Due to conflicts in Arab world, which in Lately are in the spotlight of the media, the terms “ Shiites" And " Sunnis”, meaning the two main branches of Islam, are now very familiar to many non-Muslims. At the same time, not everyone understands how some differ from others. Let us consider the history of these two directions of Islam, their differences and the areas of distribution of their followers.
Like all Muslims, Shiites believe in the messenger mission of the Prophet Muhammad. This movement has political roots. After the death of the prophet in 632, a group of Muslims formed who believed that power in the community should belong exclusively to his descendants, to whom they included his cousin Ali ibn Abu Talib and his children from Muhammad's daughter Fatima. At first this group was only political party, but over the course of centuries, the original political differences between Shiites and other Muslims strengthened, and it grew into an independent religious and legal movement. Shiites now make up about 10-13% of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims and recognize Ali's authority as the divinely appointed caliph, believing that imams with legitimate divine knowledge can only come from among his descendants.
According to the Sunnis, Muhammad did not appoint a successor, and after his death the community of Arab tribes, which he had recently converted to Islam, was on the verge of collapse. Muhammad's followers quickly chose his successor themselves, appointing Abu Bakr, one of Muhammad's closest friends and father-in-law, as caliph. Sunnis believe that the community has the right to choose its caliph from among its best representatives.
According to some Shia sources, many Muslims believe that Muhammad appointed Ali, his daughter's husband, as his successor. The division began around this point - those who supported Ali rather than Abu Bakr became Shiites. The name itself comes from the Arabic word meaning “party” or “adherents”, “followers”, or more precisely, “Ali’s party”.
Sunnis consider the four first caliphs to be righteous - Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan and Ali ibn Abu Talib, who held this position from 656 to 661.
The founder of the Umayyad dynasty, Muawiya, who died in 680, appointed his son Yazid as caliph, turning the rule into a monarchy. Ali's son, Hussein, refused to swear allegiance to the Umayyad house and tried to oppose it. On October 10, 680, he was killed in Iraqi Karbala in an unequal battle with the troops of the caliph. After the death of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, the Sunnis further strengthened their political power, and the adherents of the Ali clan, although they rallied around the martyr Hussein, significantly lost ground.
According to the Research Center for Religious and Social Life Pew Research, at least 40% of Sunnis in most Middle Eastern countries believe that Shiites are not true Muslims. Meanwhile, Shiites accuse Sunnis of excessive dogmatism, which can become fertile ground for Islamic extremism.
Differences in religious practice
In addition to the fact that Shiites perform 3 prayers a day, and Sunnis - 5 (although both say 5 prayers), there are differences between them in the perception of Islam. Both branches are based on the teachings of the Holy Quran. The second most important source is the Sunnah, sacred tradition, setting forth the examples of the life of the Prophet Muhammad as a model and guide for all Muslims and known as hadith. Shia Muslims also consider the words of imams as hadith.
One of the main differences between the ideologies of the two sects is that Shiites consider imams to be intermediaries between Allah and the believers, inheriting virtues through divine command. For Shiites, the imam is not just the spiritual leader and chosen one of the prophet, but his representative on Earth. Therefore, Shiites not only perform pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca, but also to the graves of 11 of the 12 imams, who are considered holy (the 12th Imam Mahdi is considered “hidden”).
Sunni Muslims do not hold imams in such reverence. In Sunni Islam, the imam runs the mosque or is the leader of the Muslim community.
The five pillars of Sunni Islam are declaration of faith, prayer, fasting, charity and pilgrimage.
Shiism has five main pillars - monotheism, belief in divine justice, belief in prophets, belief in Imamate (divine leadership), belief in the Day of Judgment. The 10 other pillars include the ideas contained in the five Sunni pillars, including prayers, fasting, hajj and so on.
Shia crescent
Most Shiites live in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon And Bahrain, making up the so-called “Shiite crescent” on the world map.
In Russia, almost all Muslims are Sunnis
In Syria, Russia is fighting on the side of the Alawites (an offshoot of the Shiites) against the Sunni opposition.
Most religions originate as single concepts, which, under the influence of historical events and the development of initial ideas, can branch into several currents. This happened in one of the youngest world religions of the world - Islam.
