IS SHI’A SUNNI UNITY INEXORABLE?

During the early days of Islam, shaitan successfully managed to create a schism and divide the ummah into two groups. Muslims have been rueing the Shi’a-Sunni split ever since. It all started after the martyrdom of the third righteous caliph, Usman (RA), while the fourth righteous caliph, Ali (RA), was struggling to unify the ummah after Mu’awiya’s (RA) refusal to support Ali (RA).

The supporters of Mu’awiya (RA) and supporters of Ali (RA) never managed to reconcile their political differences, which eventually led to two separate branches of Islam. Sadly, people continue to debate who should or should not have been the caliph.

However, there are also major differences in opinion about other righteous rulers. Some Shia groups continue to express disapproval of the first two caliphs. In other words, the two groups have rarely agreed upon righteous rulers.

A hadith mentions that there would be twelve caliphs. However, the Shi’a think the 12 refers to twelve Imams from the Ahl-al-Bayt, whereas the Sunni have a different opinion altogether.

It has been narrated on the authority of Jabir b. Samura who said: I joined the company of the Prophet (ﷺ) with my father and I heard him say: This Caliphate will not end until there have been twelve Caliphs among them. The narrator said: Then he (the Holy Prophet) said something that I could not follow. I said to my father: What did he say? He said: He has said: All of them will be from the Quraish. https://sunnah.com/muslim:1821a

The Twelve Righteous Caliphs or Twelve Righteous Imams

The Twelve Righteous Caliphs According to Sunni Belief are:

1. Abu Bakr (real name Abd Allah ibn Abi Quhafa), reigned from 8^th June 632 – 23^rd August 634
2. Umar ibn al-Khattab, reigned from 23^rd August 634 – 6^th November 644
3. Uthman ibn Affan, reigned from 6^th November 644 – 17^th June 656
4. Ali ibn Abi Talib, reigned from 17^th June 656 – 28^th January 661
5. Hasan ibn Ali, reigned from January 661 – August 661
6. Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, reigned from November 683 – November 692
7. Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan, reigned from 22 September 717 – 4 February 720
8. No consensus among Sunni scholars
9. No consensus among Sunni scholars
10. No consensus among Sunni scholars
11. No consensus among Sunni scholars
12. Muhammad bin Abdullah – The Mahdi

The Twelve Righteous Imams According to Shi’a Belief are:

1. Ali ibn Abi Talib, born 599 – died 661
2. Hasan ibn Ali, born 625 – died 670
3. Husayn ibn Ali, born 626 – died 680
4. Ali ibn Husayn, born 658 – died 712
5. Muhammad ibn Ali, born 677 – died 732
6. Ja’far ibn Muhammad, born 702 – died 765
7. Musa ibn Ja’far, born 744 – died 799
8. Ali ibn Musa, born 765 – died 817
9. Muhammad ibn Ali, born 810 – died 835
10. Ali ibn Muhammad, born 827 – died 868
11. Hasan ibn Ali, born 846 – died 874
12. Muhammad bin Abdullah – The Mahdi

The twelfth Caliph/Imam

What is so special about the 12^th caliph/imam is that despite historical differences in opinion about past Islamic leaders, both Shi’a and Sunni groups agree that the 12^th caliph/imam is not two separate personalities but rather the same personality.

Mahdi is the righteous ruler for whom the whole Muslim world is waiting. He will be the one who will fill the earth with equity and justice as predicted in the hadith.

Abu Sa’id told that God’s messenger mentioned a trial which would afflict this people so that a man would find no place of refuge to which he could go from oppression, saying, “God will then send a man of my stock and family by whom He will fill the earth with equity and justice as it had been filled with oppression and tyranny. Those who dwell in heaven and those who dwell on earth will be pleased with him. The sky will not cease to give any of its rain, but will pour it forth copiously and the earth will not cease to produce any of its plants, but will bring them forth so that the living will wish the dead were alive in that period of seven, eight, or nine years.” https://sunnah.com/mishkat:5457

As the above hadith mentions, at the time, people would be undergoing a huge fitna and oppression. This suggests a total failure of the contemporary Muslim leadership to help the ummah out of the evil quagmire. People are feeling disappointed with the current leadership, both Shia and Sunni, while at the same time desperately desiring righteous leadership.

Sectarianism Has No Future

Since antiquity, these three groups have controlled humanity through finance, politics and religion.

• Capitalism is controlled by the rich elite.
• Nationalism is controlled by the political elite.
• Sectarianism is controlled by the religious elite.

Mahdi would bring revolutionary changes to all three sectors. In a hadith it is mentioned that:

Narrated AbuSa’id al-Khudri: The Prophet (PBUH) said: The Mahdi will be of my stock, and will have a broad forehead and a prominent nose. He will fill the earth will equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years. (Sunan Abi Dawud:4285)

Humanity is suffering because the global ruling system has broken down due to corruption, injustices and oppression. It is clear from the above hadith that Mahdi would fix the political system and the socioeconomic system. In another hadith it is mentioned how wealth would flow in abundance and poverty would be eradicated.

Zaid bin Al-‘Ammi said: “I heard Abu As-Siddiq An-Naji narrate a Hadith from Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri who said: ‘We feared events to occur after our Prophet, so we asked Allah (SWT)’s Prophet(s.a.w), and he said: “Indeed there will be a Mahdi who comes in my Ummah (ruling) living for five, or seven, or nine.”- Zaid was the one in doubt- He said: “We said: What is that?” He said: “Years.” He said: “A man will come to him and say: O Mahdi! ‘Give to me, give to me! So, he will fill in his garment whatever he is able to carry.'” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi:2232)

However, what is less talked about is the elimination of sectarianism and unity of the Ummah. The Mahdi would free the ummah from the chains of sectarianism. Sectarianism weakened the ummah for centuries by bleeding it dry of its energy. The grip of the religious elite who thrive on sectarianism would have to be loosened.

Mahdi will be a Mujaddid. A Mujaddid is someone who brings renewal to the religion. This means that Mahdi will restore Islam to its original form by eradicating bidas and reviving the Sunnah. There is a lot of purification required within Shiaism and Sunniism.

Mahdi will neither be a follower of Shi’aism nor Sunniism. He will not be a Naqashbandi or Deobandi. He will be a righteous leader, a follower of the Quran and Sunnah.

It means Allah will have created the conditions for Mahdi to succeed, and the environment will be ripe for him to come and lead Muslims towards Islam. Remember, he only has seven, eight or 9 years. Unity of the ummah would be at the very top of the priority list.

Mahdi will remove barriers dividing people not only in the religious sense, e.g., end of sectarianism, but also will erase political borders that are separating Muslims from travelling from one region to another.

A lot will be achieved in a very short time, in less than a decade.

Hopefully, there will be no more Shi’a or Sunni after Mahdi; all will be just Muslims. After every hardship, there is ease.

So, surely with hardship comes ease. (Qur’an 94:5)