The Cultural and Social Backgrounds of the Sectarianism in Early Islam

In order to analyze the Islamic sectarian movements, one should first enquire into their backgrounds; and this may help to carry out a comprehensive research. The majority of the scholars are of opinion that sectarianism, especially the political one, began to develop from the time of Uthman's murder; however, the understanding of this important issue involves the consideration of the intellectual backgrounds and the historical events preceding Uthman. In fact, so long as one does not occupy one's self with the background events, one's enquiry into the causes of political events and the origins of thoughts is less likely to bear fruit. Having considered some of the characteristics of the age of the Prophet (PBUH), this writing first examines the characteristics of the age of the Prophet's companions and followers, its political and doctrinal controversies, the way in which the Islamic Sects developed, and the controversial theological issues; then, it proceeds to enquire into the extent to which the political controversy influences sectarianism; and finally, it provides a list of the most important objects of conflict among the sects. This study may help to shed light on the causal relationship among the intellectual events; it also may help to notice the similarity of the doctrinal conflicts between the past and present thinkers.