Shiism and the Early Muslim Community after the Death of the Prophet (week 5) Flashcards
What is the global Muslim population today
2 billion
state the split of this between shiites and sunnis
10-13% are shiites
87-90% are sunnis
most shiites - between 68 and 80% are concentrated in four countries - Iran, Iraq, India and Pakistan
What was at the root of the dispute about who should succeed after Muhammads death?
would they be a temproral or political leader?
or would they be a spiritual and religious leader instead?
is the leader decided by consensus?
or decided by human or divine designation or assessing certain qualities?
What were the elements complicating situation about who should follow Muhammad?
Tribal rivalry
Tension between the Meccan ‘Emigrants’ (muhajirun) and the Medinan ‘Helpers’ (ansar)
Question of seniority
What is meant by tribal rivalry ?
Such problems existed in pre-Islamic Arabia
Following Muhammads death there were also conflicts when deciding the next leader.
What is meant by the tensions?
Meccans - earlier converts who took pride in the fact that they were earlier converts
Medinan - had a significant place in allowing the migration of the religion and its spreading movement
What is meant by the question of seniority?
Highly hierarchical society - elder of tribe has authority
what question can we arise from all of this?
Weren’t all Muslims equal, transcending these social categorizations?
in 632 what happened?
Farewell Pilgrimage; Ghadir Khumm; Death of the Prophet
What happened here?
Prophet gave a speech on the way back from the farewell pilgrimage and stated:
‘Of whomsoever I am master (malwa), Ali is also his master. O God! Be Thou the supporter of whoever supports Ali and the enemy of whoever opposes him.’
(from Musnad ibn Hanbal - a Sunni Hadith collection)
Define the key terms stated in the above quote:
Mawla - master
Wali - friend, helper, master, saint, etc.
Walaya - abstract noun of the above
what are the people of the house?
the family of the prophet Muhammad
What did Aisha report about
Aisha reported that Muhammad went out one morning wearing a striped cloak of the black camel’s hair and there came Hasan b. Ali. He wrapped him under it, then came Husayn and he wrapped him under it along with the other one [Hasan]. Then came Fatima and he took her under it, then came Ali and he also took him under it and then said: God desires to remove all uncleanliness from you, O People of the House, and to purify you completely.
Explain what is meant here?
Muhammad wore a striped clock then his grandchildren joined him under the cloak and later his daughter and son did as well - Muhammad said that God wants to make them pure and clean - showing love for his family.
When was the first civil war (fitna)?
656-661
