Qustanti Islam

Qustanti Islam or Jama'at as-Sunnah al-Myarabiq ar-Suqs ("Community of the Sacred Tradition of Muhammad through the lineage of Ali") is a form of Shi'a Islam notable for its distinctive theology and jurisprudence. Qustantism originated in a mountainous coastal region of eastern Sarpedon corresponding to the territory of Qustantistan, a Qustanti confessional state. A traditionalist school of Islamic thought, Qustantism emphasises community and continuity as central principles of Islam, viewing the Muslim ummah, rather than any physical text or abstract idea, as the essential instrument for the manifestation of God's will on Earth. Many aspects of Qustanti belief, organisation, and practice bear great similarity to apostolic Christianity, particularly Catholicism, and are widely attributed to the Christian heritage of Qustantistan prior to the Islamic conquest and influence of post-conquest Audonian Christians in Sarpedon. However, Qustanti theologians reject all accusations of syncretism, and defend such elements as thoroughly Islamic and keeping continuity with the teachings of ʿĪsā ibn Maryam and earlier prophets.

Theology

At the core of Qustanti theology is Allah - God - as the Ultimate Reality, manifested in a Divine Trinity with Muhammad and Ali.

Many aspects of Qustanti theology are expounded in the Melian Dialogues, an XYth century text recording a debate between the Shapiri mufti Al-Anon and the Qustanti qadi Al-Needanāme in the city of Ktoriba, Melian Islands. The Dialogues open with each scholar criticising the characteristic beliefs of the other's school, namely the Shapiri discovery of religious truths through the application of logic to Qur'ānic facts and the Qustanti deference to tradition, consensus, and clerical authority. The debate cycles through three rounds of arguments and counter-arguments toward an inconclusive ending often interpreted as implying that both approaches may be two sides of the same coin. Although it is possible that the debate recounted in the text has been substantially added to and revised by later scribes or may never have actually taken place, the Melian Dialogues are nonetheless widely read in Shi'a clerical schools and even by Sunni scholars.

Jurisprudence

In Qustanti fiqh, the supreme sources of law are the Qur'ān and sunnah. In principle, Qustanti jurists regard sunnah or tradition, which Qustantis refer to as as-Sunnah al-muqadasa ("Sacred Tradition") as coëqual with the Qur'ān in terms of authority. However, they do not hold all instances of sunnah to be equally authoritative. This principle is most often applied with regard to hadith, where jurists will give priority to the Qur'ān or a more reliably-sourced hadith over a less reliably-sourced hadith. Like other Shi'a, Qustantis consider sunnah to include the words, acts, and acknowledgements not only of Muhammad himself, but also of his daughter Fatima, Ali, and the eleven Imams succeeding Ali, whom they believe to be infallible. [Non-hadith sunnah here]

Sunnah, in the Qustanti understanding, predates both the Qur'ān and Muhammad, and is actually the tradition of the prophets, beginning with Abraham, and is conserved (albeit incompletely and with error) among Christians, Jews, and Ishmaelites.

If the Qur'ān and sunnah are silent on an issue or do not provide sufficient basis for a clear ruling, Qustanti jurists refer to secondary sources of law, either directly or to better illuminate higher sources. Foremost among these is ijma', or consensus. In common with other Shi'a, Qustantis consider consensus among the Companions of the Prophet is considered an extension of Sacred Tradition and is binding, as is consensus of the ulama under the infallible Twelve Imams. Unlike other Shi'a, Qustantis also consider consensus among the first three generations of the citizens of Medina to be binding, although subordinate to consensus among the two aforementioned groups. Consensus among later Qustanti ulama and among the Qustanti community at large carries persuasive value, but is not binding.

Organisation

Caliph (infallible, claims actual genetic descent from Ali?) Qadis (bishops) Clerics

Practices

Wine Christmas Veneration of Saints

Prevalence

Qustanti Muslims are most heavily concentrated in Qustantistan, a confessional state over which the Qustanti Caliph is the temporal sovereign. Although Qustantistan is the only Qustanti-majority country in the world, substantial Qustanti minorities can be found in nearby Alkharvia, other countries of eastern Sarpedon and the Istoryan Basin, and the Kiravian Federacy, especially the Sydona Islands. Seafaring Qustanti merchants and missionaries spread their school of thought to other continents, laying the foundations for smaller Qustanti communities scattered across Audonia and parts of Punth.

Qustantism holds the theological and social reunification of all Muslims and the propagation of the Islamic faith as important goals, and as such Qustantis have dedicated much effort to proselytism and outreach over the course of history, including the modern era. Qustanti proselytisation of Muslims from other sects has not always been well received, and has often resulted in public controversy and even large-scale violence. Leveraging geographic position, the partially Græco-Roman heritage of Qustantistan, the Qustanti Coscivian community, and religious commonalities between Qustantism and Catholicism, the Qustanti clergy have worked to position Qustantism as the most visible face of Islam in Christian Western and Coscivian countries.