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A more recent thesis suggests that the rise of the Safavid Empire resulted in a Sunni-Shi'a divide, which threatened the Ottoman aspirations to lead the Muslim community. [2] According to this view, this led to the rise of Sunni orthodoxy in the Ottoman Empire as a response to the rise of Qizilbash and Shi'ism amongst Safavids.
Since the founding of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman law and religious life were defined by the Hanafi madhab (school of Islamic jurisprudence). With respect to creed, the Maturidi school was majorly adhered to, dominating madrassahs (Islamic Both the Maturidi and Ash'ari schools of Islamic theology used Ilm al-Kalam to understand the Quran and the hadith (sayings and actions of Mohammed and the ...
Almost 90% of Pakistan's Muslim population is Sunni, with 10% being Shia, but this Shia minority forms the second largest Shia population of any country, [224] larger than the Shia majority in Iraq. Until recently Shia–Sunni relations have been cordial, and a majority of people of both sects participated in the creation the state of Pakistan ...
The Ottomans later revived the title of caliph during the reign of Selim I. Despite the absence of a formal institutional structure, Sunni religious functionaries continued to play an important political role. In theory, the codified system of sharia regulated all aspects of everyday life, at least for Muslim subjects of the empire.
Since there was virtually no strong rival challenger to the Ottomans (their main Muslim rivals, the Safavids of Iran, were Shia), the Ottoman Caliphate was rarely questioned in the 16th–18th centuries. [15] In the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, various Turkish princes in Central Asia recognized the Ottoman sultans as caliphs. [7]
The Ottomans consolidated their control of what is today Turkey in the 15th century, and gradually came into conflict with the emerging neighboring Iranian state, led by Ismail I of the Safavid dynasty. The two states were arch rivals, and were also divided by religious grounds, the Ottomans being staunchly Sunni and the Safavids being Shia.
Starting in 1514, for over a century the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Iran were engaged in almost constant warfare over control of the South Caucasus and Mesopotamia.The two states were the greatest powers of West Asia, and the rivalry was further fueled by dogmatic differences: the Ottomans were Sunnis, while the Safavids were staunch Shia Muslims, who were seen as heretics by the Ottomans.
The word Sunni refers to those who observe the Sunnah, referring to the traditions and practices of Muhammad. [5] [6] 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. [7]