Sunni patriots crush in Syria the satanic pseudo-Sunni terarmies of the city of London - peacebuilding. Alawites, Sunnis, Shiites and other Muslims: who is who
Why Assad's army is not retreating (The National Interest, USA)
The American magazine The National Interest, which pays great attention to the situation in Syria, published the material "Why Assad's Army Has Not Defected". federal agency news offers readers a translation of this material.
Four years ago, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then Prime Minister of Turkey, said that "in just a few weeks" he would "pray at the Grand Mosque of Damascus", since the army of the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad should, in his opinion, "is about to fall." Following Erdogan, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak expressed a similar point of view. When both of these politicians built their assumptions on this matter in 2012, neither the Iranian military nor the Russian air force was yet on the Syrian side.
With the failure of yet another round of peace talks, with the whole world frozen in anticipation of the next turn of events in Syria, it's time to address the warnings of Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski. Kissinger and Brzezinski, being the most experienced and influential American politicians on Middle East issues since World War II, opposed conventional wisdom and claimed that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was supported by large quantity people and forces than all the national opposition groups combined.
It's no secret that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United States tried to bribe some officials from the circle of politicians close to Assad to undermine his forces. However, the professional military cadres of the Syrian army remained absolutely loyal to their leader.
For the most part, the Syrian army consists of conscripts and only about eighty thousand professional soldiers. At the beginning of the conflict, much attention was paid to the deserting thousands of soldiers, but these were the few conscripts who were never particularly eager to serve in the army, and even in peacetime, most likely would have tried to find a way to evade this duty. The professional ranks, meanwhile, are still very strong and multi-confessional. When representatives of the Syrian opposition talk about the multi-confessional future of Syria, they do not realize that while they are discussing in Geneva, Washington or Vienna, their representatives in Syria are collaborating with the most fanatical and radical terrorist groups the entire Middle East.
The Syrian army has been holding its positions for more than five years. Its numbers may have decreased a little, which, in principle, is inevitable in the conditions of any military conflict. Upon closer examination, the not entirely obvious fact becomes clear that the backbone of the Syrian army is made up of Sunnis. The current Syrian Defense Minister, Fahed Jassim al-Fredj, is one of the most decorated military officials in the history of the Syrian army, and he hails from the central Sunni region of Hama. The two most important leaders of the Syrian intelligence services, Ali Mamluk and Mohammed dib Zaitoun, have also proven their loyalty to the Assad government more than once, and both are Sunnis who come from very influential families. The now late intelligence chief Rustum Ghazali, who briefly led Lebanon, was also a Sunni; the head of the intelligence department of the political administration, Mahmoud al-Khattib, also comes from one of the most ancient Sunni families of Damascus, as can be said about many other military officials.
The history of the Syrian army formed by Hafez al-Assad is very instructive. As president, Assad Sr. appointed high-ranking members of the Syrian Air Force to the posts of the army's high command. Naji Jameel (Sunni) served as Commander of the Air Force from 1970 to 1978 and was promoted and transferred to the committee general staff to monitor the security of the border with Iraq. Among the lucky recipients of this kind of promotion were Mohammed al-Khouli, who until 1993 held enviable positions in the logistics sector between Damascus and Lebanon, as well as Rustum Ghazali, Ghazem al-Khadra and Dib Zaitoun, all of whom were Sunnis. Since 1973, the strategically important tank battalions of the 17th Armed Brigade, located near Damascus in the town of al-Kishwa, consisted of ordinary Alawites, commanded by such prominent Sunni officers as Hassan Turkmani and Hikmat Shehabi.
From the 1970s until the 1990s, the Syrian army carried out orders to stabilize the situation in Lebanon. During this period, the Syrian military, supporting their Lebanese puppets, tried to beat Israeli army and the American Navy. In Iraq, after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, the Americans could not understand which of the Shiite and Sunni rebels was supported by the Syrian military intelligence largely due to the professional skills of its staff.
The Syrian army is at the same time the only army in the entire Middle East that has in its ranks a large number of Christian generals. The most famous of them is Daoud Raja, Chief of Staff Greek origin He professes Greek Orthodoxy. The two most influential this moment Lebanese Christian leaders Michel Aoun and Suleiman Frangieh, they are candidates for the Lebanese presidency, are also allies of the Syrian army and the government of Bashar al-Assad. And the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor, which successfully kept the blockade for two years, is a completely Sunni city.
Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that the fact remains that the moderate Syrian opposition exists only in the West. In fact, it has no real armed support. Bashar al-Assad still holds the presidency of Syria, not only because of the support of his regime by Russian and Iranian forces, but also because his army, being multi-confessional and hardy, represents a Syria in which religion is not a determining factor in promotion. The Syrian army is also one of the biggest obstacles to the spread of terrorism. That is why three of the highest-ranking British generals over the past five years have openly called on the world community to recognize the Syrian army as the only force capable of suppressing ISIS and al-Qaeda (both organizations are recognized as terrorist Supreme Court Russian Federation, their activities in Russia are prohibited).
