Muslims who were followers of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. This explained that Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was an opponent of the innovations that entered the Muslim religion in later historical periods.
The Salafis, namely the followers of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, had a serious influence on how the war of liberation against Turkey ended in what is now Saudi Arabia. The Salafist movement was recognized by the founder of Saudi Arabia, Prince, and subsequently the first king of the Saudis, Abdul Aziz ibn Saud.
Salafis
Sunnis have given rise to many sects within their religious group, to which a wide variety of Muslims belong. Salafis are one such organization.
They formed their basic views in the 9th-14th centuries. Their main principle of ideology is to follow the lifestyle of their ancestors, who led a righteous existence.
All over the world, including in Russia, there are about 50 million Salafis. They do not accept any innovations regarding the interpretation of faith. This direction is also called fundamental. Salafis believe in one God and criticize other Muslim movements that allow themselves to interpret the Koran and Sunnah. In their opinion, if some places in these shrines are incomprehensible to a person, they should be accepted in the form in which the text is presented.
In our country there are about 20 million Muslims of this denomination. Of course, Salafis in Russia also live in small communities. They are more hostile not to Christians, but to “infidel” Shiites and their derivative movements.
Shiites
The name of the second largest branch of Islam, Shiism, is translated from Arabic as “party” or “adherents”. It was formed as a result of the fact that some time after the death of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, a group of Muslims separated who believed that power in the Muslim community should belong to the descendants of Fatima and Ali, that is, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Shiites, unlike Sunni Muslims, are of the opinion that the right to the imamate, that is, the supreme leadership of the community, should belong only to a descendant from the clan of Ali by divine decree. At first, the Shiites were not so much a religious as a political party, but later they became an independent religious and legal movement - this happened already during the life and work of Jafar al-Sadiq, the sixth imam.
Shiites are traditionally divided into moderate and extreme Shiites, which include Twelver Shiites or Imami Shiites, Alawites, Ismailis and others.
Twelver Shiites
Twelver Shi'ites are also called Isna'Asha'ris or Imamis, and this group predominates in Shi'a Islam. Predominantly Twelver Shiites are found in Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Lebanon and some other countries. Twelver Shiites for the most part adhere to the Jafarite madhhab.
Ismailis
The Ismailis split into two groups in the ninth century. The Fatimid Ismailis were characterized by the recognition of hidden imams, and the Karamits were characterized by the opinion that there should be seven imams. The Karamite branch ceased to exist in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries.
The Fatimids split after the death of al-Mustanasir, the Fatimid caliph, in 1094 into the eastern Ismailis or Nizari, who supported the rise to power of Nizar, Mustanasir's eldest son, and the Mustalis, who recognized only al-Mustali, the Fatimid caliph, as imam. Of the Nizari sects, the most famous were the Hashshashins or assassins. The Druze and Qarmatians are also offshoots of the Ismailis.
Zaydis
The Zaydis belong to the branch of moderate Shiites and are found primarily in Yemen in the northeast of the country, while the Nuktawis, one of the branches of the Zaydis, have become widespread in Iran. In terms of ideological views, the Zaydis are closest to the Sunnis of all Shiite groups, although recently many Zaydis have adopted the beliefs of the Imami Shiites.
Gulat
A group of Islamic Shiite sects are united by the name “Gulat”, which means “excessive” in Arabic. Representatives of these groups believe that the Shia imams, who are descendants of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Ali, possess the qualities of divinity. The group of Gulat sects includes:
- Ghurabites, whose name comes from the Arabic word for "raven", believe in the similarity in appearance of Ali and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as "one raven for another", which was the reason that the prophecy was given to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in error, since the angel Jibril simply confused them ;
- Alawites or Nusayris who believe in the trinity of ain-mim-sin (a name derived from the first letters of the name Ali, Muhammad and Salman the Persian). Alawite representatives are concentrated in western Syria, Turkey and northern Lebanon. They believe in Ali as God's representative on earth instead of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ;
- the Daimites, who believe that Muhammad ﷺ was the messenger of God and that Ali was God;
- the Bazigits, who believe in the sixth Imam Jafar al-Sadiq as a god, whose messengers were all the imams who preceded him;
- the Yafurites, who believe that Muammar of Kufa was the god;
- Kaysanites, who believe that the imamate passed after the death of Husayn ibn Ali to Abul-Qasim Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya, and after the death of al-Hanafiyya it split into several groups;
- the esoteric teaching of the extreme Shiites "Ahl-l-Haq", which originated in Mesopotamia and was spread in the western part of Iran and eastern Iraq among the Kurdish population;
- “Ghulat” or excessive Shiites include all extreme Shiites, such as Imami Shiites, Ismailis and others.
