Encyclopedia
Shi'a Islam, also
Shi'ite Islam,
Shiite or
Shi'ism is the second largest denomination of the religion based on
Islam. Shi'a Muslims adhere to what they consider to be the teachings of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad and the religious guidance of his family whom they refer to as the Ahlul Bayt. Thus, Shi'as consider the first three ruling Sunni
caliphs a historic occurrence and not something attached to faith. The singular/adjective form is
Shi’i and refers to a follower of the Household of Muhammad
and of
Ali ibn Abi Talib in particular.
Shi'a has at times been divided into many branches but today there are just four branches. The best known and the one with most adherents is Twelvers, the others being Ismaili, Alawi and Zaidiyyah.
Etymology
The term
Shi'a comes from the
Arabic word ???? Shi’ah. The singular/adjective form of this name is Arabic
Shi’i ????.
"Shi'a" is the short form of the historic phrase
Shi’at ‘Ali ???? ???, meaning "the followers of Ali" or "the faction of Ali". Shi’ah sources trace the term to the years preceding the death of Muhammad, see Shi'a etymology.
Overview
Shi'a Muslims believe that specific persons from Muhammad's family were the best source of knowledge about the
Qur'an, Islam, and Emulation , and the most trusted carriers and protectors of Muhammad's Sunnah .
In particular, Shi'a Muslims recognize the succession of Ali as opposed to that of the
caliphate recognized by Sunni Muslims. Shi’a Muslims believe that Ali was appointed successor by Muhammad's direct order on many occasions, and that he is therefore the rightful leader of the Muslim faith pursuant to the Prophet's wishes.
This difference between following either the Ahl al-Bayt or the
Caliph Abu Bakr has shaped Shi’ah and non-Shi’ah views on some of the Qur'an, the
Hadith and other areas by extension. For instance, the collection of Hadith venerated by Shi'a Muslims is centered around narrations by members of the Ahl al-Bayt, while some Hadith by narrators not belonging to the Ahl al-Bayt are not included .
Regardless of the dispute about the Caliphate, Shi'as recognize the authority of the Shi'a Imam as a religious authority, though different sects within Shi'a Islam dispute the rightful succession of this Imam and the current rightful successor .
Demographics
See Shi'a population for details.See Demographics of Islam.Top 15 Countries with Highest Proportion of Shiites in the Population
| Worldwide Shiite Population | Country | Shiite Population | Shiite Ratio % |
|---|
Iran | 61,000,000 | 93% | Pakistan | 26,700,000 | 25% | Iraq | 11,000,000 | 55 | Turkey | 6,000,000 | 15% | Azerbaijan | 4,700,000 | 61% | Afghanistan | 3,560,000 | 15% | Yemen | 3,170,000 | 36% | Lebanon | 1,370,000 | 40% | Syria | 1,300,000 | 17% | Oman | 948,750 | 75% | Saudi Arabia | 620,000 | 15% | Kuwait | 550,000 | 30% | Bahrain | 400,000 | 65% | United Arab Emirates | 400,000 | 16% | Tajikistan | 300,000 | 5% |
|}
According to most sources, including the US Library of Congress, present estimates indicate that approximately 85-90% of the world's Muslims are Sunni and approximately 10-15% are Shi'a. Today there are roughly 216 million Shi'as all over the world, and around three quarters of those reside in Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and India.
A large portion of the world's Shi'a live in the
Middle East. They constitute a majority in
Iran,
Iraq,
Bahrain,
Oman and
Azerbaijan. They remain as significant minorities in
Afghanistan,
Syria,
Pakistan,
Turkey and
Yemen. In
Lebanon Shias form a plurality . Among smaller Persian Gulf states,
Qatar,
Kuwait and the
United Arab Emirates have significant Shi'a minorities, as do the
Eastern Province of
Saudi Arabia.
The highest Shi'a population in one country is in
Iran, being around 80% of the population there.[https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ir.html].
Pakistan and
India, also hold significant Shi'a minorities. About 20% of Muslims in
India are also Shias . Shi'as are negligible in Southeast Asia, whose Muslims are predominantly Shafi Sunnis.
