Sunni and Shi'a

Introduction
Sunni and Shi'a
Mosaic tiled columns in a mosque ©
The words Sunni and Shi'a appear regularly in storiesabout the Muslim
world but few people know what they really mean. Religion permeates
every aspect of life in Muslim countries and understanding Sunni and
Shi'a beliefs is important in understanding the modern Muslim world.
Introduction
The division between Sunnis and Shi'as is the largest and oldest in
the history of Islam.
They both agree on the fundamentals of Islam and share the same Holy
Book (The Qur'an ), but there are differences mostly derived from
their different historical experiences, political and social
developments, as well as ethnic composition.
These differences originate from the question of who would succeed the
Prophet Muhammad as leader of the emerging Muslim community after his
death. To understand them, we need to know a bit about the Prophet's
life and political and spiritual legacy.
The Prophet Muhammad
When the Prophet died in the early 7th century he left not only the
religion of Islam but also a community of about one hundred thousand
Muslims organised as an Islamic state on the Arabian Peninsula. It was
the question of who should succeed the Prophet and lead the fledgling
Islamic state that created the divide.
The larger group of Muslims chose Abu Bakr, aclose Companion of the
Prophet, as the Caliph (politico-social leader) andhe was accepted as
such by much of the community which saw the succession in political
and not spiritual terms. However another smaller group, which also
included some of the senior Companions, believed that the Prophet's
son-in-law and cousin, Ali, should be Caliph. They understood that the
Prophet had appointed him as the soleinterpreter of his legacy, in
both political and spiritual terms. In the end Abu Bakr was appointed
First Caliph.
Leadership claims
Both Shi'as and Sunnis have good evidence to support their
understanding of the succession. Sunnis argue that the Prophet chose
Abu Bakr to lead the congregational prayers as he lay on his deathbed,
thus suggesting that the Prophet was naming Abu Bakr as the next
leader. The Shi'as' evidence is that Muhammad stood upin front of his
Companionson the way back from his last Hajj, and proclaimed Ali the
spiritual guide and master of all believers. Shi'a reports say he took
Ali's hand and said that anyone who followed Muhammad should
followAli.
Muslims who believe that Abu Bakr should have been the Prophet's
successor have come to be known as Sunni Muslims. Those who believe
Ali should have been the Prophet's successor are now known as Shi'a
Muslims. It was only later that these terms came into use. Sunni means
'one who follows the Sunnah' (whatthe Prophet said, did, agreed to or
condemned).Shi'a is a contraction of the phrase 'Shiat Ali', meaning
'partisans of Ali'.
The use of the word"successor" should not be confused to mean that
those leaders that came after the Prophet Muhammad were also prophets
- both Shi'a and Sunni agree that Muhammad was the final prophet.