Islam is the world's fastest growing religion boasting 1.2 billion Muslims (18% of the world's total population) worldwide.
Today, Islam extends from Turkey to the west coast of Africa across southern Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia, and north to India.
The twentieth century saw an explosion of Islam in North and South America, accounting for approximately four million followers. However, Asia retains the highest proportion of Muslims in the world. (See Shi'a Population Map)
At the heart of Islamic belief are the three fundamental elements of religion: the unity of God (Tawhid), the prophethood (Nubuwwa) and the resurrection (Ma'ad).
Muslims believe in one God (Allah) and that the last Prophet was Mohammad. They believe in the word of God as written in the Qur'an. Muslims follow the Sunna (patterns of words and deeds as conveyed in the tradition) of the Holy Prophet and believe one day Allah will resurrect us all to face judgement.
Like most faiths, Islam has undergone splits, much like Judaism and Christianity, into separate branches. The principal branches of Islam are the Shi'a and the Sunni with the latter making up the vast majority of 80%. Shi'a accounts for approximately 19% with smaller branches such as the Sufi, Wahhabi and Isamaili making up the remaining 1%.
Sunnis form the majority in most Muslim countries excluding Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Bahrain and the Lebanon. For instance in Iran, Shi'a make up an estimated 93% of the population and in Iraq, 65% of Muslims are Shi'a.
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Hajj: One of the Five Pillars of Islam |
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Sunnis and Shi'a both recognise the fundamental tenants of Islam known as the Five Pillars. The five pillars of Islam include faith, prayer, religious tax (zakat), fasting and the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj).
Although Shi'a and Sunni Muslims recognise each other as Muslims they differ significantly. This principally stems from a disagreement about succession after the death of the Prophet Mohammad which has also created theological differences.
The first split between the Shi'a and the Sunni occurred after the death of the Prophet Mohammad in 632CE. It involved the question of who should succeed Mohammad as successor (Caliph) to the Muslim community (Ummah). The Shi'a believed that only a direct descendant of the Prophet could rule the Ummah and that the role of the Prophet's successor should have gone to 'Ali ibn abi - Talib who was the husband of Fatima, the only surviving daughter of the Prophet, as well as the Prophet's cousin.
Shi'a is an abbreviation of Shi'a at Ali (the party of 'Ali). Shi'a also refer to themselves as followers of Ahl al Beit (the Prophet's Household). 'Ali became the fourth and last of the rightly guided caliphs but as far as the Shi'a are concerned he should have been the first and the caliphate could only be passed down though the descendants of the Prophet Mohammad through Ali and Fatima. So to Shi'a the Caliphate is both religious and temporal. The authority of the Imam derives from his designation by his predecessor to a spiritual station and is independent of his temporal standing.
This different interpretation of correct rule of succession has a bearing on Islamic jurisprudence. The Shi'a consider their Imams to be free of sin and have the right to create new rulings where there is no clear text in the Quran. They believe that their supreme Imam is a divinely chosen guide, immune from wrongdoing, a recipient of some of Muhammad's inspiration and that his views and opinions should be the primary source of their jurisprudence. They are the authorised interpreters of the Quran as well as the supreme arbiters of the Holy Law.
The Sunnis do not agree, they believe the role of Caliph is political. After the death of the Prophet, the Caliph was essentially a temporal leadership, first amongst equals elected ideally by consensus. Unlike the Shi'a, the authority of the Caliph was derived by the affirmation of other Muslims. The Sunnis looked to theologians and experts, to expound upon religious questions who offered non-binding opinions but the rule of their political leader was absolute.
Next: Differences in rituals.
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