have narrated traditions about the Prophet's life and spiritual practice. There is also no connection to rays. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Kuwait, Sudan, Yemen, Pakistan, Indonesia, to worshipping other deities. This view can already be found in the Shafi'ite scholar Abu Mansur al-Baghdadi (d. 1037). The emergence of these two sub-groups It is used, for example, in the final document of the Grozny Conference. He believes that the Sunnis with their mosques, madrasas, palaces, factories and hospitals have achieved an unattainable position because none of the non-Sunnis have performed such services. The deficiency, or basic needs are said to motivate people when they are unmet. [71] Modern trends of Islamic interpretation are usually seen as adjusting to a modern audience and purifying Islam from alleged alterings, some of which are believed to be intentional corruptions brought into Islam to undermine and corrupt its message.[70]. [203] Many matters of belief and daily life were not directly prescribed in the Quran, but were actions observed by Muhammad and the early Muslim community. When the expression 'ahl as-sunna wal-jama' appeared for the first time, is not entirely clear. It is important to remember that despite these differences in opinion and practice, Shia and Sunni Muslims share the main articles of Islamic belief and are considered by most to be brethren in faith. They passed down for praise of their schoolfounder a hadith, according to which the prophet Muhammad predicted that at the end of times a man named Muhammad ibn Karram will appear, who will restore the sunna and the community (as-sunna wal-ama) and take Hidraj from Chorasan to Jerusalem, just how Muhammad himself took a Hidraj from Mecca to Medina. In English, its doctrines and practices are sometimes called Sunnism,[6] while adherents are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis, Sunnites and Ahlus Sunnah. In as far as the Islamic literature is concerned, Shia give [28] The Mutazilites replaced the Qadarites here. The Quran, together with hadith (especially those collected in Kutub al-Sittah) and binding juristic consensus, form the basis of all traditional jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. [153] God sent him down as inspiration (wahy) on his Messenger. [13] During the second Civil War (68092) the Sunna-term received connotations critical of Shi'i doctrines (Tashayyu'). An established hierarchy among the clergy and taxation does not exist and Sunni. Approximately 15% (250 million) of Muslims around the world come from Shia leadership to the world. One would then respond to them: if they were Sunnah people, you accept their hadith. [98] In Ottoman times, many efforts were made to establish a good harmony between the teachings of the Asharya and the Mturdya. [208] The Islamic World League in Mecca, also funded by Saudi Arabia, made a resolution from 1987 that it regards Sunnism as the pure teachings at the time of the Messenger and the rightful existence of the Caliphate. AlTaqi, Hassan AlAskari, Ali AlNaqi, Ali AlRaza, Musa Alkaazim, Muhammad In the 9th century, one started to extent the term ahl as-sunna with further positive additions. more importance to specific Hadith and Sunna literature, leaning towards those Pope St. Peter (32-67) St. Peter held a primacy amongst the twelve disciples that earned him the title Prince of the Apostles. This primacy of St. Peter was solidified when he was appointed by Jesus to the Office of the Vicar - demonstrated by Christ giving St. Peter the Keys to the Kingdom. What are the 6 beliefs of Sunni Islam? Belief in the prophets (nubuwwah ) Allah is believed to have communicated with the prophets through the angels. Muslims believe the prophets should be respected but never worshipped. Belief in the Day of Judgement and the afterlife (Akhirah ) All Muslims believe that this life is a test. sin (faultless) and are revered upon death. Any pious follower of Al could become their imam, and any imam could be deposed if he behaved unacceptably. Robin Wright, a joint fellow at the non-partisan US Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson Center, told NBC: "The original schism between Islam's two largest sects was not over religious doctrine. IslamiCity is making such material available in its effort to advance understanding of humanitarian, education, democracy, and social justice issues, etc. Ethics on the other hand, do not need prophecy or revelation, but can be understood by reason alone. Hrn al-Rashd experienced this paradox in a particularly painful way: having drawn into his service prominent members of a family of Buddhist converts, the Barmakids, he found them such rivals that he liquidated them within a matter of years. The main difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims is their belief surrounding who should have succeeded