For example, Shiite and Sunni Muslims, the difference between their creeds was created artificially, in order to lay a time bomb between the peoples professing the covenants of the Prophet.
Yes, the most popular movement in it is Sunnism, but there are also movements such as Shiism, Sufism, Kharijism, Wahhabism, etc. Let’s try to tell you how many movements there are in Islam, and what fundamental differences exist between Sunnis and Shiites.
The main difference between Sunnis and Shiites is that the Prophet Muhammad began preaching Islam in 610 and in 22 years converted so many followers that after his death they created the Righteous Caliphate. And already at such an early stage of history, there is unrest among Muslims.
The cause of the dispute was the issue of supreme power in the new state.
Should power be handed over to Muhammad's son-in-law Ali ibn Abu Talib or should caliphs be elected?
Ali's supporters, who later formed the basis of the Shiites, argued that only the imam, who, moreover, must be a member of the prophet's family, has the right to lead the community. Opponents, later Sunnis, appealed by the fact that there are no such requirements either in the Koran or the Sunnah.
The Shiites insisted on its free interpretation, although only by a select few. Sunnis deny this and insist that the Sunnah must be perceived as it is. As a result, Abu Bakr was elected ruler of the Righteous Caliphate.
Subsequently, the dispute revolved around interpretations of the Sunnah.
It is worth noting that Shiites and Christians have always coexisted peacefully, unlike the militant Sunnis.
History of Shiites and Sunnis
In general, this was only the beginning of a centuries-long, if not conflict, then dispute and sometimes violent confrontation between Sunnis and Shiites. The most significant events are presented below:
| Year | Event | Description |
| 630-656 | Reign of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs | The dispute between Shiites and Sunnis over the issue of the heir to the prophet led to the successive election of 4 caliphs, i.e. actual victory of the Sunnis |
| 656 | Election of Ali ibn Abu Talib as the fifth caliph | The Shiite leader became the head of the righteous caliphate after 26 years. However, opponents accused him of involvement in the assassination of the previous caliph. The Civil War began |
| 661 | Ali was killed in a mosque in Kufa | Peace was concluded between the Sunni leader Mu'awiya and Ali's son Hasan. Muawiyah became caliph, but after his death he had to bequeath the rule to Hassan |
| 680 g | Death of Muawiya | The Caliph declared his heir not Hassan at all, but his son Yazid. At the same time, Hassan died long before this, and Muawiyah’s promise did not apply to Hassan’s descendants at all. Hassan's son Hussein does not recognize Yazid's authority. Another Civil War begins |
| 680 g | Death of Hussein | The war did not last long. The Caliph's troops took the city where Hussein was located, killed him, his two sons, and many supporters. The Karbala massacre made Hussein a martyr for the Shiites. Hussein's son Zayn al Abidin recognized Yazid's authority |
| 873 | Death of Hassan al Askari | Ali's line was interrupted. There were a total of 11 imams who were direct descendants of Ali. |
In the future, the Shiite community will continue to be led by the imam, however, to a greater extent as a spiritual leader. Political power remained with the Sunni rulers.
Who are Sunnis
Sunnis differ from Shiites in that they are followers of the largest movement in Islam (about 80-90% or about 1,550 million people). They constitute the majority in the Arab countries of Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and some other countries.
IN Muslim countries(with the exception of Iran) the majority of the population is Sunni, while the rights of Shiites may be significantly infringed. An example is Iraq. Sunnis and Shiites live on the territory of the state, the number of which does not affect internal politics.
Adherents of both movements consider the holy city of Karbala theirs and sometimes quarrel over it. At the same time, both the local population and pilgrims were subjected to various types of discrimination.
Recently, Shiite communities are increasingly asserting themselves, seeking to overcome the economic and political dominance of the Sunnis. Often this happens in an aggressive form, however, there are also supporters of radical measures among Sunnis. Examples of this include the Taliban and ISIS.
Who are Shiites
To understand the irreconcilability of the creeds, which include Sunnis and Shiites, and what the difference is between the contradictions of the faithful, you should know that representatives of the second largest movement in Islam (about 10%) refute the meaning of the Sunnah in Islam.