Apparently, the ancient sage was right when he said that everything has its beginning and its end. Bashar al-Assad's regime is gradually losing ground. Many Western countries openly recognize the opposition as a legitimate government. But, most importantly, the protracted Syrian conflict has acquired a pronounced inter-confessional character, which can result in numerous troubles for the Syrian people...
At present, a significant part of the Shiites of Syria are Alawites. Alawism was founded in the 9th century by a Shiite theologian named Abu Shawib Muhammad Ibn Nusayr. The religion of the Alawites is poorly understood (primarily because of the closeness of the Alawite community). In addition, the Alawites (like the Druze) use the taqiyya tactic, which allows them to observe other people's religious rites, provided that the true faith is preserved in the soul. However, based on the available information, it can be concluded that Alavism is very different from Shiite Islam, not to mention Sunni Islam.
Nevertheless, the Alawites themselves have repeatedly declared their belonging to the Shiite branch of Islam. Sheikhs of the Alawites adopted several declarations on the belonging of Alavism to Shiite Islam in the first half of the 20th century. Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, an Alawite, supported the military-political rapprochement between Syria and Shiite Iran. Since 1973, the Shiites consider the Alawites to be part of the Shiite world (fatwa on the extension of the rules governing civil relations to the Alawites).
But the Sunnis, especially the Salafis, regard Alavism as a perversion of the true faith. One of the founders of Salafism, Ibn Taymiyyah, argued that the Alawites harm the Muslim community and forbade Muslims to enter into civil legal relations with the Alawites according to the rules accepted among Muslims.
Sunni rebels are currently fighting in Syria against the legitimate government headed by the Alawite Bashar al-Assad. This situation is not new - for example, from 1976 to 1982, the ruling Baath party in Syria (Hafez al-Assad was the general secretary of the party) already waged an armed struggle against the Sunni Islamists, who were led by the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood.
*Our reference:
The population of Syria is about 20 million people. More than half of the Syrians are Sunnis, but there are significant communities of Twelver Shiites, Nizari Ismailis and Alawites (16%), different denominations of Christianity (10%) and Ismailis in the country.
The official language is Arabic. Since 1963, the republic has been under the control of the Baath Party. The modern statehood of Syria is a little over 60 years old, but civilization originated here as early as the 4th millennium BC. e. The capital is Damascus, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. According to some historians, Damascus is the oldest capital in the world that exists today.
** illustration - "Allah protects Syria". A poster depicting the president in Damascus.
(Based on materials from open media).
Reviews
There are about a million more Druze in Syria, whose religion is an offshoot of Islam that originated in the 11th century. The Druze take a neutral position in this war and now they will probably move en masse to us in the Golan, being a friendly people for us, constituting, among other things, the core of the border troops on the Lebanese border. The neutrality of the Druze killed Assad. From the Golan, you can observe Damascus in clear weather, shrouded in smoke from fires, but so far the border is locked. Sergey
Thanks, Sergey! Nice addition! Friends - a special topic!
"From the Golan you can watch Damascus in clear weather, shrouded in smoke from fires, but so far the border is closed..."
Let it be locked up!
Peaceful sky!
Sincerely,
The daily audience of the Proza.ru portal is about 100 thousand visitors, who in total view more than half a million pages according to the traffic counter, which is located to the right of this text. Each column contains two numbers: the number of views and the number of visitors.
By entering the Syrian war on the side of President Bashar al-Assad, Russia has actually pitted itself against the Sunni Islamic world, fundamentally damaging relations with the Gulf monarchies and their allies.
And it's not just the figure of Assad himself. In the end, both with him and with his father, the neighboring Arab countries for decades preserved, albeit not cloudless, but quite business relationship.
The point, rather, is that his opponents were able to turn the Alawite Assad - rightly or not, this is another question - into the main enemy of the Sunni world.
Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites, Ismailis - it is difficult for a European to understand this Middle Eastern diversity, and even more so to believe that religious differences now, in the 21st century, can cause big war capable of perhaps even determining the paths further development humanity. But it is so.
Without going into too much detail, the main difference between the major two branches of Islam can be reduced to the fact that Sunnis believe that any Muslim with sufficient religious knowledge can become the head of the ummah - a community or even more broadly, the entire Islamic world.
Shiites but they adhere to the position that the first among equals can only be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, the offspring of the family of his daughter and son-in-law Ali.
There are far more Sunnis in the world than Shiites, but the latter do not at all want to feel disadvantaged by their younger brothers. Shiite Iran since the Islamic Revolution even seriously claims to be the leader of the Middle East. And the Assad family is a very important ally for him in this struggle for supremacy.
Here we need one more historical retreat necessary to understand what is happening.
Bashar al-Assad and his father Hafez, who ruled Syria from 1970 to 2000, are Alawites, representatives of a special sect, very, very far from Islam, in the Saudi or Qatari sense of it. So distant that Alawites who do not know the ban on alcohol and do not dress women in hijabs for a long time even in their native Syria they were not considered Muslims.
