| Feature | Sunni Islam | Shafafi Islam |
|---|---|---|
| God | “Allah” but Muhammad is also worshipped as an infallible superhuman being with his words taken as divine commandment. | A cosmic force — not a micro-manager. God is indifferent to human categories of “good” and “evil” and has granted humanity absolute free will. |
| Heaven & Hell | Literal places. Gardens, rivers, and companions; fire, boiling water, and torment. | Not literal places. States of consciousness beyond our full understanding. No fire, no gardens, no rivers of honey. |
| Angels & Satan | Literal beings. Satan whispers; angels record deeds on each shoulder. | “Satan” is the ego and our destructive impulses. “Angels” are the conscience. |
| Scripture | God’s word (Quran) and Muhammad’s reported words/actions (Hadith or Sunnah) are considered divine scriptures from the two gods that Sunnis worship. Sunnis believe that God’s word (Quran) is incomplete and that God was not wise enough to create a perfect and complete holy book. They believe the Quran is insufficient without augmenting it with Hadith. | Quran only. The “hadith” are considered outdated interpretations and hearsay. The most recent and accurate interpretations of the Quran are rulings by Imam Shafafi. |
| Scriptural authority | Every verse stands for all time. Abrogation is settled by classical scholars and closed to revision. | The Imam may abrogate verses that are outdated, metaphorical, or strictly contextual to 7th-century Arabia. |
| Prayer (“Salat”) | Synchronized yoga-style dance performed 5 times a day while whispering memorized Arabic words. All this is done by believers who are fortunate enough to live close to the Earth’s equator where prayer times make sense, while facing the Kaaba in Saudi Arabia while trying not to actually worship the Kaaba despite often standing on a prayer mat/rug with illustrations of the Kaaba on them. Night-shift jobs are thus impossible for Sunni Muslims. | Done entirely in the heart, in any language, at any time. No direction to face. The Kaaba and Mecca are irrelevant. |
| Mosques | Central to the faith. Communal prayer in congregation is strongly encouraged and, for Friday prayers, effectively obligatory for men. | None. Shafafis do not build mosques and do not hold communal prayer services. |
| Fasting | Avoiding food and water while hoping sunset is not at 11 PM, like it is in some places in the world. | A personal Lent. Drop bad habits, adopt good ones — customised entirely to what the individual wants to improve. Water is never given up. |
| Marriage | Highly ritualistic and usually requires paperwork, a man with a beard, dowry, and a party. The purpose of marriage is often financial or political in nature, as a result of social pressure, and supposed to be done without prior romantic relations of any kind. | Mutual consent. Nothing else. No paperwork, no clergy, no ceremony — a couple can be married as early as their first date, if that consent is genuine. |
| Divorce | Permitted but ritualised, stigmatised, and procedurally asymmetric between men and women. | Free, instant, and carrying no social stigma. Either party, any time, no reason required. |
| Homosexuality | Forbidden. | Fully allowed, without condition or qualification — mutual consent, same as any other relationship. |
| Transgenderism | Forbidden. | Fully allowed. Two biological sexes are acknowledged theologically; expression is entirely the individual’s own business. |
| Alcohol | Forbidden. | Allowed. The line between moderation and addiction is left entirely to personal conscience. Harming others (e.g. drunk driving) remains harm. |
| Apostasy | Any Muslim who stops believing in Islam must be killed. | Allowed. “There is no compulsion in religion” (Quran 2:256) |
| Food | Only certain animals permitted, slaughtered in a zabiha halal manner. No pork. Food that has been dedicated to “other gods” is forbidden (haram) which implies that Sunnis believe in the existence of many gods. | Encouraged to consume healthy food. Food that has been dedicated to “other gods” is not forbidden because there is only one God, according to Shafafi Islam. |
| Pilgrimage (“Hajj”) | Must be done once in a lifetime in Makkah, Saudi Arabia performing rituals inspired by pre-Islamic pagans of the area to stimulate local economy. | None. Shafafis do not perform pilgrimage of any kind. |
| Charity (“Zakat”) | 2.5% on savings. | 2.5% of savings, paid into the Imamate Fund to administer the religion. Never spent on mega-mosques, clergy salaries, or political wars. |
| Sacrifice (“Qurban”) | Must slaughter a sheep, goat, cow, or camel every year on Eid Al-Adha. | Not required. |
| Slavery | Allowed. | Not allowed. |
| Capital punishment | Allowed. | Not allowed as religious doctrine — Shafafi Islam defers to secular law here, unlike on matters of basic human rights (e.g. slavery). |