Wahhabis
One of the new radical trends in the Islamic religion are the Wahhabis. At first glance they look like Salafis. Wahhabis deny innovations in faith and fight for the concept of monotheism. They do not accept anything that was not in original Islam. However, the distinctive feature of the Wahhabis is their aggressive attitude and their understanding of the basic foundations of the Muslim faith.
This movement arose in the 18th century. This championing movement originates from the preacher Najad Muhammad Abdel Wahhab. He wanted to “cleanse” Islam of innovations. Under this slogan, he organized an uprising, as a result of which the neighboring lands of the Al-Qatif oasis were captured.
In the 19th century, the Wahhabi movement was crushed by the Ottoman Empire. After 150 years, Al Saud Abdelaziiz was able to revive the ideology. He defeated his opponents in Central Arabia. In 1932, he created the state of Saudi Arabia. During the development of oil fields, American currency flowed like a river into the Wahhabi clan.
In the 70s of the last century, during the war in Afghanistan, Salafi schools were created. They carried a radical type of Wahhabi ideology. The fighters trained by these centers were called Mujahideen. This movement is often associated with terrorism.
Sunnis and Shiites in Russia
You might be interested in reading: Are Tatars Shiites or Sunnis?
In the Russian Muslim community, the majority are Sunnis, who are adherents of the Shafi'i and Hanafi madhhabs, of which 65% are Hanafis, and 30% of Russian Muslims are Shafi'is.
The Hanafis are Muslim Ossetians, partly Ingush, Shapsugs and Abazas, Adygeis and Circassians, Karachais and Balkars, Kabardians and Nogais, Kazakhs and Bashkirs, as well as Tatars, approximately a third of all Azerbaijanis and Central Asian peoples.
The Shafiites are mostly Chechens, Ingush and all Dagestan peoples, except for the Nogais and Tats. The majority of Azerbaijanis in Russia are Shiite Jafaris, representing three percent of all Russian Muslims.
The essence of radical views
Salafis are mistakenly associated with Wahhabis. Although their ideology still corresponds to the Sunnis. But in the realities of the modern world, Salafis usually mean Wahhabi-takfiris. If we take such groupings in their distorted meaning, a number of differences can be identified.
Salafis, who have abandoned their true essence and share radical views, consider all other people to be apostates who deserve punishment. Sunni Salafis, on the other hand, even call Christians and Jews “People of the Book” who profess an early belief. They can coexist peacefully with representatives of other views.
To understand who the Salafis are in Islam, you should pay attention to one truth that distinguishes real fundamentalists from self-proclaimed sects (which, in fact, are Wahhabis).
Sunni Salafis do not accept new interpretations of the ancient sources of the will of Allah. And new radical groups reject them, replacing the true ideology with principles beneficial to themselves. It is simply a means of controlling people for their own selfish purposes in order to achieve even greater power.
This is not Islam at all. After all, all its main principles, values and relics were swept aside, trampled upon and declared false. Instead, concepts and behavior patterns that were beneficial to the ruling elite were artificially implanted in people’s minds. This is a destructive force that recognizes the murder of women, children and the elderly as a good deed.
How to behave with Muslims?
Türkiye extends all its hospitality to visiting tourists. Religion plays a significant role in this. Muslims are always distinguished by their politeness and courtesy. Of course, they count on a similar reaction from guests of their friendly country.
Which religion is the main one in Turkey and determines the foundations and behavior of the modern population of the country is a question that should not be ignored by any person who intends to visit the state for tourism purposes. As a guest, it is important to take into account local traditions and people's views so as not to inadvertently offend anyone.
For example, respect for the views of the Turkish population may be manifested in wearing not too revealing clothing on their territory. The closer to the center of the country, the more seriously you should take this nuance. Visiting mosques is allowed to everyone, but for tourists there is a specially designated place at the entrance to the building, beyond which it is better not to go.
When entering a religious building, a woman must put a scarf on her head and make sure that her arms and legs are covered with clothes. You can only enter the building with your shoes off. It is better for visitors not to go to the mosque during prayer, especially not to try to photograph the event. Islam prohibits taking images of people. And although not all modern residents of Turkey adhere to this rule, before capturing one of them in a photo, it would be a good idea to ask permission.
