Download Cody Bottoms Mr. James Bailey ERH-211X

Cody Bottoms
Mr. James Bailey
ERH-211X-03
2 May 2015
Help received: Spell Check
The Philosophical Split between Sunni and Shia Islam and where It Originated
Islam is among the largest and most influential religions in the world today covering
territory from the west coast of Africa to the Far East and even into the Americas. It has been
shaped by a long and varied, often times violent, history since the time of Muhammad. The
Islamic Faith is a monotheistic religion in much the same way that Christianity or Judaism is.
They believe in one God with Muhammad as his messenger. Their God is eternal and absolute
with no one like him. The Muslim faith is founded on five Pillars which are Shahadah, Salat,
Zakat, Sawm, and the Hajj. Shahadah is testimony to the Islamic idea that there is only one God
and Muhammad is his messenger. Salat is simply prayer; this ritual prayer is performed five
times a day facing the Kaaba. The idea of doing this prayer five times throughout the day is to
keep God in mind. Zakat is the giving of Alms to the poor and doing the right thing and it is
expected by those who can afford it in the Muslim tradition. Sawm is ritual fasting for the time
of the month of Ramadan. Lastly, the Hajj is the pilgrimage to the city of Mecca. It is expected
of Muslims to make this Pilgrimage at least once in their lifetimes and it is a big moment for
those who cannot go often. The hajj and Salat are arguably the most important of the five pillars.
The Islamic holy text is the Quran and this text is followed through all denominations of Islam,
though some would argue through a skewed lens. There are three main large denominations of
Islam: Sunni, Shia, and Sufism; however, the most important and prevalent two are Sunni and
Shia Islam, and just as with any religion of the world there are those who have different views
from one another that can cause conflicting philosophical views. Sunni Islam is the largest
denomination of Islam in the world and accounts for the vast majority of the Muslim faith. The
Sunnis believe that Muhammad’s successors were supposed to be of the first four caliphs since
no others were officially chosen and these caliphs were the companions of Muhammad. In
relation to name, they are quite literally “the ones who follow the tradition of the prophet”. The
Shia are the second largest denomination of Islam and they are vastly smaller than the Sunni
denomination. The Shia, unlike the Sunni, believe that Muhammad had made his son-in-law his
successor to be Imam, and that not just any caliph could be the Imam; thus, the Shia follow an
unofficial line of Imams believed to be related to Muhammad. The Shia believe that the Imam is
without sin because he is supposedly directly of God. The Shia denomination are typically found
in and round Iraq and Iran. This point of Muhammad’s succession is a major flashpoint within
Islam and is the main point of contention between the two denominations of Islam. Many more
argue for the Sunni side obviously as that composes the majority of the religion.
I believe that the majority side of the Muslims, the Sunni, are more in reason than the
minority side, the Shia, because there was no clear successor to Muhammad left upon his death.
Even though he had his son-IN-LAW possibly named as successor, there was no clear direct
bloodline left with Muhammad’s passing because he did not have children. In addition to this
fact, there is no clear way to tell if Ali would have been a good, or the right for that matter,
successor as Caliphate. I believe that, according to tradition and doctrine of the Muslim
traditions and the Quran, the Sunni denomination made the wisest and most logical choice of
choosing one of the original four caliphs that were close friends and allies of Muhammad.
Abdullah ibn Abi Qhuhafah was the right choice for the job and he lead the Muslims to victory
on multiple occasions in his term. Many believe that the Shia section of the religion is
blasphemous and misinterprets or bends the ideas of the Quran, and that they were wrong in
elevating the status of Ali as he was not a blood relative to Muhammad; however they still
believed that they, being the Sunni, were right in electing an official in the form of one of the
Caliphs. I believe that they were right in this action because once again, these men already had
clear and proven leadership in the realms needed as they were caliphs and had proven
themselves. This choice was the best course of action for the preservation of their faith and
nation.
In Conclusion I believe that the Sunni view of this philosophical debate is the correct
choice in the matter for multiple reasons. It protects the traditions by ensuring a competent
leader as there was no way to know if Muhammad’s son-in-law would have been the right choice
for the job. When Muhammad died, he left the spot open for anyone because he did not have a
son and therefore no direct bloodline left to ascend the throne. It is for these reasons that I
support the Sunni denomination of Islam.
Works Cited
Prothero, Stephen. God is Not One. New York: Harper Collins, 2010. Print.
Islam.about.com/cs/divisions/f/shia_sunni.htm
www.religionfacts.com/compare/shia-sunni-islam
content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1924116,00.html
Reference
En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam#Denominations