the Prophet Muhammad in 632 AD. Approximately 85% (1.5 billion) of Muslims around the world come from Sunni Every other Friday, we try to feature a new theme which will uplift our spirituality. Quran. He is beginningless (azal) because he has existed for all eternity and nothing precedes him, and he is endless (abad) because he continues to exist without interruption for all eternity. Welcome to the world's oldest and most recognized Islamic Web site. To protect his followers from increasing Sunni hostility to the views of radical Shites, known as the ghult (extremists), who claimed prophethood for Al, Jafar made a distinction that both protected the uniqueness of prophethood and established the superiority of the role of imam. [78], Regarding the question which dogmatic tendencies are to be assigned to Sunnism, there is no agreement among Muslim scholars. I heard people say something, and that's how I said it. He is then hit with an iron club so that he utters a loud scream that can be heard by everyone except people and jinn. John Burton. and taxation does not exist in Sunni Islam because it is the majority religion Cuddle Vs Snuggle: What Is The Difference? "[113] The Salafi and Wahhabi strands of Sunnism do not accept many mystical practices associated with the contemporary Sufi orders. [89] The name derives from "tradition" in its technical sense as translation of the Arabic word hadith. Sunnis in the special sense are only the "people of the hadith" (ahl al-ad). The expediencies of cold war resulted in the radicalisation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan who fought the communist regime backed by USSR forces in Afghanistan giving birth to the Taliban movement. [17] The term "sunna" is usually used in Arabic discourse as designation for Sunni Muslims, when they are intended to be contrasted with Shias. [218] In the last chapter of his book, al-Baghdadi also relates this to building activity in Islamic countries. The first conference with the title "Who are the Ahl al-Sunna wa al-jama?" [68] Jihadism is opposed from within the Muslim community (known as the ummah in Arabic) in all quarters of the world as evidenced by turnout of almost 2% of the Muslim population in London protesting against ISIL. 15 Difference Between Zakat And Sadaqah According To Quran, 12 Major Difference Between Methodists And Baptists, Difference Between Tension And Compression, 12 Difference Between Catholic And Lutheran, 10 Difference Between Ethics And Morality With Examples, Difference Between Protestant And Catholic, Difference Between Conductor, Insulator And Semi-Conductor With Examples, 10 Difference Between Diarrhea And Dysentery (With Table), 9 Difference Between Gravity And Spring Control, 10 Difference Between Cladogram And Phylogenetic Tree, 6 Difference Between Total Utility And Marginal Utility (With Chart). Shia Muslims are the minority group of adherents within Islam. [153][135] To them belong the Quran, the Torah, the Gospel and the Psalms[144], The Quran is according to Sunni views the speech of God. They include Muhammad AlMahdi, Muhammad Webhi!! occasioned a debate as to who should be his true successor. Shia [44] Thus at-Tahw explains that jama is considered as true or right (aqq wa-awb) and furqa as aberration and punishment (zai wa-ab). [188] Predestination includes the predestination of good and bad, sweet and bitter. We feature each theme with a beautiful image. the immediate descendants of Prophet Muhammad. Sunni Muslims agree with the position taken by many of the Prophet's companions at the time, that the new leader should be elected from among those capable of the job. Only those "people of the Hadith" are assigned to Sunnism who practice tafw, i.e. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
. The non-Muslim majority often rebelled too. Thus, Sunni and Shia are not so away from each other or in conflict the way media broadcasts, articles, and podcasts suggest. The Islam that the Messenger of God was appointed to practice. Islam as practiced by Muhammad pbuh, is the first line of Deen. Any practice above o [198] Humans neither know how they are registered by God (whether as believers or unbelievers), nor how it ends with them. Sunni consider this as blasphemous and equivalent Since prophethood had ended, its true intent would die without the imams, whose protection from error allowed them to carry out their indispensable task. four rightly guided (reliable) Caliphs/Imams: Abu Bakr, Umar bin Al Khattab, These differences touch all detailed aspects of religious life: prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, etc. Shia [84] In contrast to the traditionalistic approach, Maturidism allows to reject hadiths based on reason alone. Although the Abbsids were able to buttress their legitimacy by employing the force of their Khorsnian army, by appealing to their piety-minded