Politicial and religion elements that determine Ahl al-sunnah and Shia sects (VII.-XII. centuries)

It is a well-known fact that the political struggles between the Umayyad-Hashemite tribes that existed in the early Islamic period have divided the society in the further periods into two political-religious sects as Ahl al-Sunnah and Shia. In our study, after the examining the practical elements of Ahl al-Sunnah and Shia sects; it was dwelled on how and by whom these schools have been used in the political tradition. There are many claims that have been voiced by both by Ahl al-Sunnah and Shia communities about caliphates of Hulafa-i Rasidin, Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Omar, Hazrat Usman and Hazrat Ali. Especially during Hazrat Usman's reign, the Umayyad-Hashemite rivalry heightened considerably. Thereby, in this study, it was explained how the Alids revolt against the reign of Umayyads and to what extent this revolt was influential in disintegration of the said two schools. As a result of their movement, Abbasids had seized the power from the Umayyads. However, the Abbasids did not share the power with the Alids after the movement had succeeded. Consequently, the Alids, who think that the caliphate was their right entered in a struggle for power. Therefore, as from the 9th century, Shia states began to emerge. The relationships of these states, which had been named in the history as Idrisids, Tabaristan and Yemen Zaydis, Fatimids and Buyids, with the Abbasid caliphate were also examined within the scope of our study. After many different ethnic and religious groups entered into the Islamic circle due to the rapid growth of the Islamic state, struggles for power emerged between the indigenous elements and Arabs, the ruling element. Particular emphasis was given to how the Arabic elites pioneered the fabrication and usage in the political field of the claim of "The imams are from Quraysh" and used it in this struggle to eliminate the non-Arabic elements and the consequences were questioned. Finally, it was discussed that on which points Majus, Christian and Jewish aristocrats influenced Shia and evaluated how Ahl al-Sunnah and Shia theologians and politicians produced an "Islamic" paradigm that exclude each other. Keywords: Ahl al-Sunnah, Shia, Hulafa-i Rasidin, Umayyads, Abbasids, Political- Religious Disintegration.