Shi'ism: Difference between revisions
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'''Shi‘ites''' (or ''Shi‘as'') are adherents of ''Shi‘ite Islam'' (also referred to as ''Shi‘a Islam'' or ''Shi‘ism''), and make up the second largest sect of [[Islam]] with an estimated 10-20% of the total Muslim population.<ref>[http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islamic_sects.htm Comparison of Sunni and Shia Islam] - ReligionFacts</ref><ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540503/Shiite Shīʿite] - Encyclopædia Britannica Online (2010)</ref><ref>[http://pewforum.org/Muslim/Mapping-the-Global-Muslim-Population%286%29.aspx Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population] - Pew Research Center, October 7, 2009</ref><ref>Tracy Miller - [http://pewforum.org/newassets/images/reports/Muslimpopulation/Muslimpopulation.pdf Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population] - Pew Research Center, October 2009</ref><ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2122.html The World Factbook]</ref> | |||
The historic background of the [[Sunni]]–Shi'ite split lies in the schism that occurred when the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]] died in the year 632 AD, leading to a dispute over succession to Muhammad as a [[caliph]] of the Islamic community spread across various parts of the world which led to the Battle of Siffin. | |||
According to this Shi'ite view, Ali as the successor of Muhammad, not only ruled over the community in [[justice]], but also interpreted the [[Shari'ah law]] and its esoteric meaning. Hence he was regarded as being free from error and sin (infallible), and appointed by [[Allah]] by divine decree (nass) to be the first Imam. Shi'ites combine five [[Salah|prayers]] into three prayer times; morning, afternoon and night. So, technically, they still partake in the same number of prayers a day as their Sunni counterparts. | |||
Shi'ites, as with the Sunnis, also follow the Qur'an and [[Sunnah]]. Shi'ites have their own form of [[hadith]] largely based on sermons by Ali, ''Al-Kafi'' and ''Nahj al-Balagha'' being seen as the most reliable.<ref>[http://www.ahya.org/amm/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=72 Al Kafi - The Bukhari of Shi'ism] - AHYA</ref> Shi'ite [[fiqh]] (according to a fatwa by Al-Azhar, the most respected authority in Sunni Islam)<ref>[http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter1b/14.html al-Azhar Verdict on the Shia] - Shi'ite Encyclopedia v2.0, Al-islam</ref> is accepted as a fifth [[Madh'hab|school of Islamic thought]]. | |||
==See Also== | ==See Also== |