Communities exist in many countries, although they constitute a majority of Muslims only in Iran. Shiites also live in Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Turkey and some other countries.
On the territory of the Russian Federation, Shiite communities are found in Dagestan.
The name comes from an Arabic word that can be translated as follower or adherent (however, the word "shia" can also be translated as "party"). Since the death of Muhammad, the Shiites have been led by imams, who are given special respect within this movement.
Even after Hussein's death in 680, imams continued to be leaders of the Shia community, although de jure they had no political power.
Bahrain, Shiites or Sunnis during the oath of allegiance to Allah However, the imams had and still have enormous spiritual influence on the Shiites. They especially honor the 11 first imams, as well as the 12th, the so-called. hidden imam. It is believed that Hassan (son of Ali) had a son, Muhammad, who was hidden by God at the age of five and will appear on Earth at the right time. The “hidden imam” must come to Earth as a messiah.
In many ways, the essence of Shiism comes down to the cult of martyrdom.
In fact, this was laid down in the first years of the formation of the current. This distinctive feature The movement was in particular taken advantage of by the Hezbollah organization, which was the first to use suicide bombers in the 1980s, recruiting Shiites.
Main differences between Sunnis and Shiites
Despite the long history of the split, there are not many main differences between Sunnis and Shiites.
| Characteristic | ||
| Relation to the imam | Leader of a mosque, religious leader and representative of the clergy. Only the imam who has achieved this deserves respect. | He is a mediator between Allah and man. The sayings of imams are just as important along with the Quran and Sunnah |
| Heirs of Muhammad | Four "righteous caliphs" | Ali and his heirs, i.e. the descendants of Muhammad |
| Ashura and Shahsey-vahsey | Fasting on the day of Ashura in tribute to Musa, who escaped from the troops of Pharaoh | 10 days of mourning for Imam Hussein. On Ashura, some Shiites take part in a procession during which they beat themselves with chains. Self-flagellation with bloodletting is considered honorable and righteous |
| Sunnah | Study the entire text of the Sunnah | Study the text of the Sunnah regarding the description of the life of Muhammad and his family members |
| Features of prayer | Performed 5 times a day (5 prayers during one prayer) | Done 3 times a day (also 5 prayers) |
| Five main pillars | Charity, faith, prayer, pilgrimage, fasting | Divine justice, divine leadership, belief in prophets, belief in judgment day, monotheism |
| Divorce | Temporary marriage and divorce are not recognized from the moment of its proclamation by a spouse | They recognize temporary marriages, but do not recognize that the moment of divorce from his proclamation as a spouse |
Settlement of Shiites, Sunnis and Alawites
Currently, the majority of all Muslims (62%) live in the Asia-Pacific region (this is due to the large population of Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh). That is why in the Middle East the ratio of Sunnis to Shiites can be defined as 6 to 4. Although here the ratio is achieved at the expense of the Shiite population of Iran.
Large Shia communities numbering over 5 million people live only in Azerbaijan, India, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan and Turkey. IN Saudi Arabia About 2-4 million Shiites live there. On the following map you can clearly see the ratio of Sunnis (green) and Shiites (purple) in different regions.
A detailed map of the distribution of various movements in the Middle East is presented below.
Other sects of Islam
As seen, significant amount communities adhere to other sects of Islam. Although their share in the total mass of Muslims is not so large, each movement has its own differences and characteristics, which should be highlighted. First of all, we will focus on the currents divided by madhhabs (features of Sharia law).
Hanifites
The Hanifi (Hanafi) movement was founded by the Iranian scientist Abu Hanif (7th century) and is distinguished by the presence of istiskhan. Istiskhan means preference.
And it implies the opportunity for a Muslim to follow the traditions and religious customs of the area in which he lives.
To the question: “Can a Muslim consume GMO products?”, the Hanafi will answer that one should be guided by whether those around them consume such products and act based on their practices. Hanifites most often live in Europe, South and West Asia.
Malikis
The Malikis differ slightly from the Hanifites, only instead of istiskhan they use istislah (literally: convenience).
Malikis follow Arab customs.
However, they may not perform certain rituals if there are significant obstacles and peculiarities of life in the region.
When asked whether a Muslim should consume GMO products, the Maliki will answer that they should be guided by what they do in Mecca, but if there is no clear answer to this question, then they should act according to their conscience.
