Sunni Vs. Shias

(Note: I am not a scholar, nor do I have enough knowledge to say I am entirely correct as this is a very sensitive topic. If you believe I have wrong information please feel free to let me know.) 

What Triggered Division in Islam?

When the Prophet Muhammad died in the early 7th century he left not only the religion of Islam but also a community of about one hundred thousand followers. The question was who would succeed the Prophet and lead these followers?

A larger group of Muslims chose Abu Bakr as the caliph. The literal translation of caliph is "one who replaces someone else who left or died," in the context of Islam, however caliph means the successor to Prophet Muhammad's position as the political, military, and administrative leader. 

v  Who was Abu Bakr?

Abu Bakr was not only the Prophet Muhammad’s companion, but he was also his best      friend. Abu Bakr was one of many few Muslims who trusted the Prophet Muhammad blindly. Unlike many other companions Abu Bakr witnessed many things along with the prophet, and led the prayer on behalf of the prophet during his days of illness.

 

However another smaller group believed that the Prophet's son-in-law and cousin, Ali, should be Caliph. They understood that the Prophet had appointed him as the sole interpreter of his legacy, in both political and spiritual terms. In the end Abu Bakr was appointed First Caliph.

v  Who was Ali?

Ali was the son of Abu Talib, Prophet Muhammad’s uncle (who was not a Muslim) which made him Prophet Muhammad’s cousin. Ali was one of the first children who accepted Islam at a young age. Ali ended up marrying Prophet Muhammad’s daughter, Fatima. Fatima and Ali had four children; however Fatima died 10 years after her marriage to Ali. 

Sunni

·         940 million followers ·         Wide range of Hadiths (collection of sayings of the Prophet Muham-mad) from the compa-nions of the Prophet. ·         Five Daily Prayers ·         Only celebrates Eid ·         Temporary Marriage is not allowed. ·         Self-flagellation is strongly prohibited. ·         Believes in only 5 pillars. ·         Leader is known as an imam, to be an imam you must have: 1.    Knowledge of the Quran 2.    Knowledge of the hadith. 3.    Knowledge of the sayings of the Salaf-us-Salaheen; that is to know which rulings they disagreed and upon which they were unanimous. 4.    Knowledge of Arabic linguistics 5.    Knowledge of Qiyas, the knowledge by which one learns the method of deriving a ruling from the Quran and Sunnah. (The way Prophet Muhammad lived his life.)

Shia

·         120 million followers ·         Certain Hadiths from 12 dependable Imams. ·         Permits combining some prayers into three daily prayer times. ·         They place a small tablet of clay from a holy place on which they place their forehead whilst prostrating. ·         Different Holidays/celebrations. ·         Temporary Marriage is allowed. ·         Believe in self-flagellation. ·         Believes in 10 pillars, Jihad (sacrifice), Amr-Bil-Ma'rūf (Promotion), Nahi-Anil-Munkar (Dissuasion), Tawalla (Re-affirmation) and Tabara (disasso-ciation from the enemies of Islam ·         Leader is known as mujtahid, to be a mujtahid you must have the following: 1.    Maturity 2.    Being of legitimate birth 3.    Faith 4.    Intelligence 5.    Justice

Similarities

·         Believes in one God. ·         Believes in the Prophet Muhammad. ·         Believes in the holy book, the Quran. ·         Shahada (Submission to God and his messen-ger), (Saum (Fasting), Zakat (Charity)and Hajj (Pilgrimage). ·         Use of statues and pictures are prohibited. ·         Friday is the holy day ·         Sub-Sects within Sunni and Shia groups ·         Holy cities are Makkah (Mecca), Madina (Medina), and Jerusalem.