SYI‘AH :
ASAL USUL & CIRI KHASNYA
Dr Syamsuddin Arif
What ?




The word “ shi‘ah ” (‫ )شيعة‬and its meanings:
Literal: group, division (tribal, ethnic, etc.)
Political: supporters, party (members, loyalists)
Religious: sect, ideology (‘aqidah) > theology
Who ?



Literal: ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, Abu Dharr al-Ghiffari,
Salman al-Farisi, Malik al-Ashtar
Political: al-Mukhtar (the revolt leader of Kufah)
- Zayd (ibn Ali ibn Husayn)’s revolt in Kufah
- Yahya (ibn Zayd ibn Ali)’s revolt in Herat
- ‘Abdullah (ibn Mu‘awiyah ibn ‘Abdillah ibn
Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib)’s revolt in Kufah
- Abu Muslim al-Khurasani (revolt leader)
Theological: ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’, at-Tusi, al-Hilli
Why ?





Political discontents (due to perceived injustice)
Racism (anti-Arab sentiments)
Tribalism (rivalry and dispute)
Personal interest/ambition/agenda
Hypocricy (anti-Islam, crypto-Jew, Manichean etc.)
How ?





Pledge of loyatly & support (‫)ﺑيعة‬
Preference & favor (‫)ﺗﻔﻀﻳﻞ‬
Repudiation & opposition (‫)ﺮﻔﺾ‬
Excommunication & condemnation (‫)ﺗﻀﻟﻳﻞ‬
Accusation of apostasy & disbelief (‫)ﺗﻜﻓﻳﺮ‬
Overview:





Prophet Muhammad died in 632 A.D. without a male heir or a
designated successor.
Abu Bakr, being the most senior and closest companion of the
Prophet, was elected as the first caliph by mutual consultation
(shura) and consensus (ijma’). ‘Ali swore his allegiance (bay‘at) 6
month later (following the death of Fatimah) and served as one of
the state counsellors and advisers to the caliph.
When the Prophet died, Abu Bakr was over 60 years old, ‘Umar
was about 51, ‘Uthman was almost 58, and ‘Ali was only 33.
Before he died, Abu Bakr nominated ‘Umar as his successor.
When he lay on his deathbed, ‘Umar appointed a commission of
six prominent companions (‘Uthman, ‘Ali, ‘Abdurrahman, Sa‘d,
Zubayr, and Talhah) to meet and decide who should be the next
caliph. Q: “If I should not name you, who would you nominate?”
‘Uthman and Zubayr replied: ‘Ali, whereas ‘Ali, Talhah, Sa‘d said:
‘Uthman. > 2:3 hence ‘Uthman was elected.
UNCLASSIFIED
Roman & Persian Empires before Islam:
Conflict :




Caliph ‘Uthman had to face several new problems arising from the
effect of territorial expansion, mass transmigration, and urbanization,
compelling him to change ‘Umar’s policy (which forbade the Arabs
(migrants) to till the soil of conquered provinces) and to allow the
Quraysh to leave Medina and reside in various cities in Egypt, Syria,
Iraq (Mesopotamia), Persia, and (North) Africa.
The new policy was to have negative impacts, causing resentment
and discontents among the native population. Added to that the
policy of undisguised favoritism carried out by Marwan ibn al-Hakam
(the Caliph’s cousin).
A lot of complaints were received by ‘Ali, who acted as mediator and
negotiator between them and the Caliph.
The situation culminated in a mass protest and armed clash which
led to the dramatic assassination of Caliph ‘Uthman in the year 35
A.H. by two unidentified men.
Muslim territories in 750 CE
Civil war :



Following the death of Caliph ‘Uthman, all the Companions in
Medina gave their allegiance to ‘Ali as the new caliph. Ashtar
pledged the support of the people of Kufah, Zubayr and Talhah
on behalf of the Muhajirin and Abu Ayyub for the Ansar.
However, there were at least three men of Quraysh who refused
to recognize ‘Ali as caliph, namely: Marwan ibn al-Hakam, alWalid ibn ‘Uqbah, and Mu‘awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, who later
managed to gather troops to seek vengeance and demanded
that their clan be allowed to retain their posts.
Zubayr and Talhah withdrew their allegiance, formed an army
and set out for Mecca and soon Ummul Mu’minin ‘A’ishah joined
them, marching to Basrah, where they were confronted and
defeated by the armed supporters (Shi‘a) of Caliph ‘Ali.
Thus, …



661 C.E. – Caliph ‘Ali was assassinated by one of the rebels. Mu‘awiyah ibn
Abi Sufyan, the governor of Syria, emerged as caliph after offering Ali’s
son al-Hasan an impressive retirement to step aside. Death of Ali and his son
al-Hasan led to the transfer of caliphate to Damascus, which marked the
beginning of first Muslim dynasty (the Umayyad).
680 C.E. –Yazid succeeded his father Mu‘awiyah as caliph of the Umayyad.
Al-Hasan’s brother, al-Husayn revolted against Yazid in an attempt to reestablish the right of Ali’s family to rule. In this act, Shi‘a transformed into a
religious sect. Yazid has Husayn killed, turning Husayn into a martyr in the
eyes of the Shi‘ites. The massacre of Husayn and his supporters at Karbala
in 680 C.E. marked the beginning of Shi’a as a religio-political movement.
750 C.E.- Umayyad dynasty fell to the efforts of a Shi‘ite-Abbas alliance.
Some Umayyad family members fled to Spain (Andalus) to later establish
an Umayyad principality.
Seterusnya …