The criterion for fulfillment or non-fulfillment is the religious and moral conscience of the individual believer. Malikis live in North Africa, the Sahara, and also in some communities in the Persian Gulf.
Shafi'ites
Shafi'is adhere to a rational style in the field of Sharia law. If the answer to a non-standard situation is not in the Koran or Sunnah, then it should be sought in historical precedents. This principle is called istishab (linkage).
Accordingly, when asked about GMO products, a Shafiite will look for precedents in history, understand the composition of products, etc. Most Shafiites live in the territory South-East Asia, in Yemen, East Africa, often found among Kurds.
Hanbalis
Hanbalis strictly follow the Sunnah and analyze it thoroughly to answer everyday questions. In fact, this movement is the most conservative, if not reactionary.
Hanbalis strictly follow the Sunnah.
When asked about GMO products, a Hanbali will most likely answer that neither the Sunnah nor the Quran says that such food can be consumed, and therefore it should not be consumed. This movement is official in Saudi Arabia and is also found in a number of other countries.
Alawites
More attention should be paid to who the Alawites, Shiites and Sunnis are, whose differences in Islam are interpreted in every way by Western historians of religion. There is no clear opinion on whether Alawites should be classified as Shiites or whether they should be identified as a separate ethnic and religious group or classified as Sunnis. Alawites consider Ali (Muhammad's son-in-law) to be the incarnation of God.
Therefore, in addition to the Koran, Ali's book - Kitab al-Majmu - is also a holy scripture.
In this regard, the majority of other Muslims consider Alawites to be sectarians or kafirs, that is, infidels who deny the most important tenets of Islam.
Most Muslims consider Alawites to be sectarians or kafirs.
Alawism has many influences from other religions. Thus, there is an idea of reincarnation, according to which every man experiences 7 rebirths (relocations of the soul, including into the body of an animal), after which he ends up in afterworld. Depending on the lifestyle, a person can fall into both the heavenly and demonic spheres.
There are about 3 million Alawites in the world , the majority live in Syria, as well as Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt. The current president of Syria is an Alawite.
Despite their differences, Shiites and Sunnis are not irreconcilable enemies. For example, most mosques not only allow joint prayers between Sunnis and Shiites, but also insist on this. Let the primary reasons for the formation of Shiism be the desire to see Ali as the heir of Muhammad, and to vest supreme power in the imams, but historical process allows you to look at it from the other side.
To understand who the Shiites and Sunnis are, what the differences are among Muslims, you need to know that Islam spread over a large area in a fairly short period of time, and at times, the spread was extremely aggressive. Therefore, many locals accepted Shiite Islam, in fact introducing many of their beliefs into it.
A similar tendency - to remain part of the Islamic world, to identify the difference between Sunnis and Shiites, but at the same time to isolate oneself - persisted in the future. The same Iran (Persia) officially adopted Shiism only in the 16th century in order to isolate itself from the Ottoman Empire. At the same time, Shiism again underwent some changes to please the ruling Safavid dynasty. In particular, Ali Shariati noted that until the 16th century, Shiism had a martyrdom character (red Shiism), and subsequently became mourning (black Shiism). Shiites perceive this statement as a fair opinion.
IN last years The Middle East remains among the world's top news agencies. The region is in a fever, and the events taking place in it largely determine the global geopolitical agenda. The interests of almost all the world's largest players are intertwined here: the USA, Europe, Russia and China.
But in order to better understand the processes taking place today in Iraq and Syria, it is necessary to look a little deeper. Many of the contradictions that led to bloody chaos in the region are related to the characteristics of Islam and the history of the Muslim world, which today is experiencing a real passionary explosion. Every day the events in Syria begin to resemble more and more religious war, uncompromising and merciless. Similar events have already happened in human history: the European Reformation led to several centuries of bloody conflicts between Catholics and Protestants.
And if immediately after the events of the “Arab Spring” the conflict in Syria resembled an ordinary armed uprising of the people against an authoritarian regime, today the warring parties can be clearly divided along religious lines: President Assad in Syria is supported by Alawites and Shiites, and most of his opponents are Sunnis. The detachments also consist of Sunnis - and of the most radical kind - Islamic State(ISIS) – the main “horror story” of any Western citizen.
