Doctor wrote:Sunni's have more sects than Shia's.
The Shias constitute around 15% of the total Muslim population. Now lets see the number of sects of these 15% minority :-
The Ghulat has twelve minor sects:
- Bayaniyya
- Janahiyya
- Harbiyya
- Mughiriyya
- Mansuriyya
- Khattabiyya
- two unnamed sects
- Shuray'iyya
- Numayriyya
- Sab'iyya
- and another unnamed sect
The Rafida has fifteen minor sects
- Qat'iyya
- Kaysaniyya
- Mughiriyya
- Rafida [I]
- Rafida Husayniyya
- Rafida Muhammadiyya
- Nawusiyya
- Rafida [II]
- Qaramita
- Mubarakiyya
- Sumaytiyya
- Ammariyya/Fathiyya
- Waqifa/Mamtura
- And two other Rafida sects
And the Zaydiyya has six minor sects
- Jarudiyya
- Sulaymaniyya
- Butriyya
- Nu'aymiyya
- Zaydiyya
- Ya'qubiyya
The khattabiyya - a minor Ghulat sect - has five sub-sects (Khattabiyya, Mu'ammariyya, Buzayghiyya, Umayriyya, and Mufaddaliyya)
Whereas the Kaysaniyya - a minor Rafida sect - Has ten sub-sects
- Kaysaniyya I
- Kaysaniyya II
- Kaysaniyya III
- Kaysaniyya IV
- Kaysaniyya V
- (There is no Kayzaniyya VI)
- Kaysaniyya VII
Three sects under Kayzaniyya VII, Rawandiyya, Razamiyya, and Abu Muslimiyya; Harbiyya; Bayaniyya; Kaysaniyya XI
The Jarudiyya - a minor sect of the Zaydiyya - is also divided into five sub-sects (Jarudiyya I, Jarudiyya II, Jarudiyya III, Jarudiiya A, Jarudiyya B, an Jarudiyya C)
Al-Baghdadi (another scholar) has the Shi'a in four major sects (Zaydiyya, Kaysaniyya, Imamiyya, and Ghulat)
He lists the same Zaydiyya sects and sub-sects in al-Ash'ari, with the omission of the Naymiyya and the Zaydiyya sub-sects. He also lists the Kaysaniyya as a separate major Shi'te sect without any minor sects.
As to the Ghulat, he also lists the exact same number of minor sects, he names the ones that al-Ash'ari left unnamed (Ghurabiyya, Mufawwdiyya, and Dhimmiyya.)
The Imamiyya minor sects are listed as fifteen sects without sub-sects, as in al-Ash'ari, but with differences in the names:
- Kamailiyya
- Muhammadiyya
- Baqiriyya
- Nawusiyya
- Shummaytiyya
- Ammariyya,
- Isma'iliyya
- Mubarakiyya
- Musawiyya
- Qat'iyya
- Ithna'Ashariyya
- Hishamiyya
- Zurariyya
- Yunusiyya
- and Shaytaniyya
Al-Shahrastani (Also Scholar) adopts the major sects of al-Baghdadi sects (Zaydiyya, Kaysaniyya, Imamiyya, Ghulat), but he difers in enumerating the minor sects.
For him Kaysaniyya are five minor sects (Mukthariyya, Hashimiyya, Harithiyya, Bayaniyya, and Razamiyya)
He lists three Zaydiyya minor sects (Jarudiyya, Sulaymaniyya, and Salihiyya/Butriyya)
The Imamiya are listed in a completetly different way (Baqariyya and Ja'fariyya, Nawusiyya, Aftahiyya, Shumaytiyya, Musawiyya, and Mufaddaliyya, Isma'iliyya, Ithna'Ashariyya).
al-Nawbakthi (very famous shi'a scholar, rae) lists the Ghulat as eight minor sects (Sab'iyya, Kamailiyya, 'Alba'iyya, Mughiriyya, Mansuuriyya, Khattabiyya, and Hishamiyya)
All this can and more can be found in the Book: Shi'a sects - Kitab Firaq al-Shi'a by ICAS PRESS
HOLD ON !! WE HAVE YET TO INCLUDE BOHRAS WHICH ARE AGAIN DIVIDED INTO SULEMANI, ALVI, 48ER, SUNNI, MEHDIBAUG, DAWOODI ETC.