Sunni, Shiah, Wahabbi and Salafi, What is Their Relation???

The religion of Islam has several sects or branches. The largest denomination of Islam is the Sunni (Sunnah) interpretation, which is based on the belief that the Prophet Muhammad died without appointing a successor to lead the Muslim community (ummah). According to Sunni Muslims, after Muhammad's death, the confusion that ensued from not having a person to head the community led to the election of Abu Bakr, the Prophet's close friend and father-in-law, as the first Caliph. This contrasts with the Shi'a Muslim belief that Muhammad himself appointed his first successor to be Ali ibn Abi Talib as the first Caliph and the first Muslim imam. The sectarian split that occurred in Islam between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims is based upon this early question of leadership.

Thirty years after Muhammad's death, the various factions of the Islamic faith were embroiled in a civil war known as the Fitna. Many of Muhammad's relatives and companions were involved in the power struggle, and the war finally stabilized when Mu'awiyya , the governor of Syria, took control of the Caliphate. This marked the rise of the Umayyad dynasty which ruled Islam until 750. Three sects of Islam developed and emerged at the conclusion of the Fitna: Sunni and Shi'a Islam, and the Khwarij sect, which is generally rejected by Islamic scholars as illegitimate and is today only practiced in Yemen andOman. Islamic sects that have materialized since the 7th century Fitna, such as The Nation of Islam, are not regarded as legitimate Muslims by Sunni Muslims.

Traditional Islamic law, or Shari'a, is interpreted in four different ways in Sunni Islam. The schools of law, or madhab, developed in the first four centuries of Islam. The four schools of law are the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali traditions, each based on the beliefs of their founders. Some Sunni Muslims say that one should choose a madhab and then follow all of its rulings. Other Sunnis say that it is acceptable to mix madhabs, to accept one madhab's ruling regarding one issue, and accept another madhab's ruling regarding a different issue. Sunnis also view the hadith, or Islamic oral law, differently than Shi'a Muslims. Hadith are found in several collections, and Sunnis view some of these collections to be more holy and authentic than others, especially the Bukhari collection of hadith.

The major difference between Sunni and Wahabi is the beliefs and rituals. Sunnis are in majority and almost 90% percent of Muslims around the world belong to Sunni sect whereas the members of Wahabi movement are located in Saudi Arab. There are a few main and major as well as many secondary differences between the Sunni and Wahabi Muslims which caused these sects to be cut off from each other and emerge independently.

The major difference between them is that Wahabis believe that Prophet Muhammad should be praised only as a human being whereas Sunnis show extra special care and respect towards the Prophet of Islam.

Sunni Muslims celebrate the birthday of the Holy Prophet and arrange Meelaad. Meelaad is a form of gathering in which the Sunni Muslims get together and praise the Holy Prophet. The birthdays of Sufi saints are also celebrated with much dedication and enthusiasm. The day of their deaths are commemorated in the form of Urs. Wahabi Muslims do not believe in celebrating and practicing all these events which are very strongly rooted in Islam. Wahabis call these practices of events as unlawful and wrongful innovations. Wahabis also believe that this is as close as to shirk or polytheism and Sunnis follow the ways of infidel Hindus.

Sunni Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad is Nur and still present in this world. Whereas Wahabis do not believe in using pious individuals as intermediaries when asking Allah as they consider it shirk or polytheism. Sunnis believe in the saints and mysticism whereas Wahabis do not believe in mysticism, intercession and prostration as well. Sunni Muslims visit the tombs of the saints and perform tawassul for the blessings of Allah whereas it is the greatest sin for a Wahabi.

Sunni Muslims believe in four imams of fiqah or Islamic laws such as Hanfi, Hanbli, Malakii and Shaafeyii whereas Wahabi does not follow an Iman in Fiqh. Wahabi Muslims are a group of fundamentalists and have an orthodox version Islam. Wahabis in Saudi Arab do not allow their females to work side by side with their men and they also are not allowed to drive a car. The women are treated as third rate citizens and they are bound to wear a long abayaa or garment to cover them from head to toe. Sunni Muslims are moderate and believe in the equality of women as suggested by Islam.

There are many differences present in their rituals of praying, marriage ceremonies, dresses etc. Wahabi Muslims have separate mosques and schools. Wahabi Muslims are followers of Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab in the 18th century in Arabia, and his movement came up against a lot of opposition from the Indians Sunni Muslims. Members of the Wahab movement in Saudi Arabia believe their role as a restorer or reformer to free Islam from negative deviances, heresies, innovations, superstitions and idolatries. Wahabis prefer to eliminate music and listening to songs. They are against watching television and drawings of living things which contain a soul.

Meanwhile,

Syiah and Sunni are two groups of Muslims, formed because of different opinion about the ascension to power after the demise of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Some Muslims have the opinion that the first Caliph should have been Hazrat Ali may Allah be please with him as he belongs to the families of the Prophet s.a.w.  Other Muslims are of the opinion that the first Caliph should be Hazrat Abu Bakar may Allah be please with him since he was the first to become Muslim, he has the strongest iman and he is the most trusted companions of the Prophet s.a.w. It was not in the mind neither Hazrat Abu Bakar nor Hazrat Ali to become the first Caliph of Islam.

