Although Syria and Lebanon are both a country with Arabic speakers, they were parts of the Greater Syria; but there are many Muslims in Syria while Lebanon with its higher percentage of Christians were divided into a separate entity. This does not count with the difference between Sunnah Muslims and Shi'a Muslims in Syria and Lebanon as both of them are accusing one another as "non-Muslims". These had been used by French colonial master to divide everyone into entities as to make it easier to fulfill their material support. Now we could see Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia because of fractions. It happens not because of French colonial masters. It is the fault of Muslim themselves before the French seized their opportunity just like a proverb from an ancient Chinese tale which means... Crabs bickering with crabs and the cranes strike on them!
Hundreds of year, Persian and Arabs were in enmity due to differences of sects though there are also Shi'a Muslims among Arabs in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. There was an incident in 1931 during the Islamic Congress of Palestine where the Muslim scholars of Ahl Sunna wal Jama'a had invited a famous Shi'a Muslim decision-maker from Najaf to be an imam for congregational prayer service whose name is al-Kashif al-Ghita' but because of the dispute; Many of the congregational of Ahl Sunnah refused to pray behind him.
In our country, there was schism due political differences where people refused to pray in each other mosque while they are of the same Ahl Sunnah sect and of Shafi'ie school of jurisprudence. It was to the extend of accusing one another as less Islamic or infidels. They turn to be so due worldly political fanaticism and the differences in their political ideology aspiration. For Arab half-blood like us, we were actually in the side of nationalists but only at our state-level. Most of the time, poor younger Arab half-blood just like myself are the supporters of justice and we believe in justice. We could think on what is better for people around us and not only static at certain opinion of our elders. However, we were also being dragged into this problem. It influenced my worldview and life to come at that time when I was a little child when the quarrels among political parties and policies of leader in my country was flaming. When it was mixed with our pressures of life in the city and the pressure to survive, this Abdullah had turned to Buddhism and trying to forget the world around. It also made Abdullah learned other schools of jurisprudence, dipping his nose into Islamic theology books again, memorizing Quran with prayer books and decided not to be involved in any political brawls once he returned and performed the pilgrimage in the Holy Mecca in order to avoid from fanaticism.
Says the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w about 73 fractions that only one would be accepted in the paradise who are together with the jama'a or the congregation or those who hold with had been agreed between the prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his companions to hold. So, each group may boast around by saying that our group is the one mentioned by the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Others would be cast into the hell-fire and we may behead them without any mercy because they surely would be the members of the hell. The schism and discordance becomes severe as man-kind is deciding that the paradise is a monopoly of their group.
While we try to thoroughly analyze the narrated hadith, everyone should at least trying to find their way to find on which practices are pleasant to the God the Highest and to be closer to the practices of prophet Muhammad s.a.w so he would be blessed with the paradise. Not trying to disprove others in order to proclaim that we are better than other. The God the Highest says through the tongue of prophet Muhammad s.a.w which means: "O, faithful people do not teasing a group with a group lest there are good people among them and a woman do not ridicule another woman lest she a good person among them! And do not insult one another and never call each other by names! Wretched is the name of disobedience after one's faith. And whoever does not repent, then it is those who are the wrongdoers." - Surat al-Hujurat 49:11.
Due to that, we as the Muslims of this period while observing few statements by previously discussing scholars about the 73 fractions for e.f Ibnu Hazmin in his al-Fisal, al-Safarani in his 'Aqidat and Amir Shaakib Arselan in his Hadhir al-'Alami al-Islami always enlisting the 73 fractions of Muslim in the example like the following:
Due to that, we as the Muslims of this period while observing few statements by previously discussing scholars about the 73 fractions for e.f Ibnu Hazmin in his al-Fisal, al-Safarani in his 'Aqidat and Amir Shaakib Arselan in his Hadhir al-'Alami al-Islami always enlisting the 73 fractions of Muslim in the example like the following:
"Shi'as are of few sub groups which are the twelver imami, the sevener Isma'ili, the fiver Zaidi, the Qarmatian sevener Isma'ili, the Kaisani, the 'Alawite-Nusayri and others... The Mu'tazilites are such as.... The historical Khawarij fractions are the Ibadhi, the Hururi..."
They counted all of these fractions and the sub-fractions through the list of the group names until it reaches 72 in numbers. Thus, they would explain on what is the Ahl Sunna wal Jama'a. The Shi'a Muslim regardless schools or fractions are also doing the same. And their conclusion would be that the path and the school of Ahl Bayt is the only one which would bring them to the paradise. We would come up with the opinion of scholar for e.g Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah about 73 fractions... Insha Allah!
Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!
