World Religions

Introduction to World Religions Study Guide There are four recognized madh’habs (schools of thought): Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’I, and Hanbali. All are accepted as the Muslim way and one can choose which works best for him. Shi’a Shi’as constitute 10-20% of Islam and are the second largest branch. Shi’as believe that during The Farewell Pilgrimage, Muhammad appointed his son-in-law as his successor (Ali ibn Abi Talib) by the Hadith of the pond of Khumm. Shi’as believe he was the first lead (imam) reject the legitimacy of the previous Muslim caliphs since they were not appointed by Muhammad. Shi’as hold that political and religious leadership comes from the direct descendants of Muhammad and Ali. Sufism Sufism is a mystical-ascetic approach to Islam that seeks to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. One must be trained to use their intuitive and emotional faculties to obtain a direct experience with God. Sufism has been criticized by the Salfi sect for what is termed “an unjustified religious innovation”. Many Sufi orders, or tariqas , can be classified as either Sunni or Shi’a, but most use the term Sufi. Other Denomina ion Ahmadiyya is a messianic movement founded by Mirza Shulam Ahmad in India in the late 19 th century. There are millions of followers. Most mainstream Muslims view the movement as heretical. The Ibadi is a sect that dates back to early Islam and is a branch of kharijite. Ibadism does not believe sinful Muslims are unbelievers. The Quranists are Muslims who generally reject the Hadith. Yazdanism is seen as a blend of local Kurdish beliefs and Islamic Sufi doctrines introduced to Kurdistan by Sheikh Aid ibn Musafir in the 12 th century. (NOI) Nation of Islam is an African-American new religious movement found in the Detroit in the 20 th century. Karaite-Karaism or Karaimism is a transitional religion between Moasism and proto-Shiism. It was brought from Khorezm to the Sabians of the Bosporan Kingdom of Southern Russian after the Umayyad attack of 712 AD. 8.8 Demographics In 2009, it was reported that of 232 countries and territories, 23% of the world’s population, or 1.57 billion people, are Muslims. Approximately 50 countries have a Muslim majority, with Arabs accounting for 20% of worldwide Muslims. The majority of Muslims live in Asia and Africa. Approximately 62% of the world’s Muslims live in Asia, with over 683 million adherents in Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. In the Middle ©2017 Achieve Test Prep Page 83 of 96