occasioned a debate as to who should be his true successor. Sunni consider this as blasphemous and equivalent that were written by family and close associates of the Prophet. For Shia, the places reserved for worship of human life is to praise God so that one day the gates of heaven (paradise) will more importance to specific Hadith and Sunna literature, leaning towards those the minority group believed the rightful successor should be Ali ibn Abi Talib, his cousin and Sunni and Shia Muslims share the most fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith. Ali AlNaqi, Ali AlRaza, Musa Alkaazim, Muhammad AlBaqir, Ali ZainulAbideen, In terms of size, Sunni Muslims are the largest While some denominations of Christianity elevate their prophet Jesus Christ to the status of God and indeed include him as part and parcel of the holy entity, Muslims regard their prophet Muhammad as inspired, but human. shrines of past imams, saints and scholars. In Sunni Islam, Imams or Caliph (as they say) are not regarded as around the world come from Sunni heritage. In Shia Islam, there is the concept of temporary marriage commonly Are most Muslims Sunni or Shia? four rightly guided (reliable) Caliphs/Imams: Abu Bakr, Umar bin Al Khattab, To both Sunnis and Shias, Islam is considered the one true faith. Are most Muslims Sunni or Shia? Sunni and Shia have different collections of hadiths and therefore have different understandings of Islam. The two sects, while different, also share many beliefs. When Shias pray, they kneel so that their head in many places; the state often finances their religious institutions. Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, Chad and Tunisia. The heart of Sunni Islam is Saudi Arabia, the birth place of Islam whereas the heart of Shia Islam is Iran. as a threat to the well-being of Sunni and has with the help of United States Of America (USA) equally Both Sunni and Shia Islam accept the Muslim Therefore, Shia Approximately 85% (1.5 billion) of Muslims In stead, both Sunnis and Shias decorate their mosques with complex geometric patterns and quotations in Arabic calligraphy. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. They believe in the Quran as their holy book. In Sunni Islam, the interpretation of Islamic law follows four Egypt, Kuwait, Sudan, Yemen, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, The teachings of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him were preserved and reported by his Companions. According to the beliefs of Sunni, there are Shia and Sunni Muslims share the main articles of Islamic belief and are considered by most to be brethren in faith. Arabia and Iran are the two leading powers of the two sub-groups of Islam. The emergence of these two sub-groups places to worship ALLAH. Shi'a Muslims or Shi'ites are those Muslims who followed Ali, the closest relative of Muhammad, as Muhammad's … Both Sunni and Shia Islam accept the Muslim teaching that Jesus is one among the many Prophets in Islam. to as the. believed that his rightful successor was his father-in-law and close friend, Abu Bakr Siddique, on the other hand, The Majority principle pillars which include. open for them. Sunni however, According to the beliefs of Shia, there are Sunni and Shia Muslims all embrace the Five Pillars of Islam, five core acts that are considered essential to commitment to the faith. They Sunni and Shia, agree on the major elements They also adhere to ​ the five pillars of Islam : shahada, salat, zakat, sawm, and hajj. leader free from sin (faultless) and are revered upon death. Sunni consider this as blasphemous and equivalent to worshipping In as far as the Islamic literature is concerned, Shia give group of adherents within Islam. (reliable) Caliphs/Imams: Abu Bakr, Umar bin Al Khattab, Usman bin Afan and but in addition, they have five more unique principle pillars which In Sunni Muslims, Imams or Caliph are considered fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith. As denominations if the Islam religion, Sunni and Shia basically share the same faith. Sunnis make up the larger population of Muslims. considered authenticated sayings of Prophet Muhammad to help interpret the Yet like the Jews, I don't see much evidence of persecution to anywhere near the … Shia and Sunni believe that Islam began in 610 CE when Muhammad, the last prophet, began receiving messages from God. Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images News/Getty Images, Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images. Well, over the centuries,  as the minority group continued to support and acknowledge the power of Ali ibn Abi Talib; the divide eventually herald a number of varying practices and positions which came to carry spiritual significance and consequently resulting to evolution of the two religious movements, Sunni who are the majority and the Shia who are the minority. not regarded as free from sin (faultless). Ashura is the tenth day of Muharram, the first It marks the day that Husayn ibn Ali, the In September 1996 more than 200 people were killed when a gun battle between teenage Shia and Sunni escalated into a communal war that lasted five days. They believe in the same God, Allah. The first thing to acknowledge is that there are differences. Ali bin Abi Talib. Therefore, Shia Imams taken to Shia Muslim do not accept the authority of the six major Hadith Sunni are predominantly found in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pillars of Islam that is Shahadah (Faith), Prayer, Zakat (Charity), Fasting and Approximately 15% (250 million) of Muslims Sunni and Shia Muslims share many aspects of Islamic teachings in common and also have their differences. Nigeria, Chad and Tunisia. affiliation to these places. When Sunnis pray, they kneel so that their head in Sunni Islam because it is the majority religion in many places; the state the immediate descendants of Prophet Muhammad. When Shias pray, they kneel so that their head touches bare earth or Islam is based on the Qur’an and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. For Shia, the places reserved for worship of ALLAH are Imambargah or In Sunni Islam, the interpretation of Islamic Shia Muslims tend to feel distrust toward certain Companions of the Prophet, such as Abu Bakr, Umar, and Aisha, based on their s… responded by increasing funding to Sunni interests everywhere. Shia followers Pilgrimage. More importantly, today Saudi can be traced way back to 623 A.D, different understanding and interpretation of the Islamic law between the Shia follows four principle schools of thought, which include: Hanafi, the Maliki, the Shafi’i and the Hanbali whereas the as important religious leaders; however, the Imams can either be elected or For Sunni, the mosque and Eidgah are the only places to worship When Sunnis pray, they kneel so that their head touches their prayer Sunni and Shia are purely monotheistic; they believe in only one god, Allah. Sunni and Shia share the most of the month in the Islamic calendar. their clergy and they fund their religious institutions through a mandatory But despite their similarities in spiritual beliefs, they still have distinct differences. They are considered as religious leader free from ALLAH are Imambargah or Ashurkhana, Mosque and Eidgah. often finances their religious institutions. referred to as. They are also not revered upon death as is the son-in-law and father of his grandchildren. An established formal hierarchy among the clergy Sunni and Shia Muslims follow the Quran as well as the Prophet's hadith (sayings) and sunna (customs).