Non-denominational Muslim

A non-denominational Muslim (Arabic: مُسْلِمُونَ بِلَا طَائِفَةٍcode: ar is deprecated ) is a Muslim who does not belong to, does not self-identify with, or cannot be readily classified under one of the identifiable Islamic schools and branches.^[1] Such Muslims do not think of themselves as belonging to a sect or denomination but rather as "just Muslims" or "non-denominational Muslims."^[2] Muslims who do not adhere to a sect are also known as "non-sectarian Muslims".^[3] Some non-sectarian Muslim organisations are independent.^[4]^[5]

Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun, known for his attempts to end sectarian rivalry in Islam^[6]^[7]^[8]

In Lithuania, non-denominational Muslims fall into the category of "non-traditional religious communities" and are formally separated by law from Sunnis.^[9]

Beliefs

Non-sectarian Muslims often cite Qur'anic verses to support their stance, including 3:103: "And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it."^[10]

Critics of non-denominational Muslims argue they misinterpret the Qur'anic injunction against division, neglect the broader Islamic teachings and hadith, and disregard Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). Unlike Wahhabis, who accept taqlid (following the rulings of "qualified" scholars) for laypeople, no-sect Muslims reject taqlid and may instead practice takhayyur (selecting rulings from different schools) and talfiq (combining rulings from different schools), relying on their own selection of religious rulings.^[11]

Unlike Sunnis, Shias, Ibadis, and Ahmadis, non-denominational Muslims are not affiliated with any madhhab (school of thought).^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]

Some Muslims who oppose sectarian divisions also reject hadith, believing hadith contribute to sectarianism.^[16]^[17]^[18]

Historical development

Syed Ahmad Khan (bottom-center)

The seventh Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun (r. 813–833) was known for his attempts to end sectarian rivalry in Islam and to impose upon his subjects a rationalist Muslim creed.^[19]

Muslim philosophers (falasifa) including al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Ibn Rushd (Averroes), and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi discussed philosophical issues without any regard to sectarianism.^[20]

Many scholars hold the Brethren of Purity to be "free-thinkers" who transcended sectarian divisions. Besides founding their views on the Qur'an, the Ikhwan also appealed in their Epistles to the Torah (Tawrat) and the Gospel (Injil) (see: Muslim Hebraists). While it is generally accepted that their literature belonged to a Shi'a legacy that had strong connections with the Isma'ili tradition, the Ikhwan were also inspired by the works of Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Euclid, Ptolemy, Porphyry of Tyre, and Iamblichus. Their syncretism, as a result, overcame the sectarian discords of their time.^[21]

Talking about sectarianism, Persian Muslim poet Hafiz said, "Forgive the war of the 72 sects; since they did not see the truth they have struck out on the road to fancy". Hafiz regarded sectarian quarrels as afsana (a tale) that preoccupies those who fail to understand the diversity of faith.^[22] The poems of Hafiz were known for their non-sectarian tone.^[23]

The third Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556–1605), who was from a Sunni family and was tutored by two Shia scholars from Iran, was aware of the dangers of Muslim sectarian dissension, and did not tolerate sectarian disputes disrupting the public order. In 1578, Akbar forced all major ulama to sign a mahzar, in this case a declaration that he alone was the caliph and that, consequently, his opinion in religious matters prevailed.^[24]

According to E. C. Barton, the Ottoman Empire experienced a "renewed life of Mahometanism." The first change was the establishment of non-denominational or "Rushdee" public schools influenced by Western ideas. They offered subjects such as European languages, history, mathematics, and natural sciences. There were no stricter Muslim schools than these Rushdee schools.^[25] The first Ruşdiye primary schools were established in 1838 in Istanbul by Sultan Mahmud II to prepare young men to attend his new technical schools. Their graduates staffed the Ottoman Empire's expanding administration and military during the Tanzimat reforms.^[26]

Syed Ahmad Khan and his contemporaries were known as Islamic Modernists (jadid Islam). Unlike the sectarian leaders of his day, Syed viewed internal religious divisions as part of the malaise preventing Muslim progress.^[27]

Condemning the historically prevailing trend of blindly imitating religious leaders, the pan-Islamist revolutionary Jamal al-Din al-Afghani refused to identify himself with a specific sect or imam by insisting that he was just a Muslim and a scholar.^[28] A proponent of Muslim unity, he criticised Sunni and Shia extremists as well as the ideology of nationalism, insisting that Islam was doctrinally the only nationality for all Muslims and historically the only bond that effectively tied them all together.^[29]

Believing in the unification of Muslims in order to go back to the "true Islam", Egyptian scholar Muhammad Abduh held that the extreme fervour of sects was responsible for the divide of Muslims, and this division, alongside unsubstantiated religious practises and false religious doctrine such as the exaggerations of the Sufi order, was one of the reasons for their decline.^[30]

Around the world

In the 21st century, non-denominational Muslim identity has grown significantly on social media platforms.^[31]

According to a 2012 study by the Pew Research Center, Muslims who do not identify with a sect and identify as "just Muslim" are found primarily in Central Asia.^[32] They make up a majority of Muslims in eight countries (Kazakhstan (74%), Albania (65%), Kyrgyzstan (64%), Kosovo (58%), Indonesia (56%), Mali (55%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (54%), Uzbekistan (54%) and a plurality in four countries (Azerbaijan (45%), Russia (45%), Nigeria (42%), and Cameroon (40%)).^[32] Southeast Europe also has a large number of Muslims who do not identify with a sect.^[32]

Africa

According to World Atlas, 30% of Moroccans are non-denominational Muslims, and two thirds belong to the Sunni denomination.^[33]

The Open Mosque in Cape Town, South Africa, was founded by Dr. Taj Hargey. Hargey identifies as a freethinker and promotes a "new Mu'tazilism". He advocates for a non-sectarian approach to Islam that includes rejecting hadith.^[34]^[35]

Middle East

In the Middle East, most people identify as either Sunni or Shia; many Muslims, however, identify as non-denominational.^[36]

The West

In Germany, non-denominational Islamic religious education was introduced in Bavaria in 2003 and Schleswig-Holstein in 2007, providing Islamic education without affiliation to a particular denomination.^[37]

The "Association for the Renaissance of Mu'tazilite Islam" (French: Association pour la renaissance de l’Islam mutazilitecode: fr is deprecated , ARIM) is a Neo-Mu'tazilite organisation founded in France in February 2017 by Eva Janadin and Faker Korchane. It opposes excessive rationalism that leads to positivism, sectarianism, and clerical authority, as well as taqlid of the Salaf's interpretations.^[38]

Notable individuals

Notable Muslim figures who have espoused an anti-sectarian stance, or whose intellectual work transcended sectarian divisions, include the following: