Difference Between Shia and Sunni

Introduction

There are many religions across the globe. And most religions are divided into various branches. This difference in beliefs under the same religion has created various branches or even lead to different religions. Every religion has its own beliefs, laws, and order. They believe in different gods, and multiple holy books are intended to write by the god.

Over time, there are many religions which have their branches. And in this article, we are going to discuss one such religion which has two separate branches. Muslim are divided into two subgroups, i.e., Shia and Sunni.

Shia and Sunni share the fundamental beliefs of Islam and believe in Allah. Both follow the path of Islam. Sunni is the largest branch of Muslim. They make up 85% of the world's Muslim Population.

Shia is the second largest branch of Muslim. They are 15% of the remaining Muslim population around the globe.

Shia vs Sunni

Shia and Sunni are the two branches of Islam. But they do not align in many aspects. They have different beliefs about who succeeded the prophet, Muhammad. Then, the religious practices, figures, traditions, and theology are all different for both Shia and Sunni. They are alive on the terms of the same god, but they worship the same god differently, whether you take it from practices to the religious places they visit all are different in both branches. Though, it is also to keep one thing in mind both groups share the same core beliefs and principles of Islam.

The main difference that has caused the split into different branches is due to the differences in belief, who is the successor of the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Muslim community.

Difference between Shia and Sunni in tabular form

Parameters of comparison	Shia	Sunni
Succession	Ali is believed to be the successor, the son-in-law and cousin of Prophet Muhammad as the leader of the Muslim community.	Abu-Bakr, the closest companion of "Prophet Muhammad", is the successor of Prophet Muhammad as the leader of the Muslim community.
Hajj	They emphasize visiting the shrines of imams in Iran and Iraq.	They focus on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Sawm (Fasting)	During Ramadan, they break their fast through dates and water.	During Ramadan, they break their fast through dates and milk.
Religious Authority	They have a hierarchical religious structure with religious leaders known as Ayatollahs.	They do not have any significant religious authority.
Jurisprudence	Shia Muslims depend on the teachings of their Imams.	Sunni Muslims depend on sources like the Quran (the holy book of Muslims), Sunnah (the Prophet’s teachings) and some beliefs of scholars.
Fate on Imams	They have fate on imams (family members of the Prophet Muhammad), who are appointed divinely for this purpose.	Sunni Muslims do not consider any specialness of Imams.
Religious Practices- Praying on different days	They mark the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein on the Day of Ashura.	They celebrate the victory of the 'Prophet' on the same day over the battle of Badr.
Population	Shia Muslims have a population of 200 million	Sunni Muslims have a population of 1.2 billion
Languages	Languages used by them are Arabic, Urdu, and Farsi.	They use Arabic and Urdu.
Zakat (Charity)	Shia Muslims give zakat to their religious leaders, then these religious leaders distribute it to the poor.	Sunni Muslims give zakat to the poor directly. There is no involvement of religious leaders.
Salah (Prayer)	Shias perform prayers five times a day. They keep their hands on their sides while praying. They combine the midday and afternoon prayers, as well as evening and night prayers.	Sunnis also perform prayers five times a day. They fold their hands on their chest while praying. They perform all prayers separately.

Shia

Shia is also known as Shiites; one of the two branches of the Muslim community. They have a population of 200 million across the world, and they make up 15% of the Global Muslim population. And they form a significant population of Muslims in Iraq, Iran, Bahrain, Lebanon, and Yemen.

Shia Muslims believe that the successor must be someone from the family of the prophet Muhammad. They believed that the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, and the fourth caliph of the Islamic empire, Ali deserved to be the successor and Islamic political leader. This belief of Shia Muslims turned into a concept of imamah, which says that descendants of Muhammad, who were known as Ahl al-Bayt, are the Spiritual leaders or imams of Islam.

Imamah also says that the Imam is not only the leader, but also a spiritual guide aware of divine knowledge. And Imam has been appointed by God and must be someone to be the descendent of Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah and her husband.

Imams would have been the leaders of Islam at the event of Ghadir Khumm but were prevented by other companions of Muhammad at Saqifah. Shias believe that they deserve special and spiritual authority over the Muslim community. They also follow Imam's guidance, which is essential in their religious matters.

For the adherents of Shia Islam, this certitude is implicit in Quran (the holy book of Islam) and history also states the same. Scholars believe that notion is linked to the family of Muhammad itself and it is also mentioned in the Quran under verses 3.33 and 3.34. The verse mentions that the family of Abraham including his son Ishmael and grandson Jacob are chosen by Allah.

Verses 3.33 and 3.34 of the Quran says:

"Indeed, God chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imran over the world – Descendants, some of them from others. And God is Hearing and Knowing."

History

Shia means "Shi’atu Ali" or "the party of Ali". And probably everyone must know who is Ali, as we have discussed above.

Let us come back to the discussion that what Shia Muslims have given to history.

After the death of Prophet Muhammad In 632 CE, a dispute about who should succeed the Prophet. Shia Muslims believed that the power should remain in the family of Prophet Muhammad. And they believed that Ali should be the successor of the Prophet, who was the closest relative of the Prophet.