support, and by emphasizing their position as heirs to the pre-Islamic traditions of rulership, their own circumstances and policies militated against them. This sees Muslims declare their faith to one God (Allah) and his messenger, prayer five times daily, donate a portion of their wealth to those in need, fast during the holy month of Ramadan, and make the sacred trip to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. [24] They used the term as a contrast from their enemies[38] among them Hanafites in the West, who have been followers of the Mutazilites. [151] responded by increasing funding to Sunni interests everywhere. Source for distribution is the CIA World Factbook, Shiite/Sunnite distribution collected from other sources. [92] In the 10th century AD al-Ash'ari and al-Maturidi found a middle ground between Mu'tazilite rationalism and Hanbalite literalism, using the rationalistic methods championed by Mu'tazilites to defend most tenets of the traditionalist doctrine. WebBritain has an estimated Muslim population of about 2.8 million. The caliphate of this dynasty ended with the death of the Caliph al-Ma'mun in 833 CE, when the period of Turkish domination began. [105] Ibn Taymiyya argued that the Mutazilites belong to the Sunnis in the general sense because they recognize the caliphate of the first three caliphs.[106]. [154], According to Sunni doctrine, people are questioned in their graves by Munkar and Nakir after death. [119] Ibn Khaldun defined the Sunni schools as three: the Hanafi school representing reason, the hirte school representing tradition, and a broader, middle school encompassing the Shafi'ite, Malikite and Hanbalite schools. [199] The Sunnis do not speak to any of the people who pray to the Kaaba, to paradise or hell,[201] because of a good deed or a sin he has committed. Sunni Muslims make up the majority (85%) of Muslims all over the world. Sunni vs Shia is pure political. The main tenets of both branch are the same. The God is still Allah and the last prophet is still Muhammad. Quran It was also during Hrns reign that Ibrhm ibn al-Aghlab, a trusted governor in Tunis, founded a dynasty that gradually became independent, as did the hirids, the Abbsid governors in Khorsn, two decades later. [210] Plans by the Committee of National Unity in the 1960s to convert the Diyanet authority into a non-denominational institution that also integrated the Alevis, failed because of resistance from conservative Sunni clergy inside and outside the Diyanet authority. when the Islamic Prophet Muhammad died. Later Asharites like al-Isfaranini (d. 1027) nad Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi (d. 1078) used the expression ahl as-sunna wal-jama too and used them in their works to designate the teachings of their own school. took place in the Chechen capital Grozny in August 2016 under the patronage of Ramzan Kadyrov. Webe. The division between Shia and Sunni dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the question of who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation. [191] Everything that was written on it in ancient times is immutable. They agreed on the fundamentals of religion (ul ad-dn). [22] According to Josef van Ess this term did not mean more than "honorable and righteous believing people". The word pair "Sunnah-Shia" is also used on Western research literature to denote the Sunni-Shia contrast. 2020 Reproduction of content from this website, either in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. [151], Another point of belief are the "signs of the hour" (ar as-sa) that precede the day of resurrection. [135] God hid the angels from the vision of humans, thus they can usually not see them. [115] In the contemporary era, former Prime Minister of Sudan Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, as well as the Amman Message issued by King Abdullah II of Jordan, recognize the hirs and keep the number of Sunni schools at five.[123][124]. physiological, safety, love, and esteem) and growth needs (self-actualization). [211] Since the 1990s, the Diyanet authority has presented itself as an institution that stands above the denominations (mezhepler st)[210] The religious education organized by the authority at the Turkish schools is based exclusively on the Sunni understanding of Islam. [141] Even if God does not need the throne and what is below, because he spatially occupies everything, including what is above him, the throne and stool ( kurs ) are a reality. The 73rd sect that is the saved sect are the Sunnis (ahl as-sunna wa-l-jamaa). For example, Abu Mansur al-Baghdadi (d. 1037) explains at the beginning of his heresiographical work al-Farq baina l-firaq ("The difference between the sects" ) that there are 20 Rafiditic, 20 Kharijite, 20 Qadaritic, 3 Murjiite, 3 Nadjritic, 3 karramitic and furthermore Bakriyya, Dirariyyya and Jahmya. [162] God's