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Shia Islam (Shī‘a Arabic: شيعة; šīʿa), is the second largest denomination of the Islamic Faith, after Sunni Islam, making up 10-20% of Muslims worldwide — almost all of the rest of Muslims being Sunni. Shias adhere to the teachings of Islamic prophet Muhammad but differ from Sunni in following the religious guidance of his family (who are referred to as the Ahl al-Bayt) or his descendants known as Shi\'a Imams, whom they consider to be infallible. Unlike Sunnis, Shias believe Ali ibn Abi Talib (Muhammad\'s cousin and husband of Fatimah) was the true successor to Muhammad and reject the legitimacy of the first three caliphs of Islamic history. The singular/adjective form is šīʿī (شيعي.) and refers to a follower of the faction of Ali according to the Shia ideology.
Shia Islam has at times been divided into many branches, however only three of these currently have a significant number of followers. By far the largest and most well known is the Twelvers (اثنا عشرية iṯnāʿašariyya) which form a majority of the population in Iran (approx. 90%) and Iraq (approx. 65%). Other branches include the Ismaili or Sevener, and Zaidiyyah. In addition, Alawites and Druzes consider themselves Shias, although this is sometimes disputed by mainstream ShiasSyria’s Alawis and Shi‘ism. The Sufi orders among the Shias are the Alevi, Bektashi, Kubrawiya, Noorbakhshi, Oveyssi, Qizilbashi, Hamadani and Fatimid orders and denominations.
"Shia" is the short form of the historic phrase šīʿat ʿAlī (شيعة علي), meaning "the followers of Ali" or "the faction of Ali". Both Shia and Sunni sources trace the term to the years preceding the death of Muhammad; see Shia etymology.
Shia Muslims believe that the descendants from Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah Zahra and his son-in-law Ali (the Imams) were the best source of knowledge about the Qur\'an and Islam, the most trusted carriers and protectors of Muhammad\'s Sunnah (traditions), and the most worthy of emulation.
In particular, Shia Muslims recognize the succession of Ali (Muhammad\'s cousin, son-in-law, the first man to accept Islam — second only to Muhammad\'s wife Khadija — the male head of the Ahl al-Bayt or "people of the [Prophet\'s] house") and the father of Muhammad\'s only bloodline as opposed to that of the caliphate recognized by Sunni Muslims. Shia Muslims believe that Ali was appointed successor by Muhammad\'s direct order on many occasions, and that he is therefore the rightful leader of the Muslim faith.
This difference between following either the Ahl al-Bayt (Muhammad\'s family and descendants) or the Caliph Abu Bakr has shaped Shia and non-Shia views on some of the Qur\'an, the Hadith (narrations from Muhammad) and other areas of Islam. For instance, the collection of Hadith venerated by Shia Muslims is centered on narrations by members of the Ahl al-Bayt and their supporters, while some Hadith by narrators not belonging to or supporting the Ahl al-Bayt are not included (those of Abu Huraira, for example). Ali was the third successor to Abu Bakr and, for the Shia, the first divinely sanctioned "imam," or male descendant of Muhammad. The seminal event in Shia history is the martyrdom in 680 CE of Ali\'s son Hussein, who led an uprising against the "illegitimate" caliph (72 of Hussein\'s followers were killed as well). For the Shia, Hussein came to symbolize resistance to tyranny.
Regardless of the dispute about the Caliphate, the Shia recognize the religious authority of the Shia Imams, also called Khalifa Ilahi.
