Who are Mohammedans and what are their main sects ?
Here we will learn a topic which is Who are Mohammedans and what are their main sects ? in detail
Who are Mohammedans?
A Mohammedan or Musalman is a person whose religion is Islam. The Arabic word ‘Islam’ means submission to the will of God.
Legally, Islam is a religion in which believers believe that (i) God (Allah) is one and only one, and (ii)
Muhammad is His messenger (Rasool).
The word ‘Muslim’ derives from Islam and signifies a person who adopts the faith of Islam.
From the point of view of the court of law, the only requirement for being a Muslim is the belief
in one God and the Prophethood of Muhammad.
This belief is the minimum requirement for recognising a person as a Muslim. If a person does not believe in this fundamental principle of Islam, the courts cannot treat him as Muslim. On the other hand, if he has faith in the above mentioned principle but does not follow the culture or
practice of Islam, he is legally a Muslim.
According to courts, a person may be Muslim either by birth or through conversion.
Muslim by Birth
We regard a person whose both parents were Muslims at the time of his birth as a Muslim
by birth. According to Hedaya, even if one of the parents of a person was a Muslim, we may treat him
as Muslim. But in India, the courts have held that where only one of the parents of a child is Muslim, they regard the child as Muslim only when it is proved that the child has been brought up as a Muslim.
2. Muslim by Conversion
Any person of any religion who is of sound mind and has attained the age of majority, can become the follower of Islam after renouncing his original religion.
By adopting Islam a non-Muslim becomes a Muslim and the rules of Muslim personal law begin to apply on him immediately.
A non-Muslim who adopts Islam after giving up his original religion is generally known as a ‘converted Muslim’. Conversion to Islam may take place in two ways-(i) A person may publicly declare that he has renounced his original religion and is now professing Islam and believes that there is one God (Allah) and that Muhammad is His messenger. (ii) The second method of conversion is through ceremonies prescribed in the religion of Islam itself i.e., a non-Muslim goes to a mosque where the Imam may ask him to read a Kalema and give him a Muslim name, whereupon that person becomes a Muslim.
Here we will learn a topic which is Who are Mohammedans and what are their main sects ? in detail
Main Sects of Muslim Law and Reasons of Their Origin – Main sects of Muslim are Sunni sect and Shia sect. Reason for the origin of these two sects are as under –
Prophet Mohammad was the universally accepted head of Islamic Commonwealth.
He was absolute authority on law as well as the Chief administrator of the whole body of Muslims.
After his death, the immediate problem was to find out his successor.
A great majority of Muslims suggested that there should be an election for the successor of the Prophet.
Ayesha Begum, the youngest wife of the Prophet, advocated this view. This group argued that since the Prophet exercised absolute command over the Islamic community, his successor too should be a person who could control the Muslims. This required the confidence of the people and therefore, election was the only method to choose the successor. This section of the Muslim-society pleaded for election as a method of finding out the successor of the Prophet also because the Prophet himself had suggested election. Scholars call the Prophet’s suggestions or sayings his traditions (Sunnat). They relied on this tradition of the Prophet. Accordingly, they held an election in which Abu Bakr, who was father of Ayesha Begum, was elected and became the first Caliph. This group of Muslims, with its leader Abu Bakr, formed the Sunni sect of Islam.
But a group of minority of Muslims emphasised upon the spiritual headship of the Prophet rather than his administrative control. Fatima, daughter of the Prophet, represented this minority group.. Their contention was that the Prophet’s successor should be a spiritual leader of the community as Prophet himself was. They argued that this quality comes through the nobility of blood. Therefore, we should regard a person who is related to Prophet Mohammad through blood or belongs to his family as the most competent person to succeed him. Thus, the group of Fatima rejected the election and relied upon the principle of succession. Consequently, this group of Muslims nominated Ali, who was the son-in-law of the Prophet (Fatima’s husband) and was also his cousin, as the first Imam. They seperated themselves from the majority and constituted a separate sect called Shia.
Thus, the split which divides the Muslims into two sects Shia and Sunni was due to the difference of opinions among the Muslims as to how to find out the successor of the Prophet. Therefore, division of Islam originated with political questions only but subsequently, it resulted in the separation on legal principles also
Here we will learn a topic which is Who are Mohammedans and what are their main sects ? in detail