Hmmmmm!

Mustafaa wrote: [QUOTE=Rehmat] ....Sufis are generally Sunnis, as far as I know. Are the Safawis really deemed a Sufi group? When they first appeared in the political stage, they believed in a non-mainstream Shiite branch. Later they adopted mainstream Twelver (Imaami) Shi'ism and spread it in Iran. The Safawis were originally Turks, and their early understanding of Shiism was affected by pre-Islamic Shamanistic beliefs of the Turks. As I have said just now, they later adopted mainstream Twelver Shiism.

Sorry that's not true either - historically speaking.

Shi�ism, which today appears closely mingled with the whole Iranian sense of national identity, was in its origin almost entirely a stranger to Iran. The origin of Shi�ism is said to be the Iranian response to an �Arab Islam�. Apart from the inappropriateness of these ethnic categories, there is simple fact that the earliest Shi�is were themselves, with few exceptions, Arabs, and Iran was for a long time an overwhelming Sunni country. Aside from a few centers, traditional centers such as Qum, Shi�ism was little represented in Iran.

In the aftermath of the Mongol conquest of the Muslim Near East in the 13th century, when the authority of the Abbasid Caliphate was shattered and destroyed, with the consequent weakening at least in official position of Sunni thought, a gradual increase in influence of Shi�ism in Iran began to be noticed. However, upto 16th century, Iran was still an overwhelmingly Sunni country.

The two forces, which spread Shi�ism in Iran the most were both non-Iranian. The first was the Safavid dynasty (1502-1722), originally a Turkish speaking family of hereditary Sufi shaykhs centred in the Northwestern frontiers lands of Iran. Transforming itself into a contender for power, it recruited a large number of followers from outside Iran from Turkic nomads of Asia Minor, Syria and the Southern Caucasus. Afterwards the Safavids for political reasons manufactured a false genealogy for themselves � seeking descent from Imam Musa Kazim, the seventh Shi�I Imam. However, subsequent historical research has proved this claim to be false.

After, the Safavids consolidated their power in Iran, they decided to convert the majority, if necessary, by force to Shi�ism. (Source: Extract from a lecture by professor Dr. Hamid Algar, a Shi'ite scholar)

Rehmat wrote: There are several Haddiths which mentions division of Ummah into 72 or so, sects.

Yes to the hadiths but it doesn't mean that today there are 72 sects  

I think people have a misunderstanding that when something of a future issue is discussed like the above, 'there will be 72 sects' they think its all formed 'now'

but then again I don't know how many there are today there could be 72

i notice a new trend amongst some muslims nowadays to interpret qur'an on their own, rejecting tafsir, hadith, and scholars etc. So I personally think the number is much higher than 72 because of such deviation based on personal interpretation

Angel wrote: ...but then again I don't know how many there are today there could be 72

That's really interesting observation - I mean someone 'dosn't know' but still like to criticize others' opinion

Yes Muslims have 72 sects; Christians have 73, while Jews have 71. Now please spare me to list all of them