From the name of the sect it is clear that its central figure is Ali - the same son-in-law of the prophet. And this fact served as a formal reason for classifying the Alawites as a Shiite branch of Islam in the 1970s, after Hafez al-Assad came to power as a result of a coup.
Alawit Assad rewrote the constitution, deleting from it the provision stating that only a Sunni can be the president of Syria.
He did not dare to remove the religious component at all, leaving a mention that a Muslim is obliged to lead the country. After that, Shiite theologians, friendly to the house of Assad, recognized the Alawites as co-religionists.
It is clear that the Sunnis - and in Syria they are not just a majority, but an overwhelming majority - Shiite confessions are not a decree. This was shown, for example, by the uprising of the Muslim Brotherhood suppressed by the army in 1982 under completely religious slogans, and the current war.
True, unlike the massacre of the 80s, where there were Syrians on both sides, today's civil war can be called a stretch. Even without regard to Russian aircraft.
After all, the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Iranian Shiite police, and the monstrous international jihadists are fighting in Syria. Well, local fighters, even those fighting on the same side, are often united only by the presence of a passport of a citizen of the Syrian Arab Republic, but by no means by an understanding of what lies behind this citizenship.
With national identity in the country is not very good. Nor a language common to all Arab countries, nor history, whose main moments occurred at the time when Syria was part of the Neo-Babylonian kingdom, the Umayyad Caliphate, the Roman and Ottoman empires, are not the factors that form the nation.
The country, drawn on the map between the First and Second World Wars, in many ways remains only the territory appointed to be called Syria by the generals and diplomats of France and Britain.
The blurring of national identity plays into the hands of not only Assad, who seriously declares that only those who are ready to defend the "legitimate government" - read, Assad himself, can be called Syrians. The Islamists also win, who distinguish their own from others not on national, but on religious grounds.
“You are first and foremost a Muslim, a warrior of Allah,” bearded preachers explain to bewildered young people who choose their future where the choice is limited by the decision of which side of the confrontation to join.
The longer there is a war, the longer the lists of the dead, the more effective the preachers' appeals, supported by the propaganda of the courts of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, for whom the Alawite heretic at the head of a predominantly Sunni, and even such a close territorial Syria, is simply an eyesore.
If a few years ago what is happening in Syria could be called a struggle for power, now it is, albeit largely thanks to propaganda, definitely a religious war.
Koranic prophecies about the invasion of the unfaithful Rome (the West) and the battle for the city of Dabiq, lost in the desert, where the battle of the forces of Islam and their allies should begin before the end of the world, are coming true before our eyes. Even the terms for describing the war are increasingly referring to the times of the formation of Islam and the first Muslim conquests, and not to the 21st century: jihad, caliphate, vilayats.
This vocabulary seems to be adopted by the Free Syrian Army, an opposition force once led by the president's almost namesake, Colonel Asaad, who is said to be a fan of French wines and Hollywood films.
Now the opposition does not even pretend to be secular, and the same Free Syrian Army, which once proclaimed a course for secular Syria, is advancing along with the Ahrar al-Sham Brigades from the Islamic Front.
The regime of Bashar al-Assad is still largely afloat due to the fact that within the de facto Islamist opposition there are a lot of warring factions, trends and groups.
The Western coalition is not very successful, but still helps the least odious and more or less negotiable of the opposition forces, bombing the objects of the Islamic State from the air - a completely medieval formation with wild approaches to approaching the triumph of Islam even by the standards of other radicals.
They have been bombing ISIS positions for a year now, but there has never been a turning point in the war.
The semi-nomadic armies of the Islamists, with headquarters in basements and barracks in urban areas, are not the most convenient targets for air strikes.
But there is a player on the planet who is not embarrassed by this. And in fact, it is not so important whether Russia is really bombing that very negotiable opposition (most likely it is bombing, simply because this opposition has not yet developed the habit of hiding from air strikes, which makes it an easy target), or stories about this - just an episode of the raging parallel to the real propaganda war.
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To take the side of someone who has thousands of times more enemies than admirers in the Sunni world means to commit a very serious act with hardly predictable consequences.
Once again, but in other words: Russia entered the war on the side of the president, who in neighboring rich and far from the most peaceful countries is considered to be the executioner of his people subject to trial, a sectarian and apostate who does not control even half of the area of \u200b\u200bhis own state, who is being hunted and former officers with a European education, and the executioners of the Islamic State, run wild with blood and impunity, and which the West, with the United States at the head, is striving to remove from power with all its might.
Criticism of Washington, Saudi ultimatums and the announcement of the formation of an alliance between Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran are new reality Moscow's foreign policy. In this reality, many allies exist only on paper - well, what, for example, is a military alliance partner from an Iraq choking from the incessant civil slaughter? At the same time, a good half of the Islamic world walks in potential opponents.
Never before has the Kremlin's space for "multi-move" been so narrow, and the stakes so high.