Who are Sunnis and Shiites? What is the difference? And why is it now that the difference between Sunnis and Shiites has led to armed confrontation between these religious groups?
To find answers to these questions, we will have to travel back in time and go back thirteen centuries, to a period when Islam was a young religion and was in its infancy. However, before that, there is some general information that will help the reader understand the issue.
Currents of Islam
Islam is one of the world's largest religions, which is in second place (after Christianity) in terms of the number of followers. Total its adherents number 1.5 billion people who live in 120 countries. In 28 countries, Islam has been declared the state religion.
Naturally, such a numerous religious teaching cannot be homogeneous. Islam includes a large number of various movements, some of which are considered marginal even by Muslims themselves. The largest branches of Islam are Sunnism and Shiism. There are other, less numerous movements of this religion: Sufism, Salafism, Ismailism, Jamaat Tabligh and others.
History and essence of the conflict
The split of Islam into Shiites and Sunnis occurred soon after the emergence of this religion, in the second half of the 7th century. Moreover, its reasons concerned not so much the tenets of faith as pure politics, and to be even more precise, a banal struggle for power led to the split.
After the death of Ali, the last of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs, the struggle for his place began. Opinions about the future heir were divided. Some Muslims believed that only a direct descendant of the Prophet’s family could lead the caliphate, to whom all his integrity and spiritual qualities should be passed on.
Another part of the believers believed that any worthy and authoritative person chosen by the community could become a leader.
Caliph Ali was the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet, so a significant part of the believers believed that the future ruler should be chosen from his family. Moreover, Ali was born in the Kaaba, he was the first man and child to convert to Islam.
Believers who believed that Muslims should be ruled by people from the clan of Ali formed a religious movement of Islam called “Shiism”; accordingly, its followers began to be called Shiites. Translated from Arabic, this word means “the power of Ali.” Another part of the believers, who considered the exclusivity of this kind of doubtful, formed the Sunni movement. This name appeared because Sunnis confirmed their position with quotations from the Sunnah, the second most important source in Islam after the Koran.
By the way, Shiites consider the Koran, which the Sunnis use, to be partially falsified. In their opinion, information about the need to appoint Ali as Muhammad's successor was removed from it.
This is the main and main difference between Sunnis and Shiites. It was the reason for the first civil war, which happened in the Arab Caliphate.
However, it should be noted that further history Although the relationship between the two branches of Islam was not very rosy, Muslims managed to avoid serious conflicts on religious grounds. There have always been more Sunnis similar situation continues to this day. It was representatives of this branch of Islam that founded such powerful states in the past as the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, as well as the Ottoman Empire, which in its heyday was a real threat to Europe.
In the Middle Ages, Shiite Persia was constantly at enmity with Sunni Ottoman Empire, which largely prevented the latter from completely conquering Europe. Despite the fact that these conflicts were rather politically motivated, religious differences also played an important role in them.
On new round contradictions between Sunnis and Shiites emerged after the Islamic Revolution in Iran (1979), after which a theocratic regime came to power in the country. These events put an end to Iran's normal relations with the West and its neighboring states, where mostly Sunnis were in power. The new Iranian government began to actively foreign policy, which was regarded by the countries of the region as the beginning of Shiite expansion. In 1980, a war began with Iraq, the vast majority of whose leadership was occupied by Sunnis.
On new level Confrontations between Sunnis and Shiites emerged after a series of revolutions (“Arab Spring”) that swept through the region. The conflict in Syria has clearly divided the warring parties along religious lines: the Syrian Alawite president is protected by the Iranian Islamic Guard Corps and the Shiite Hezbollah from Lebanon, and is opposed by detachments of Sunni militants supported by various states in the region.
How else do Sunnis and Shiites differ?
Sunnis and Shiites have other differences, but they are less fundamental. So, for example, the Shahada, which is verbal expression The first pillar of Islam (“I testify that there is no God but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah”), among the Shiites it sounds somewhat different: at the end of this phrase they add “... and Ali is a friend of Allah.”
