Are Sunni and Shia more similar than different?

However, Sunni and Shi’a communities have a lot more in common in their beliefs and practices than they have differences. In fact, in countries where populations and access to power are relatively equal, they have tended to live together peacefully.

How do Sunni and Shia Islam differ?

The primary difference in practice comes in that Sunni Muslims mainly rely on the Sunnah, a record of the teachings and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad to guide their actions while the Shiites more heavily on their ayatollahs, whom they see as a sign of God on earth.

What do Sunni and Shia have in common?

One thing that Sunnis and Shiites have in common is that they are the two largest denominations of the Islamic faith . … They maintain that Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, was the rightful heir to the leadership of the Islam religion after Muhammad’s death.

Do Shia believe in Prophet Muhammad?

Shia Muslims believe that just as a prophet is appointed by God alone, only God has the prerogative to appoint the successor to his prophet. They believe God chose Ali to be Muhammad’s successor, infallible, the first caliph (khalifah, head of state) of Islam.

Do Sunni and Shia pray differently?

Practical differences

Sunni Muslims pray five times a day, whereas Shia Muslims can combine prayers to pray three times a day. Shia prayers can often be identified by a small tablet of clay, from a holy place (often Karbala), on which they place their forehead while bowing in prayer.

Can Shia and Sunni marry?

It can apply to marriage (the nikah mut’ah) or to the Hajj (the obligatory pilgrimage) (the Mut’ah of Hajj). Mut’ah is a sensitive area of disagreement between those who follow Sunni Islam (for whom nikah mut’ah is forbidden) and those who follow Shia Islam (for whom nikah mut’ah is allowed).

Do Shias have a different Quran?

The Shia view of the Qur’an differs from the Sunni view, but the majority of both groups believe that the text is identical. While some Shia disputed the canonical validity of the Uthmanic codex, the Shia Imams always rejected the idea of alteration of Qur’an’s text.

Who is more Shia or Sunni?

According to a study in 2015, Islam has 1.8 billion adherents, making up about 24.1% of the world population. Most Muslims are either of two denominations: Sunni (87–90%, roughly 1.6 billion people) or Shia (10–13%, roughly 180–230 million people).

Do Shias fast during Ramadan?

For the most part, Sunnis and Shias observe Ramadan the same way, but there are some differences. … However, for Shias they wait to break after it gets completely dark. Shia Muslims also observe additional events that Sunnis do not.

Where do most Shiites live today?

Large numbers of Shia Arab Muslims live in some Arab countries including Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, and Qatar. Shia Muslims are a numerical majority in Iraq and Bahrain. Approximately half of the population in Yemen and half of the Muslims in Lebanon are Shia Muslims.

Can Shia go to Mecca?

In 2009 a group of Shiites on their way to perform hajj pilgrimage (one of the five pillars of Islam that all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform once in their lives) in Mecca were arrested by Saudi religious police due to the involvement in a protest against the Saudi government.

What do Shia Muslims believe?

Shi’a Muslims believe that imams are leaders appointed by God to be Muhammad’s successors. Shi’a Muslims believe that imams are inspired by God, are without sin and are infallible, which means that they can interpret the teachings of the Qur’an without making any errors.

Do Shia pray towards Kaaba?

Worshipers face the Kaaba in Mecca when praying. … Like Maliki Sunnis and Shias, pray with hands open to their sides.

How many types of Muslims are there?

Though the two main sects within Islam, Sunni and Shia, agree on most of the fundamental beliefs and practices of Islam, a bitter split between the two goes back some 14 centuries. The divide originated with a dispute over who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Islamic faith he introduced.

Do Shia Muslims pray Jummah?

In Shia Islam, Salat al-Jumuah is Wajib Takhyiri (at the time of Occultation), which means that we have an option to offer Jumuah prayers, if its necessary conditions are fulfilled, or to offer Zuhr prayers. Hence, if Salat al-Jumuah is offered then it is not necessary to offer Zuhr prayer.