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Probing of The Grand Schism-1

AAH

Preface

This is a universal issue, not restricted to Muslims or Arabs only . The aftermath of

the Grand Schism that Islam had undergone seems to be affecting all human people

around the globe. Whether flying your way across the ocean and fearing a terrorist act

on board , or touring across Pakistan or Chechnya, fearing a potential kidnapping orblasting ,in all cases, you are prone to be affected by the consequences of that issue .

Religion having turned to politics, or may be it is the other way round, and living in a

world of chain reactions, we all are touched by it, one way or another .

Early Beginnings

The Grand Schism is currently under revision and more probing through revision and

analysis outside its habitat. The fact the it is affecting Islam, and the whole world in a

way or another seems to be justifying this act. Almost all ideologies and religions

experience this inevitable fate, it an inevitable thing since people vary in how they

respond to any suppressing rules or regulations .The act of disintegration usually

continues to further generate more and more factions and sub-categories of ideologies,

stances and positions towards important issues like Imamah (The Right To Rule

Over), and the rest of Sharee'a (Divine Constitution) matters .It could be marking a

healthy mode of intellectuality, to practice this act of "Choosing Sides", who knows?

This is an issue that needs to be dealt with by an insider, a Muslim fellow .It should be

tackled by someone who has an access to Arab Muslim history, language, sociology

and many specialties that are relevant to this intricate issue .It also demands a high

amount of logic and lateral thinking, with an added talent of correlating things to their

sources of attribution, and the ability to locate the proper texts of Quran &

Hadeeth(Prophet's Tradition, sayings and conducts suggesting his approval of anyissue ), in order to verify its integrity.

What are the main branches of this Schism?

You may be surprised to find too many forms of it, yet, it is taking the shape of one

distinctive duo, Sunna & Shii'a mainly . The various shapes may include the

followings:

Muhajireen & Ansar ( Those who migrated from Mecca to Madina, and those

supporters who received them and the Prophet himself, in Madina itself, while

experiencing Hijra=migration )

Arabs & Mawali (Non Arab Muslims)

Arabs & 'Ajam(Non-Arabs, Persians mainly)Alawites & Umayyads

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Alawites & Abbasids.

Ja'faris & Sunni fellows( All four schools of the latter).

First thing to say is that this is a Schism relating to politics in the first place. It might

be very logical to have such an issue next to the death of the Prophet Mohammad who

had been the main character around which all Muslims in the Arab peninsula had beengathering for 2 decades. The death incidence itself was not expected by many,

although it had been said that Abu Bakr himself had interpreted the meaning of Surat

Al Nasr to be predicting the due departure of the prophet himself, but the sudden news

of it had Omar totally shocked, to the extent of threatening to kill any one repeating

that news. In my opinion, the series of events that followed had nothing to do with the

Schism. It was a new episode in a series of events where one Sahabi had been

opposing another, in matters like Quran reciting and else. Of course there is no way

that Allah Almighty Had included any recommendation in Holy Quran as to should be

succeeding the prophet ,it would have meant a new apostle rather than a caliph. The

only expected hint would be through the prophet himself, but once again , it would

have meant a monarchy regime rather than a new revolutionary ideology that issupposed to replace all other religions ahead of it. It also contradict the Shura term,

and the principles of both equality and equity, that a dynasty is to rule for what is left

of time, till Judgment Day.

While going through this delicate and almost impossible case, I need put a strong

emphasis on a few points:

1. The reign of the prophet was a mixture of religious and political

command .

His departure dropped the first theme, and led his followers to seek a totally

new icon , that is to establish a civil state for the first time, lending itself to

Islamic theology ,without the presence of a prophet that had been aided by

Heaven, both Archangel Gabriel and Quran, to suggest solutions for any

pending matter. Quran had been known to be revealed (Munajjaman), i.e.

according to a series of local events. It was a massive and very serious

challenge, for a bunch of men who had been to anything except a civil state to

cater for Madinah , Mecca, and all remote spots having converted to Islam. I

am talking about establishing for ministries, authority, and new rules to

control people and coordinate their activities.

2. The main conflict in Saqeefat Bani Sa'ida( The location were Muslims

gathered to elect a successor to rule, after the death of the Prophet ), as to

whom to elect , was between Ansar & Muhajireen, and once made to exclude

Al Ansar, it shifted to individuals. The shape of that community, withembedded traces of their tribal ex-belonging , made it a tribal confrontation

.Each side was pulling the rope to their own side, using all justifications

available to them. The relevancy to the deceased Prophet had something to do

with it, may be, since the four main figures of Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman &

Ali, had all been tied to the Prophet ,as fathers-in-law, except for the case of

the latter two, being sons-in-law in stead. The relation and blood ties might

have something to do with the justifications, but it appears very absurd to use

this criterion to support any case, we are talking about a religion that is meant

for all humanity, not just Quraish , or Arabs alone.

3. All contenders had a strong wish to prove themselves as the most

eligible to succeed the Prophet. The competition was made to be terminatedabruptly, it was a hard time for the bereaved community. It was a very urgent

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issue, as was proved when most tribes newly admitted to Islam declared a

retreat back to idolatry state, regarding the death of the prophet as an end to

the issue of Islam.

4. It was a community of seniors. Age was one of the few things to matter

while electing a ruler or a caliph. This is quite evident from the term (Al

Shaikhain = The Two Elderly Caliphs ,i.e. Abu Bakr & Omar ), used todescribe both Abu Bakr & Omar. Imam Ali was well known as a warrior, he

insisted on naming his son(s) as Harb (War),for three consecutive times, while

the Prophet had it amended to be Hasan, Husain & Muhassan, in accordance

with those of Aaron, Moses' brother. His title that he used to boast for was

Haidar(Lion), and he had be known to be the super hero in almost all fights of

Islam against the pagans and the Jews of Madinah, but the question to ask here

is, is a super hero of war and battlefields eligible to rule over a nation, and

excel in it, same as he is to do while fighting in a battlefield?

(To Be Continued)