The last unit told how
the Muslims argued about who should be the caliph. Some supported Ali. Ali was
Muhammad’s closest living relative. He was his cousin and married to his
youngest daughter, Fatima. Other Muslims supported Muawiya, Uthman’s cousin. Muawiya was one of the powerful Umayad
family. They were part of the Koraish tribe who first opposed Muhammad. Many of
them had only become Muslims just before Muhammad died. Muawiya’s supporters
said that it was wrong for the leadership of Islam to stay in Muhammad’s
family. They said that the most able Muslim should be the leader. He should
rule by using the Koran and Muhammad’s ways (Sunnah). These were called the Sunni.
Ali’s supporters said
thet Muhammad’s family should succeed him and that he had trained Ali as his
successor. They didn’t accept that Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman had been real
caliphs. Some of them cursed them in their chants. They thought that Muawiya
and his followers were half-hearted Muslims, more interested in power than Islam.
Ali’s supporters were called Shia Ali
(party of Ali), or Shi’ites for short.
When Ali died, his son
Husain tried to get caliphate back for his family. But he was killed in battle
and became a Shi’ite martyr. The Shi’ites never regained control of Islam.
There were always many more Sunni. Today, about ten per cent of Muslims are
Shi’ites. But they were a powerful minority. Iran is ruled by Shi’ites. Many
more Shi’ites live in Pakistan and Iraq. They believe that one day the final
successor to Ali, called the Mahdi,
will come to set up the perfect Muslim state.
At Muhammad’s death the
gentle, faithful but aged Abu Bakr was appointed caliph. His commanders, with
his blessing, set out on a jihad (holy war) against Syria. Abu Bakr died after
reigning only two years. He was followed by the bad-tempered Umar (634-644)
then the aged and incompetent Uthman (644-656). Both of these men were killed
by angry subjects,
Ali, son-in-law of
Muhammad, became the fourth caliph (656-661). But some Muslims wouldn’t accept
him. Ali spent his entire five year reign in internal warfare. One of his
enemies was Ayesha, Muhammad’s widow. In 656, at the Battle of Basra, she was
taken prisoner on a battlefield strewn with 13.000 corpses. Ali, always
merciful, kept here safe but under guard where she could do him no harm in 661
he too was killed by an assassin.
In 681, Husain and
about 70 men were surrounded at Karbala by an army of 4.000 supporters of
Yazid, Muawiya’s son. They were close to water but Yazid’s army denied them
drink. For eight days, they tried to get Husain to give up his claim to be the
next caliph, but he refused.
Outnumbered, his
followers were killed. When Husain held out his baby son for mercy, an arrow,
fired through the baby’s neck, pinned him to Husain’s arm. At the end, the body
of Husain, riddled with arrows, was trampled in the mud. His head was hacked
off and taken back to Yazid. The shrine where Husain was buried at Karbala
became a holy place for Shi’ites. They worship there every year and weep for
the victory of evil over good. They promise to defend their beliefs as Husain
did.
The last unit told how
the Muslims argued about who should be the caliph. Some supported Ali. Ali was
Muhammad’s closest living relative. He was his cousin and married to his
youngest daughter, Fatima. Other Muslims supported Muawiya, Uthman’s cousin. Muawiya was one of the powerful Umayad
family. They were part of the Koraish tribe who first opposed Muhammad. Many of
them had only become Muslims just before Muhammad died. Muawiya’s supporters
said that it was wrong for the leadership of Islam to stay in Muhammad’s
family. They said that the most able Muslim should be the leader. He should
rule by using the Koran and Muhammad’s ways (Sunnah). These were called the Sunni.
Ali’s supporters said
thet Muhammad’s family should succeed him and that he had trained Ali as his
successor. They didn’t accept that Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman had been real
caliphs. Some of them cursed them in their chants. They thought that Muawiya
and his followers were half-hearted Muslims, more interested in power than Islam.
Ali’s supporters were called Shia Ali
(party of Ali), or Shi’ites for short.
When Ali died, his son
Husain tried to get caliphate back for his family. But he was killed in battle
and became a Shi’ite martyr. The Shi’ites never regained control of Islam.
There were always many more Sunni. Today, about ten per cent of Muslims are
Shi’ites. But they were a powerful minority. Iran is ruled by Shi’ites. Many
more Shi’ites live in Pakistan and Iraq. They believe that one day the final
successor to Ali, called the Mahdi,
will come to set up the perfect Muslim state.
At Muhammad’s death the
gentle, faithful but aged Abu Bakr was appointed caliph. His commanders, with
his blessing, set out on a jihad (holy war) against Syria. Abu Bakr died after
reigning only two years. He was followed by the bad-tempered Umar (634-644)
then the aged and incompetent Uthman (644-656). Both of these men were killed
by angry subjects,
Ali, son-in-law of
Muhammad, became the fourth caliph (656-661). But some Muslims wouldn’t accept
him. Ali spent his entire five year reign in internal warfare. One of his
enemies was Ayesha, Muhammad’s widow. In 656, at the Battle of Basra, she was
taken prisoner on a battlefield strewn with 13.000 corpses. Ali, always
merciful, kept here safe but under guard where she could do him no harm in 661
he too was killed by an assassin.
In 681, Husain and
about 70 men were surrounded at Karbala by an army of 4.000 supporters of
Yazid, Muawiya’s son. They were close to water but Yazid’s army denied them
drink. For eight days, they tried to get Husain to give up his claim to be the
next caliph, but he refused.
Outnumbered, his
followers were killed. When Husain held out his baby son for mercy, an arrow,
fired through the baby’s neck, pinned him to Husain’s arm. At the end, the body
of Husain, riddled with arrows, was trampled in the mud. His head was hacked
off and taken back to Yazid. The shrine where Husain was buried at Karbala
became a holy place for Shi’ites. They worship there every year and weep for
the victory of evil over good. They promise to defend their beliefs as Husain
did.
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