right to the acts of obedience is not only an obligation for people through the intellect ( bi-muarrad al-aql ), but also through it for making it a duty through the oral transmission of his prophets. Of this number, more than 90 per cent are Sunni and less than 10 per cent are Shiite. human life is to praise God so that one day the gates of heaven (paradise) will [207], Another body that claims to speak on behalf of Sunnism is the Council of Senior Religious Scholars founded in Saudi Arabia in 1971. [193] The principle of predestination is God's mystery with regard to his creatures. interpretation of Islamic law in Shia Islam follows one principle school of Rather, it came from God in an unexplained way as a word ( qaul ). [81], Founded by Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (873935). Sunni and Shia And every attribute that he or his prophet has ascribed to him is a real attribute, not an attribute figuratively. Aw as-salaf, Riad, 1999. Blessed are whose who are saved by God's judgment (qa Allh), condemned are whose who are condemned by the judgment of God. Due to overwhelming content, each of these hubs can be considered a home page of its own. [93][94] Although the mainly Hanbali scholars who rejected this synthesis were in the minority, their emotive, narrative-based approach to faith remained influential among the urban masses in some areas, particularly in Abbasid Baghdad. Dhuhri: The Text of Conservatism. Shiites may be underrepresented in some countries where they do not appear in official statistics. Both Sunni and Shia Muslims share the most fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith. Jahrhunderts. 2019, S. 345. Half of the Arab commentaries reject Isr'iliyyt in general, while Turkish tafsir usually partly allow referring to Biblical material. In fact, each group relied on the Sunnah but emphasized different elements. The individual teaching points differ depending on the author's affiliation to a certain teaching tradition. if ( blp_cancelWowEffect || blp_isSafari ) { // blp_isSafari vars comes from the global js variable defined at blp-js-library.js shrines of past imams, saints and scholars. Have a blessed Ramadan! The Majority Thus, wherever can be found Hanafi followers, there can be found the Maturidi creed.[87][88]. He published several op-eds in HuffingtonPost and OpenDemocracy websites. (reliable) Imams. The majority of Muslims are Sunni Muslims (hereafter just Sunni); however, Shia Muslims (hereafter just Shia) are a large minority throughout Islamic world. These new labels expressed and consolidated the social reorganization that had been under way since the beginning of the conquests. Regarding the nature of God and the divine attributes, the Ash'ari rejected the Mu'tazili position that all Quranic references to God as having real attributes were metaphorical. This activity provided a channel through which older thought could enter and be reoriented by Islamicate societies. [33] This indicates that the Hanbalis were the first to use the phrase ahl as-sunna wal-ama as a self-designation. Dirat al-Ift f l-Mamlaka al-Urdunnya al-Himya: Ab Abdallh Muammad ibn al-Qsim al-Bakk: Hassan Ahmed Ibrahim, "An Overview of al-Sadiq al-Madhi's Islamic Discourse". Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Azerbaijan and Yemen. Like most other faqhs (students of jurisprudence, or fiqh), al-Shfi viewed Muhammads community as a social ideal and his first four successors as rightly guided. After his release he emigrated to Egypt, where he produced his most famous work. All Rights Reserved, IslamiCity is a registered trademark of HADI, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization. We prepared this quick tour to help you get familiar with the new design so you find your way around the new site much quicker. [95], While Ash'arism and Maturidism are often called the Sunni "orthodoxy", traditionalist theology has thrived alongside it, laying rival claims to be the orthodox Sunni faith. [110] According to the final document of the Grozny Conference, only those Sufis are to be regarded as Sunnis who are "people of pure Sufism" (ahl at-taauwuf a-f ) in the knowledge, ethics and purification of the interior, according to Method as practiced by al-Junaid Al- Baghdadi and the "Imams of Guidance" ( aimma al-hud ) who followed his path. open for them. Sunni-Shiite conflict has continued in the modern world, causing friction in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, in Pakistan and Yemen, and throughout the Middle East and South Asia. Conversely, there were also scholars who excluded the Asharites from Sunnism. can be traced way back to 623 A.D, Thus the Hanafite Ab l-Qsim as-Samarqand (d. 953), who composed a catechism for the Samanides, used sometimes one expression and sometimes another for his own group.