Key Differences In Shia and Sunni Beliefs

Beliefs of Shia and Sunni

Shia and Sunni  beliefs are different from each other shia follow the sunna, or example, of Prophet Muhammad, as told to them by their Imams, who have been in charge for many years. They also respect the present leaders and do their best to follow the Imams’ instructions, since it is their job to teach people about their faith and make their lives better.

Shia Muslims think that the Prophet chose Hazrat Ali to lead the Muslims more than once. What the Prophet said at Ghadir Khumm is the most famous of these.

The Prophet told his people to stop at Ghadir Khumm, an oasis, on their way back from his last trip to Mecca. Tales from both Shia and Sunni groups of people say that Prophet Muhammad spoke to the group. He raised Hazrat Ali’s hand at the end of his speech and said, “Ali is my mawla; I am his mawla” (man Khuntu Mawlahu fa Aliyyun mawlahu).

Shia Muslims also believe that the Holy Qur’an says that the Imams who are related to the Prophet are more spiritually important. In Qur’an 33:33, Allah says that He wants to clean up the Ahl al-Bayt, which are the people who lived with the Prophet.

Also, the Qur’an says that Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim), his children, and grandkids are more important than everyone else (Qur’an 3:33–34; 4:54). He is thought to have been the father of many Prophets, such as Prophet Moses (Musa), Prophet Jesus (Isa), and Prophet Muhammad. That is, Allah has given a lot of importance to the Imams who are connected to the Prophet Muhammad.

A well-known saying from Prophet Muhammad also backs up the high status of the Ahl al-Bayt. It’s called Hadith al-Thaqalayn, which translates to “Record of the Two Weighty Matters.” While going, the Prophet is said to have said, “I leave you two important things: the Book of Allah and my family, the People of my House (Ahl al-Bayt).” This saying is found in both Shia and Sunni hadith sources, but they are similar. Some of these are the Sahih Muslim by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj and the Musnad by Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

There were other things the Prophet said that show Hazrat Ali’s job as a spiritual leader. The first one says, “I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate.” That gate is the way into the city for anyone who wants to learn.

Shia people have split into many groups over the years, mostly because they don’t agree on who should be king. There are three major groups in the faith today: the Ithna’asharis, the Ismailis, and the Zaydis.

The main difference between Shia and Sunni Muslims is whether they believe that Prophet Muhammad made it clear who would lead the faith after he died.

Sunni Muslims believe that the Prophet did not point out a clear heir. They believe that the Prophet picked Hazrat Ali (peace be upon him), who was his cousin and son-in-law, to be the first Imam from his own family to lead the people after he died.

 Sunni Muslims

Sunnis think that the caliphs are the straight descendants of the Prophet. There were people who were friends with the Prophet and went on to become caliphs in different ways to lead the Muslims. Sunnis call the first four leaders who came after the Prophet the “Rightly Guided Caliphs” (khulafa rashidun). These kings were called Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Umar, Hazrat Uthman, and Hazrat Ali.

As soon as Hazrat Ali died in 661 CE, the Umayyad empire began. They were the first caliphs from the same family. The Umayyads ruled all of Islam until 750 CE. They lost power after several protests within the group. This was the start of the second line of caliphs, the Abbasid caliphate.

Sunnis in the past thought that the caliphs were in charge of both faith and the government. Over time, the caliphs were seen as leaders in politics, while the teachers (ulama) who knew about religion were seen as leaders and helpers in religion.

Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama‘a is the full name for Sunnis. It means “the people of the Prophet’s way and the community.” “Sunni” refers to people who follow the sunna, which are the words and actions of the Prophet. They rely on what the religious experts in the area all agree on when it comes to religious issues. They try to live their lives the way the Prophet did, which was written down in the sunna in the Middle Ages.

They live in many different groups now. They live all over the world and speak more than one language. They also have different ideas about how to understand how people act and believe religiously.

Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki, and Shafi’i are the four main schools of law that people know today. Also, most Sufis are Sunnis, and they follow different schools of Sufism. Sufis are Muslims who seek spirituality on a personal level.

The Basic difference in Shia and Sunni Beliefs

The vast majority of Muslims around the world are Sunnis.About 15 to 20 percent of all Muslims in the world are Shia.

1. The word “Sunni” comes from the term “Ahl al-Sunnah,” which means “People of the Tradition.”
2.  There are four major schools of law in Sunni Islam. These are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali.The Ja’fari, also called the Imāmī school, is the main Shia school of law.
3. There are three main groups within it: the Twelvers, the Ismailis, and the Zaydis.
4. Shahada, Salah, Sawm, Zakat, and Hajj are the five main parts of Islam.There are seven important parts of Islam. They are Walayah, Tawhid, Salah, Zakat, Sawm, Hajj, and Jihad.
5. In more than 40 countries, mostly Sunnis live in places like Syria, Turkey, South Asia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and other parts of the Persian Gulf.The vast majority of Muslims in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Azerbaijan are Shia Muslims.