There are other differences between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam:
Sunnis exclusively revere the Prophet Muhammad, while Shiites, in addition, glorify his cousin Ali. Sunnis revere the entire text of the Sunnah (their second name is “people of the Sunnah”), while Shiites only respect the part that concerns the Prophet and his family members. Sunnis believe that strictly following the Sunnah is one of the main duties of a Muslim. In this regard, they can be called dogmatists: even the details of the Taliban in Afghanistan are strictly regulated appearance person and his behavior.
If the largest Muslim holidays - Eid al-Adha and Kurban Bayram - are celebrated equally by both branches of Islam, then the tradition of celebrating the day of Ashura among Sunnis and Shiites has a significant difference. For Shiites, this day is a memorial day.
Sunnis and Shiites have different attitudes towards such a norm of Islam as temporary marriage. The latter consider this a normal phenomenon and do not limit the number of such marriages. Sunnis consider such an institution illegal, since Muhammad himself abolished it.
There are differences in the places of traditional pilgrimage: Sunnis visit Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and Shiites visit Najaf or Karbala in Iraq.
Sunnis are required to perform five namaz (prayers) a day, while Shiites can limit themselves to three.
However, the main thing in which these two directions of Islam differ is the method of electing power and the attitude towards it. Among Sunnis, an imam is simply a clergyman who presides over a mosque. The Shiites have a completely different attitude to this issue. The head of the Shiites, the imam, is a spiritual leader who governs not only matters of faith, but also politics. He seems to stand above government structures. Moreover, the imam must come from the family of the Prophet Muhammad.
A typical example of this form of governance is today's Iran. The head of Iran's Shiites, the Rahbar, is higher than the president or the head of the national parliament. It completely determines the policy of the state.
Sunnis do not at all believe in the infallibility of people, and Shiites believe that their imams are completely sinless.
Shiites believe in twelve righteous imams (descendants of Ali), the fate of the latter - his name was Muhammad al-Mahdi - of whom is unknown. He simply disappeared without a trace at the end of the 9th century. Shiites believe that al-Mahdi will return to the people on the eve of Last Judgment to bring order to the world.
Sunnis believe that after death a person’s soul can meet with God, while Shiites consider such a meeting impossible both in a person’s earthly life and after it. Communication with God can only be maintained through an imam.
It should also be noted that Shiites practice the principle of taqiyya, which means pious concealment of one's faith.
Number and places of residence
How many Sunnis and Shiites are there in the world? The majority of Muslims living on the planet today belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. According to various estimates, they make up from 85 to 90% of the followers of this religion.
Most Shiites live in Iran, Iraq (more than half the population), Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Yemen and Lebanon. In Saudi Arabia, Shiism is practiced by approximately 10% of the population.
Sunnis are in the majority in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Afghanistan and other countries Central Asia, Indonesia and in North African countries: Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. In addition, the majority of Muslims in India and China belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. Russian Muslims are also Sunnis.
As a rule, there are no conflicts between adherents of these movements of Islam when living together in the same territory. Sunnis and Shiites often attend the same mosques, and this also does not cause conflicts.
The current situation in Iraq and Syria is rather an exception caused by political reasons. This conflict is rather related to the confrontation between the Persians and Arabs, which has its roots in the dark depths of centuries.
Alawites
In conclusion, I would like to say a few words about the Alawite religious group, to which Russia’s current ally in the Middle East belongs - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Alawites are a movement (sect) of Shiite Islam, with which it is united by the veneration of the Prophet’s cousin, Caliph Ali. Alawism originated in the 9th century in the Middle East. This religious movement absorbed the features of Ismailism and Gnostic Christianity, and the result was an “explosive mixture” of Islam, Christianity and various pre-Muslim beliefs that existed in these territories.
Today, Alawites make up 10-15% of the Syrian population, their total number is 2-2.5 million people.
Despite the fact that Alawism arose on the basis of Shiism, it is very different from it. Alawites celebrate some Christian holidays such as Easter and Christmas, perform only two prayers a day (although, according to Islamic norms, there should be five), don't attend mosques and may drink alcohol. Alawites revere Jesus Christ (Isa), the Christian apostles, read the Gospel at their services, they do not recognize Sharia.