Both of them have no desires for power or wealth but their desires are only to obtain the pleasure of Allah. Both of them are the jewels of Islam and the trusted companion of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. It was destined that Hazrat Abu Bakar became the first and Hazrat Ali became the fourth Caliph of Islam. Both of these companions of the Prophet are the dwellers of paradise.

We cannot understand Quran without having iman even though we may know how to read and understand the meaning of the Quran. The understanding of the Quran goes according to the level of iman that the Muslims have .When the Muslims have strong iman they will have correct understanding of the Quran but when their iman become weak, they will have wrong understanding of the Quran. Different opinions among Muslims on who should become the first Caliph only happen during the times when the Muslims start to have weak iman. When the love to conquer countries and to collect jizyah from non-Muslims in those countries conquered by the Muslims has comes into the heart of the Muslims, the Muslims start to leave the work of dakwah. The Muslims who has the love of dunia in their heart think that if we continue to do dakwah to the non-Muslims then many will become Muslims and few will remain as non-Muslims. When there are only few non-Muslims then there will be less income to the country as only few people will have to pay jizyah. When the love of dunia comes in the heart of the Muslims, then they start to leave the work of dakwah and when the Muslims start to leave the work of dakwah their iman start to become weak. It was during these times that division among Muslims starts to occur and one of the groups is Syiah. In the beginning, Syiah represents the group of Muslims that have the opinion that the first Caliph of Islam should be Hazrat Ali and not Hazrat Abu Bakar but later on it emerge to become a religious sect of its own. Syiah religious scholars start to teach their followers to hate Hazrat Abu Bakar and Hazrat Umar because to the Syiah, these two companions of the Prophets are the culprit that prevent Hazrat Ali from becoming the first Caliph of Islam. The Syiah religious scholars start to teach their followers to love Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Hassan, Hazrat Hussein, Hazrat Fatimah and few other companions of the Prophet only, and to hate those companions of the Prophet whom they think were involved in the choice of Hazrat Abu Bakar to become the first Caliph. The Syiah religious scholars teach their followers that only those of ahli bait or those who has the blood relationship with the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w has the only right to becomes the leader or imam of the Muslims. The Syiah religious scholars teach their followers to mourn over the death of Hazrat Hussein in Karbala. The occasion to remember the death of Hazrat Hussein in Karbala is made yearly by the Syiah and it is regarded by the Syiah as an important day to remember.

When we perform solat with congregation, one person has to become imam and the imam has to be the best from among them. Similarly, when Muslims are to choose who should become their leader, they should choose the best from among the Muslims in the world to be their leader. We need an imam in order to perform solat with congregation and we need a leader in order to lead the entire Muslims in the whole world. The one that should become the leader of the whole Muslims in the whole world must be the best from among the Muslim. He should have the strongest of iman, the best of conduct and the most knowledgeable in almost all fields when compared with all other Muslims. The Muslims should not choose their leader only on the basis that they have lineage with the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Allah has not told us to do like this in choosing our leader. There is no inheritance in power in Islam. The leader of the Muslims at a particular time must be the best from among the Muslims in the whole world at that time. Hazrat Abu Bakar may Allah be pleased with him was the best Muslim at the times after the demise of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w and so he was the right choice to become the first Caliph of Islam and not Hazrat Ali.

Hazrat Abu Bakar has become the first Caliph of Islam nearly one thousand three hundred years ago. None of us was there when the incident took place .The same political rivalry should not happen in our times. We should not inherit the hatred that they have until today. We should not becomes likes the pagans that inherit hatred from generation to generation. We should become like those who likes to forgive and forget. Although we may have different political views, there should not be any enmity between the Syiah and the Sunni. We should become brothers and sisters although we may have different religious opinion. We should not introduce ourselves as Syiah or Sunni but as only Muslims. The Syiah should stop remembering the sad incident that happens in Karbala whereby the misguided Muslims killed Hazrat Hussein. It is sad but we should forget and forgive. It gives us no benefit at all when we dwell on past sad memory. If any Muslims do harm on us we should remind them about their wrongdoing, brought it to discussion, and solve the problems amicably. We should not solve our problems using weapons, as we are brothers and sisters. We should solve our problems using friendly discussions and meetings. We should love all humankind especially Muslims and we should not hate each other. We have to stop killing any Syiah or Sunni and we have to stop killing any humankind. We are all belong to one family and descended from the same forefather and we are created by one God, name Allah and there is no God except Allah.

So my dear friends,

the main thing is, whatever side in u are, u must know the answer when a non muslim asked you," what are you?" Do your answer is i am a salaf, i am a sunni, i am wahabbi, i am shiites?? oR do you want to say that " I AM A  MUSLIM THAT SAY THE SYAHADAH, THAT ARE CREATED BY ALLAH AND THAT WILL DIE BECAUSE OF ALLAH?? The answer is in your hand... u decide it, whether u want to go on with your previous  way of thinking or to save our only deen that is very precious, ISLAM, stop the war within our muslim followers, than ISLAM WILL BE AS GREAT AS IT WAS BEFORE INSHA ALLAH...