Can someone tell me the what the differences are between Sunnis, Shiites and Sufis? Forgive my bad spelling.?

Question

Are there other divisions of Islam besides these three, and how do they all compare and contrast?

Answer 1

Good question, firstly a little guidance,

[006:159] Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects (all kinds of religious sects), you (O Muhammad [Peace be Unto Him) have no concern with them in the least. Their affair is only with God, Who then will tell them what they used to do.

[042:014] And they divided not till after knowledge had come to them, through (selfish) transgression between themselves. And had it not been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord for an appointed term, the matter would have been settled between them. And verily, those who were made to inherit the Scripture [i.e. the Taurât (Torah) and the Injîl (Gospel)] after them (i.e. Jews and Christians), are in grave doubt concerning it (i.e. God's true religion – Islâm or the Qur'ân).

[030:032] Of those who split up their religion (i.e. who left the true Islâmic Monotheism), and became sects, [i.e. they invented new things in the religion (Bid'ah), and followed their vain desires], each sect rejoicing in that which is with it.

Here if you want information http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/sects.htm
that site has lots.

I have one more piece of Guidance, we already know from The Prophet's saying about sects

According to Tirmidhi Hadith No. 171, the prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said, “My Ummah (Nation) will be fragmented into seventy three sects, and all of them will be in Hell fire except one sect.” The companions asked God’s messenger which group that would be. Where upon he replied, “It is the one to which I and my companions belong”.

The Glorious Qur’an mentions in several verses, “Obey Allah and obey His Messenger”. A true Muslim should only follow the Glorious Qur’an and the Sahih Hadith. He can agree with the views of any scholar as long as they conform to the teachings of the Qur’an and Sahih Hadith. If such views go against the Word of Allah, or the Sunnah of His Prophet, then they carry no weight, regardless of how learned the scholar might be. A true Muslim will not follow any ruling or teaching of any great scholar of Islam if that particular ruling or teaching contradicts the Qur’an and Saheeh Hadith.

Thus, the only school of thought that a Muslim should follow, is that of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The only Madhab that a Muslim should follow, is the Madhab of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). And Allah knows the Best.

Answer 2

Sunni comes from the word "Sunnah" or one that has heard. Literally, that's all the converts to Islam who were not originally from the clans of Mecca.

Shia comes from the name "Shi'at Ali", Mohammads relative who was also his lieutenant , who left him when Mohammad chose Abu Bak'r and Omar, his other lieutenants who had given him their 9 year old and teenage daughters for wives, to be the first and second Caliphs. Descendants of the Shi'at Ali army are called Shia.

Sufi is the Cult of Islam that both Shias and Sunnis do no recognise. They are a sect of Islam who try to bridge the gaps between other faiths and Islam and are known to practice meditation and magic.

OMG, there are many more divisions of Islam. You have the Ismailis, the Dawoodi Bohras, the Wahabis [Saudi], the Cutchi Memons, the Baha'is, the Zaidis and lots and lots more. These are the few I could remember, off hand. Oh, and you have the regional factions like the Kurds, Turks and Mongols, aka Mughals, who are considered low class by the Sunnis who think they are the best, and so on and so forth.

And, incidentally, they're always killing each other.

Hope this helped clear things up.

Of course, I'm not a Muslim.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Answer 3

No shias do no longer worship some guy. i'm Sunni myself yet i am going to target to describe this to the finest of my qualifications. Shia and Sunni do have opposing perspectives although this is not in accordance with faith. The conflict is grounded in a political journey/effect. Shias have self belief that the Prophet Muhammad pbuh appointed his nephew Haz. Ali as his successor to grow to be caliph yet Sunnis carry that because the caliphate became chosen by using Iman and element of taqwa that Haz. Abu Bakr Siddiq became perfect chosen. Sunnis evaluate Ali the fourth and extremely last of the Rashidun (rightly guided Caliphs), at the same time as Shias regard Ali because the first Imam and evaluate him and his descendants the rightful successors to Muhammad, all of that are individuals of the Ahl al-Bayt, the companion and youngsters of Muhammad. This conflict of words cut up the Ummah (Muslim community) into the Sunni and Shia branches. a number of Sunni and shia practices variety from one yet another, in that the strategies are extremely different yet actually a similar. desire that clarified it somewhat. And to any Shia who stumbled on a hollow or a mistake in my clarification, i'm sorry. I defined it to the finest of my understanding.

Answer 4

i dont know about the sufis
but:

Sunis- wanted Abo Bakar (Mohammed's best friend) to lead after Mohammed's death
Shiites- wanted Ali (Mohammed's cousin) to lead after Mohammed's death
Abu Bakar was chosen (by voting. see, they had democracy), Ali didn't even mind. Abo Bakar died, and they refused to choose Ali. Ali was chosen the FOURTH caliph after Mohammad's death. This pretty much pissed some Muslims off because they've been waiting for Ali to be the caliph since forever. So finally Ali is caliph, he has two sons Hasan and Hussain. Ali dies, Mo'aweyah is a Syrian king and he destroys the democracy in the middle east, he created a monarchy. People sent letters to Hasan and Hussain asking for help, Hasan and Hussain were killed in battle against Mo'awiyah. This pissed some Muslims off, while others didn't care much.
Sunnis think of Ali as any other normal Muslim
Shiites think of Ali is a high ranked man (not that hes BETTER than Mohammed or anything. they just think of him and his sons as heros)

pretty complicated, not much of a big difference though


and you probably didnt even read all that :P

Answer 5

The Sunnis are the wealthy, and ruling class. The Shias are the poor. The Kurds, they are outsiders, the Turks don't want them in Turkey and seems they have just sort of settled in northern Iraq, Hussein tried to kill them off. I'm sure they have a history, but in recent years, nobody seems to like them. Saudi princes. as well as most of the rulers/leaders in the Arab states, .are Sunnis. Iran had a small population of Arabs, but has grown to 60%, the majority was Persian.

Answer 6

shiites believe that only the decendants of muhammad should be ruler
while sunni believe that everyone can rule

and i dont know about Sufis.

Answer 7

Baptists Catholics, Methodists, etc.

Answer 8

Idk, it's true those are groups of islam, but muslims are suppose to follow the quran not those groups. I dont think im any of them lol

Answer 9

I think the difference lies somewhere between Dumb, dumber, and dumberer.

Answer 10

No just kill them all and let God sort it out. xx