What is Sunni Islam?
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims, or Sunnis, believe the first four caliphs were Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)’s rightful successors. The first four caliphs were the first four leaders of Islam after the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). Each one of them learned from Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) directly and served him very closely.
Furthermore, Sunni Muslims believe that the politically organised unit, or regime, set up by Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) at Medina is an earthly dominion, as opposed to a spiritual one. For this reason, they view the leadership of Islam as being determined by the politics of the Muslim world, instead of by divine order. This means that Sunni Muslims have recognised the prominent families in Mecca as leaders and have accepted a variety of caliphs over time.
Sunni Islam recognises the six books of the Hadith, which were compiled by six Sunni Muslim scholars in the ninth century CE. The six books of the Hadith are:
- Sahih al-Bukhari
- Sahih Muslim
- Sunan Abu Dawood
- Sunan al-Tirmidhi
- Sunan al-Nasa’i
- Sunan ibn Majah
Moreover, Sunni Muslims regard four schools of Islam as orthodox:
- Hanafi
- Maliki
- Shafi’i
- Hanbali
What is Shia Islam?
Shia Islam, on the other hand, is a smaller branch of Islam. Someone who observes or follows Shia Islam is known as a Shi’ite or Shi’i. Shia Muslims believe that the initial caliphs are not the rightful successors of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). Instead, they give this position to Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib and his descendants.
Shia Muslims believe that some of Ali’s descendants hold special spiritual and political authority over the community and possess a range of divinely given traits. There are many sub-divisions of Shia Islam, but the 2 main ones are Twelvers and Ismailis. Twelvers are the biggest and most influential group in Shia Islam.
What are some of the differences between Sunni and Shia Islam?
Sunni and Shia Muslims both share the same fundamental views of Islam, for instance, both groups worship Allah as God, accept Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) as the Prophet, and follow the teachings of the Qu’ran However, many differences exist between Sunni and Shia Islam.
Originally, the two denominations were united, but a divide began following the death of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in 632 over who the rightful successor was.
The Rightful Successor
More so than any of the other differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims, their differing views on who should have succeeded Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is the main reason for their divide. As mentioned, the Sunni Muslims believe that the first four caliphs were the rightful successors of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). However, the Shia Muslims believe the rightful successor should have been a relative of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
Approaches to Prayer
Both Sunni and Shia Muslims believe in saying the five prayers each day, but, other than that, the way they pray is very different. Sunni Muslims, for example, say each of the five prayers separately, so that they are praying five times a day. However, Shia Muslims say all five prayers across three sessions of prayer. Moreover, Sunnis pray with their arms crossed over their chest, whilst Shi’ites pray with their arms by their sides.
Views of Angels
Sunni Islam and Shia Islam both share the belief that angels are real and were created by God from light. Sunni Muslims believe that angels always obey God’s commandments because they have no free will. However, Shia Muslims believe that angels do have free will and, whilst they are obedient to God’s commandments, they are able to stray and disobey Him. Shi’ites believe that they are not disobedient, though, because they have no desire to sin.
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