Yuri Matsarsky political observer for Kommersant-FM
AT last years The Middle East does not leave the tops of the world news agencies. The region is in a fever, the events taking place in it largely determine the global geopolitical agenda. The interests of almost all the world's largest players are intertwined here: the USA, Europe, Russia and China.
But in order to better understand the processes taking place today in Iraq and Syria, it is necessary to look a little deeper. Many of the contradictions that led to bloody chaos in the region are related to the peculiarities of Islam and the history of the Muslim world, which today is experiencing a real passionate explosion. With each passing day, the events in Syria are increasingly beginning to resemble a religious war, uncompromising and merciless. Similar events have already happened in the history of mankind: the European Reformation led to several centuries of bloody conflicts between Catholics and Protestants.
And if immediately after the events of the “Arab Spring” the conflict in Syria resembled an ordinary armed uprising of the people against the authoritarian regime, today the warring parties can be clearly divided along religious lines: President Assad in Syria is backed by Alawites and Shiites, while most of his opponents are Sunnis. Of the Sunnis - and the most radical persuasion - are also the detachments of the Islamic State (ISIS) - the main "horror story" of any Western man in the street.
Who are Sunnis and Shiites? What is the difference? And why is it now that the difference between Sunnis and Shiites has led to an armed confrontation between these religious groups?
To find the answers to these questions, we will have to travel back in time and go back thirteen centuries, to a period when Islam was a young religion and was in its infancy. However, before that, a little general information to help the reader understand the issue.
Currents of Islam
Islam is one of the largest world religions, which is in second place (after Christianity) in terms of the number of followers. Total its adherents are 1.5 billion people who live in 120 countries of the world. Islam has been declared the state religion in 28 countries.
Naturally, so many religious doctrine cannot be homogeneous. Islam includes a large number of different currents, some of which are considered marginal even by Muslims themselves. The largest branches of Islam are Sunnism and Shiism. There are other less numerous currents of this religion: Sufism, Salafism, Ismailism, Jamaat Tabligh and others.
History and essence of the conflict
The split of Islam into Shiites and Sunnis occurred shortly after the emergence of this religion, in the second half of the 7th century. At the same time, his reasons were not so much about the dogmas of faith, but about pure politics, and more precisely, a banal struggle for power led to a split.
After the death of Ali, the last of the four Righteous Caliphs, a struggle began for his place. Opinions about the future heir were divided. Some Muslims believed that only a direct descendant of the Prophet's family could lead the caliphate, to whom all his honors and spiritual qualities should be transferred.
The other part of the believers believed that any worthy and authoritative person chosen by the community could become a leader.
Caliph Ali was the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet, so a significant part of the believers believed that the future ruler should be chosen from his family. Moreover, Ali was born in the Kaaba, he was the first man and child to convert to Islam.
Believers who believed that Muslims should be ruled by people from the Ali clan formed religious movement Islam, called "Shiism", respectively, his followers began to be called Shiites. Translated from Arabic, this word means "the power of Ali." Another part of the believers, who considered the exclusivity of this kind doubtful, formed the Sunni movement. This name appeared because the Sunnis confirmed their position with quotations from the Sunnah, the second most important source in Islam after the Koran.
By the way, the Shiites consider the Koran, which is used by the Sunnis, partially falsified. In their opinion, information about the need to appoint Ali as Muhammad's successor was removed from it.
This is the main and main difference between Sunnis and Shiites. It was the reason for the first civil war that happened in the Arab Caliphate.
However, it should be noted that the further history of relations between the two branches of Islam, although not very rosy, but serious conflicts on religious grounds, Muslims managed to avoid. There have always been more Sunnis, and this situation continues today. It was representatives of this branch of Islam who founded such powerful states in the past as the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, as well as the Ottoman Empire, which in its heyday was a real thunderstorm in Europe.
In the Middle Ages, Shiite Persia was constantly at odds with the Sunni Ottoman Empire, which largely prevented the latter from completely conquering Europe. Despite the fact that these conflicts were more politically motivated, religious differences also played an important role in them.
On the new round contradictions between Sunnis and Shiites came out after the Islamic revolution in Iran (1979), after which the theocratic regime came to power in the country. These events put an end to Iran's normal relations with the West and its neighboring states, where Sunnis were in power. The new Iranian government began to actively foreign policy, which was regarded by the countries of the region as the beginning of the Shiite expansion. In 1980, a war began with Iraq, the vast majority of whose leadership was occupied by Sunnis.
Sunnis and Shiites reached a new level of confrontation after a series of revolutions (“Arab spring”) that swept through the region. The conflict in Syria has clearly divided the warring parties along confessional lines: the Syrian Alawite president is protected by the Iranian Islamic Guard Corps and the Shiite Hezbollah from Lebanon, and he is opposed by Sunni militants supported by various states of the region.
How are Sunnis and Shiites different?
Sunnis and Shiites have other differences, but they are less fundamental. So, for example, shahada, which is a verbal expression of the first pillar of Islam (“I testify that there is no God but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah”), the Shiites sound a little different: at the end of this phrase they add “... and Ali is a friend of Allah.
