a ‘Sect’ in Islamic Thought

As a preliminary, it must be highlighted that in the use of this term, ‘sect’1, lies a potential

cross-cultural communication problem with significant consequences in the academic and

the political world. It is common for academics and journalists commenting on the Muslim

world to use such terms with the same import as they have in a European or American context.

I shall not compare definitions because for the purposes of this paper how the Western

experience is defined is irrelevant. Instead, I will state what comprises a sect within Islamic

thinking.

One important science in Islamic is aqida, that is, the statement of belief, or the creed. At

its simplest, this is the shahadah, the statement of witness that there is only one God and

Muhammad is His Messenger (pbuH). The aqida outlines in more detail the elements of the

seen and unseen that Muslims believe in, and is derived from the Qur’an in a quite straightforward

manner. A sect arises because the aqida of a group differs from that of the majority,

either by addition or subtraction. In the history of Islam, Muslims have generally concurred

that there are two sects in Islam, the majority Sunni and the minority Shi’a. It is safe to say

that most Muslims feel that this division is regrettable but few would go so far as to say

those in the other sect are not Muslims, since Sunni and Shi’a are united by the shahadah

and, contrary to current belief in the western media, have lived side by side in peace for

centuries. Also, Shi’a Muslims receive permits to visit the holy sites of Islam on the Arabian

Peninsula.

Within Sunni Islam, there are then four main madhabs. This word is translated in different

ways, sometimes as ‘schools of thought’, or as ‘schools of law’. These are not sects; there

is mutual recognition between them. They are traditions which interpret the application of

Islamic law to all aspects of life, and while it is necessary to choose one madhab to follow,

it is legal and morally acceptable to follow a particular ruling from a different madhab under

certain conditions.

The important thing to note is that the division of the Muslim community into sects or sectarian

groupings is anathema to canonical Islam. There are warnings against this in the sayings of

the Messenger of God (pbuH), and he (pbuH) welcomed differences of opinion in the umma

as ‘a mercy’. Consequently, Islamic culture is very varied and has made a great contribution

to world legal culture (Sykiainen 2007). For these reasons, Muslims avoid breaking off from

the main body of Islam into sectarian groupings and are well able to avoid breaking off.

Thus, asking if the Gülen Movement is a sect, means asking if it is enacting a new or deviant

form of Islam. If this is not so, it is interesting to ask why the accusation is used, who makes

it and what is their purpose.