One of the lingering problems, according to Shi'a, in estimating the Shi'a population is that unless the Shi'a form a significant minority in a Muslim country, the entire population is often listed as Sunni. The reverse, however, has not been held true, which may contribute to imprecise estimates of the size of each sect. For example, the 1926 rise of the
House of Saud in Arabia brought official discrimination against Shi'a . The Shi'a-majority provinces of Hasa,
Qatif and Hufuf on the
Persian Gulf, and western Arabia provinces of
Jazan,
Asir and
Hijaz, that had large Shi'a minorities, have officially been completely stripped of their religious identities. Shi'a claim that they endure much bigotry and other indignities from Walmens authorities daily and that Shi'a pilgrims from other countries are often singled out for harassment .
Doctrines
Main doctrines
Shi'a believe in the five pillars of Islam, as do Sunnis, but categorize them differently. Shi'a beliefs include the following:
Roots of Religion- Tawhid : The Oneness of God
- Adalah : The Justice of God
- Nubuwwah : God has appointed perfect and infallible prophets and messengers to teach mankind the religion
- Imamah : God has appointed specific leaders to lead and guide mankind — a prophet appoints a custodian of the religion before his demise.
- Qiyamah : God will raise mankind for Judgment
Branches of Religion- Salat—called "Namaaz" in Persian – performing the five daily prayers
- Sawm—called "Roozeh" in Persian – fasting during the holy month of Ramadhan
- Hajj – performing the pilgrimage to Mecca. Also, one who has performed this Pilgrimage gains a prefix of "Haj—" in front of his name, similar to one who gains the title of Dr. after acquiring a PhD. People with the title are treated with great respect as this is a great honor in Islam.
- Zakat – paying the poor-tax
- Khums – paying tax
- Jihad – struggling to please God. The greater, or internal Jihad is the struggle against the evil within one's soul in every aspect of life. The lesser, or external, Jihad is the struggle against the evil of one's environment in every aspect of life. This is not to be mistaken with the common modern misconception that this means "Holy War". Writing the truth and speaking truth in front of an opressor are also forms of Jihad.
- Amr-Bil-Ma'ruf – commanding what is good
- Nahi-Anil-Munkar – forbidding what is evil
- Tawalla – loving the Ahlul Bayt and their followers
- Tabarra – dissociating oneself from the enemies of the Ahlul Bayt
Additional doctrines
Shi'a have many other doctrines that are shared with other Muslims, like wearing of the
Hijab. However, some are seen as more predominantly used by Shi'as, like Dissimulation , which is the dissimulation of one’s religious beliefs when one fears for one's life and the lives of one's family members. Also associated with the Shia are "Fixed time marriages" .
Misconceptions
There are seemingly widespread misconceptions about the Shi’a doctrines, regarding how and why Shi'as uphold them.
It is often said that Shi'as worship or deify Imam Ali. However, the term Shi'a literally means The Party. Early on, the Shi'as were referred to as
Shi'at Ali, or
The Party of Ali. As the majority of Muslims at the time of Muhammed's death favoured Abu Bakr as the Caliph, a portion of the population supported Ali, the prophet's son-in-law and cousin. Therefore, the Shi'as do not recognize Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman as the first three caliphs .
Shi'a Islam was seen by some as a political-religious sect that recognizes the leadership of Ali and his descendants. Theologically, Sunni Islam and Shi'a Islam do not differ, however many schools of thought that developed later on did become differentiated. Shi'a Islam claims it follows the words of Muhammed as given to him through divine guidance from God in the Qur'an.
Later on, however, a group called the Alawis claimed to be Shi'a and took an extreme view of Ali, holding him as God on earth . Since Shi'as denounced Alawis, Alawis broke apart and developed their own sect.
Shi'a Islam does not recognize Imam Ali as a prophet, or as a God on earth. He is seen as the proper leader of the nation of Islam after the death of the prophet Muhammed.