There are other differences between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam:
The Sunnis revere exclusively the Prophet Muhammad, and the Shiites, in addition, glorify his cousin Ali. The Sunnis revere the entire text of the Sunnah (their second name is “the people of the Sunnah”), while the Shiites revere only part of it, which concerns the Prophet and his family members. Sunnis believe that following the Sunnah exactly is one of the main duties of a Muslim. In this regard, they can be called dogmatists: the Taliban in Afghanistan strictly regulates even the details appearance person and his behavior.
If the largest Muslim holidays - Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Adha - are celebrated by both branches of Islam in the same way, then the tradition of celebrating the day of Ashura among Sunnis and Shiites has a significant difference. For Shiites, this day is a memorial day.
Sunnis and Shiites have different attitudes towards such a norm of Islam as temporary marriage. The latter consider this a normal phenomenon and do not limit the number of such marriages. Sunnis consider such an institution illegal, since Muhammad himself abolished it.
There are differences in the places of traditional pilgrimage: Sunnis visit Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and Shiites visit Iraqi An-Najaf or Karbala.
Sunnis must perform five prayers (prayers) a day, while Shiites can limit themselves to three.
However, the main thing in which these two directions of Islam differ is the way in which power is elected and the attitude towards it. For Sunnis, the imam is simple spiritual person who presides over the mosque. Shiites have a completely different attitude to this issue. The head of the Shiites - the imam - is a spiritual leader who manages not only issues of faith, but also politics. He seems to stand above state structures. Moreover, the imam must come from the family of the Prophet Muhammad.
A typical example of this form of government is today's Iran. The head of Iran's Shiites, the rahbar, is higher than the president or the head of the national parliament. It completely determines the policy of the state.
Sunnis do not believe in the infallibility of people at all, and Shiites believe that their imams are completely sinless.
Shiites believe in twelve righteous imams (descendants of Ali), the fate of the latter - his name was Muhammad al-Mahdi - of which is unknown. He simply disappeared without a trace at the end of the 9th century. Shiites believe that al-Mahdi will return to the people on the eve of the Last Judgment to bring order to the world.
Sunnis believe that after death a person's soul can meet with God, while Shiites consider such a meeting impossible both in a person's earthly life and after it. Communication with God can be maintained only through the imam.
It should also be noted that Shiites practice the principle of "taqiyya", which means the pious concealment of their faith.
Number and place of residence
How many Sunnis and Shiites are there in the world? Most of Muslims living on the planet today belongs to the Sunni direction of Islam. According to various estimates, they make up from 85 to 90% of the followers of this religion.
Most Shiites live in Iran, Iraq (more than half of the population), Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Yemen and Lebanon. In Saudi Arabia, Shiism is practiced by approximately 10% of the population.
Sunnis are the majority in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Afghanistan and other countries of Central Asia, Indonesia and in the countries North Africa: in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. In addition, the majority of Muslims in India and China belong to the Sunni direction of Islam. Russian Muslims are also Sunnis.
As a rule, there are no conflicts between the adherents of these currents of Islam when living together on the same territory. Sunnis and Shiites often visit the same mosques, and this also does not cause conflicts.
The current situation in Iraq and Syria is rather an exception, caused by political reasons. This conflict is rather connected with the confrontation between the Persians and the Arabs, which has its roots in the dark mists of time.
Alawites
In conclusion, I would like to say a few words about the Alawite religious group, which includes Russia's current ally in the Middle East - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Alawites are a branch (sect) of Shiite Islam, with which it is united by the veneration of the cousin of the Prophet, Caliph Ali. Alavism originated in the 9th century in the Middle East. This religious movement absorbed the features of Ismailism and Gnostic Christianity, and as a result, a "explosive mixture" of Islam, Christianity and various pre-Muslim beliefs that existed in these territories turned out.
Today, Alawites make up 10-15% of the population of Syria, their total strength- 2-2.5 million people.
Despite the fact that Alavism arose on the basis of Shiism, it is very different from it. Alawites celebrate some Christian holidays such as Easter and Christmas, perform only two prayers a day (although, according to Islamic standards, there should be five), do not attend mosques and may consume alcohol. Alawites revere Jesus Christ (Isa), Christian apostles, read the Gospel at their services, they do not accept sharia.
And if the radical Sunnis among the fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS) do not treat the Shiites too well, considering them “wrong” Muslims, then they generally call the Alawites dangerous heretics who must be destroyed. The attitude towards Alawites is much worse than towards Christians or Jews, Sunnis believe that Alawites offend Islam by the mere fact of their existence.
Not much is known about the religious traditions of the Alawites, as this group actively uses the practice of takiya, which allows believers to perform the rites of other religions while maintaining their faith.
Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites - the names of these and others religious groups Islam can often be found in the news today, but for many, these words mean nothing.
Most wide current in Islam.
What does the title mean
Arabic: Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama'a ("people of the Sunnah and the consent of the community"). The first part of the name means following the path of the prophet (ahl as-sunna), and the second - recognition of the great mission of the prophet and his companions in solving problems, following their path.
