ipl-logo

Comparing The Beliefs And Practices Of Shia Islam

941 Words4 Pages

Introduction

The aim of this paper is to study the essential beliefs and practices of Islam (Sunni Islam in particular), the evolution of the Hadith and to highlight the role it plays in Sunni Islam.

Definition and Distinction of Sunni Islam

Islam today is a conglomerate of various sects which are distinguished by a few varying beliefs and practices. Practices which do not contradict the most fundamental beliefs of Islam such as; the Six articles of Faith and the Five pillars of Islam. These factions are numerous in number however, there are majorly two Islamic sects namely; Sunni Islam and Shia Islam. But according to estimates, the majority of Muslims in the world are Sunnis. Just as it was mentioned in the introduction, our focus is on the Sunnis …show more content…

Sunnis believe that the first four caliphs were elected by the community, while Shiites believe that Ali, the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, was the rightful leader (successor of the Prophet) and that the leadership should have been passed down through his descendants. Both have very logical reasons why there hold on to their beliefs. However, it has and will always be a battle of wits when it comes to the issues of legitimacy of power.

Another important difference between the two factions is their beliefs about the role of the Imams. Sunnis do not have a specific religious leader, while Shiites believe that the Imams, who are descendants of the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and her husband Ali, have a special spiritual and political role.

Lastly, Sunni Muslims adhere to the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions and hold that in understanding the Koran and the Prophet's teachings, consensus (ijma) and the application of reason (ijtihad) are crucial. The community's interpretation of the Qur'an and the Hadith is highly valued by

Show More
Related
878 Words | 4 Pages

With reference to the above stimulus, Explain how Islam guides adherents to follow the example of Prophet Muhammad in their worship of Allah. The foundation of Islam lies in adherents' sacrifices to worship Allah by following the example of Prophet Muhammad. The principal belief of Tawhid reinforces the submission to Allah as the one God of Islam, and hence their fulfilling an authentic Muslim life. Muslims central way of submission is through the Five Pillars, in particular Salat and Sawm, which Prophet Muhammad exemplified throughout his lifetime. With adherents following the example of Prophet Muhammad, documented in the Qu’ran and Hadith, they are able to say that everything they do is for Allah, as he is the “Lord of the worlds.”

Read More
627 Words | 3 Pages

After the death of Muhammad in 632 CE, a rift occurred within the Islamic community. There was a vacancy for leadership and a question of who was qualified to fill it. At that time the companions of the Prophet were elected to be central leaders and were known as Caliphs. The way in which Caliphs were elected, and who succeeded them, is where the difference between Sunni and Shia begins.

Read More
641 Words | 3 Pages

This article uses only two pictures. Although they have differences and are split up, in one of the pictures, they have all gathered to pray together. It also explains where Sunni and Shia Islam are concentrated. John Harvey is the author of this article. The authors purpose to write this article was to inform us on various ways Sunni and Shia Islam are different and how they came to have complications that led them to split up. .

Read More
251 Words | 2 Pages

Shi’a also believes in a ongoing sequence of heirs amongst the children of Ali. The Shi’a is not accepting of the three Caliphs. The Sunni is the original Islam. They follow the Sunnah, which is the teaching of Muhammad and they are taught by the readings of the Quran. The Sunni follow Muhammad only.

Read More
147 Words | 1 Pages

The similarities between the Greek klismos chair and the 19th century regency chair are mostly in the backrest and curved of the structure of the chair. Both chairs have saber legs, which are chair legs that curve inwards towards each other. The backs of the chairs also had a concave, or slight curve with a crest-rail, detailed carving at the top of the chair. These are some of the major classical elements shown in the regency chair.

Read More
162 Words | 1 Pages

The division between Sunni and Shia Muslims is rooted in a disagreement over who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad as the leader of the Muslim community(3). The Shia Muslims believe that leadership should remain within Muhammad’s family, specifically through his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, and his descendants, who are known as the Imams (2,3). Shia Muslims believe Muhammad designated Ali as his successor, and look towards the Imam more as a spiritual leader to guide the Muslim community on the interpretations of the Quran and Islamic law (3,5). On the other hand, Sunni Muslims believe that the leader (caliph) should be determined by the Muslim community based on merit and qualifications, regardless of their bloodline (1). The Sunni Muslims

Read More
1297 Words | 6 Pages

After the Prophet by Lesley Hazleton is a narrative history that tells you about the cause of the split in between Muslims. The Sunnis and The Shias. Hazleton does this in three main chapters that circulate around the people that mainly cause the Sunni-Shia ordeal. Prophet Muhammad, Ali, and Hussein. When the Prophet Muhammad dies after an illness, his followers were at loss of an irreplaceable leader.

