that's where i'll say you haven't read my posts properly,
when you say "we can agree to disagree", "and each other"
you are imagining there are two groups - two sects,
that's where we fail,
if all of us gave that up and each one of us said - i am a muslim, and not from any such group,
it would put things in better perspective, break down a barrier, and get people to think for themselves rather than follow a group like sheep.
i already put a verse regarding this topic:
Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was true in Faith, and sincerely bowed his will to Allah's (hanifan musliman), and he joined not gods with Allah.
Without doubt, among men, the nearest of kin to Abraham, are those who follow him, as are also this Prophet and those who believe: And Allah is the Protector of those who have faith.
Quran 3:67-68
on the same note - it can be said that
Muhammad (pbuh) was neither a sunni nor a shia but he was true in Faith, and sincerely bowed his will to Allah's (hanifan musliman), and he joined not gods with Allah.
Without doubt, among men, the nearest of kin to Muhammad (pbuh), are those who follow him, So also will Jesus (pbuh) and those who believe:
And Allah is the Protector of those who have faith.
here's another:
The Jews say: "The Christians have naught (to stand) upon; and the Christians say: "The Jews have naught (To stand) upon."
Yet they (Profess to) study the (same) Book. Like unto their word is what those say who know not;
but God will judge between them in their quarrel on the Day of Judgment.
Quran 2:113
the prophet (pbuh) clearly told us to go back to the Quran and the sunnah as there would arise divisions after him,
then people can judge for themselves if they are on the right path without having to look to a sect for approval,
that's what makes them so stubborn, when any hadith are mentioned, they think it's a "sunni hadith" therefore reject it outright without even looking at the facts.
and i've seen some "sunnis" do the same with "shia hadith" despite the hadith clearly making sense.
i got these hadith from harun yahya's website and put them on my site, this guy showed them to someone else and the other guy told him that it was from a shia book therefore we shouldn't use it, i told him i didn't give a d**n because it made perfect sense and i'll even use texts from the previous scripture if they make sense.
Do you really believe some shia guy made this up 13 centuries ago when there was no electricity or satellites?:
Mahdi means: The One Who Is Rightly Guided
Certain it is that IN THE TIME OF HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)
IF A BELIEVER IS IN THE EAST HE WILL SEE HIS BROTHER IN THE WEST
.AND IF HE IS IN THE WEST, HE WILL SEE HIS BROTHER IN THE EAST.
(Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 52, p. 391)
any of you got skype???
[SUP]Hazrat Mahdi (as) will (spiritually) conquer both east and west[/SUP][SUP]and cause Islam (the moral values of Islam) to rule the world
...[/SUP][SUP]ALLAH WILL BESTOW SUCH POWERS ON PEOPLE [/SUP][SUP]THAT
[/SUP][SUP]EVERYONE WILL HEAR HIS (THE MAHDI’S (AS)) WORDS, [/SUP][SUP]WHEREVER THEY MAY BE
[/SUP][SUP]and Imam (as) will give life to Islam...[/SUP]
(Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 52, p. 27 and Vol. 53, p.12 Ikmal'ud- Din, Vol. 2, p. 367)
any of you heard of an international broadcast?
Sadir al-Sayrafi says: I heard from Imam Abu Abdullah Jafar al-Sadiq that: ...
He whose rights have been taken away and who is denied (HAZRAT MAHDI (AS))
WILL WALK AMONG THEM,MOVE THROUGH THEIR MARKETS AND WALK WHERE THEY WALK.
BUT THEY WILL NOT RECOGNIZE HAZRAZ MAHDI (AS)until Allah gives them leave to recognize him,
just as He did with the Prophet Yusuf (as).
(Sheikh Muhammad bin Ibrahim Nomani, al-Ghaybah al-Nomani, p.189)
what are we doing?
the pillars are becoming rotten so i feel God's going to break it back down to the foundation and leadership will be taken away
then we're gonna go all the way back and build it back with tears and find leaders that will judge by the Quran and sunnah rather than their desires.
when all we have to do is argue on a level plain and not talk about these sects, when are we all gonna say we don't know what these sects are and say i am a muslim are you? then lets straighten some points out.
And to the brother who said:
i do agree that the media pushes in a certain direction, if this is intentional, unintentional, planning/strategy or paranoia..ultimately we believe in a god.
its a matter of who you attribute power to? the media, the devil, shaikhs and mosque leaders.
yes - it is a very old conspiracy:
3. We rehearse to thee some of the story of Moses and Pharaoh in Truth, for people who believe.
4. Truly Pharaoh elated himself in the land and broke up its people into sections, depressing a small group among them: their sons he slew, but he kept alive their females: for he was indeed a maker of mischief.
5. And We wished to be Gracious to those who were being depressed in the land, to make them leaders (in Faith) and make them heirs,
6. To establish a firm place for them in the land, and to show Pharaoh, Haman, and their hosts, at their hands, the very things against which they were taking precautions.
Quran 28:3-6
and isn't UAE the place that brought in blackwater war criminal erik prince before all these mercenaries began destabilising the middle east?
Volume 9, Book 88, Number 197:
Narrated 'Abdullah:
The Prophet, said,
"Abusing a Muslim is Fusuq (evil doing)
and killing him is Kufr (disbelief)."
how can we say these leaders are rightly guided and the ones in iran aren't - without looking at the facts and impartially finding the faults of all while searching our own souls, it's that group mentality.
the governments of saudi arabia, uae, egypt, tunisia, morocco, qatar, kuwait - are all guilty of kufr if you judge by that above hadith.
musharraf and karzai? your guess is as good as mine.
while the government of Iran are guilty of fusooq for their foolish words about the companions, and their practice of innovations,
but still Muslim since they still vehemently oppose the occupiers of Muslim lands and murderers of muslims more than any other government in the region.
how can we say we are ok with these kuffar governments and say we will not fight alongside the only government which opposes the open enemies of Islam?
i do not deny that i see a lot among those who claim to be "shia" which i shake my head at, a lot, but i see grave worship when i go past shrines in bangladesh, from some among the people who claim to be sunni, they even get police protection from "extremists". some even say the Prophet (pbuh) was not a man like us but was made from light, despite the Quran clearly telling the Prophet to say: i am but a man like you, but it has been revealed to me that your God is One God.
may God guide all of us.
i'll go the way imam muhammad ibn abdul wahhab did, and say that even the madhaahib do not have a monopoly on truth.
peace be to those who follow the guidance.