And if radical Sunnis from among the fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS) do not have a very good attitude towards Shiites, considering them “wrong” Muslims, then they generally call Alawites dangerous heretics who must be destroyed. The attitude towards Alawites is much worse than towards Christians or Jews; Sunnis believe that Alawites insult Islam by the mere fact of their existence.
Not much is known about the religious traditions of the Alawites, as this group actively uses the practice of taqiya, which allows believers to perform the rituals of other religions while maintaining their faith.
With conflicts in the Arab world being the focus of media attention lately, the terms “Shia” and “Sunni,” meaning the two main branches of Islam, are now very familiar to many non-Muslims. At the same time, not everyone understands how some differ from others. Let us consider the history of these two directions of Islam, their differences and the areas of distribution of their followers.
Like all Muslims, Shiites believe in the messenger mission of the Prophet Muhammad. This movement has political roots. After the death of the prophet in 632, a group of Muslims formed who believed that power in the community should belong exclusively to his descendants, to whom they included his cousin Ali ibn Abu Talib and his children from Muhammad's daughter Fatima. At first, this group was only a political party, but over the course of centuries, the original political differences between Shiites and other Muslims strengthened, and it grew into an independent religious and legal movement. Shiites now make up about 10-13% of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims and recognize Ali's authority as the divinely appointed caliph, believing that imams with legitimate divine knowledge can only come from among his descendants.
According to the Sunnis, Muhammad did not appoint a successor, and after his death the community of Arab tribes, which he had recently converted to Islam, was on the verge of collapse. Muhammad's followers quickly chose his successor themselves, appointing Abu Bakr, one of Muhammad's closest friends and father-in-law, as caliph. Sunnis believe that the community has the right to choose its caliph from among its best representatives.
According to some Shia sources, many Muslims believe that Muhammad appointed Ali, his daughter's husband, as his successor. The division began around this point - those who supported Ali rather than Abu Bakr became Shiites. The name itself comes from the Arabic word meaning “party” or “adherents”, “followers”, or more precisely, “Ali’s party”.
Sunnis consider the four first caliphs to be righteous - Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan and Ali ibn Abu Talib, who held this position from 656 to 661.
The founder of the Umayyad dynasty, Muawiya, who died in 680, appointed his son Yazid as caliph, turning the rule into a monarchy. Ali's son, Hussein, refused to swear allegiance to the Umayyad house and tried to oppose it. On October 10, 680, he was killed in Iraqi Karbala in an unequal battle with the troops of the caliph. After the death of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, the Sunnis further strengthened their political power, and the adherents of the Ali clan, although they rallied around the martyr Hussein, significantly lost ground.
At least 40% of Sunnis in most Middle Eastern countries believe Shiites are not true Muslims, according to Pew Research. Meanwhile, Shiites accuse Sunnis of excessive dogmatism, which can become fertile ground for Islamic extremism.
Differences in religious practice
In addition to the fact that Shiites perform 3 prayers a day, and Sunnis - 5 (although both say 5 prayers), there are differences between them in the perception of Islam. Both branches are based on the teachings of the Holy Quran. The second most important source is the Sunnah, the sacred tradition that sets forth examples of the life of the Prophet Muhammad as a model and guide for all Muslims and is known as hadith. Shia Muslims also consider the words of imams as hadith.
One of the main differences between the ideologies of the two sects is that Shiites consider imams to be intermediaries between Allah and the believers, inheriting virtues through divine command. For Shiites, the imam is not just the spiritual leader and chosen one of the prophet, but his representative on Earth. Therefore, Shiites not only perform pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca, but also to the graves of 11 of the 12 imams, who are considered holy (the 12th Imam Mahdi is considered “hidden”).
Sunni Muslims do not hold imams in such reverence. In Sunni Islam, the imam runs the mosque or is the leader of the Muslim community.
The five pillars of Sunni Islam are declaration of faith, prayer, fasting, charity and pilgrimage.
Shiism has five main pillars - monotheism, belief in divine justice, belief in prophets, belief in Imamate (divine leadership), belief in the Day of Judgment. The 10 other pillars include the ideas contained in the five Sunni pillars, including prayers, fasting, hajj and so on.
Shia crescent
The majority of Shiites live in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Bahrain, making up the so-called “Shiite Crescent” on the world map.