Difference between Sunni, Shia and Khawarij

Islam, as a religion, is divided into some fundamental branches. Three of these branches are: the sunnis, shia and khawarij. This division begins in a debate not long after the passing of the Prophet Muhammad over who ought to lead the Muslim group. The dominant part of Muslims are Sunnis – estimation propose the figure is somewhere around 85% and 90%. Number of Shia reaches from 120 to 170 million according to estimates, approximately one-tenth of all Muslims.  Individuals from the two groups have existed together for a considerable time and share numerous basic practices and beliefs. In this article we will discuss the distinctions between these fundamental branches of Islam i.e. sunnis, shia and khawarij.

Sunnis

Sunni Muslims view themselves as the customary and traditionalist branch of Islam. The word Sunni originates from “Ahl al-Sunna”, the people of tradition. The word tradition here alludes to practices taking into account point of reference or reports of the activities of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and those near him. Sunnis adore every one of the prophets specified in the holy book of Muslim “QURAN”, yet especially Muhammad (ﷺ) as the last prophet. All consequent Muslim pioneers are seen as transient figures. As opposed to Shia, Sunni religious instructors and pioneers have truly gone under state control. The tradition of Sunnis additionally underscores a systematized arrangement of Islamic law and obedience to four schools of law.

Shia

As per early Islamic history the Shia was a political group – truly “Shiat Ali” or the gathering of Ali (R.A). The Shia asserted the privilege of Ali (R.A), who was son in law of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), and his relatives to lead the Islamic group. Ali (R.A) was murdered as an after-effect of common wars which defaced his caliphate. His one son named as Hassan is accepted to have been harmed by Muawiyah, the first caliph (pioneer of Muslims) of the Umayyad administration. His second son, Hussein, was murdered in Karbala. These events lead to idea of grieving and martyrdom. There are extensive Shia groups in Afghanistan, Kuwait, India Lebanon, Qatar, Pakistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE.

Khawarij

The khawarij is also called as kharijites and ash-shurah. It is a section of Islam that appeared in the first century of Islam during the First Fitna i.e. the crisis of leadership after the death of Prophet Muhammad. It came up with a revolt against the suthority of Caliph Ali. A khawarij later assassinated Ali. Thus, the khawarij became a source of insurrection against the Caliphate for hundreds of years to follow. The only surviving section of khawarij are the Ibadis.

Sunni vs. Shia vs. Khawarij

The distinctions among these three lie in the fields of principle, custom, law, philosophy and religious association.

Number of people

There are almost 1.2 billion of people in world called as Sunni.

There are about 200 million of people in world named as Shia.

Successors after the Muhammad(ﷺ)

There are the four rightly guided Caliphs according to beliefs of Sunnis: Abu Bakr, Umar bin Al Khattab, Usman bin Afan, Ali bin Abi Talib.

There are twelve reliable Imams of Shia which are: Ali bin Abi Talib, Ali ZainulAbideen, Hussain, Hassan, Jaafar AlSaadiq, Ali ZainulAbideen, Muhammad AlBaqir, Musa AlKaazim, Ali AlNaqi, Ali AlRaza, Hasan AlAskari, Muhammad AlTaqi and Muhammad AlMahdi.

Opinion about Imams

According to Islam of Sunnis imams are seen in an unexpected way. Imams are frequently important religious leaders in the group, yet they are not seen as faultless and are not revered upon death, as happens to imams in Shia Islam.

In Shia beliefs, imams are taken as religious leader picked by Allah and free from sin. They are immediate descendents of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

Khawarij believed that any Muslim could be an Imam as long as he abided by al moral values. The people were allowed to stand against Imam in case he sinned.

Place for worship

For Sunni, the mosque and eidgah are the places to worship of ALLAH (S.W.T).

For Shia, the places reserved for worship are imambargah or ashurkhana, mosque and eidgah.

Temporary marriage

According to Shia beliefs, temporary marriages called as nikah mut’ah is allowed.

In Sunni Islam, there is no concept of temporary marriages and they consider it as a great sin.

Places most associated with faith

The places that are most associated with Sunnis and they have strong feelings to visit that places are Makkah and Madina.

The places which shia have more affiliation with are Kufa and Karbala.

Beliefs

Sunni have a strong believe on five pillars of Islam that are Shahadah, prayer, zakat, fasting and pilgrimage.

Shia’s have belief on five main pillars of Islam but in addition to they have their five more unique faiths.

Khawarij believes in doctrine of free will. Any act of sinning results in disbelief and make the sinner kafir. A kafir has to repent for his sins in order to become a Muslim again.

Majority

Sunni are mostly present in Muslim countries and other are living around the world.

Shia are present in Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Bahrain in large number and little number are living across the world.

Khawarij has only one surviving section-Ibadis. They are located in areas of Oman, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and East Africa.

Mourning

In Sunni Islam, mourning or self beating is not allowed by any scholar, as it is considered as great sin.

To honor the suffering of Hussein, Shia gatherings walk in enormous parades on the tenth day of the Muharram month. There is self-beating i.e. flagellating own back, hands on chest, blades, cutting edges or chains. This is allowed by a few scholars in Shia Islam.

Conclusion

From above discussion, we come to know that some of the beliefs of Shia community are not supported by any Sunnah and not accepted by Sunni. Khawarij or Ibadis came into existence circa 650 CE. This section predates both Sunni and Shia denominations.