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The Sunnah is the second fundamental book of Islam after the Koran. This is an oral tradition, later formalized in the form of hadiths, sayings of the companions of the prophet about the sayings and actions of Muhammad.
Although originally oral in nature, it is the main guide for Muslims.
When did
After the death of Caliph Uthman in 656.
How many adherents
About one and a half billion people. 90% of all Muslims.
Main areas of residence
Ideas and customs
Sunnis are very sensitive to following the Sunnah of the prophet. The Qur'an and the Sunnah are the two main sources of faith, however, if a life problem is not described in them, one should trust one's reasonable choice.
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Six collections of hadiths are considered reliable (Ibn-Maji, an-Nasai, Imam Muslim, al-Bukhari, Abu Daud and at-Tirmidhi).
The reign of the first four Islamic princes - caliphs is considered righteous: Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman and Ali.
In Islam, madhhabs are also developed - legal schools and aqida - "concepts of faith". Sunnis recognize four madhhabs (Malikit, Shafi'i, Hanafi and Shabali) and three concepts of faith (maturidism, Ash'ari doctrine and Asaria).
What does the title mean
Shiya - "adherents", "followers".
When did
After the death of Caliph Usman, revered by the Muslim community, in 656.
How many adherents
According to various estimates, from 10 to 20 percent of all Muslims. The number of Shiites may be about 200 million people.
Main areas of residence
Ideas and customs
They recognize the only righteous caliph of the cousin and uncle of the prophet - caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib. According to the Shiites, he is the only one who was born in the Kaaba - the main shrine of the Mohammedans in Mecca.
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Shiites are distinguished by the belief that the leadership of the ummah (Muslim community) should be carried out by the highest spiritual persons chosen by Allah - imams, mediators between God and man.
The first twelve imams from the Ali family (who lived in 600-874 from Ali to Mahdi) are recognized as saints.
The latter is considered to have mysteriously disappeared (“hidden” by God), he must appear before the End of the World in the form of a messiah.
The main trend of the Shiites is the Twelver Shiites, who are traditionally called Shiites. The school of law that corresponds to them is the Jafarite madhhab. There are a lot of Shiite sects and currents: these are Ismailis, Druze, Alawites, Zaidis, Sheikhs, Kaysanites, Yarsan.
Holy places
Mosques of Imam Hussein and al-Abbas in Karbala (Iraq), Mosque of Imam Ali in Najaf (Iraq), Mosque of Imam Reza in Mashhad (Iran), Ali-Askari Mosque in Samarra (Iraq).
What does the title mean
Sufism or tasawwuf comes according to different versions from the word "suf" (wool) or "as-safa" (purity). Also, originally the expression "ahl as-suffa" (people of the bench) meant the poor companions of Muhammad who lived in his mosque. They were distinguished by their asceticism.
When did
VIII century. It is divided into three periods: asceticism (zuhd), Sufism (tasavvuf), the period of Sufi brotherhoods (tarikat).
How many adherents
The number of modern followers is small, but they can be found in a wide variety of countries.
Main areas of residence
Ideas and customs
Muhammad, in the opinion of the Sufis, showed by his example the path of spiritual education of the individual and society - asceticism, contentment with little, contempt for earthly goods, wealth and power. The askhabs (companions of Muhammad) and the ahl al-suffa (people of the bench) also followed the right path. Asceticism was inherent in many subsequent hadith collectors, reciters of the Koran and participants in jihad (mujahideen).
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The main features of Sufism are very strict adherence to the Koran and the Sunnah, reflections on the meaning of the Koran, additional prayers and fasting, renunciation of everything worldly, the cult of poverty, refusal to cooperate with the authorities. Sufi teachings have always been focused on man, his intentions and the realization of truths.
Many Islamic scholars and philosophers were Sufis. Tarikats are real monastic orders of the Sufis, glorified in Islamic culture. Murids, students of Sufi sheikhs, were brought up in modest monasteries and cells scattered across the deserts. Dervishes are hermit monks. Among the Sufis they could be found very often.
Sunni school of belief, the majority of adherents are Salafists.
What does the title mean
Asar means "trace", "tradition", "quote".
When did
They reject kalam (Muslim philosophy) and adhere to a strict and direct reading of the Qur'an. In their opinion, people should not come up with a rational explanation for obscure places in the text, but accept them as they are. It is believed that the Koran was not created by anyone, but is the direct speech of God. Anyone who denies this is not considered a Muslim.
Salafis
It is they who are most often associated with Islamic fundamentalists.
What does the title mean
As-salaf - "ancestors", "predecessors". As-salaf as-salihun - a call to follow the lifestyle of righteous ancestors.
When did
Formed in the IX-XIV centuries.
How many adherents
According to American Islamic experts, the number of Salafists around the world can reach 50 million.
Main areas of residence
Faith in an unconditionally one God, rejection of innovations, alien cultural impurities in Islam. Salafis are the main critics of Sufis. It is considered a Sunni movement.
