Sunni vs. Shia
June 25th, 2007Sunnis & Shias: Lets understand each other
today, Iraq is depicting a very sad tragedy that nobody can pass on it with ignorance.
‘why did US attack Iraq? was it good or not? what if Saddam were not executed? was this country a real threat to international security?’
these questions are yet to be answered, but I think that everybody would agree that US is not the sole cause of Iraqis’ problems.
while considering other factors which might affect the current situation of Iraq (foreign intervention, globalized terrorist groups, etc.), the Shia-Sunni conflict is to be ranked within most important causes of chaos.
there may be many political debates in Sunni/Shia relations in Iraq, but it generally remembers me the very chronic ideological clashes between two groups; or at least there are some signs which show that the current problem in Iraq is not only political but also some old problems are in its root.
conflict between these two important parts of Islam’s Nation throughout history has caused desperate results which not only affected several generations in many countries, but also paved the way for some foreign agents to achieve their malicious goals.
but what are the real problems between Shia and Sunni? is there anything unsolvable in its essence?
I don’t think so. though you can find Shia minorities in Sunni countries and vice versa (which means that these 2 groups have lived together for a very long time), there is a very wide gap between people. as I see, neither Sunni understand Shia, nor do Shia understand the other part.
there is a pile of mis-understanding between two groups which works as a very efficient mean to divide them and provide some others with the opportunity to rule. and I wonder why even distinguished scholars do not try to solve these simple problems. in many cases, these problems can be solved very easily, because they don’t enjoy even a bit of truth. these false beliefs which do exist in each side about the other can be solved in a collaborative work.
check out an example of these false accusations right here:
in this page (which seems to be the script of a recorded speech), Sheikh Muhammd Hassan (the famous Quran recitor?) says:
“then, they [Shia] believe that this Quran currently in our hands is distorted,… and is not [exactly] what Allah descended to our prophet (peace be upon him).”
then, what is the story if it is a false accusation?
there are some Hadith books of Shia scholars (like: Bihar-al-Anwar which means ’seas of lights’), which gathered too many so-called Hadiths, both true and false ones, and did not distinguished between original and fake quotes attributed to Holy Prophet and Shia Imams (indeed, there is a long story why these books were made, and why they did gather even those Fake Quotes). now, those who review these quotes in these books can accuse Shia of very stupid beliefs of this kind very easily, while No Shia believes in such stories.
and also we can find some other similar facts at the root of these accusations which are completely nonsense.
with regards to the fact that right now I am in daily contact with the world through web and also the other fact that I have lived for more than 2 decades in a Shia society, I feel that there is a hidden hand which tries to spread these words; which tries to divide and rule.
“people tend to live in peace with each other. they were born that way. when you see even a drop of blood, you should seek for the dirty hands of some politicians.”
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You ever hear of extremist Muslims accusing Shi’ism of being a Jewish invention? lmao
My take is that Sunni-Shi’a peace isn’t possible as long as Shi’as continue to curse the Sahabah and as long as Sunnis think they have polytheistic beliefs.
I think sunni-shia unity will be achieved only if we learn to come together without compromising each others belief system. I think that is where our greatness as human beings lies – in making peace, live and let live. I know that is what our humble Prophet stood for, even when the kafaar threw garbage and dirty water on him.
As a shia I want to clarify some of the misconceptions about shiism. First of all shias dont have any problems with sunni’s and take them as equal muslims, no more, no less, both have equal chance of achieving heaven. The non-muslims we hate are the wahabi’s but never to the point that we want to oppress them and kill them.
Also, the cursing part is pretty much an extreme extension of tabara and disliking those who disliked the Prophet. I assure you that very few shias actually curse, its usually the ones that think that being more loud equates to being a better shia.
The part about 12 imams being infallible, that is part and parcel of our doctrine and we cant change our doctrine, especially when we believe in it so strongly. However sunnis and shias CAN change the way they feel about each other without having to compromise their doctrine.
First step would be to see that behind all the fuss shias and sunnis both beleive in the idea of tawheed (the concept of one God, a God which will never be able to be seen or sensed, our imaginations are limited in defining his essence). Second we both believe in nabuwat (the infallibility of the Prophet pbuh and his esteemed status in front of God as the greatest human being and Prophet ever). Third, we both believe in the same Quran (there is no no difference whatsoever in the two sects’ Quran). Fourth, we both believe in following the sunnah of the Prophet pbuh. Fifth, we both have the highest respect for the wifes and the companions of the Prophet pbuh (Hazrat Bilal, Hazrat Hamza, Hazrat Abbas the uncle of the Prophet pbuh, Bibi Khadija, etc.). Sixth we both are obligated to pray five times a day (fajr, zhur, asr, magrib, isha), fast during ramadhan, perform hajj once in a lifetime, give zakat to the poor. Seven, we both support Palestine!
Is there anything else you could want in your fellow brother? So what if he happens to have beef with Hazrat Omer and Hazrat Aisha (as i said before only a few ignorant shias curse the sahabas, most sane shias only have an implicit dislike towards them in their hearts). So what if he regards Ali a.s. as the second greatest after the Prophet. So what if he considers all the Imams (from Ali to the Mahdi who is currently in occultation) to be infallible just like the Prophet pbuh. The fact is that you two are the same in 90% of your beliefs, why put more significance on the 10 of differences. Even twin brothers arent 100% alike but they still manage dont they?
I just want to take this time to defend infallibility because it always seems to be misunderstood by non-shias as shirk and polytheism. We do not believe in infallibility just because we love those 12 personalities or we feel that they are worth that status. We consider them infallible only because of one reason, because of our belief that in order for us to be judged in the akhera we need to have a leader on earth from God guiding the humans at all times. The reason that leader has to be sent by God is because someone fallible like us can not guide other fallibles. Also, shias dont think that just because they are infallible they are of equal status to the Prophet. They are nowhere near the high status of the Prophet pbuh. Neither do we take them as Prophets since Prophet Mohammad pbuh was the last Prophet to have come.
Shiite blv in many false stuff, but also sunnis blv in many false (and stupid) stuff.. this conflict was never about who got the pure form of Islam, it was a struggle for power, who deserves to RULE, Mohammed’s companions, or the people of his house. and blv it or not, if Ali’s won and killed Yazid, they was going to name their branch “Sunnah” and claim that they following the steps of the greatest man, Mohammed, cuz that’s what happenes over and over since the dawn of man, the winners get the good image, the losers get the bad image, im only a muslim and i don’t need fake books like al bukhari’s or anyone else’s when i got the greatest book, Quran.
[...] Mideast Youth – Thinking AheadArticle: Sunni vs. ShiaOriginaly Posted On: 2007-06-25 [...]
[...] is a pile of false beliefs about the either side which make reconciliation difficult to happen. For example, many Sunnis think that “Shiite believe that today Quran is a distorted one not equal to one [...]