Download Sunni vs. Shia

Sunni vs. Shia
Deconstructing Islam for the
Classroom
Journal: What Do You Know
about Sunni and Shia Islam?
Images of Sunni and Shia Violence
The Sunni-Shia Split
-It’s All About FamilyMuhammad and Khadija are credited with having several daughters, although the
parentage of them is questioned by scholars; they may have been adopted by Muhammad
rather than sired by him. Uthman (the 3rd Caliph) was married to one of these daughters,
Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad. However, historically these daughters have
been marginalized, most likely because they did not bear any surviving children or survive
their father. For the purposes of this presentation, all family relations have been simplified,
thus we can state that Fatima was the only surviving daughter of Muhammad.
Khadija
First Wife
Prophet
Muhammad
Fatima
The Sunni-Shia Split
-It’s All About FamilyAbu Bakr
Abu Talib
Muhammad’s Uncle
Friend and Early Convert
Khadija
(First Wife)
Ali
Muhammad’s Cousin
Prophet Muhammad
Fatima
Aisha
The Sunni-Shia Split
-It’s All About Family-
Hassan
2nd Imam
Fatima
Ali
1st Imam
Hussein
3rd Imam
Zaynab
Ali Zain Al-Abideen
4th Imam
All Other Imams
Descend from this
Line.
Umm Al-Kaltum
Muhammad’s Succession
 632- Muhammad dies, leaving no
confirmed successor*
 Disagreement among clans on who will
lead the faith- bloodline (Ali) or the one
most capable
 The Ummah (the Islamic community)
elects Muhammad’s father-in-law
(through his wife Aisha) Abu Bakr to
lead the faith. He becomes the first
Caliph - the leader of the Ummah.
The Rashidun (632-661)
The Rule of the Four Righted Guided Caliphs
Name
Ruled
Died
Known For
Abu Bakr
1st Caliph
632-634
elected
Natural causes,
appointed his
successor
Quelled rebellion
and united
Arabia
Umar ibn alKhattab
2nd Caliph
634-644
appointed
Stabbed in a
Medina mosque
by a POW with a
personal grudge.
Wars of expansion
(power not religion
but religion
followed) to the
greater Middle East
Uthman ibn
Affan
3rd Caliph
644-656
elected
Assassinated by those
from the elite of
Medina over the rise
of status and power of
the Umayyad clan.
Expanded the empire
to North Africa and
Central Asia- but with
much political cost.
Standardized the
Qu’ran.
Ali ibn Abu Talib
4th Caliph/1st
Imam
656-661
elected
Assassinated by
Kharajiites, a
group of dissenters
to Ali’s rule
Ruled during the first
Fitnah (civil war). His
place in history is
denoted more for who
he was rather than
what he did.
A Community Divided
 The Shia (followers of Ali) had been supporting Ali as
the rightful head of the Islamic faith since the death of
Muhammad. Now as Ali was being persecuted
politically, the idea of being unfairly treated was being
ingrained in the Shia psyche.
 As Ali was not actively seeking retribution for Uthman’s
death, the Ummah was growing more and more
discontent with the Caliph, garnering more support for
challengers to the Caliphate like Mu’awiya.
 The Ummah was also horrified by the infighting between
those that had once been a part of Muhammad’s inner
circle, the community wanted a strong leader, not only
for their protection but for the preservation of the faith.
 The true split in Islam came with the death of Ali. The
Shia, who supported Ali went one way, and the Sunni,
who followed Mu’awiya I (who declared himself Caliph
and began the Umayyad dynasty) went the other.
Sunni and Shia Today
 Population statistics (Sunni 90%,
Shia 10%)
 Areas of the World where conflict
between the two exist. Iraq and
Bahrain
Holy Places
 Sunni: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem
 Shia: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem,
Najaf (Site of Ali’s Tomb), Karbala
Umayyad Caliphate
(661-750)
 In 661, a Muslim general seizes the office of
the caliph, and moves the capital from to
Damascus.
