How many sects of Shiaism are there?

Question

briefly explain each of them please.

Answer 1

You're inviting fitnah.

noone here will give you an adequate answer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiites

edit: Your question is a good one - all knowledge is good and leads to understanding. Unfortunately, some of our brothers and sisters here like to cast aspersions on each other's beliefs rather than answer your question. Allah swt knows best what path is correct and the insults they hurl will be used against them when it is their turn to be judged, Insha'Allah. May Allah swt reward your search.

Answer 2

23 sects , the worst is Ethnashariya, then esmailiya shia who worship their imams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCqj5iIPn...

Ethnashariya r who believe in 12 infallible imam

ismailiya believe in 49 imams!!!

and there is an other sect camlled "Dorrouz" , the majority of them concentrate in Lebanon (Walid Jonblat the U.S/zionist agent)

Answer 3

many many!

The majority are the worst IMO! even worse than those who consider Ali Allah himself! I am talking about the 12th g*y zombie followers A.K.A the 12th (Athni Ashariya pigs) Imam's followers

Answer 4

***Twelver s**+'asm (اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) is the largest denomination within the s**+'a branch of Islam. An adherent of Twelver s**+'ism is most commonly referred to as a Twelver, which is derived from their belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, or Imams.

***The Ismā‘īlī (Arabic: الإسماعيليون‎ al-Ismāʿīliyyūn; Urdu: إسماعیلی Ismāʿīlī, Persian: إسماعیلیان Esmāʿiliyān) branch of Islam is the second largest part of the Shī‘ah community after the Twelvers. The Ismā‘īlī get their name from their acceptance of Ismā‘īl ibn Ja‘far as the divinely-appointed spiritual successor (Imām) to Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq, wherein they differ from the Twelvers, who accept Mūsà al-Kāzim, younger brother of Ismā‘īl, as the true Imām. The Ismā‘īlī and the Twelvers both accept the same initial A'immah from the descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fāṭimah az-Zahra and therefore share much of their early history.

****The Zaidi are a branch of s**+'a Islam named after the Imām Zayd ibn ˤAlī. Followers of the Zaidi fiqh are called Zaidis (or occasionally, Fivers by Sunnis). However, there is also a group called the Zaidi Wasītīs who are Twelvers (see below).

Since the earliest form of Zaidism was of the Jarudiyya group[36], many of the first Zaidi states, like those of the Alavids, Buyids, Ukhaidhirids[citation needed] and Rassids, were inclined to the Jarudiyya group.

Answer 5

Shiaism. means love to the family of Mohammad  Peace Be Upon HIM

there are three main sections

1 the shia main JAFFERY

2 Agha Khani

3 bohri

130 to 190 million s**+'a

ExplanationShi'a Islam is divided into three branches. The largest and best known are the Twelver (اثنا عشرية iṯnāʿašariyya) which forms a majority of the population in Iran, Azerbaijan, Bahrain and Iraq. The term s**+'a often refers to Twelver s**+'a only. Other smaller branches include the Ismaili and Zaidi, who dispute the Twelver lineage of Imams and beliefs.[5]

Most shia beileves The twelfth and final Imam is Muhammad al-Mahdi, who is believed by the Twelvers to be currently alive, and in hiding.[21]

1 Ali ibn Abu Talib (600–661), also known as Ali, Amir ul-Mu'mineen (commander of the faithful), also known as Shah-e Mardan Ali (King of men)

2 Hasan ibn Ali (625–669), also known as Hasan al Mujtaba

3 Husayn ibn Ali (626–680), also known as Husayn al Shaheed, also known as Sah Hüseyin

4 Ali ibn Husayn (658–713), also known as Ali Zainul Abideen

5 Muhammad ibn Ali (676–743), also known as Muhammad al Baqir

6 Jafar ibn Muhammad (703–765), also known as Ja'far as Sadiq

7 Musa ibn Jafar (745–799), also known as Musa al Kadhim

8 Ali ibn Musa (765–818), also known as Ali ar Ridha

9 Muhammad ibn Ali (810–835), also known as Muhammad   al Jawad (Muhammad at Taqi), also known as Taki

10 Ali ibn Muhamad (827–868), also known as Ali al-Hadi,   also known as Naki

11 Hasan ibn Ali (846–874), also known as Hasan al Askari

   12Muhammad ibn Hasan (868–?), also known as Hujjat ibn   al Hasan, also known as Mahdi

2 number two section ismailies( they are not recognized as muslims by pakistani Government they have made their  own Imams that is the matter of conflict with Jaffery Section and sunni

