Fundamentally Sunni and Shi’a Muslims share
the same beliefs the biggest variance is when it comes to who Muhammad’s
successor was. Sunni Islamists believe that Muhammad did not designate a
successor whereas Shi’a Islamists believe he did.
The Sunni people elected the father of
Muhammad’s wife A’ishah, Abu Bakr to be Muhammad’s successor but the Shi’a
people believe it should Muhammad’s son in law 'Ali ibn Abi Talib.
They have some different holidays and
festivals and the significance of these holidays varies, for example Ashura is
very important to Shi’a Muslims because it directly relates to ‘Ali ibn Abi
Talib’s son who was the leader of their faction of Islam.
They also vary on their view of Imams the
teachers. Sunni Muslims believe that these people just have really great,
strong faith whereas Shi’a’s believe that these men are perfect examples of
humanity and that they are the only ones who can interoperate the Qur’an
correctly.
Sunni Islam is made of 90% Muslims and Shi'a Islam only 10%. This is important to remember because there is a lot of tension between the Sunni's and Shi'a's and it is insulting to refer to one group by the wrong term.
References:
- http://www.discoveringislam.org/sunnis_vs_shia.htm
- http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islamic_sects.htm
- http://www.diffen.com/difference/Shia_vs_Sunni
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