There are two interpretations about the emergence of Shia. One of them emphasizes on the political struggle about succession of Muhammad which happened after death of Muhammad and especially during the First Fitna.See:
The other one emphasizes on different interpretation of Islam which led to different understanding about the role of caliphs and ulamas. Hossein Nasr has quoted:
Shi\'ism was not brought into existence only by the question of the political succession to Muhammad as so many Western works claim (although this question was of course of great importance). The problem of political succession may be said to be the element that crystallized the Shi\'ites into a distinct group, and political suppression in later periods, especially the martyrdom of Imam Husayn-upon whom be peace-only accentuated this tendency of the Shi\'ites to see themselves as a separate community within the Islamic world. The principal cause of the coming into being of Shi\'ism, however, lies in the fact that this possibility existed within the Islamic revelation itself and so had to be realized. Inasmuch as there were exoteric[Zaheri] and esoteric[Bateni] interpretations from the very beginning, from which developed the schools (madhhab) of the Sharia and Sufism in the Sunni world, there also had to be an interpretation of Islam which would combine these elements in a single whole. This possibility was realized in Shi\'ism, for which the Imam is the person in whom these two aspects of traditional authority are united and in whom the religious life is marked by a sense of tragedy and martyrdom... Hence the question which arose was not so much who should be the successor of Muhammad as what the function and qualifications of such a person would be.Nasr, Shi\'ite Islam, preface , p. 9 and 10
By some estimates, approximately 10-15% of the world\'s Muslims are Shia. There are an estimated 130 to 190 million Shia Muslimshttp://pewforum.org/events/index.php?EventID=R120 (including Twelvers, Ismailis, Zaidis) throughout the world, with the largest representation in Iran (which has the highest Shia population), Pakistan, India, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Afghanistan. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/40241_islamsects.shtml Independent News source mentioning Sunni-Shia demographic statistics]Sunni-Shia demographic statistics
A large portion of the world\'s Shia live in the Middle East. The Shia Population of the Middle EastThe Gulf 2000 Project SIPA Columbia University constitutes a majority in Azerbaijan, Iraq, Bahrain and especially Iran, where 90% of the population is Shia, giving it the highest percentage of Shia Muslims of any country in the world [1]. In Lebanon, the Shia form a plurality, and they remain as significant minorities in Syria, India (at 10%), Pakistan (at 20%), Afghanistan (at 18%), Turkey and Yemen. The smaller Persian Gulf states of Qatar, Kuwait (at 36%) and the United Arab Emirates (at 16%) also have significant Shia minorities, as does the (Eastern Province ~33%) of Saudi Arabia.
About 10% of India\'s Muslim population is Shia, and significant Shia communities exist on the coastal regions of West Sumatra and Aceh in Indonesia (see Tabuik). The Shia presence is negligible elsewhere in Southeast Asia, where Muslims are predominantly Shafi\'i Sunnis.
According to the Shia, one of the lingering problems in estimating the Shia population is that unless the Shia form a significant minority in a Muslim country, the entire population is often listed as Sunni. The reverse, however, has not held true, which may contribute to imprecise estimates of the size of each sect. For example, the 1926 rise of the House of Saud in Arabia brought official discrimination against Shia Discrimination towards Shia in Saudi Arabia. Some Shia claim that they endure much bigotry and other indignities from Wahabi authorities daily and that Shia pilgrims from other countries are often singled out for harassment (see Status of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia); in Saudi Arabia they are called akkaf (عكف) which means rejecters (رافضه).
Part of a series on the Islamic creed:
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| Five Pillars of Islam | |
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Shahādah - Profession of faith | |
| Sunni Six articles of belief | |
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Tawhīd - Oneness | |
| Shi\'a Ithna Ashari Twelvers Principles of the Religion (Usul al-Din) | |
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Tawhīd - Oneness | |
| Shi\'a Ithna Ashari Twelvers Practices of the Religion (Furu al-Din) | |
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Salah - Prayer | |
| Shi\'a Ismaili 7 pillars | |
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Walayah - Guardianship | |
| Others | |
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Kharijite Sixth pillar of Islam. |
The Shia believe in the five pillars of Islam, as do Sunnis, but categorize them differently. Shia beliefs include the following:
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Please help improve this article by expanding this section. See talk page for details. Please remove this message once the section has been expanded. |
Traditionally most Shia Muslims consider Ali ibn Abi Talib and the other 11 imams not only religious guides but political leaders, based on a crucial hadith where the Prophet Muhammad passes on his power to command Muslims to Ali. Since the last Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, went into "occultation" in 939 AD and is not expected back until end times, this left Shia without religiously sanctioned governance.
The first Twelver Shia regime, the Safavid dynasty in Iran, propagated the Twelver faith, made Shia law the law of the land, and patronized Shia scholarship. For this, Shia ulama "crafted a new theory of government" which held that while "not truly legitimate", the Safavid monarchy would be "blessed as the most desirable form of government during the period of waiting" for the 12th Imam.Nasr, Vali, The Shia Revival, Norton, (2006), p.74-75
In general, Shia jurists adhere to one of three approaches towards the state: either full participation in government, i.e. attempting to influence policies by becoming active in politics, or passive cooperation with it, i.e. minimal participation, or else most commonly, mere toleration of it, i.e. remaining aloof from it. Momen, An Introduction to Shi\'i Islam, (1985), p.193
This changed with Iranian Revolution where the Ayatollah Khomeini and his supporters established a new theory of governance for the Islamic Republic of Iran based on Khomeini\'s theory of guardianship of the Islamic jurist as rule of the Islamic jurist, and jurists as "legatees" of the Prophet Muhammad.
While not all Shia accept this theory, it is uniquely Shia and the basis of the constitution of Iran, the leading Shia Muslim country, where the Supreme Leader must be an Islamic jurist.
Most Shia are Twelvers (Ithna-\'Ashariyya) and they recognize twelve Imams.