Main religious holidays: Ramadan
The religion of Turkey, which is followed by the majority of the country's inhabitants, includes the observance of three main holidays. Ramadan, which covers part of January and February, is considered the month of the appearance of the holy book of the Koran. At this time, according to the majority of residents of Turkey, the entrance to Hell closes and opens to Paradise, people get rid of the influence of evil.
Ramadan is a time for repentance and good deeds. Muslims believe that past sins are forgiven more easily this month, and violations of the Koran committed during this holy period are punished more severely. Ramadan is celebrated by fasting - eating, drinking, smoking and having sex is prohibited only during daylight hours.
Yemen crisis
But Yemen remains the hottest point on the line of Sunni-Shiite confrontation. When the Arab Spring began, dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh voluntarily resigned and Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi became president. The peaceful transition of power in Yemen became a favorite example of Western politicians who argued that authoritarian regimes in the Middle East could be replaced overnight with democracies.
However, it soon became clear that this calm was imaginary: in the north of the country, the Houthi Shiites, whom they forgot to take into account when concluding the deal between Saleh and Hadi, became more active. Previously, the Houthis repeatedly fought with President Saleh, but all conflicts invariably ended in a draw. The new leader seemed to the Houthis too weak and unable to resist the radical Sunnis from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), who were active in Yemen. The Shiites decided not to wait for the Islamists to take power and slaughter them as apostate apostates, and to strike first.
Houthi supporters paint graffiti on the wall of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Sanaa
Photo: Khaled Abdullah Ali Al Mahdi / Reuters
Their operations progressed successfully: Houthi troops united with troops loyal to Saleh and quickly crossed the country from north to south. The capital of the country, Sana'a, fell, and battles broke out for the southern port of Aden, the last stronghold of Hadi. The president and government fled to Saudi Arabia. The Sunni authorities of the Gulf oil monarchies saw an Iranian trace in what was happening. Tehran did not deny that it sympathizes with the Houthi cause and supports them, but at the same time said that it does not control the actions of the rebels.
Frightened by the successes of the Shiites in Yemen, Riyadh, with the support of other Sunni countries in the region, launched a large-scale air campaign against the Houthis in March 2015, simultaneously supporting forces loyal to Hadi. The goal was to return the fugitive president to power.
By the end of August 2015, the technical superiority of the Arab coalition allowed it to recapture part of the captured lands from the Houthis. The Hadi government's foreign minister said the offensive on the capital would begin within two months. However, this forecast may turn out to be too optimistic: so far, the successes of the Sunni coalition have been achieved mainly due to significant numerical and technical superiority, and if Iran seriously decides to help its coreligionists with weapons, the situation may change.
Of course, it would be wrong to explain the conflict between the Houthis and the Yemeni authorities solely by religious reasons, but they play a significant role in the new “great game” in the Gulf - the clash of interests of Shiite Iran and Sunni countries of the region.
Buddhist community
Before the advent of Islam in the 10th century BC. e. Buddhism was considered the main religion. Some archaeological Buddhist sites remain in the country. These include the Mantal Buddha Rock and the Sacred Rock of Hunza.
Also, according to legend, the Buddhist sage Padmasambhava was born in a village near the modern city of Chakdara in the Lower Dir district. In Tibet he became known as Guru Rinpoche.
The main holiday of the Buddhist community is Baisakhi Purnima - the day when Buddha was born. This is the same calendar date when he is later believed to have achieved his great wisdom and enlightenment.
How Türkiye transformed from a Muslim to a secular state
Islam was deprived of the status of the state religion of Turkey in 1028. The credit for this goes to the first president to head the Turkish Republic, Kemal Ataturk. The reform he adopted was aimed at introducing European values into the country.
Thus, Türkiye became the first Muslim country to completely isolate power from religion. Such a change could not but cause certain unrest in society and provoke the emergence of the Islamic movement. In recent years, the influence of religion on the country's politics has noticeably increased.
Main religious holidays: Sheker Bayram and Kurban Bayran
Another important Islamic holiday, Sheker Bayram, is celebrated immediately after Ramadan, that is, from February 9, for three days. Its name, consisting of two Turkish words, translates as “sugar festival”. These days are accompanied by visiting guests and abundant treats.
The third important holiday celebrated in Turkey is Eid al-Adha, which falls in April. It lasts two or three days and often accompanies the pilgrimage to Mecca. Although the majority of believing residents of Turkey observe the necessary religious rituals without leaving their homes.
They sacrifice specially fed animals to Allah, visit mosques, listen to sermons and praise God in songs. Kurban Bayran is also accompanied by a visit to the cemetery in order to honor the memory of deceased loved ones.
