They do differ, however, and that separation stemmed initially, not from spiritual distinctions, but political ones. Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images. The following chart compares some basic facts about Shi'a and Sunni Islam. Spiritually, both groups practice the Five Pillars of Islam that is Shahadah (Faith), Prayer, Zakat (Charity), Fasting and Pilgrimage. The word Shia in Arabic means a group or supportive party of people. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia are predominantly Sunni. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. “It was obviously intended by the Ummayads to put the definitive end to all claims to leadership of the ummah as a matter of direct descendence from Muhammad,” says Hazleton of Hussein’s death, and the death of all the surviving members of Muhammad’s family, at Karbala. This event raised the question of who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation. They perform pilgrimages to their tombs and shrines in the hopes of divine intercession. For example, in Saudi Arabia, Sunni Wahhabism is a prevalent and puritanical faction. Similarly, in Shiitism, the Druze are a somewhat eclectic sect residing in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. The current conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran is wrongly considered to be a conflict between Sunni and Shia. Sunni Muslims make up an 85 percent majority of Muslims all over the world. according to an estimate by the Council on Foreign Relations. Today, about 85 percent of the approximately 1.6 billion Muslims around the world are Sunni, while 15 percent are Shia, according to an estimate by the Council on Foreign Relations. Iran is a good example in which the Imam, and not the state, is the ultimate authority. They comprise about 85% of Muslims, while Shia Muslims are the second largest denomination at over 10% of Muslims. “When society breaks down, you fall back on old forms of identity, and Shia and Sunni are 1,400-year-old forms of identity.”. In 681, Ali’s son Hussein led a group of 72 followers and family members from Mecca to Karbala (present-day Iraq) to confront the corrupt caliph Yazid of the Ummayad dynasty. Sunni Muslims agree with many of the Prophet's companions at the time of his death: that the new leader should be elected from among those capable of the job. In the early 20th century, the victorious Allies divided the territory held by the former Ottoman Empire after World War I, cutting through centuries-old religious and ethnic communities in the process. On the other hand, some Muslims believe that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet's family, among those specifically appointed by him, or among Imams appointed by God Himself. Shia Muslims believe that the Imam is sinless by nature and that his authority is infallible because it comes directly from God. Within the Sunni and Shia branches, you can also find a number of sects. Sunni Islam and Shia Islam are the two major branches of Islam or, in other words, two of the main sectarian divisions. The religious differences are so embedded in the culture that intolerance often leads to violence. Over the centuries, these political differences have spawned a number of varying practices and positions which have come to carry spiritual significance. First came the rise of the Safavid dynasty in the 16th century, which transformed Iran (through force) from a Sunni center into the Shia stronghold of the Middle East. A massive Sunni army waited for them, and by the end of a 10-day standoff with various smaller struggles, Hussein was killed and decapitated, and his head brought to Damascus as a tribute to the Sunni caliph. “The essence of the problem is that Muhammad died without a male heir, and he never clearly stated who he would want to be his successor,” says Lesley Hazleton, author of After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Sunni-Shia Split in Islam. Huda is an educator, school administrator, and author who has more than two decades of experience researching and writing about Islam online. The split between the two main sects within Islam goes back some 1,400 years. Many of these companions (Abu Bakr, Umar ibn Al Khattab, Aisha, etc.) The Five Pillars of Islam refer to religious duties to God, to personal spiritual growth, to caring for the less fortunate, self-discipline, and sacrifice. In fact, most Muslims do not distinguish themselves by claiming membership in any particular group, but prefer, simply, to call themselves "Muslims.". The Stages of Hajj, the Islamic Pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah), B.S., Child Development, Oregon State University. This group is also known as Shiites or followers of Ahl al-Bayt or "People of the Household" (of the Prophet). Archiv Gerstenberg/ullstein bild/Getty Images. They contend that leadership of the community is not a birthright, but rather a trust that is earned and may be given or taken away by the people. The commonly-known term is shortened from the historical Shia't-Ali, or "the Party of Ali." Coexistence in Iraq and Lebanon, for example, is often difficult. Shi'a Muslims or Shi'ites are those Muslims who followed Ali, the closest relative of Muhammad, as Muhammad's successor. “This was important, because by the time he died, he had basically brought all the tribes of Arabia together into a kind of confederation that became the ummah—the people or nation of Islam.”. Significant populations of Shia Muslims can be found in Iran and Iraq. While Shia represent the majority of the population in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Azerbaijan, and a plurality in Lebanon, Sunnis are the majority in more than 40 other countries, from Morocco to Indonesia. Eventually the Sunni majority (named for sunna, or tradition) won out, and chose Muhammad’s close friend Abu Bakr to become the first caliph, or leader, of the Islamic community. Large Shiite minority communities are also in Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, and Lebanon. And are the two major branches of Islam: shahada, salat, zakat, sawm and... An educator, school administrator, and Lebanon, for example, other. 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