Home›Islam›Polity›No central authorityBrowse ByNo central authorityThis page groups denominations by how they are governed. Wikipedia notes that "the Catholic Church, led by the Bishop of Rome and the bishops worldwide in communion with him, is a communion of 24 Churches sui iuris." Browsing by polity lets a visitor compare a centrally governed denomination against one built from independent congregations.FactsLearn MoreNo central authoritySourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedThe branches, legal schools and mystical traditions of Islam. The principal division follows the dispute over leadership after the death of the Prophet; the madhhabs are schools of legal interpretation rather than separate bodies; and Sufism cuts across the whole. 2StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedContested: denomination and sect fit Islam badly. A madhhab is a school of legal reasoning whose difference from the others is recognised as legitimate within Sunni Islam, not a church standing apart from another. 3DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedDenominations 1Learn MoreThe branches of Islam This group gathers the main branches and movements of Islam. The principal division, dating to disputes over leadership after the Prophet Muhammad's death, is between Sunni Islam, the majority tradition, and Shia Islam, which holds that authority passed through the Prophet's family. The browser will find the Sunni schools of law and the Shia branches (Twelver, Ismaili and others), along with Sufism, the mystical dimension found across both, and reform and revival movements of the modern period. The atlas describes each in its own terms, noting the theological and historical questions that separate them.No central authorityFilter Results4 entriesOrigin EraAll632 (1)750 (1)1880 (2)Establishment StatusAllEstablished (1)Parent ReligionAllIslam (4)Originated InAllArabia (1)Egypt (2)Indian Subcontinent (1)Iraq (2)Punjab (1)Marriage PositionAllMarriage may licitly be polygynous (1)Liturgical LanguageAllClassical Arabic (4)The vernacular (2)Sexuality PositionAllSame-sex orientation or practice is held to bar full membership or participation (2)Practice StatusAllLiving tradition, practised today (4)Ordination PracticeAllAuthority conferred by initiation rather than by ordination (1)Conferred by appointment from a higher authority (1)No ordination; authority rests on learning or on the whole body (3)Restricted to men (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 4QuranismNo central authoritySalafismNo central authoritySufismNo central authoritySunniNo central authoritySources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. The Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd editiontier 1P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C. E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W. P. Heinrichs (eds.), Brill, 2005s.v. madhhabView the Source3. An Introduction to Islamic Lawtier 1Wael B. Hallaq, Cambridge University Press, 2009View the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.