Notable Representatives
The Salafis refer to their teachers as Islamic theologians al-Shafi'i, Ibn Hanbal and Ibn Taymiyyah. The well-known organization "Muslim Brotherhood" is cautiously ranked among the Salafists.
Wahhabis
What does the title mean
Wahhabism or al-Wahhabiya is understood in Islam as a rejection of innovations or everything that was not in the original Islam, the cultivation of resolute monotheism and the rejection of the worship of saints, the struggle for the purification of religion (jihad). Named after the Arab theologian Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
When did
In the XVIII century.
How many adherents
In some countries, the number can reach 5% of all Muslims, however, there are no exact statistics.
Main areas of residence
Small groups in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula and pointwise throughout the Islamic world. The region of appearance is Arabia.
They share Salafi ideas, why names are often used as synonyms. However, the term "Wahhabis" is often understood as derogatory.
Mu'tazilites
What does the title mean
"Separated", "departed". Self-name - ahl al-adl wa-tawhid (people of justice and monotheism).
When did
VIII-IX centuries.
One of the first major directions in kalam (literally: “word”, “speech”, reasoning on the topic of religion and philosophy). Basic principles:
justice (al-adl): God gives free will, but cannot violate the established best, just order;
monotheism (al-tawhid): the denial of polytheism and human likeness, the eternity of all divine attributes, but the absence of eternity of speech, from which follows the creation of the Koran;
fulfillment of promises: God certainly fulfills all promises and threats;
intermediate state: a Muslim who committed grave sin, goes out of the number of believers, but does not become an unbeliever;
command and approval: a Muslim must fight evil by all means.
Houthis (Zaydites, Jarudites)
What does the title mean
The name "Jarudites" comes from the name of Abul-Jarud Hamdani, a student of ash-Shafi'i. And the "Houthis" according to the leader of the group "Ansar Allah" (helpers or defenders of Allah) Hussein al-Houthi.
When did
The teachings of the Zaidis - the 8th century, the Jarudites - the 9th century.
The Houthis are a movement of the late 20th century.
How many adherents
Estimated around 7 million.
Main areas of residence
Ideas and customs
Zeidism (named after the theologian Zeid ibn Ali) is the original Islamic direction to which the Jarudites and the Houthis belong. The Zaidis believe that the imams must be from the lineage of Ali, but they reject his divine nature. They reject the doctrine of the "hidden" imam, the "prudent concealment of faith", the human likeness of God and absolute predestination. The Jarudites believe that Ali was chosen as caliph on descriptive grounds only. Houthis - modern organization Zaidi-Jarudites.
Kharijites
What does the title mean
"Speakers", "left".
When did
After the battle between Ali and Muawiyah in 657.
How many adherents
Small groups, no more than 2 million worldwide.
Main areas of residence
Ideas and customs
They share the basic views of the Sunnis, but they recognize only the first two righteous caliphs - Umar and Abu Bakr, stand for the equality of all Muslims of the Ummah (Arabs and other peoples), for the election of caliphs and their possession of only executive power.
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Islam distinguishes major sins (polytheism, slander, killing a believer, fleeing from the battlefield, weak faith, adultery, committing a minor sin in Mecca, homosexuality, perjury, living on interest, drinking alcohol, pork, carrion) and minor sins (not recommended and prohibited activities).
According to the Kharijites, for a major sin, a Muslim is equated with an infidel.
One of the main "original" directions of Islam, along with Shiism and Sunnism.
What does the title mean
Named after the theologian Abdullah ibn Ibad.
When did
At the end of the 7th century.
How many adherents
Less than 2 million worldwide.
Main areas of residence
Ideas and customs
According to the Ibadis, any Muslim can be the imam of the community, referring to the hadith about the prophet, in which Muhammad argued that even if an "Ethiopian slave with his nostrils torn out" establishes the law of Islam in the community, then he must be obeyed.
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Consider righteous caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar. The imam must be a full-fledged head of the community: both a judge, and a military leader, and an expert on the Koran. Unlike the Sunnis, they believe that hell lasts forever, the Koran was created by people, and God cannot be seen even in Paradise or imagined to look like a person.
Azrakites and Najdites
It is believed that the Wahhabis are the most radical branch of Islam, but in the past there were much more intolerant trends.
What does the title mean
Naming Azraqites by name spiritual leader- Abu Rashid Nafi ibn al-Azraq, Najdites - named after the founder of Najda ibn Amir al-Hanafi.
When did
Ideas and customs of the Azarkites
A radical offshoot of Kharijism. They rejected the Shiite principle of "prudent concealment of one's faith" (for example, under pain of death and other extreme cases). Caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib (revered by many Muslims), Usman ibn Affan and their followers were considered unbelievers. The Azraqites considered the uncontrolled territories to be the “land of war” (dar al-harb), and the population living on it was subject to destruction. Azrakites tested those who moved to them by offering to kill a slave. Those who refused were killed themselves.