755 C.E. – ‘Abbas promised Husayn’s great-grandson Ja‘far that Ja‘far could
claim his right as caliph, but ‘Abbas died before the deal was set and Jafar
was murdered by ‘ Abbas’ son al-Mansur who then founded the ‘Abbasid
Caliphate.
945-1050 C.E. – The Shiite Buyid family took control of western Iran and Iraq,
thusly controlling the Abbasid caliph until the arrival of the Sunni Turks in 1050
C.E.
1258 C.E. – Mongolian invaders killed the last of the Abbasid family in
Bagdad. The Mongolian conquests led to relative tolerance between the Sunnis
and Shiites who were forced to work together to fight off the invaders.
1501 C.E. – The Safavid Dynasty (1502-1736) was established in Persia by
Ismail I, who proclaimed Shi‘ism as the official, state religion, thereby ending
the tolerance between Sunnis and Shiites and resulting in long-lasting conflict
with the Sunni Ottomans.
1587 C.E. – Abbas I, the greatest ruler in the Safavid Dynasty, was declared
as shah at age 16.
Sunni and Shia Today






Population statistics (Sunni 90%, Shia 10%)
Cult of Martyrdom- the 12 Imams
Concept of the Mahdi
Concealing Faith for Self Protection
Temporary Marriages
Frequency of Prayer
Differences
UNCLASSI
FIED
SUNNI:
SHI’ITE (SHI’A):

85-90% of Muslims

10-15% of Muslims

Leadership by consensus (of
Muhammad’s followers)

Leaders only descended
from family of Muhammad

No organized clergy; authority from below to above

Authoritarian: guidance from
Imams (above) to below

Literal interpretation of the
Qur’an (apparent meaning)

Leadership determines
(hidden) meaning of Qur’an

Majority status throughout
duration of the caliphate

Oppressed, tragic minority:
greater emphasis on
martyrdom, and use of
dissimulation (taqiyyah)
Artwork of Shi‘ism
The Quran, Islamic Holy Scripture
Court in the Safavid Dynasty
Shah Abbas I in later life
Holidays



Sunni: Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr
Shia: Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, Ashura
Ashura- a day of mourning. Men would beat their
chests, and cut their bodies with knives. As most
religious elite ban the cutting practice it still happens,
they encourage the Shia to donate blood instead to
commemorate the blood spilled at the battle of
Karbala.
Holy Places


Sunni: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem
Shia: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Najaf (Site of Ali’s
Tomb), Karbala
Cities and Gatherings
Left : A Shiite parade in
Esfahan
Right: Iranian pilgrims in
chadors outside the
Umayyad Mosque in
Damascus, Syria
Left: The holy Shiite
Muslim shrine Dareeh
of the Imam Ali
Right: A mosque in
Karbala, Iraq
Comparison
Shiite Beliefs
Sunni Beliefs
Similarities
•The caliphate should only be
direct descendents of
Muhammad, and therefore Ali
•Muhammad designated Ali as
his successor
•Al-Mahdi, the eleventh Imam’s
son, is the savior and has
already come as the Hidden
Imam and will return at the end
of time
•The Imam’s authority is
infallible
•Two additional holy cities:
Najaf and Karbala.
•Celebrate Ashura
•Additional two pillars: jihad
and the requirement to do good
works and to avoid all evil
thoughts, words, and deeds
•The Shiites are split into three
main factions: Twelvers,
Isma'iliyah, and Zaydiyah
•The Sunnis do not believe that
the prophet left a successor. This
is the major difference in the
two groups and is the primary
reason for the split between
them
•The Sunnis believe that the
savior will come in the future
•Leadership of the community
(Imam) is an earned trust that
can be given or taken away by
the people
•The Shiites and the Sunnis
share the five pillars of Islam,
that is: shahada (confession of
faith); namaz (ritualized prayer;
zakat (almsgiving); sawm
(fasting and contemplation
during daylight hours during
Ramadan); and hajj (pilgrimage
to the holy cities of Mecca and
Medina once a lifetime)
•The holy cities of Mecca,
Medina, and Jerusalem
•Holidays: Eid al-Adha and Eid
al-Fitr Eid.
Change Over Time



The first subsect of Shia’ism develops under Zayd who leads an
unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad caliph in 740 CE. The Zaydis,
sometimes called Fivers, believe that Ali, Husan and Husayn are the first
three rightful caliphs. However, after them, they believe that the caliphate
is open to whoever of Ali’s descendents can ascertain themselves through
revolt. The primary difference between this subsect and the majority of
Shiites is that they believe Zayd is the fifth Imam while most Shiites believe
his brother Al-Baqir is the fifth Imam.
In the early to mid 750’s, when the Umayyad dynasty is defeated, the
Shiite sect begins to further divide. The Sevener Shiites, or the Ismailis,
develop with the death of Jafar, the sixth Shiite Imam. They believe that
Jafar was the last Imam and his heir, the seventh Imam, will come back at
the end of time.
The majority of the Shiites who are neither Seveners nor Fivers are
considered to be Twelver Shiites. Twelver Shiites believe that the line of
rightful Imams ends with Hasan al-Askari, the eleventh Imam. His son AlMahdi is believed to be the twelfth and final Imam who disappeared and
will return at the end of time.
Shiites Today




Iran is primarily made up of Shiites with the total percentage
reaching about 89%.
Hizbollah, which are made up of Shiites, forced the Israelis out
of Southern Lebanon.
The Shiites and the Sunnis are still at war with one another.
Numerous bombings and killings have occurred as a result of
their long-term conflict.
Iran has a Shiite theocratic republic. Their supreme leader,
which is the political office in which the person rules for life, is
Ali Hoseini-Khameni.
Shiite Distribution
Dark Green: Shiite; Light Green: Sunni
Syi‘ah




Bukan mazhab aqidah > Asy’ariyyah
Bukan mazhab fiqih > Syafi’iyyah
Bukan tariqah > Qadiriyyah
Bukan organisasi > Muhammadiyah etc