Read More
336 Words | 2 Pages

Islam has two main branches: Sunni and Shiite. Most Muslims, around 90% fall into the Sunni category while the other 10% make up the Shiite. The two split due to the “controversy surrounding leadership of the Muslim community after the death of the Prophet Muhammad” (Brodd p501). Some Muslims thought that a new leader should be chosen by agreement; while the others thought that only the prophet’s descendants should become caliph. As the Muslims split into two due to the differences in the leadership, Sunni emerges at the more “conservative” of the two.

Read More
1139 Words | 5 Pages

Though the Pope’s political influence has been greatly reduced through the recent centuries, his work as the global representative of over a billion followers continues to this day. Islam, however, has no official leader. The largest leaders within Islam are known as Imam’s, who are the religious leaders of a specific Muslim community. Islam has no leader on the scale of the Pope within Christianity. Since there was no leader to aid in the spread of the Islamic faith, Islam depended solely on the natural spread of its faith through trade routes and word of mouth.

Read More
1021 Words | 5 Pages

First would be that of Shia Islam which has a theology known for their emphasis on Ali (the son-in-law of Muhammed) and their belief that the authority of Muhammed lives through his successors via their understanding of the law. Next would be that of Sunni Islam which gives a lesser role towards Ali and asserts that interpretation of the law varies and should be approached via consensus of Islamic scholars. Sufi Islam is a branch of Sunni Islam which adds in many mystical type notions into the theology such as the recognition of personal spirit guides. Meanwhile, the Islamic Wahhabism movement is a fundamentalist movement which is known for their opposition to change to Islamic teachings and their goal of restoring Islam to an earlier state. Thus we can see that while Islam is a singular religion so to speak, there certainly are many schools of thought within it with regards to how such diversity in theological thought has developed.

Read More
1080 Words | 5 Pages

The five pillars serve as the basic identity for all Muslims, connecting a worldwide comunity’s faith, beliefs and

Read More
479 Words | 2 Pages

The Shia, or Shiites also known individually as Shi’I follows Ali, Muhammad’s cousin. They consider themselves holding more authority than the Sunnis due to directly being related to Muhammad’s daughter Fatima. This belief is another reason why the Sunnis and Shias separated into separate sects after Muhammad’s death.

Read More
873 Words | 4 Pages

Islam is the second biggest religion and fastest growing in the world today. Islam is a religion that Muslims follow and is a monotheistic faith regarded as revealed through Muhammad as the prophet of Allah. For Muslims, Muhammad is the last prophet and Abraham is the patriarch of the Qur’an, Bible and Torah. Islam is followed by over a billion people and Muslims make up approximately one quarter of the world’s population. Islam spread quickly during the 600’s trade, choice, and conquest.

Read More
777 Words | 4 Pages

Christianity and Islam share many similarities with a few fundamental differences. Both religions follow monotheism, though in Islam it is much stricter. Jesus and Gabriel are focal points for Christianity and Islam respectively. God and Allah stand for the same higher power and basis for religion. In Islam, the five pillars are the main difference just as Mary is the mother of Jesus and the beginning of the Christian religions teachings.

Read More
2077 Words | 9 Pages

A. PREAMBLE The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 has sparked intense curiosity and interest in the world especially the West to learn and investigate the religion of Islam. The Muslim people are portrayed as violent and barbaric, and Islam as oppressive and antithesis to human rights values. Thus, escalation of public opinion about Islam has encouraged debates and forums, and also stirred demonstrations and movements which have compelled the Muslims to speak out their minds and interpret and recast their texts viz. Quran and Sunnah of prophet Mohammad and even question and challenge the prevailing culture and practices, and domineering structures.

Read More

More about Comparing The Beliefs And Practices Of Shia Islam

Related Topics

Open Document