Home›Islam›Practice Status›Living tradition, practised todayBrowse ByLiving tradition, practised todayThis page groups denominations by whether they still have living adherents today. Wikipedia notes that the Mandaeans "are the last surviving Gnostics from antiquity," a denomination-like religious group reduced to a small surviving remnant. Browsing this way lets a visitor tell a thriving denomination apart from one that has nearly died out.FactsLearn MoreLiving tradition, practised todaySourcesComments (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.Living tradition, practised todayFilter Results14 entriesFounded ByAllElijah Muhammad (1)Wallace Fard Muhammad (1)Origin EraAll632 (2)657 (1)680 (1)740 (1)750 (1)765 (1)800 (1)1200 (1)1744 (1)1880 (2)1889 (1)1930 (1)Establishment StatusAllDisestablished (1)Established (3)No Establishment (3)Parent ReligionAllIslam (14)Originated InAllAnatolia and Asia Minor (1)Arabia (3)Egypt (2)Indian Subcontinent (1)Iraq (5)Punjab (2)United States (1)Marriage PositionAllMarriage may licitly be polygynous (3)Liturgical LanguageAllClassical Arabic (12)The vernacular (5)Sexuality PositionAllSame-sex orientation or practice is held to bar full membership or participation (4)Same-sex sexual relationships are held contrary to teaching; LGBT individuals are welcomed as members but not ordained, and same-sex unions are not blessed (1)PolityAllA federation of autonomous member organisations (1)A living imam whose office passes by descent (1)A single central governing body over the whole movement (1)An imam or caliph elected by the community or its electors (3)Authority in living jurists whom the laity choose to emulate (1)Authority in trained scholars, with no central office (4)Authority through a shaykh and an initiatic chain (2)No central authority (4)Priestly office passing by descent (1)Ordination PracticeAllAuthority conferred by initiation rather than by ordination (2)Conferred by a teacher's certification of learning (1)Conferred by appointment from a higher authority (2)No ordination; authority rests on learning or on the whole body (9)Office passes by descent (2)Restricted to men (3)Varies between provinces or member bodies (1)Parent DenominationAllSunni (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 14AhmadiyyaLiving tradition, practised todayAlawitesLiving tradition, practised todayAlevismLiving tradition, practised todayIbadismLiving tradition, practised todayIsmailismLiving tradition, practised todayKharijitesLiving tradition, practised todayNation of IslamLiving tradition, practised todayQuranismLiving tradition, practised todaySalafismLiving tradition, practised todayShia (Twelver)Living tradition, practised todaySufismLiving tradition, practised todaySunniLiving tradition, practised todayWahhabismLiving tradition, practised todayZaidiyyahLiving tradition, practised todaySources1. 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.