[24]. marriages and they consider it a great sin. The schools of law all have their own particular tradition of interpreting this jurisprudence. [166] Deceased Muslims receive the supplication said for them, and the Sadaqa spoken in their name are a favor for them. the preceding caliph or selected by a committee. Jafars vision and leadership allowed the Shites to understand their chaotic history as a meaningful series of efforts by truly pious and suffering Muslims to right the wrongs of the majority. who refrain from interpreting the ambiguous statements of the Quran. Merlin L. Swartz: "A Seventh-Century (A.H.) Sunn Creed: The Aqda Wsiya of Ibn Taymya" in, an-Nasaf: ' 'Umdat Aqdat ahl as-sunna wa-l-ama' '. Professor Sayed Hassan Akhlaq is involved in inter and intra-faith dialogue, comparative study, and dialogue among civilizations. [2] According to Sunni traditions, Muhammad left no successor and the participants of the Saqifah event appointed Abu Bakr as the next-in-line (the first caliph). Here, these themes will be briefly introduced; they can then provide us with an intellectual framework within which to discuss exemplary figures within the history of existentialism. Al-Ashari states that God is seen on the day of resurrection, whereby only the believers see him, the unbelievers not because they are kept away from God. [160] God has given people the act of obedience ( a ) and opposition ( maiya ) forbidden. In the field of mathematics, al-Khwrizm, from whose name the word algorithm is derived, creatively combined Hellenistic and Sanskritic concepts. [186] The Prophet reserved the intercession especially for them. "Conflicts in Sunni Political Islam and Their Implications. It is not the throne that carries God, but the throne and its bearers are carried through the grace of his power. [31] Sunna and jama are already connected here. For Shia, the places reserved for worship of This includes the emergence of the Dajjal, the rising of the sun in the west, the emergence of the Dabba from the earth[167] and the excerpt from Gog and Magog. teaching that Jesus is one among the many Prophets in Islam. The Muslim faith is divided into two groups: Shias and Sunnis. God commanded him to write down what will be until the day of resurrection. What are the facts and what is fiction? [120][121], During the Middle Ages, the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt delineated the acceptable Sunni schools as only Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali, excluding the hir school. But if you see, a red iconlike this (), it means you are NOT logged in. 1971, pp. And both groups follow the five pillars of Islam, which all Muslims are obligated to fulfil. Hadith they refer to as the. It applied equally to all Muslims, including the ruler, whom Sharah-minded Muslims came to view as its protector, not its administrator or developer. In Sunni Islam, there is no concept of temporary marriages and they He responded the following: The one who, when the heresies are mentioned, doesn't get excited about any of them.[27] The andalisian scholar ibn Hazm (d. 1064) taught later, that whose who confess to Islam can be divided into four groups: ahl as-sunna, Mutazilites, Murdschiiten, Schiiten und Charidschiten. [152], The Sunnis further believe in the books of God, sent to the envoys of God. According to the beliefs of Shia, there are twelve rightly guided It is also sometimes referred to as athari as by several other names. When the Abbsids denied the special claims of the family of Al, they prompted the Shites to define themselves as a permanent opposition to the status quo. [160], Muhammad from the tribe of the Quraish is not only the seal of the prophets (tam al-anbiy),[154] rather, God placed him above all other prophets and made him Lord of men (saiyid al-baar). 103/1961 ber die Neuordnung der Azhar und Gremien, die sie umfasst Art. The process that produced Sharah resembled the evolution of oral Torah and rabbinic law, which the Sharah resembled in its comprehensiveness, egalitarianism, and consensualism, in its absorption of local custom, in its resistance to distinguishing the sublime from the mundane, and in its independence from government. [164] Every claim to prophethood after him is an error or imagination, since Muhammad is the last prophet. God has also blessed him in his life beyond and in this world. The most important creeds that explicitly claim to represent the teachings of the Sunnis (ahl as-sunna wal-jama or similar) include: Most of the mentioned branches testify to six principal articles of faith known as the six pillars of imn (Arabic for "faith"), which are believed to be essential. He divided the Sunnis into the following three groups according to their knowledge ( istiqr ): Similarly, Murtad az-Zabd stated elsewhere in his commentary on Ghazzali's Iy ulm ad-dn that the Sunnis consisted of four groups (firaq), namely the hadith scholars (muaddihn), the Sufis, the Asharites and the Mturdites. The creed of al-Qdir emphasizes that God did not set himself up on the throne (ar) "in the manner of the rest of the creatures" and that he created this throne, although he did not need it. Kutub al-Sittah are six books containing collections of hadiths. Shia Muslim do not accept the authority of the six major Hadith [1] The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagreement over the succession to Muhammad and subsequently acquired broader political significance, as well as theological and juridical dimensions. Abbsid purification of Islam ironically coincided with some of the most significant absorption of pre-Islamic monotheistic lore to date, as illustrated by the stories of the prophets written by Al-Kis, grammarian and tutor to a royal prince. However, the great writer of early Abbsid times, al-Ji, produced a type of adab that fused pre-Islamic and Islamic concerns in excellent Arabic style. [144] The attributes are not identical to God, nor are they anything different from him. He is sent with truth (aqq), guidance (hud) and light (nr). 214, 216ff. Upon Muwiya's death, Yazid asked Husain, the younger brother of Hasan, Ali's son and Muhammad's grandson, to give his allegiance to Yazid, which he plainly refused. Shia militant groups in other countries. and the Takfiri organisations like ISIL were excluded from Sunni Islam. There are some similarities between the laws of both subparts, but there are some discrepancies as well. have been chosen by ALLAH himself. WebBoth Sunni and Shia Islam accept the Muslim teaching that Jesus is one among the many Prophets in Islam. [175], There are differing views among Sunni scholars about the timing and type of the divine vision. Save the information on our first pope - St. Peter - all the information presented is taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia and links for further reading are provided. [177] Ibn Taimya doubles the vision of God: people see God while they are still in the places of the resurrection, and then after entering paradise. The ensuing literary florescence was promoted by the capture of a group of Chinese papermakers at the Battle of Talas in 751. This relates al-Qari to the Qur'anic sura 2: 143, in which it is said that God made the Muslims a community standing in the middle ( umma wasa ). [97], There were also Muslim scholars who wanted to limit the Sunni term to the Ash'arites and Mturdites alone. According to the beliefs of Sunni, there are to as the. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The word "Shia" in Arabic means a group or supportive party of people. [196] God has always known the number of those who go to paradise and the number of those who go to hell. There were approximately 1.8 billion Muslims globally in 2017, making up around 25 per cent of the population. 32b, Abs. heritage. [86] Their preferred school of law achieved a new prominence throughout their whole empire although it continued to be followed almost exclusively by followers of the Hanafi school while followers of the Shafi and Maliki schools within the empire followed the Ash'ari and Athari schools of thought. Soon a movement called shubiyyah arose to champion the superiority of non-Arabic tastes over the alleged crudeness of the poetry so dear to Arabic litterateurs. Legitimacy was a scarce and fragile resource in all premodern societies; in the early Abbsid environment, competition to define and secure legitimacy was especially intense. Cite: "Sunni: Of or pertaining. It also stimulated the collecting and testing of hadiths for their unbroken traceability to Muhammad or a companion. Makkah and Madina in Saudi Arabia are considered They are the two inspectors of the grave and their questioning is the first test ( fitna ) of humans after death. The IslamiCity site may occasionally contain copyrighted material the use of which may not always have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Who is your prophet?". Abschlussdokument der Grosny-Konferenz von 2016, for example: Halm: Der Wesir al-Kundur und die Fitna von Nipr. Sunni consider this as blasphemous and equivalent to worshipping Such interpretations are popular among many commentators. By the time of Hrn al-Rashd (ruled 786809), Europe had nothing to compare with Baghdad, not even the court of his contemporary Charlemagne (ruled 768814). The Andalusian scholar Ibn Hazm (d. 1064) said that Abu l-Hasan al-Ashar belonged to the Murji'a, namely those who were particularly far removed from the Sunnis in terms of faith. 1. referred to as. Today, Sunni and Shia can learn a lot from each other on the true and challenging nature of their faith. [185], The intercession (afa) of the Messenger of God and its effect on those of his ummah who have committed serious sins is a fixed teaching point of the Sunni faith. document.write ('