its kinda interesting how few branches islam has
sunni/shia/suffi?
Sufism isn't a branch per se. Sufism generally is a translation of the word Tasawuf, which is simply another Islamic discipline, primarily concerned with 'worshipping Allah as though you see Him'. However that said, there are 'sects' that call themselves 'Sufis' that are well outside of traditionalist Islamic orthodoxy.
I would say that traditionally there have been three branches within the Ummah (Islamic community), the Majority, the Minority and the Schizmatics.
The majority are the vast hordes of believers, all of whom we would consider Sunni.
The second group are various different versions of Shi'ism. The Shia't Ali (partisans of Ali) grew up around political differences in how power should be allocated. The Sunnah said that authority should be based upon legitimacy and merit, chosen by the consensus of the community. The Shia't Ali said that it should be chosen based upon blood, specifically 'Ahlul'Bayt' (the family of the Messenger of God, sullAllahu alayhi wasalaam). To cut a long fitna short, the Shia lost out and became the minority, without any real differences from the Sunnis for most of the time. In general when a group wished to rebel against Khilafal (the leaders of the Muslims) authority, they would take up the banner of Shi'ism as an excuse. The religious differences did not echo the political differences until much later, especially with the Persian Safavids, who used a mix of anti-Arab and pro-Shia ideology as a platform for the state and rebellion.
Then there is the schizmatics. Originally these were represented by the Khwarij, who rebelled against the Caliph Ali (radiAllahu anu). They were both vicious and anarchic, and would kill anyone whom they declared non-Muslim. Ironically, they treated the Ahlul'Qitab very well, so much so that Sunnis would wear crosses or Jewish skull caps to escape their persecution. This group is now represented by the Wahhabi sect, which I will describe in a moment.
In general the Islamic community is very non-sectarian. about 90 to 92% of Muslims are Sunni. Within this there are different legal and theocratic schools, however these can not be considered sects. The definition of a sect is generally that they pronounce others, not of them, as being out of the fold, or utterly wrong. This does not occur with the Sunni madhabs (schools of thought) towards each other.
I believe I should state my bias though, I am Sunni Traditionalist. I follow the Shafi'i Madhab and Ashari school of Aqidah. Though that will only mean something to a few people here.
Darackutny said:
Salafism is a school of thought that is also known as the Athari school. They hold to the ideology of the first three generations of Islam. Salafism, Ash'arism, and Maturidism all fall under Sunnism. The differences between each of these sects mainly revolve around their views regarding the attributes of Allah.
What people are more familiar with are the "four sects" of Sunnism, which differ when it comes to jurisprudence. So, it is possible to have a Salafi Hanafi, or an Ash'ari Hanbali, etc.
Wahabism is just a name given to Salafis by non-Salafis in order to give the impression that Salafism has only existed for two centuries. Mohammed bin Abdul Wahab, a Salafi reformer, started his "revolution" back then.
In general, I would disagree with some of what the brother says, all respect to him. In my understanding, the term Wahhabi is a somewhat pejorative term used to describe Sunni reformist literalists, both in matters of aqidah (belief) and fiqh (legal jurisprudence). The main issue with them in the mainstream is that their literalism often leads them to make statements that seem to be anthropomorphic, though this differs from scholar to scholar.
The term originally referred to an insurrectionist movement that started in the Nejd (Eastern Arabia) which gained its inspiration from the ideas of the aforementioned bin Abdul Wahab. This insurrection involved the massacre of anyone who did not endorse the particular brand of literalism that the group ascribed to, the most shocking being the massacre of 4000 Yemeni pilgrims and the taking of their wives and children as slaves and concubines.
The movement was eventually crushed by the Uthmani Khilafa, but gained popularity again with the political eminence of the House of Saud, which had a long standing affiliation with that school of thought.
In general not all those whom your average Sunni would call 'Wahhabis' are the same. Some follow the traditional Madhabs, some are literalist in their fiqh but not so much their aqidah. In general they are considered to be closest to the Hanbali school of legal thought, another term for them being 'neo-Hanbalis'. They are popularly known for the viciousness they direct towards Hanafi fiqh and the practice of Tasawuf. It is hard to describe them as a single monolithic movement as they are not so, however in the popular mind of most Sunnis they are considered to be a mass of angry young men, with big beards, short sleeved thaubs (robes) and shaved heads. While their scholars may not be free with it, the less educated of their movement are often very free with their takfir (the declaring of individuals as out of the fold of Islam).
An example of them is that recently a group of 'Salafis' passed out leaflets outside Friday prayers at many major Sydney mosques that essentially declared Habib Umar (a prominent Sunni scholar from the Hadramat valley in Yemen, also a member of the Prophet's, sullAllahu alayhi wasalaam, family) a non-Muslim.
They are generally affiliated with political Islamist groups, though not all of the members of such groups are Wahhabi, and not all Wahhabis are members.
If it seems like I am struggling to define them, it is because they are not a monolith, however people generally understand what one means when one uses the word. In general it refers to a Sunni who rejects the mainstream Sunni schools of thought and wishes to 'draw water from the well by cutting the rope'. A more extensive article (some would say polemic) about them in English is here:
Who or What is a Salafi?
Since becoming a Muslim, I have had many experiences with such people, none of them good. So again, take into account that this is my personal understanding, others here may have different ones. I am biased in that I have have had a few such individuals personally pronounce takfir on me. One of them went so far as to assault one of my friends within a Masjid, his only crime being 'being a moderate'.
