Shias primarily believe that leadership of the Muslim community was divinely ordained to remain within Prophet Muhammad’s family, starting with Ali ibn Abi Talib, rather than being elected. They emphasize the infallibility of the Twelve Imams, follow different hadith collections, and hold specific, distinct religious practices.
What is the main difference between Sunni and Shia?
Those who followed the Prophet's closest companion (Abu Bakr) became known as Sunni (the followers of the Prophet's example – Sunnah). Those who followed the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law ('Ali) became known as Shi'a (the followers of the Party of 'Ali – Shi'atu Ali).
Shias, a term that stems from shi'atu Ali, Arabic for “partisans of Ali,” believe that Ali and his descendants are part of a divine order. Sunnis, meaning followers of the sunna, or “way” in Arabic, of Mohammed, are opposed to political succession based on Mohammed's bloodline.
Though the two main sects within Islam, Sunni and Shia, agree on most of the fundamental beliefs and practices of Islam, a bitter split between the two goes back some 14 centuries. The divide originated with a dispute over who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Islamic faith he introduced.
The Sunni–Shia split happened after the Prophet, due to disagreements about leadership — not about Allah, the Qur'an, or the Prophet himself. It was a political and historical issue, not disbelief. Both groups recite the same Qur'an, face the same Qiblah, and love the same Prophet.
In our Shi'i fiqh, it is permissible to marry anyone from other Islamic sects, as long as you are free to keep your Shi'i identity and uphold your Shi'i practices. You do not necessarily need to convert him to becoming a Shi'i, as this is something that comes from within.
While the exact numbers are subject to debate, the Shia comprise around 10% of the world's Muslims, and Sunnis 90%. Sunnis are a majority in most Muslim communities around the world.
According to Ahmad Raza Khan, the founder of Barelvism, most Shias of his day were apostates because they repudiated necessities of religion. This includes, according to him, the following: a) to believe that Qur'an is incomplete. b) to call it 'book of `Uthman'.
The main difference between the two branches is their contradicting beliefs on succession after the Prophet Muhammad died. Sunni leaders, called Caliphs, are elected through voting while Shiite leaders, or Imams, are direct descendants of Muhammad.
As such, the term "Shi'a”alone has no negative or positive meaning unless we specify the leader of the party. If one is a Shi'a (follower) of the most righteous servants, then there is nothing wrong with being Shi'a, specially if the leader of such party has been assigned by Allah.
As much as 85–90% of Pakistanis follows Sunni Islam. Most Pakistani Sunni Muslims belong to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, which is represented by the Barelvi and Deobandi traditions. About 97% of Pakistanis are Muslims. The majority are Sunni (85–90%) while Shias make up around 10-15%.
The Shī'ah use the same Qur'an as Sunni Muslims, however they do not believe that it was first compiled by Uthman ibn Affan. The Shī'ah believe that the Qur'an was gathered and compiled by Muhammad during his lifetime.
Ali ibn Abi Talib (Arabic: عَلِيُّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب, romanized: ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib) ( c. 600 – 661 CE) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from 656 CE until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
While the US has been confronted with Sunni extremism in the form of violent caliphate-seeking groups who also espouse attacks against the far enemy in the West, Shia extremism is an equally pervasive—and perhaps less well understood–threat.
Wahhabism has been described as a conservative, strict, and fundamentalist branch of Sunnī Islam, with puritan views, believing in a literal interpretation of the Quran.
For women, marriage to anyone but a Muslim man is not permissible. The spouse may not be a close relative unless it is a cousin, including first cousins. As cousins are not mahram. Also forbidden to marry are those of the same sex, anyone who has had the same wetnurse feed them.
In theory, Shiʿism has a more favorable attitude towards women than Sunni Islam. These favorable differences are largely annulled, however, by some specific Shiʿite practices as well as the social realities of women's lives in Shiʿite communities.
The Qur'an promotes reconciliation, through negotiated settlements between the spouses themselves or the use of arbitrators from their families. However, when “mutual good treatment” is not possible, there should be an amicable parting. Thus, the Qur'an treats divorce as something permitted but not laudable.
In early times, Palestine was inhabited by Semitic peoples, the earliest being the Canaanites. According to tradition, Abraham, the common ancestor of the Jews and the Arabs, came from Ur to Canaan.
According to government estimates, approximately 5 percent of the population is Muslim, of which 65 percent is Sunni, 12.5 percent Alevi, and 5.6 percent Shia.
