Vertical Division In Islam

Throughout history, most major religions have encountered splits into some forms of tangents, many due to social, political, or authoritarian unrest. Christianity was divided during the Protestant Reformation, and Judaism has split into various levels of practitioners who each favor a different level of historical development of their faith. Like its fellow Abrahamic faiths, Islam is not a “monolithic” (Smith, 259) religion; it too has been divided. But unlike Christianity and Judaism, who have split moreso over miniscule differences in their beliefs, Islam has diverged on account of how their faith should be worshipped and how their traditions should be practiced. Also unique to Islam is how it split; rather than dividing off into tangents,
Islam has been split along two different lines. First, into Sunni and Shi’ite Islam, which was a historical split regarding the successor of Muhammad and today is the source of conflict for various geographical battles.
Then, the “vertical division” (Smith, 258) within Islam occurred when the Sufis, a group of Muslims who focused deeply on the core truths of their faith, sought to become connected with God within their lifetime through mystical practices. While the conflict between Sunnis and Shi’ites is more of an internal dispute, the two unite with regards to Sufism, as they see Sufis and their methods of worship as heretic and blasphemous. In Huston Smith’s book, The World’s Religions, Orthodox Islam (Sunni, Shi’ite) is referred to as an exoteric form of the religions, while Sufism is labeled as esoteric. Though the differences between Sufism and Sunni/Shi'ite Islam are vast in their practices and interpretations, distinguishing the two from one another as esoteric and exoteric forms of Islam allows them to have a similar foundational basis, so that they can both be considered as acceptable practices of
Islam.
The main distinction between esoteric and exoteric tendencies of both groups is described by Smith as their alternate interpretations of Allah in The Koran. Exoteric Muslims are “satisfied with the explicit meanings of the Koran” (Smith, 258) and take took Allah’s word through Muhammad more literally. On the other hand, esoteric Muslims, or Sufis, found both “the Outward and the Inward” (Smith, 258) presentations of Allah important. To put it simply, Sufis are concerned with the inner, deeper, truths of Islam (and are determined to devote their lives to finding them), while more mainstream Sunni and Shi’ites are concerned with the literal texts. Those who practice the esoteric form of Islam are also concerned with the lesser-known, non-public teachings that are meant to be reserved for those who are prepared to understand them. Mysticism moves worshipers into an “unconfined region” that “carries dangers for those who are unqualified for its teachings” (Smith, 264). Those who follow the exoteric form keep their focus on the universal, widely communicated stories and morals that almost all Muslims are familiar with.
I believe that the most important distinction that Smith makes between the Sufism and Sunni/Shi’ite Islam has not to do with the unconventional practices of Sufism (such as love poetry, the divine presence of ecstasy, and intuitive mental knowledge called ma’rifah), but with the “liberties” (Smith, 264) that Sufism takes, straying it further away from Islam. Smith discusses how certain groups have claimed to be Sufi, but show little homage to the Muslim faith, and instead use their claim to justify their own agendas. The divisiveness that occurs between esoteric and exoteric Muslim, to me, is not the differences in their practices, but rather the seemingly limitless orthodoxy that Sufism presents. For example, Sufis became persuaded that “there is more sky than the aperture allows”, Al-Hallaj stated that “he was God”, and Rumi asserted that he was “neither body nor soul” (Smith, 264). Exoteric Muslims view this blasphemy or heresy of the Islamic faith, and it begs the questions as to how far Sufism can push the boundaries of faith before it can no longer be considered association with Islam. For this reason, schools of Sufism have been discreet with their teachings and practices, and public opinion has served as a check to balance the scales of esoteric and exoteric Islam. foundation= want the same things, sufis just want it now and develop practices to do so
When all is said and done, Sunnis, Shi’ites, and Sufis all share the same core value of working towards uniting with the divine.
Sufis desire to become close with God and achieve and enlightened form of consciousness within their current lifetime, and devote much of their life contemplating God. More traditional Muslims, however, view their lifetimes as means of proving themselves that they are worthy of spiritual reunification in the afterlife. Classifying the orthodox and non-traditional forms of Islam as exoteric and esoteric is helpful in distinguishing the purpose of each, while maintaining a common ground that allows Sufism to remain a part of Islam. Those who have a “genuine vocation for a Sufi path” are protected by the esoteric characterization to practice their faith without interfering with the “unambiguous principles” of traditional Islam. The exoteric and esoteric characterizations serve as describers, rather than dividers, that protect both forms from misinterpretation and uninformed
criticism.