Ideas and customs of the Najdites
The existence of a caliph in religion is not necessary, there can be self-government in the community. The killing of Christians, Muslims and other non-Christians is permitted. In Sunni territories, you can hide your beliefs. The one who sins does not become unfaithful. Only those who persist in their sin and commit it repeatedly can become unfaithful. One of the sects, which subsequently broke away from the Najdites, even allowed marriages with granddaughters.
Ismailis
What does the title mean
Named after the son of the sixth Shiite Imam Jafar al-Sadiq - Ismail.
When did
End of the 8th century.
How many adherents
About 20 million
Main areas of residence
Ismailism bears some features of Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and small ancient cults. Adherents believe that Allah instilled his divine spirit in the prophets from Adam to Muhammad. Each prophet is accompanied by a "samit" (silent one), who only interprets the words of the prophet. With each appearance of such a prophet, Allah reveals to people the secrets of the universal mind and divine truth.
Man has complete free will. 7 prophets should come into the world, and between their appearances, the community should be ruled by 7 imams. Return last prophet- Muhammad, the son of Ismail, will be the last incarnation of God, after which divine reason and justice will reign.
Notable Ismailis
Nasir Khosrov, 11th century Tajik philosopher;
Ferdowsi, the great Persian poet of the 10th century, author of the Shahnameh;
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Rudaki, Tajik poet, IX-X century;
Yaqub ibn Killis, Jewish scholar, founder of Al-Azhar University in Cairo (X century);
Nasir ad-Din Tusi, Persian mathematician, mechanic and astronomer of the 13th century.
It was the Nizari Ismailis, who used individual terror against the Turks, who were called the Assassins.
What does the title mean
Named after one of the founders of the movement, Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Darazi, an Ismaili preacher who used the most radical methods of preaching. However, the Druze themselves use the self-name "muwakhhidun" ("united" or "monotheists"). Moreover, they often have a negative attitude towards ad-Darazi and consider the name "Druze" offensive.
When did
How many adherents
Over 3 million people. The origin of the Druze is controversial: some consider them descendants of the oldest Arab tribe, others - a mixed Arab-Persian (according to other versions, Arab-Kurdish or Arab-Aramaic) population that arrived in these lands many centuries ago.
Main areas of residence
The Druze are considered an offshoot of the Ismailis. A Druz is considered a person by birth, and he cannot convert to another religion. They accept the principle of "prudent concealment of faith", while deception of non-believers for the sake of the interests of the community is not condemned. The highest spiritual persons are called "Ajavid" (perfect). In a conversation with Muslims, they usually position themselves as Muslims, however, in Israel, teaching is more often defined as an independent religion. They believe in the transmigration of souls.
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The Druze do not have polygamy, prayer is not obligatory and can be replaced by meditation, there is no fasting, but it is replaced by periods of silence (refraining from revealing the truth to the uninitiated). Zakat (charity for the poor) is not provided, but is perceived as mutual assistance. Of the holidays, Eid al-Adha (Eid al-Adha) and the day of mourning Ashura are celebrated. As in the rest Arab world in the presence of a stranger, a woman must hide her face. Everything that comes from God (both good and evil) must be accepted unconditionally.
The school of religious philosophy on which the Shafi'i and Maliki legal schools rely.
What does the title mean
Named after the philosopher of the 9th-10th centuries Abul-Hasan al-Ashari
When did
They are between the Mu'tazilites and the supporters of the Asaria school, as well as between the Qadarites (supporters of free will) and the Jabarites (supporters of predestination).
The Qur'an was created by people, but its meaning is the creation of Allah. Man only appropriates the actions created by God. The righteous can see Allah in Paradise, but it is impossible to explain. Reason is more important than religious tradition, and Sharia only regulates everyday issues, but still, any reasonable evidence is based on the basic tenets of faith.
Alawites (Nusairites) and Alevis (Qizilbash)
What does the title mean
The name “Alawites” was given to the movement by the name of the prophet Ali, and “Nusayri” by the name of one of the founders of the sect, Muhammad ibn Nusayr, a student of the eleventh Shiite imam.
When did
How many adherents
About 5 million Alawites, several million Alevis (no exact estimates).
Main areas of residence
Ideas and customs of the Alawites
Like the Druzes, they practice takiya (concealment of religious views, mimicry under the rites of another religion), consider their religion secret knowledge available to the elite.
The Alawites are also similar to the Druzes in that they have gone as far as possible from other areas of Islam. They pray only twice a day, they are allowed to drink wine for ritual purposes and fast for only two weeks.
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It is very difficult to draw a picture of the Alawite religion for the above reasons. It is known that they deify the family of Muhammad, consider Ali the embodiment of the Divine Meaning, Muhammad - the Name of God, Salman al-Farisi - the Gate to God (a gnostic meaningful idea of the "Eternal Trinity"). It is considered impossible to know God, but he was revealed by the incarnation of Ali in seven prophets (from Adam, including Isa (Jesus) to Muhammad).
According to Christian missionaries, Alawites revere Jesus, Christian apostles and saints, celebrate Christmas and Easter, read the Gospel at divine services, partake of wine, and use Christian names.