Ismaili

Main article: Ismaili

Part of a series on

Ismaili

Shī‘a Islam



Branches

Nizārī · Musta‘lī · Druze



Concepts

The Qur'ān · The Ginans

Reincarnation · Panentheism

Imām · Pir · Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq

‘Aql · Numerology · Taqiyya

Zāhir · Bāṭin



Seven Pillars

Guardianship · Prayer · Charity

Fasting · Pilgrimage · Struggle

Purity · Profession of Faith



History

Fatimid Empire

Hamza ibn ‘AlÄ«  Ã‚· ad-DarazÄ«

Hassan-i Sabbah  Ã‚· HashshashÄ«n

DawÅ«dÄ«  Ã‚· SulaimanÄ«  Ã‚· AlavÄ«

Progressive Dawoodi Bohra

Hafizi · Taiyabi  Ã‚· Ainsarii

Seveners  Ã‚· Qarmatians

Sadardin  Ã‚· Satpanth

Baghdad Manifesto



Early Imams

Ali · Ḥassan · Ḥusain

as-Sajjad · al-Baqir · aṣ-Ṣādiq

Ismā‘īl · Muḥammad

Aḥmad · at-Taqī · az-Zakī

al-Mahdī · al-Qā'im · al-Manṣūr

al-Mu‘izz · al-‘Azīz · al-Ḥākim

az-Zāhir · al-Mustansir · Nizār

al-Musta′lī · al-Amīr · al-Qāṣim



Contemporary Leaders

Muhammad Burhanuddin

Aga Khan IV

al-Fakhri Abdullah

Ṭayyib Ziyā'u d-Dīn Ṣāḥib

Mowafak Tarif

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The Ismā‘īlī (Arabic: الإسماعيليون‎ al-Ismāʿīliyyūn; Urdu: إسماعیلی Ismāʿīlī, Persian: إسماعیلیان Esmāʿiliyān) branch of Islam is the second largest part of the Shī‘ah community after the Twelvers. The Ismā‘īlī get their name from their acceptance of Ismā‘īl ibn Ja‘far as the divinely-appointed spiritual successor (Imām) to Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq, wherein they differ from the Twelvers, who accept Mūsà al-Kāzim, younger brother of Ismā‘īl, as the true Imām. The Ismā‘īlī and the Twelvers both accept the same initial A'immah from the descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fāṭimah az-Zahra and therefore share much of their early history.

After the death or Occultation of Imām Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl in the 8th century, the teachings of Ismailism further transformed into the belief system as it is known today, with an explicit concentration on the deeper, esoteric meaning (bāṭin) of the faith. With the eventual development of Twelverism into the more literalistic (zahir) oriented Akhbari and later Uṣūlī schools of thought, Shī‘ism developed in two separate directions: the metaphorical Ismā‘īlī group focusing on the mystical path and nature of God and the divine manifestation in the personage of the "Imam of the Time" as the "Face of God", while the more literalistic Twelver group focusing on divine law (sharī‘ah) and the deeds and sayings (sunnah) of Muḥammad and his successors (the Ahlu l-Bayt), who as A'immah were guides and a light to God.[27]

Though there are several sub-groupings within the Ismā‘īlīs, the term in today's vernacular generally refers to the Nizārī community who are followers of the Aga Khan and the largest group among the Ismā‘īliyyah. While many of the branches have extremely differing exterior practices, much of the spiritual theology has remained the same since the days of the faith's early Imāms. In recent centuries Ismā‘īlīs have largely been an Indo-Iranian community,[28] but they are found in India, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia[29], Yemen, China[30], Jordan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, East Africa and South Africa, but have in recent years emigrated to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North America.[31]

[edit] Ismā‘īlī Imāms

Main article: List of Ismaili Imams

After the death of Ismā‘īlī ibn Ja‘far, many Ismā‘īlī believed the line of Imāmate ended and that one day the messianic Mahdi, whom they believed to be Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl, would return and establish an age of justice. One group included the violent Qarmatians, who had a stronghold in Bahrain. In contrast, some Ismā‘īlīs believed the Imāmate did continue, and that the Imāms were in hiding and still communicated and taught their followers through a network of dā‘īs "Missionaries".

In 909, ‘Ubaydallāh al-Mahdi bil-Lāh, a claimant to the Ismā‘īlī Imāmate, established the Fatimid Empire, a political power where Ismā‘īlī Imāms would rule for centuries. Egypt became the center of an empire that included at its peak North Africa, Sicily, Palestine, Syria, the Red Sea coast of Africa, Yemen and the Hejaz. Under the Fatimids, Egypt flourished and developed an extensive trade network in both the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, which eventually determined the economic course of Egypt during the High Middle Ages.

