Information AboutShia |
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Shi'a Islam, also '''Shi`ite Islam''' or '''Shi`ism''' ( ) is the second largest denomination of the religion of (Imam Ali) in particular. ETYMOLOGY See Also: Shi'a etymology The term ''Shi'a'' comes from the Arabic word شيعة Shī`ah. The singular/adjective form of this name is Arabic ''Shī`ī'' شيعي. "Shi'a" is the short form of the historic phrase ''Shi`at `Ali'' شيعة علي, meaning "the followers of Ali". Sunni and Shi`ah sources trace the term to Muhammad. The phrase Shi'a of Ali was historically a title given by Muhammad and later by his descendants in praise of `Ali's followers and that of the Ahlul Bayt. OVERVIEW Shi'a Muslims believe that Muhammad's family (the Imams) were the best source of knowledge about the Qur'an , Islam, and Emulation (the best-qualified teachers of Islam after Muhammad), and the most trusted carriers and protectors of Muhammad's Sunnah (traditions) due to many emphasized sayings by him. Ali was Muhammad's cousin, son-in-law, father of his only descendants and the male head of the Ahlul Bayt (people of the house). After Muhammad's passing, Ali claimed succession in religious and political authority, supported by his family and followers. Shi`ahs believe that by Muhammad's direct order he appointed him successor on many occasions, that he was the rightful leader of the Muslims after Muhammad's passing, and that to follow Muhammad's true Sunnah one must support Ali's successorship. Shi'as refuse to accept the rule of the initial three Sunni Caliph s who proclaimed leadership after Muhammad's passing, believing them illegitimate and inferior to Muhammad's family in all respects. The caliphs are followed by Sunni Muslims, who believe Muhammad did not choose a successor, and that the caliphs were elected according to what they consider Muhammad's instruction of consultation ( Shura ). Thus they reject what they called Dynastic rights to religious authority that Shi`ahs attribute to Muhammad's family. The first caliph, Abu Bakr was chosen after Muhammad's passing at a meeting he had at the Saqifah with Umar, another companion of Muhammad. This claim to succession was disputed by `Ali, the Banu Hashim whom he headed, and many other supporters. This difference between following the Ahlul Bayt (Muhammad's family) and Sahaba (Muhammad's companions) has shaped Shi`ah and Sunni views on some of the Qur'an, the Hadith , personalities in Islamic History , and more. Hadith which the Shi'a accept have a high proportion of narrators from the Ahl al-Bayt whereas those accepted by the Sunnis have many narrators who were not of the Ahlul Bayt (eg. Abu Huraira ). Regardless of the dispute about the Caliphate, Shi'as regard highly the concept of Imamate , also called ''Khalifa Ilahi'' (divinely chosen successorship to Muhammad in terms of teaching the Qur'an, its meaning, the Shariah and the guides to the right practice of the Qur'anic faith). DEMOGRAPHICS ''See Demographics Of Islam .'' According to most sources, including the US Library of Congress, present estimates indicate that approximately 75% of the world's Muslims are Sunni and approximately 25% are Shi`ah . . One of the lingering problems, according to Shi'a, in estimating the Shi'a population is that unless the Shi`ah 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. A large portion of the world's Shi'a live in the Middle East . They constitute a majority or a Plurality in countries such as in Iran , Iraq , Yemen , Azerbaijan , Lebanon and Bahrain . Some of the petroleum deposits in the Middle East are located under Shi'a-inhabited lands (including Iran, parts of Iraq and Azerbaijan). A substantial part of the populations of Persian Gulf countries (including Iran and Iraq) is also Shi'a. 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 (see Status Of Religious Freedom In Saudi Arabia ). Turkey , Afghanistan , Saudi Arabia , Pakistan and India , also hold significant Shi`ah minorities. Among smaller Persian Gulf states, Qatar , Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have significant Shi'a minorities, as do the Eastern Province and other regions of Saudi Arabia . Shi'as are also found, but not limited to, in some numbers in southeast Asia, from Vietnam (the Cham people) to Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. DOCTRINES Main doctrines , performing morning prayers inside an Imamzadeh .]]Shi'a believe in doctrines included in the Sunni Five Pillars Of Islam but categorize them differently. Shi'a beliefs include the following: Roots Of Religion (''Usūl al-Dīn'')
Branches Of Religion (''Furū al-Dīn'')
Additional doctrines See Also: Additional Shi'a doctrines Shi'a have many other doctrines that are shared with other Muslims, like wearing of the ''), which is the dissimulation of one’s religious beliefs when one fears for one's life, the lives of one's family members, or for the preservation of the faith, and "Fixed time marriages" (Arabic '' Nikah Mut'ah ''). The latter two sometimes are seen as controversial practices.. Misconceptions See Also: Misconceptions about the Shi'a There are seemingly widespread misconceptions about the Shi`ah doctrines, regarding how and why Shi'as uphold them. DENOMINATIONS The Shi'a of the present day are divided into Denomination s based on their beliefs regarding the sequence and recognized number of the imams.