 Under the Umayyads, they created a
hereditary dynasty, ending succession from
close friends and relatives.
 Pushed into India, sieged Constantinople, and
advanced across North Africa.
 Stopped by the Franks in the Battle of Tours
Abbasid Caliphate
(750-1000)
 Discontent over Umayyad rule
began. Many Arab Muslims did not
consider the Umayyads the rightful
successful to Muhammad.
 In 750, Abbas, a descendent of
Muhammad’s uncle overthrew the
Umayyad caliphate and established
the Abbasid Caliphate.
Abbasid Caliphate (cont)
 The Abbasid Caliphate marks the peak
of the Muslim empire.
 They controlled more territory than the
Roman empire did at their peak.
 Its new capital was established at
Baghdad (modern day Iraq), and was a
leading commercial center, rivaling
Constantinople.
Abbasid Caliphate Crumbles
 Political unity began to crumble inside
the Muslim empire.
 Disputes over succession broke out
among the rival Muslim groups, and
independent dynasties appeared, each
proclaiming its own caliph.
 Opened to invasion from the Seljuk
Turks.
Rise of the Seljuk Turks
 Nomadic tribes from central Asia who
were fierce and energetic warriors.
 They embraced Islam as their religion,
and became a strong cohesive political
unit.
 They conquered the Abbasid Caliphate,
and took over the former Muslim
empire.
Seljuk Turks Threaten the
Byzantine Empire
 Annihilated the Byzantine army at the
Battle of Manzikert.
 Conquered the important territory of Asia
Minor. (Still controlled by the Turks to this
day)
 Fearful that Constantinople might fall,
the Byzantine emperor appealed to the
Christians in the West for help.
 The West responded by sending several
military expeditions, known as the
Crusades, to free the East (especially the
Holy Land), from Muslim invaders.
Constantinople Breached?!?!
 In 1204, an invading army breached the
defenses. They captured and looted the city,
slaughtering both young and old.
 They had drunken orgies, and raped women before
the altars of the Hagia Sophia.
 The invading army was not the Muslims, it was
instead Christian warriors from the West on a “holy”
crusade. Venetian (Italian) merchants had paid them
off and brought them to Constantinople to destroy
Venice’s main commercial rival.
 “It is tragic that the assailants, who set out to secure
free access for Christians to the Holy Land, turned
against their brothers in the faith. The fact that they
were Latin Christians fills Catholics with deep regret.“
– Pope John Paul II
The Fall of Constantinople –
May 30, 1453
 After fighting the
Muslims for over 200
years, the Byzantine
Empire was severely
weakened.
 A final wave of
Muslim invaders
known as the
Ottoman Turks
sacked
Constantinople and
killed the last
Byzantine emperor.
 Ottoman Turks
Secret Weapon: Gun
Powder
 Byzantine Secret
Weapon: Greek Fire
 An explosive mixture
of naphtha oil, sulfur,
and saltpeter. Greek
Fire ignited
spontaneously and
burned even on water.
Ottoman Turk
Dardanelles Gun
Fall of Constantinople (cont)
 For almost a month, the
Turks had been using
catapults to launch 1200
lb. rocks at the walls of
the city.
 The wide moat kept the
Turks at a distance,
unable to breach the
defenses.
 They built bridges over
the moat, and siege
towers to scale the walls,
but the Byzantines used
Greek Fire to burn the
Siege Towers
 The Turks then tried
tunneling under the
walls, but the Byzantines
found out their plan and
dug tunnels to meet
them with more “Greek
Fire”
Fall of Constantinople
 Using the gunpowder, they were able to blow a
hole in the wall surrounding the city.
 They filled the moat with dirt, and parts of the
broken down wall, and marched on
Constantinople.
 This would mark the end of the Byzantine
Empire, and a new Empire would rule all the
way to the end of World War I.
 They would take Constantinople as their capital, and
rename it Istanbul.