There are a few groups of Ismaili Shia, which include Nizari Ismailis, Dawoodi Bohras, Alavi Bohras, and the Seveners. Nizaris are small in numbers, though they are the biggest non-Twelver Shia group. They accept Jafar as Sadiq\'s eldest son Ismail as the next Imam. Seveners do not recognize any further of the Twelvers\' Imams beyond Jafar. The only major non-Twelver and non-Ismaili group are Zaidis.
The Ahlul Bayt are viewed as the perfect example for mankind, and like the prophets, should be emulated in acts and deeds. The Shia believe that the Imams of Ahlul Bayt carry the divinely appointed responsibility of protecting Islam and enacting the example of the pure Sunnah of Muhammad. The Imams of Ahlul Bayt have guided Muslims throughout history, in many cases under the most horrible circumstances and under the most severe forms of discrimination due to the cruel policies of the reigning governments of the time. They are seen as incorruptible and infallible role models for Muslims that have shown the way of goodness and prosperity in this world and the next in the best way until their martyrdom or occultation.
Ja\'fari jurisprudence or Ja\'fari Fiqh is the name of the jurisprudence of the Shia Twelvers Muslims, derived from the name of Ja\'far al-Sadiq, the 6th Shia Imam.
The Ja\'ffari Shia consider Sunnah to be the oral traditions of Muhammad and their implementation and interpretation by the Imams who were all scholars and descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and her husband, the first Imam, Ali.
Shia Muslims believe that the study of Islamic literature is a continual process, and is necessary for identifying all of God\'s laws. Sunni Muslims also believe that they can interpret the Qur\'an and hadith with the same authority as their predecessors - that the door to ijtihad was never closed. However, the opinion of the 1st and 2nd century (7th and 8th century Gregorian calendar) scholars Hanbali, Hanafi, Maliki, and Shafii are given greater weight.
Because Islamic law is based partly on hadith (traditions or customs of Mohammad) the Shia rejection of some Sunni hadith and Sunni rejection of some Shia hadith means that the versions of the law differ somewhat.
For example, while both Shia and Sunni pray five times each day, some of the prayer times differ. Shia perform ritual prayers (Salah), back to back, sometimes worshipping two times consecutively (1+2+2) - Asr with Dhuhr, and Isha\'a with Maghrib, respectively. Shia do not perform non-obligatory prayers in congregation, like Tar\'raweeh, which Sunnis pray during Ramadaan.
Another issue of difference between the sects is that of Nikah Mut‘ah or "temporary marriage". While the Sunni claim that Mut`ah is forbidden, Shia accept it because it is found in a number of Shia traditions that the practice is permitted. There are Sahih Shia traditions which maintain that mut\'ah is forbidden, but these are dismissed as they contradict other narrations on mut\'ah which were deemed more acceptable.hadith number 511 The Shia sheikh Tusi gives the explanation that although this hadith is Sahih, it was narrated by Ali under taqiyah and therefore the contradiction between this hadith and those Shia narrations permitting mut\'ah can be overlooked. Many Shia discourage the practice of Mut\'ah, but maintain that it is permissible.
Another difference is that some Shia use soil (turbah) or clay tablets (mohr) during their prayers.
.jpg/58px-Muharram procession 2, Manama, Bahrain (Feb 2005).jpg)
Shi\'a Muslims in Bahrain strike their chests during the Remembrance of Muharram.
All Muslims, Sunni or Shia, celebrate the following annual holidays:
The following holidays are observed by Shia only, unless otherwise noted:
Both Shia and Sunni Muslims share a certain veneration and religious obligations towards certain shrines and holy sites, such as Mecca (Masjid al-Haram), Medina (Al-Masjid al-Nabawi), and Jerusalem (Al-Aqsa Mosque). For a list of some of the holiest uniquely Shia shrines see Shia holy sites.
At various times many Shi\'a groups have faced persecution.(Ya\'qubi; vol.lll, pp.91-96, and Tarikh Abul Fida\', vol. I, p.212.)http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=PcKBtc8bymoC&oi=fnd&pg=PA237&dq=shia+persecution&ots=Cpp7WVSE_U&sig=ZVP6c1ibBP6xL-ZtzCIXJ-hajrshttp://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/autocodes/countries/iraq/basra-handover-completed-$1179488.htmhttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,30809-2523714,00.htmlhttp://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/681/re2.htmhttp://www.nmhschool.org/tthornton/mehistorydatabase/shia.php
While the dominant strand in modern Sunni dogma regards Shiism as a valid madhhab, following Al Azhar, some Sunnis both now and in the past have regarded it as beyond the pale, and have attacked its adherents. In modern times, notable examples include the bombing campaigns by the Sunni Sipah-e-Sahaba and the Shia Tehrik-e-Jafria, two small extremist groups, against Shia or Sunni mosques in Pakistan, the persecution of Hazara under the Taliban, and the bloody attacks linked with Zarqawi and his followers against Shia in Iraq.