Event of Dhul Asheera

According to Shia Muslims, this event Prophet Muhammad invited his relatives to a meal (known as the Feast of Dhul Asheera) during which he gave the pronouncement. During this event, sources say that Prophet Muhammad gave the pre-announcement to pass on his heir to the throne. Sources, such as Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal say that Ali offered his consent to the heir to the throne. Prophet declared Ali as the heir and successor.

Beliefs and practices

1. The profession of faith (Shahada)- Shia Muslims have three clauses of Shahada, which address fundamental Islamic beliefs, such as Tawhid (unity and oneness of God), Nubuwwah (the prophethood of Muhammad),and Imamah (leadership of faith).
2. Infallibility (Ismah)- As believed by Shia Muslims, infallibility is a necessary precondition for spiritual and religious guidance. They argue the fact that the guidance is given directly by God and the order is right. And if they follow all the guidance then they are the purest ones and only beings that are immune to, all uncleanness.

And there are some other beliefs followed by Shia Muslims are-

• Hadith Tradition
• Occultation (Ghaybah)
• Holy relics (Tabarruk)

Some Distinctive Holidays of Shia Muslims

1.  Eid al-Ghadeer- The anniversary of Ghadi, it was on this occasion Muhammad appointed Ali as the successor of Prophet Muhammad.
2. Ali’s Birthday- They celebrate his birthday on the 13^th day of Rajab (The seventh month of the Muslim Calendar).
3. Mawlid- Shia Muslims celebrate Muhammad’s Birthday on the 17^th of the Rabi’ al awwal (the third month of the Islamic Calendar).

Sunni

Sunni is another branch of the Muslim community. They have a population of 1.2 billion across the world and they make up 85% of the Muslims around the world, their population is greater than Shia Muslims. And they form a significant population of Muslims in countries like Algeria, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Libya, Kuwait, Turkey, Sudan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Egypt.

Sunnis believed that the rightful successors after the prophet Muhammad are the first four caliphs of Islam.

Adherents of Sunni Muslim

They were referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah in Arabic or Sunnism in English.

They believe that the companions of Muhammad are the actual transmitters of Islam. And most of them believed it. As narrated by Abdullah, the son of Masood, where Muhammad said:

"The best of the people are my generation, then those who come after them." According to Sunnis, support for this view is also mentioned in the Qur'an.

It is also believed that companions were true believers, as they were given the task to compile the Qur'an.

There is no proper hierarchy among Sunni Muslims. According to Islamic Centre, anyone can become an Islamic Scholar, who has intelligence and the will can take command.

Terminology

The term Sunnis is derived from the Arabic word Sunna. It was followed by many people. It got political significance after the death of caliph “Uthman ibn Affan.” At the time of the Umayyad Dynasty, many political movements among Shia and Kharijites fought against the state formation and conducted their battles in the name of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet. During the Second civil war, the term Sunna received much criticism from the Shia people. It was all recorded by a Mufti in Kufa and then comes the need to follow the first two caliphs and understand their importance.

Differences between Shia and Sunni in points

• If you talk about people then you would understand that there are differences in thoughts, so the moment, Prophet died. The differences started to come out. The beliefs started to contradict the thoughts of being one. This led to the formation of two groups of Muslims, i.e., Shia and Sunni. Shia followed Ali and they wanted him to be the successor of the Muslims, as he was from Prophet's family. Whereas, Sunnis followed Abu Bakr and they wanted him to be the successor of the Muslims, as he was the closest companion of the Prophet.
• If beliefs differ then actions must also differ from each other. Then the actions might differ also, as in the case of Shia Muslims, who can combine their prayers. And that is not the case for Sunni Muslims, who are not allowed to combine their prayers. Sunni Muslims have to pray 5 times a day. And Shia Muslims can combine their prayers, to read 3 times a day.
• Sunnis believe that caliphs were chosen by the prophet and are the rightful leaders of Islam after Prophet. Though, Shias believe that twelve imams were appointed to succeed Prophet Muhammad.
• Both groups follow the same five pillars of Islam but follow them differently. They follow the same religious book and the same rules but perform it differently.

Conclusion

By now it has been very clear that both groups are Muslims but their beliefs are a little different. There are people, who are not even aware of this concept. They just follow know that their religion is Islam, so they will only follow that. But some people get politics out of religion who are very much aware of this fact and use this concept for their gain. Overall Islam is followed all over the world. The holy book Quran is known as the book of everything, i.e., the book that has all the answers in the world. Not only Muslims, but non-Muslims also follow the holy book Quran. Then, the concept of hajj is also famous all over the world. People from every corner of the world visit Mecca, Saudi Arabia for the hajj during the time of Ramadan (the holy month in the Islam Calendar). And it is a common practice among Muslims. Both groups are part of Islam and together they play an essential role in defining the way people live.

References

• Sunni Islam - Wikipedia
• Shia Islam - Wikipedia