Matthew I. Arnold
Philosophical Debate Essay
ERH-211X-03
Word Count: 1,025
Help Received: Please see last page
The religion of Islam is quickly on the rise. It is considered one of the Abrahamic
religions which originated from the Fertile Crescent region. It has roughly one billion followers,
which is about one fifth of the entire world’s population. Within the religion there is a split that
has caused massive turmoil between the two halves. This is the split between the Sunni and Shia
Muslims. This philosophical debate has been present since just after the very beginning of
Islam’s founding and still has a large impact in the world today. I support the Sunni Muslims
point of view because of their views based upon tradition and how they have set up their
communities in accordance with Islam.
Where the split begins is with Muhammad. In accordance with the pillar Shahadah,
Muhammad is the messenger of god. This statement is universally accepted by all Muslims. The
split occurred with the death of Muhammad. Because there is no central authoritative figure in
Islam, like the Pope is for Catholicism, there was a void that needed to be filled. The majority of
Muslims supported Muhammad’s father in law Abu Bakr. The minority wanted the successor to
be from Muhammad’s bloodline, and they backed his son in law Ali. Those who support Ali are
called Shiat Ali which means partisans of Ali, and are commonly referred to as Shia for short.
While those who supported Abu Bakr are called Sunni, which means tradition.
Islam is a peaceful religion which is based upon five pillars. These five pillars are what
guide Muslims every day as well as throughout their entire lives. The first pillar is Shahadah,
which means that there is no god but god, and Muhammad is his messenger. The second pillar is
salat, which means prayer. The third pillar is zakat, which means charity. The fourth pillar is
sawm, which means fasting. The fifth and final pillar is hajj, which means pilgrimage. The five
pillars are universally accepted and followed by all people who follow the religion of Islam. This
includes both the Sunni and Shia Muslims.
Even though the two different groups both have many similarities such as the five pillars,
the differences between the two are very noticeable. They also expand from who was to succeed
Muhammad and who is to lead the religion to going into how the community is to function
within Islam. The Sunni heavily invested both social and political authority in a series of caliphs
who they believed to be the best people for the job of leading the entire religion of Islam. In
doing this, they reserved the significant religious authority for the broader community to control
and have influence in. The Shia, on the other hand, have “invested social, political, and religious
authority in their leader” referred to as the Imam. The translation of Imam and its practical
meaning is someone who leads the weekly worship services for the congregation. According to
the Shia, this Imam, is a direct descendent of Muhammad and leads the entire Shia community
while being both sinless and infallible.
Just like in every society, there are laws that govern people’s every day actions. In the
Islamic community their set of laws is called Shariah. The phrase Shariah Law is strictly a
western adaptation to better understand their culture. Shariah extends into every part of one’s
life. It covers both how one should act religiously as well as how one should act ethically. It also
serves as the everyday laws which conduct people’s actions in society. This type of law is
immensely foreign to the majority of the western world because it does not separate religious and
state activities. Shariah is also widely interpreted between both the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam.
The interpretation of Shariah is called Fiqh and it is based upon the Quran and the
Hadith. The Hadith is a gathering of the accounts of Muhammad. According to Sunnis, there are
six respected collections and they extend to cover religion and law. The Shia has their own
version which also includes accounts of how their Imams conducted their lives. Because the
Sunni have put religious power in the hands of their communities, the legal views are vastly
different at some points. This is where the Shias differ; their authority rests with the Imam,
resulting in very little diversity in their interpretations.
The split between the Sunnis and Shias has impacted the world since Muhammad’s death
and still does today. There has been widespread violence and death by each side toward the other
for their beliefs and which ones are the right ones. However, this violence is anything but single
sided. It is not strictly Sunni against Shia or Shia against Sunni in every scenario. The conflicts
are fought in accordance with nationality. For example, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 is a
perfect example of two Shia majority nations fighting against one another. Almost always during
conflicts in the Middle East and the surrounding regions of the world, this Sunni Shia split is
brought up during or after the fact.
The Islamic religion is complex in a way the western world is not used to. It has its
guiding principles and its laws that sometimes cross the lines between religion and state. Along
with conflicts between different states and different political and religious groups that widely
vary. The Sunni Shia split is of vast importance to the followers of Islam and the rest of the
world for these many reasons. I believe the Sunni route is more logical for numerous reasons.
Starting with the origin of the split, it makes more sense to have a wiser older father in law of
Muhammad become the leader of the religion as opposed to his younger less experienced son in
law. It is also more logical to now have an elected caliph that is qualified for the job of leading
the people. The Sunni’s allowance of religious authority to reside with the Muslim community
also is more appealing. This is because it allows people somewhat of the freedom of choice when
it comes to what they focus on spiritually and that appeals to myself.
Bibliography
1. Prothero, Stephen R. God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World-and Why Their Differences Matter. New York: HarperOne, 2010. Print.
2. "The Sunni-Shia Divide." Council on Foreign Relations. N.p., 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.