While Shi'a and Sunni accept the same sacred text, the
Qur'an, some claim that Shi'ah dispute the current version, i.e. they add two additional surahs known as al-Nurayn and al-Wilaya. Nonetheless, Shi'as claim that they are falsely accused of this, as they believe, like Sunnis, that the quran has never been changed.
Denominations
- Most Shi'a are Twelvers and they recognize twelve imams.
- Ali ibn Abu Talib , also known as Ali Amir al Mo'mineen , also know as Shah-e Mardan Ali
- Hasan ibn Ali , also known as Hasan al Mujtaba
- Husayn ibn Ali , also known as Husayn al Shaheed, also known as Sah Hüseyin
- Ali ibn Husayn , also known as Ali Zainul Abideen
- Muhammad ibn Ali , also known as Muhammad al Baqir
- Jafar ibn Muhammad , also known as Jafar as Sadiq
- Musa ibn Jafar , also known as Musa al Kazim
- Ali ibn Musa , also known as Ali ar Ridha
- Muhammad ibn Ali , also known as Muhammad al Jawad , also known as Taki
- Ali ibn Muhamad , also known as Ali al-Hadi, also known as Naki'
- Hasan ibn Ali , also known as Hasan al Askari
- Muhammad ibn Hasan , also known as Muhammad al Mahdi
- There are few groups of Ismaili Shi'a, which include Nizari Ismailis, Dawoodi Bohras, Alavi Bohras, and the Seveners. Nizaris are small in numbers, though they are the biggest non-Twelver Shia group. They accept Jafar as Sadiq's eldest son Ismail as the next Imam. Seveners do not recognize any further of the Twelvers' Imams beyond Jafar. The only major non-Twelver and non-Ismaili group are Zaidis.
Status of a Shi'a Imam
Shi'a Islam holds that the Imamate is one of the fundamentals of Islam and that one should follow the Imams of Ahlul Bayt, in order to correctly follow the Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah. The Shi'a believe that the Imams of Ahlul Bayt are infallible based on one of the verses of Quran:
The Ahlul Bayt are the perfect example for mankind, and like the prophets, they should be emulated in acts and deeds. Shi'as believe that the Imams of Ahlul Bayt carry the divinely appointed responsibility of protecting Islam and enacting the example of the pure Sunnah of
Muhammad. The Imams of Ahlul Bayt have guided Muslims throughout history, in many cases under the most horrible circumstances and under the most severe forms of discrimination due to the cruel policies of the reigning governments of the time. They are seen as incorruptible and infallible role models for
Muslims that have shown the way of goodness and prosperity in this world and the next in the best way until their martyrdom or occultation.
Role of religious scholars
Shi'a Muslims believe that the study of Islamic literature is a continual process, and is necessary for identifying all of God's laws. Sunni Muslims, also believe that they can interpret the Qur'an and hadith with the same authority as their predecessors: that the door to ijtihad was never closed.
Shi'a and Sunni traditions
Shi’a believe that the split between the Shi'a and Sunni began with Muhammad's death, when some number of Muslims supported the successorship of Ali and the rest forcibly accepted Abu Bakr, then Umar and Uthman. They believe that the successorship was given to Ali at Ghadir Khum , and that the testimony that can be traced back to reliable sources is to be trusted, while traditions that cannot be fully verified are suspect.
Because Islamic law is based partly on the hadith, Shi'a rejection of some Sunni hadith and Sunni rejection of some Shi'a hadith means that the versions of the law differ somewhat. For example, while both Shi'a and Sunni pray Friday prayers, the prayer times differ. Shi'a believe that there is no set time for Asr and Ishaa prayers. Some Shi'a also practice temporary marriages, or mut'a which can be contracted for months or even days.
The Ja'ffari Shi'a consider Sunnah to be the oral traditions of Muhammad and the Imams. Al-Kafi by Kolayni, in Tabatabai's words is "the most trustworthy and celebrated work of hadith in the Shi'a world, and it has near to 4000 authentic hadith from a total of 16000 hadith according to Ayatollah Sayed Ali al-Sistani.
See also the List of Shi'a books.
