the abbasìd’s golden age 165Yazìd I (680–683), promising him their military support. However,
their support did not materialize and the Prophet’s grandson and
his family were massacred by the Syrian army in Karbala" in the
south of Iraq (Al- ̨abarì). (This explains the sense of guilt some Shi"is
feel nowadays and the self-inflicting injuries they exercise at the
anniversary of al-Œusayn’s death, or martyrdom). Relying on Hadiths
and their interpretation of certain verses in the Qur"àn the Shi"ì
emphatically maintains that Caliph Ali was the only legitimate caliph
after the Prophet and therefore the caliphate, or the Imamah, should
be confined to Imam Ali"decedents.
The Jama"a or Sunnis were the middle of the road group, though
they were not particularly enthusiastic towards Mu"awiyah or his
son Yazìd, they regarded them as de facto rulers who should be
obeyed. The pivotal difference between the three groups, therefore,
was based on the concept of the caliphate, Imamah, and the legiti-
macy for it, though other differences on secular matters were fur-
ther developed.
The term Sunni, with reference to Jama"a should be viewed with
caution. It does not imply that the Sunnis are the only group who
followed the Prophet’s Sunnah. All Muslims are ordained to follow
the Sunnah, which is embodied in the Prophet’s deeds and sayings,
Aœadìth. But the difference between the groups lies mainly in the
debate over the Islamic legitimacy of the caliphate, or Imamah.
Of the above three groups the teachings of the Sunnis developed
more widely than others. That was perhaps because they were the
largest group of Muslims, the more tolerant and the less politically
inclined. Their basic political and theocratic philosophy is based on
the principle of following the general consensus of the ummah, jama",
as that is, in their view, what the Sunnah recommends. Their theo-
logical study contributed significantly to the development of jurispru-
dence. As mentioned in chapter two, jurisprudence started with, and
was the product of, changes in the Islamic society after the Prophet’s
death. In line with the spirit of Islam, the early Rightly Guided
caliph in consultation with the Prophet’s companions resorted to
their opinion in dealing with situations that either did not arise at
the Prophet’s time or did not exist to the same degree. The apos-
tasies during the reign of the first caliph, Abù-Bakr, and the own-
ership of the conquered land during the time of the second caliph,
Umar, are the most obvious examples. The body of opinion consti-
tuted by the early caliph and the companions, the consensus of the