# Ali Ibn Abu Talib ( 600 – 661 ), also known as ''Ali Amir al Mo'mineen'' # Hasan Ibn Ali ( 625 – 669 ), also known as ''Hasan al Mujtaba'' # Husayn Ibn Ali ( 626 – 680 ), also known as ''Husayn al Shaheed'' # Ali Ibn Husayn ( 658 – 713 ), also known as ''Ali Zainul Abideen'' # Muhammad ibn Ali ( 676 – 743 ), also known as '' Muhammad Al Baqir '' # Jafar ibn Muhammad ( 703 – 765 ), also known as '' Jafar As Sadiq '' # Musa ibn Jafar ( 745 – 799 ), also known as '' Musa Al Kazim '' # Ali ibn Musa ( 765 – 818 ), also known as '' Ali Ar Ridha '' # Muhammad ibn Ali ( 810 – 835 ), also known as ''Muhammad al Jawad'' ( Muhammad At Taqi ) # Ali ibn Muhamad ( 827 – 868 ), also known as '' Ali Al-Hadi '' # Hasan ibn Ali ( 846 – 874 ), also known as '' Hasan Al Askari '' # Muhammad ibn Hasan ( 868 —), also known as '' Muhammad Al Mahdi ''
# Ali Ibn Abi Talib # Hasan Ibn Ali # Husayn Ibn Ali # Ali Ibn Husayn # Zayd Ibn Ali rather than Muhammad Al Baqir STATUS OF A SHI'A IMAM See Also: Status of a Shi'a Imam Shi'a Islam holds that the Imamate is one of the fundamentals of Islam (A part of the Usul-Ad-din) 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 , they are the perfect example for mankind, and like the Prophet s, 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 See Also: The Shi'a clergy Shi'a Muslims believe that the study of Islamic literature is a continual process, and is necessary for identifying all of God's laws. Unlike Sunni Muslims, Shi'a Muslims believe that they can interpret the Qur'an and the Shi`ah traditions with the same authority as their predecessors: that the door to Ijtihad was never closed. SHI'A AND SUNNI TRADITIONS While Shi'a and Sunni accept the same sacred text, the Qur'an (Some Shi'ah dispute the current version, i.e. translations, of the text), they differ somewhat in their approach to recorded oral tradition, or Hadith . Shi`ah believe that the split between the Shi'a and Sunni began with Muhammad's death, when a small number of Muslims supported the successorship of Ali and the rest accepted Abu Bakr, then Umar and Uthman. They believe that the successorship was given to Ali at Ghadir Khum (a hadith accepted by both Sunni and Shi`ah scholars), 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. Sunni generally accept the hadith collections of Bukhari and Sahih Muslim as sahih (trustworthy), and only accept hadiths from these books if they are consistent with their own collections or that can be reliably verified through Ijtihad (independent interpretation of legal sources). Because Islamic law is based on the hadith, Shi'a rejection of some Sunni hadith and Sunni rejection of some Shia hadith means that the versions of the law differ somewhat. For example, while both Shi'a and Sunni pray Friday (Jum'a) prayers, the prayer times differ. Shi'a believe that there is no set time for Asr and Ishaa prayers (disputed amongst some Sunni schools of thought as well). Some Shi'a also practice temporary marriages, or Mut'a which can be contracted for months or even days (Mut'a was practiced by Sunni until outlawed by Muhammad according to Sunni, while Shi'a believe it was outlawed in later time by Umar , the Second Caliph), and follow different inheritance laws. Collections of Hadiths from Shi'a sources include
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. RELIGIOUS CALENDAR All Muslims, Sunni or Shi'a, celebrate the following annual holidays:
The following days are celebrated by Shi'a only, unless otherwise noted:
HISTORY OF THE SHI`AH History of Shi'a-Sunni relations ''See main article: Historical Shi'a-Sunni Relations Shi'a and Sunni historians record that many Shi`ahs have been persecuted, intimidated, and killed, through what Shi'a consider a Coup D'état against Ali 's Caliph ate. Some Sunni scholars are known to have openly considered the Shi'a as " Kafir " (disbelievers). This was mainly fueled by the Shi'a point of view regarding Ali , Umar , and Other Companions and possible Misunderstandings About Shiah Concepts such as Taqiyya and Muta . However, many Sunni scholars of recent history have become more tolerant towards Shi'a Muslims and some have promoted unity, while others have not. Shi'as claim that within Shiism, it has always been stressed to seek unity among the majority. Organizations such as the Shi'a Lebanese Hezbollah have increased popularity of Shi'a among Sunnis and are seen as a credible organization and in many cases praised by both ideological parties. Modern mainstream Sunni have also become less confrontational. The renowned Al-Azhar Theological school in Egypt , for example, one of the main centers of Sunni scholarship in the world, announced the Al-Azhar Shia Fatwa on July 6, 1959: "The Shi'a is a school of thought that is religiously correct to follow in worship as are other Sunni schools of thought." Today, both Shi'a and Sunni students graduate and study at the Al-Azhar university. REFERENCES
MAJOR CENTERS OF SHI'A SCHOLARSHIP |
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