Understanding the Shia (Shiite) Muslims
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The following are certain
key facts about Shia Muslims -
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Shias are the
second largest denomination of the
Islamic faith after
Sunni Islam.
-
Shias believe
that they adhere to the teachings of the
Prophet
Muhammad and the religious guidance of his family whom are referred to
as the
Ahl al-Bayt,
-
Sunni Muslims
believe that Shiites deviate from, and in
certain cases even violate the teachings of
the
Prophet
Muhammad and the religious
guidance of his family.
-
Unlike the
Mainstream Sunni Muslims, Shiites consider
the first three ruling Sunni
caliphs a historical occurrence
and not something attached to faith. The
word “Shia” refers to a follower of the
faction of Imam Ali according to the Shia
ideology.
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Shia Muslims believe that Ali was appointed
successor by Muhammad's direct
order on many occasions, and
therefore he is the rightful
leader of the Muslim faith.
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The collection of Hadith venerated by Shia Muslims
is centered around narrations by
members of the Ahl al-Bayt,
while some Hadith by narrators
not belonging to the Ahl al-Bayt
are not included (those of Abu
Huraira, for example).
�
Unlike Sunnis, the Shia holy book
Makalmaat-e-husainia does not
hold the following in high
regard: Anas Bin Malik, Abu
Huraira, Amr bin Aas, Ameer
Maawia (companions of the
prophet) and Ayesha (wife of the
prophet)
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Shias constitute no more than 10% of the total
world Muslim population.
�
Most Shiites reside in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, India,
and Azerbaijan.
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The largest percentage of Shiites (Shias)
population is in Iran (roughly
90
�
20% of India’s Muslim population
is believed to be Shiite as
well.
Shias (Shiites)
are divided into the following
branches:
o Twelvers
(Ithna Ashariyya) – They
recognize the following twelve
Imams:
1) Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib - al-Murtadha
(The Satisfied One)
2) Imam Hasan ibn Ali - al-Mujtabah
(The Chosen One)
3) Imam Hussein ibn Ali - Sayyid
al-Shuhudah (The Lord of the
Martyrs)
4) Imam Ali ibn Husayn - Zayn
al-�bid�n (The Jewel of the
Believers)
5) Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (The
Spreader of Knowledge)
6) Imam Jaafer al-Sadiq (The
Truthful One)
7) Imam Musa al-Kazim (The
Patient One)
8) Imam Ali al-Ridha (The
Accepted One)
9) Imam Muhammad al-Taqi (The
Pious One)
10) Imam Ali al-Naqi (The Pure
One)
11) Imam Hasan al-Askari (The
One with an Army)
12) Imam Muhammad al-Mahd� (The
Rightly-Guided One)
o
Ismaili
o
Zaidiyyah
o
Alawites
o
Druzes
o
Alevi
(Sufi order)
o
Bektashi
(Sufi order)
o
Kubrawiya
(Sufi order)
o
Noorbakhshi
(Sufi order)
o
Oveyssi
(Sufi order)
o
Qizilbashi
(Sufi order)
o
Hamadani
(Sufi order)
o
Tijānī (Sufi order)
o
Fatimid (Sufi order)
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