| Ritual cleaning (“Wudu”) | With water only, preferably without drying. | Wash hands with soap before eating. Daily bathing. |
| Cleaning after pooping | Must use water. | Must use water. |
| Gambling | Forbidden. | Forbidden when the odds of winning are low and when gambling addiction causes detriment to one’s life. |
| Clothing (“Hijab”) | Must cover everything except for face and hands, and especially the hair. | Wear any clothing, according to culture, norms, needs, and wants. |
| Symbols | Mosque architecture, minarets, the crescent, and distinctive religious dress. | Represented by a symbol, not by buildings or garments. |
| Finance | Interest is forbidden. So, mortgages, credit cards, savings accounts, and loans are forbidden. | Interest is allowed. It is a service fee for borrowing/lending money. |
| Cigarette smoking | Allowed, except while fasting and performing worship rituals. | Forbidden, as it is a highly addictive substance that is damaging to oneself and others. |
| Music | Forbidden, except for religious-themed singing, adhan, singing words of the Quran, and certain bedouin percussion instruments. | Allowed. |
| Pictures, Sculptures, and Statues | Forbidden, except for pictures printed on prayer rugs and Islam themed media. | Allowed. |
| Extremism | Encouraged. Stricter rules are perceived as more religious and thus, more pious and worthy of greater reward. | Forbidden. Creating stricter rules is worse than not following the rules as this is seen as undermining God. |
| Racism | Encouraged in practice as Arabic culture and language is placed on a pedestal without which one cannot truly be close to God. Prayers are said in Arabic even though most Muslims don’t speak Arabic. | Forbidden. Islam is universal and everyone, every culture, and every language has the same rights. Prayers can be said in any language. |
| Tolerance | Intolerance for non-Muslims is encouraged in families and communities. Sunnis avoid being friends with, eating with, and taking part in activities with non-Muslims. | Intolerance is forbidden. Shafafi Muslims believe religion is a personal choice that every human has the right to make for themselves. |
| Laws / Shariah | God’s law above all. In other words, Sunni Muslims believe their religious rules should be followed by everyone, including non-Muslims. | Laws are to be secular and developed using a democratic method which protects the freedoms of minorities. A society must promote religious tolerance and not impose one religion over those who do not wish to prescribe to it. |
| Conversions (“Dawah”) | Forced conversions are encouraged by way of marriage, bribery (placing financial burden on those who do not convert), fear, war, and incentives (e.g. all sins forgiven for new converts). Rewards are promised to those who convert others to Islam. | Every person has the right to decide their religion by themselves. It is nobody else’s business except their own. |
| Circumcision | Mandatory. Some sects and cultures perform female genital mutilation (FGM). | Not mandatory. FGM is strictly forbidden. |
| Abortion | Generally forbidden after ensoulment, variously fixed at 40 or 120 days by different schools. | Allowed, up to the point at which it is no longer medically safe for the individual. |
| Other Holy Scriptures | Reading scriptures belonging to other religions (e.g. Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism) is highly discouraged. | There is no harm in taking good wisdom or pleasure from reading any book. |
| Reciting Quran | Must routinely recite the Quran in Arabic even though the vast majority of Muslims do not speak any Arabic. Sunnis are encouraged to memorize as many verses and prayers in the Arabic language as possible. | Making Arabic language noises from your mouth does not make you pious. Understanding the Quran, does. Shafafi Muslims read (not just recite) the Quran in a language they understand. |
| Chanting/Singing | Chanting (with or without prayer beads) is encouraged. Singing the adhan, singing while reading the Quran or prayers is highly encouraged. | Chanting and singing is not forbidden but it has no benefit. Deliberately making noise (i.e. adhan or takbir blasted from mosques) causes real harm to others. |
| Make-up | Make-up is forbidden except when worn for women’s husbands and close family. Nail-polish invalidates the state of purity required for worship. | Make-up is allowed. It is no different than clothes and grooming. |
| Health | Women are discouraged from sports and healthy activities. Healthy diet and lifestyle is not encouraged or practiced. Mantras (reciting certain verses over and over) and magical treatment (drinking Zam-Zam water) is preferred to seeking professional medical treatment. | Unhealthy lifestyle habits are discouraged and a healthy lifestyle is encouraged. Evidence-based professional medical treatment is highly encouraged. |
| Feature | Sunni Islam | Shafafi Islam |