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Shias
& Sunnies
Like other religions, Islam is not
always absolute or monolithic. Since Prophet Muhammad (saw) died in 632, the community has been divided into
two groups, the Shias and the Sunnies.
This division was probably inevitable since the absence of a
central major authority, and the influence of non-Arab cultures
on the Islamic religion. In whole the two groups are not very
different when it comes to Iman, or the basic and full idea on
which Islam is based upon. The two groups just have slighty
different ideas, based on political as well as spiritual
foundations- that have marked Islamic history.
»»Sunnism
About 85% of all Muslim are Sunnites, or
member of the Sunni branch of Islam. Sunnism is often referred to
as orthodox Islam. Sunnies are usually catergorized as followers
of the sunna, the "path" or "way" of
the Prophet (when referring to Prophet, I mean Prophet Muhammad,
the last prophet in the Islamic world or better yet in the whole
world. For more information on prophets click here.) In practice, they are those who historically
accepted the authority of the Caliphate,
whoever held it and however attained it. Most Muslims in North
Africa, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Pakistan are Sunnies.
»»Shiism
Shiism is the religion of Iran (where
its primacy was confirmed by imperial decree in the 16th
century). Shiism derives its name from the words Shiat Ali,
or partisans of Ali, the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, who was
the last of the "rightly guided" caliphs adn the last
caliph based in Medina. When the Umayyads seized the Caliphate
and moved its seat to Damascus, the Shiites rejected teh Caliph's
authority. They believed, adn still fervently believe, that Ali
was designated by Muhammad as his successor. Shiites make up a
third of the population of Lebanon, about half the Iraqis, and
one-sixth of Pakistanis. There are an estimated 135,000 Shiites
in Saudi Arabia, mostly in the Eastern Province.
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