During this period, three lineages of Imāms formed. The first branch, known today as the Druze, occurred with the Imām al-Hākim bi-Amrallāh. Born in 386 AH (985), he ascended as ruler at the age of eleven and was feared for his eccentricity and believed insanity. The typical religiously tolerant Fatimid Empire saw much persecution under his reign. When in 411 AH (1021) his mule returned without him, soaked in blood, a religious group that was even forming in his lifetime broke off from mainstream Ismā‘īlism and refused to acknowledge his successor. Later to be known as the Druze, they believe al-Hākim to be the incarnation of God and the prophecized Mahdi, who would one day return and bring justice to the world.[32] The faith further split from Ismā‘īlism as it developed very unique doctrines which often classes it separately from both Ismā‘īliyyah and Islam.

The second split occurred following the death of Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah in 487 AH (1094). His rule was the longest of any Caliph in any Islamic empires. Upon his passing away his sons, the older Nizār and the younger al-Musta‘lī fought for political and spiritual control of the dynasty. Nizār was defeated and jailed, but according to Nizāri tradition, his son to escaped to Alamut where the Iranian Ismā‘īlī had accepted his claim.[33]

The Musta‘lī line split again between the Ṭayyibī and the Ḥāfizī, the former claiming that the 21st Imām and son of al-Amīr went into Occultation and appointed a Dā‘ī al-Muṭlaq to guide the community, in a similar manner as the Ismā‘īlī had lived after the death of Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl. The latter claimed that the ruling Fatimid Caliph was the Imām, and they died out with the fall of the Fatimid Empire

Answer 6

The Shee'ah have indeed split into many different sects, and those sects split in to subsects.

The main body of the Shee'ah are the Ithna 'Ashari Shee'ah or the "Twelvers". They commit shirk against Allaah subhanahu wa ta'ala with their imaams. in addition to cursing the beloved Companions and Wives of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.

The Ismaa'eeliyyah are also a different branch, whom are similar to the Twelvers with some differences. The Ismaa'eeliyyah are in two groups, one of which commits shirk with their lineage of Aga Khans and one of which commits shirk with their lineage of Du'aat. Both groups are baatinee in their 'aqeedah, and are even more far off than the Twelvers.

The last large group are the Zaydiyyah. They follow the Shee'ah imaam known as Zayd, whom the Twelvers rejected because he refused to commit the despicable act of cursing Aboo Bakr and 'Umar, radiyallaahu 'anhumaa. This is why the Twelvers are also called Raafidah, that means Rejectors. The Zaydiyyah are upon mistaken beliefs but are still Muslims and are close to Ahlus Sunnah in basic beliefs.

Answer 7

The chief of the Shias, the Commander of the Faithful, Ali, was brought up and trained by the Prophet from early childhood and received his religious knowledge from him. According to the records in your own authentic books, the Holy Prophet called him the Gate of Knowledge. He explicitly said: "Obedience to Ali is obedience to me, and disobedience to Ali is disobedience to me." In a gathering of 70,000 people, he appointed him Amir and caliph and ordered all Muslims, including Umar and Abu Bakr, to pay allegiance to him.

But it is not known how your four schools of law came to be established, nor which of the four Imams saw the Prophet nor whether any authorization has been reported from the Prophet about them so as to explain why Muslims should be forced to follow them. Without any compelling reason you follow your elders and offer nothing to authorize their Imamate except that they were great mujtahids, men of learning and piety. But, if these qualities are present to the highest degree in the progeny of the Prophet, then isn't it obligatory for us to follow them? Are these schools of law, which have no link with the Prophet, innovations, or is that sect founded by the Prophet and led by his descendant an

innovation? In the same way, there are the other eleven Imams about whom there are separate hadith showing that they are the equals of the Holy Qur'an. In the Hadith-e-Thaqalain it is clearly stated that "Whoever is attached to these two is rescued, and whosoever stays away from them is lost." In the Hadith-e-Safina the Prophet said: "Whosoever keeps aloof from them is drowned and lost." Ibn Hajar in Sawa'iq (Bab-e-Wasiyyatu'n-Nabi, page 135), quotes a hadith from the Prophet saying that: "The Qur'an and my progeny are my Trusts; if you keep yourselves attached to these two, never shall you go astray."

In support of this, Ibn Hajar quotes another hadith from the Prophet about the Holy Qur'an and his purified progeny: "Do not go beyond the bounds of the Qur'an and my progeny; do not neglect them. Otherwise, you will be destroyed. And do not teach my descendants since they know more than you do."

After this, Ibn Hajar comments that the above hadith proves that the descendants of the Prophet are superior to all others in knowledge and in discharging religious responsibilities.