Sunni-Shia
Muslim sectarian divide
Sunni and Shia are the two main sects of Islam, divided by differing views on leadership after the Prophet Muhammad’s death.
Sunnis, the majority, believe leadership should be chosen by consensus, while Shias hold that it must come from the Prophet’s family, specifically Ali, his cousin and son-in-law.
Shia Islam has distinct practices, such as commemorating Ashura with mourning rituals for Hussein, Ali’s son, who was killed at Karbala.
Sunni jurisprudence is divided into four major schools, while Shia jurisprudence primarily follows the Ja’fari school.
The Sunni-Shia split has shaped Islamic history and politics for centuries.
Separation into parts
- divisionSplitting into parts
- successionFollowing in order
- caliphateIslamic successor-led government
- AliArabic name, "sublime"
Ghadir Khumm · companions · legitimacy · authority · prophet · Muhammad · inheritance · leadership
Rigidly devoted to faction
- violenceHarmful physical force
- persecutionSystematic mistreatment of groups
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- AshuraIslamic day of fasting
martyrdom · Hussain · massacre · shrine · bombing · militia · civil war · insurgency
Islamic day of fasting
- MuharramOpening Islamic calendar month
- mourningPeriod following loss
- self-flagellationDeliberately striking one's own body
- shrineSacred devotional place
pilgrimage · prayer · prostration · combination · temporary marriage · commemoration · procession · ritual
Incapacity for mistakes
- intercessionActing on another's behalf
- jurisprudencePhilosophy governing legal systems
- hadithRecorded prophetic narration
- ayatollahShia jurisprudence master
ijma · occultation · Mahdi · interpretation · sources
Islamic republic in Asia
- Saudi ArabiaGulf kingdom, largest Arabian state
- IraqMiddle Eastern republic
- SyriaLevant country, capital Damascus
- YemenSouthwestern Arabian Peninsula republic
Bahrain · Lebanon · proxy · Hezbollah · Houthis · rivalry · sectarianism · cold war
Over half of total
- minoritySmaller part of whole
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- IraqMiddle Eastern republic
- IranIslamic republic in Asia
Pakistan · Lebanon · Bahrain · Azerbaijan · Yemen · India · Afghanistan · distribution
split
Separation into parts
- divisionSplitting into parts
- successionFollowing in order
- caliphateIslamic successor-led government
Ali · Ghadir Khumm · companions · legitimacy · authority · prophet · Muhammad · inheritance · leadership · designation
sectarian
Rigidly devoted to faction
- violenceHarmful physical force
- persecutionSystematic mistreatment of groups
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
Ashura · martyrdom · Hussain · massacre · shrine · bombing · militia · civil war · insurgency · displacement
Ashura
Islamic day of fasting
- MuharramOpening Islamic calendar month
- mourningPeriod following loss
- self-flagellationDeliberately striking one's own body
shrine · pilgrimage · prayer · prostration · combination · temporary marriage · commemoration · procession · ritual · veneration
infallibility
Incapacity for mistakes
- intercessionActing on another's behalf
- jurisprudencePhilosophy governing legal systems
- hadithRecorded prophetic narration
ayatollah · ijma · occultation · Mahdi · interpretation · sources
Iran
Islamic republic in Asia
- Saudi ArabiaGulf kingdom, largest Arabian state
- IraqMiddle Eastern republic
- SyriaLevant country, capital Damascus
Yemen · Bahrain · Lebanon · proxy · Hezbollah · Houthis · rivalry · sectarianism · cold war · influence
majority
Over half of total
- minoritySmaller part of whole
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- IraqMiddle Eastern republic
Iran · Pakistan · Lebanon · Bahrain · Azerbaijan · Yemen · India · Afghanistan · distribution · community
- Shia IslamAli, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hussein, Hussain, imam
- interfaithinterfaith, interfaith dialogue, interfaith wedding, interfaith family, interfaith marriage
Sunni-Shiareligious tolerance
Acceptance of differing faiths
Jewish-Christian · coexistence · brotherhood · religious pluralism