The Shia believe that the split between the Shia and Sunni began with Muhammad\'s death, when Abu Bakr was accepted as the successor to Muhammed by the majority of Muslims, then Umar and Uthman. They believe that the successorship was given to Ali at Ghadir Khum (a hadith accepted by Shi’a scholars)[citation needed], and that the testimony that can be traced back to reliable sources is to be trusted, while traditions that cannot be fully verified are suspect.
Shia and Sunni historians record that many Shia have been persecuted, intimidated, and killed, through what Shia consider a coup d\'état against Ali\'s caliphate.[citation needed] Many prominent Salafi Sunni scholars are known to have openly considered the Shia as "kufar" (disbelievers). Imam Ash-Shafi\'i, one of the most prominent early scholars of his time said in regards to the Shia "I have not seen among the heretics a people more famous for falsehood than the Raafidite Shi’ites."Ibn Taymeeyah, Minhaaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah, 1/39 Such statements stem mainly from differences in beliefs regarding Ali, Umar, and other companions, and in the Shia\'s use of various concepts, such as Muta.
The renowned al-Azhar university of theology in Egypt, originally founded by the Shia during the reign of the Fatimid caliphate in 988History of the Middle East Database, considers Shia philosophy to be an indivisible part of the body of Islamic jurisprudence. Today, both Sunni and Shia students graduate from the Al-Azhar university which also teaches regarding both doctrines and uses certain Shia material in its courses. (See List of Shia books). On July 6, 1959, Shaikh Mahmood Shaltoot -the head of the al-Azhar Theological school- announced the al-Azhar Shia Fatwa
- Islam does not require a Muslim to follow a particular Madh\'hab (school of thought). Rather, we say: every Muslim has the right to follow one of the schools of thought which has been correctly narrated and its verdicts have been compiled in its books. And, everyone who is following such Madhahib [schools of thought] can transfer to another school, and there shall be no crime on him for doing so.
- The Ja\'fari school of thought, which is also known as "al-Shia al-Imamiyyah al-Ithna Ashariyyah" (i.e., The Twelver Imami Shi\'ites) is a school of thought that is religiously correct to follow in worship as are other Sunni schools of thought.
Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has made differing statements on the matter, and seems to have changed his stance on Shi\'aism as he acquired more knowledge on the topic:
"Let it be known to all that the Shi`ah are Muslims who believe in the Oneness of Allah and the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes, there is no doubt that the Shi`ah have their beliefs and dogmas which we condemn as heresy but this doesn’t make them non-Muslims." (August 17, 2006)[2]
"He pointed out that he travelled to Iran around 8 years ago and met with former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and was received enthusiastically. And he told the Shia scholars there that if there is to be a true discussion and unity amongst us it is necessary for a number of things to be fully stopped, such as your saying that the Quran in our hands is altered and that the Mushaf Faatemah is an addition to this Quran, and the constant insults upon the Sahaabah, May Allah be pleased with them . And it is beyond imagination that I would say Abu Bakr, Radhia Allahu Anhu, and you say, La\'anahu Allah, this is totally unacceptable. Also to stop consistently talking about Ali\'s higher right to Khilaphah, for all of them have died and the matter is finished, and that Umar bin Abdul Aziz was asked on the past conflict between Ali and Muawiyah and the blood in this conflict, he said that Allah has cleansed our hands from this blood so why should we soil our tongues with it." (September 3, 2006)Qaradawi: Shias have penetrated Egypt and Hassan Nasrallah is an extremist (i.e. ghalli) Shia
Similar fatwas (promoting the acceptance of Shi\'as into mainstream Islam) have not been issued by some Sunni scholars or universities. A number of contemporary Sunni scholars such as Shaykh Dr Khaalid ibn ‘Ali al-Mushayqih (who released a fatwa regarding praying with the Shia) maintain that Shia are not considered as Muslims, unless they deny certain beliefs found in a number of Shia hadith books like al-kafi that are accepted by the majority of twelver Shia:
The Shia and Sunnis differ in their view of Aisha (one of the wives of the Muhammad). The Shia have a dim view of her character whereas the Sunnis consider her an exemplary woman. The differences stem primarily from the Shia claim of dishonourable behaviour with Muhammad and her taking a position opposed to the position of the fourth Caliph Ali regarding how to handle the prosecution of the assassinators of the third Caliph Uthman. For more details, please refer to Sunni and Shia views of Aisha.
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