Supplications
Shi'as have a rich collection of prayers believed to be traced back to the Shia Imams . These prayers are held in a high esteem among Shias. These prayers include:
Religious calendar
All Muslims, Sunni or Shi'a, celebrate the following annual holidays:
- Eid ul-Fitr , which marks the end of fasting during the month of Ramadan and falls on the first day of Shawwal.
- Eid ul-Adha, which marks the end of the Hajj or pilgrimage to Makkah, starts on the 10th day of Dhul Hijja.
The following days are celebrated by Shi'a only, unless otherwise noted:
...
and
Ashurah for Shi'a commemorates Imam
Husayn bin Ali's
martyrdom. Imam Husayn was grandson of prophet Mohammad, who was martyred by Yazid ibn Muawiyah Sunnis 6th Khalif. Ashurah is a day of deep mourning which occurs on the 10th of Muharram. Sunnis also celebrate Ashurah, but give it a different meaning .
- Arba'een commemorates the suffering of the women and children of Imam Husayn's household. After Husayn was killed, they were marched over the desert, from Karbala to Shaam . Many children died of thirst and exposure along the route. Arba'een occurs on the 20th of Safar, 40 days after Ashurah.
- Milad al-Nabi, Muhammad's birth date, is celebrated by Shi'a on the 17th of Rabbi al-Awwal, which coincides with the birth date of the sixth imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq.
- Mid of Shaban is the birth date of the 12th and final imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi. It is celebrated by Twelvers on the 15th of Shaban. Many Shi'a fast on this day to show gratitude.
- Eid al-Ghadeer celebrates Ghadir Khum, the occasion when Muhammad announced Ali's imamate before a multitude of Muslims. Eid al-Ghadeer is held on the 18th of Dhil-Hijjah.
- Al-Mubahila celebrates a meeting between the household of Muhammad and a Christian deputation from Najran. Al-Mubahila is held on the 24th of Dhil-Hijjah.
History of Shi'a-Sunni relations
See main article:
Historical Shi'a-Sunni relationsShi'a and Sunni historians record that many Shi’as have been persecuted, intimidated, and killed, through what Shi'a consider a
coup d'état against
Ali's
caliphate. Many prominent Sunni scholars are known to have openly considered the Shi'a as "kufar" . Imam Ash-Shafi'i, one of the most prominent early scholars of his time said in regards to the Shi'a
"I have not seen among the heretics a people more famous for falsehood than the Raafidite Shi’ites." Such statements stem mainly from differences in beliefs regarding
Ali, Umar, and other companions, and in the Shia's use of various concepts, such as Taqiyya and Muta.
The renowned
al-Azhar university of theology in
Egypt, originally founded by the Shia during the reign of the Fatimid caliphate in 988 , considers Shia philosophy to be an indivisible part of the body of Islamic jurisprudence. Today, both Sunni and Shia students graduate from the Al-Azhar university which also teaches regarding both doctrines and uses certain Shi'a material in its courses. . On July 6, 1959, it announced the al-Azhar Shia Fatwa
- "The Shi'a is a school of thought that is religiously correct to follow in worship as are other Sunni schools of thought."
On the other hand, similar fatwas have not been issued by many prominent Sunni scholars or univerisities. A number of contemporary Sunni scholars such as Shaykh Dr Khaalid ibn ‘Ali al-Mushayqih maintain that Shi'a are not considered as Muslims, unless they deny certain beliefs found in a number of Shia hadith books like al-kafi that are accepted by the majority of twelver Shi'a:
The Shia and Sunnis differ in their view of Aisha . The Shia have a dim view of her character whereas the Sunnis consider her an exemplary woman. The differences stem primarily from her taking a position opposed to the fourth Caliph
Ali when he was the ruler. For more details, please refer Sunni and Shia views of Aisha.
Major centers of Shi'a scholarship
Throughout history, Iran has been of great geostrategic [i] importance because of its centr ...
: Isfahan,
Mashad,
Qom,
Ray,
Tabriz,
Tehran ...
See also
References
External links
