What is the difference between shii't and sunni muslims?

Answer 1

slam does not have nearly as many sects and divisions as does Christianity, but there are a few and it is worth knowing something about them. The two biggest are the Sunnis and the Shi'ites, with the Sunnis being the largest of all and representing the vast majority of Muslims. Shi'ites are a minority everywhere except Iran.

After them, the two most influential sects are the Sufis and the Wahhabis. The Sufis represent a mystical tradition in Islam, whereas the Wahhabis are a strict traditionalist tradition which is dominant on the Arabian peninsula, but has little support elsewhere.

Unlike churches, mosques are not denominational. Despite the differences among Muslims, traditional Friday prayer services are largely similar and Muslims of any background are welcome to attend services at any mosque.

Who are the Sunnis?
Sunnis are Muslims who are considered the more "orthodox" believers. Sunnis follow all of the most traditional beliefs and actions.

Who are the Shi'ites?
The term Shi'a is a shortened form of Shi'at Ali, which means "the party of Ali" - and at the time of Ali's death in 661, that is probably all it was: a party or tendency of people who supported Ali's claims to the caliphate. Over time, they became the largest non-Sunni sect in Islam.

More info:
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/islam/blfaq_islam_sects.htm

Answer 2

In Islam all over the world They agree about the oneness of God They follow the same book - Quran(same words and letters all over the world). They follow the same prophet Muhammad . offer their prayers five time a day. fast in the month of Ramadan.Give charity (Zakat) which is the poor-due on the wealth of the rich go for hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca ...but they may have differnt opinions not on the basics

Those who follow some sayings and views of Ali (one of the early muslims leaders), as the rightful successor to Prophet Muhammad , are called Shia. Shia means a partisan (party of Ali) and it started more as a political party to help Ali in his conflict with his political adversaries.

About 90% of Muslims are Sunni, the word Sunni is based on the word Sunnah which is an Arabic word means the Prophet's Doctrine. Sunnis believe in (GOD) as the One Creator and Mohammad is His last and final Messenger.

but you have to know that the sects in islam not like the sects in other religions in other religions1- they can change in their books for example the Catholic Bible contain 73 books while the Protestant Bible has only 66 in Islam no one can change any thing There is not even one word of difference between two Arabic Qur'ans, anywhere in the world. There has been no disagreements in history among Muslims as to what should and should not be in the Qur'an

The Sunnah or Hadith consists of the teachings, sayings, and actions of Prophet Muhammad. This information was meticulously reported and collected by his Companions. It is essentially an elaboration of the Qur'anic verses that shows how they are to be implemented in one's daily life ALLthe true muslims agree about that

Answer 3

even as the Prophet Mohammed died, he didn’t go away a right away successor to carry on because the appropriate of Islam. He instead needed it to be a form of democracy and stated Islam became now to not have any pope like confirm in which one man or woman may lead the Muslim international. The chop up occurred even as Muhammad elected his Uncle to be the hot Caliph of Islam, yet his nephew Ali became already his successor. So the major rift is the Sunni Muslims followed Abu’Bakker and the Shi’ite followed Ali. There are also a large number of little stupid issues that grew to develop into over the years, yet they both stick with the Quran and each and every area in it.

Answer 4

Shiite's leader is called Imam-they believe they are the only rightful successors of Muhammad and the other branch Sunni believes the first four Caliphs are the rightful sucessors of Muhammad and follow the orthodox tradition. From the dictionary-but I still don't know what it means really-I'll have to read up on it.

Answer 5

Shi'a Islam, also Shi'ite Islam or Shi'ism (Arabic: شيعة‎ ​, transliterated Shī‘ah; Persian: شیعه‎ ​) is the second largest denomination of the religion of Islam. Shi'a Muslims adhere to what they consider to be the teachings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the religious guidance of his family whom they refer to as the Ahlul Bayt. Thus, Shi'as consider the first three ruling Sunni Caliphs a historic occurrence and not something attached to faith. The singular/adjective form is Shī`ī (Arabic: شيعي.) and refers to a follower of the Ahlul Bayt and of Ali ibn Abi Talib (Imam Ali) in particular.


Overview

Shi'a Muslims believe that Muhammad's family (the Imams) were the best source of knowledge about the Qur'an, Islam, and Emulation (the best-qualified teachers of Islam after Muhammad), and the most trusted carriers and protectors of Muhammad's Sunnah (traditions).

In particular, Shi'a Muslims recognize the succession of Ali (Muhammad's cousin, son-in-law, the first young man to convert to Islam—second person only to Muhammad's wife Khadija—and the male head of the Ahl al-Bayt or "people of the [Prophet's] house") as opposed to that of the caliphate recognized by Sunni Muslims. Shi`a Muslims believe that Ali was appointed successor by Muhammad's direct order on many occasions, and that he is therefore the rightful leader of the Muslim faith pursuant to the Prophet's wishes.

This difference between following either the Ahl al-Bayt (Muhammad's family) or the Caliph Abu Bakr has shaped Shi`ah and Sunni views on some of the Qur'an, the Hadith (personalities in Islamic history), and other areas by extension. For instance, the collection of Hadith venerated by Shi'a 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).

Regardless of the dispute about the Caliphate, Shi'as recognize the authority of the Shi'a Imam (also called Khalifa Ilahi) as a religious authority, though different sects within Shi'a Islam dispute the rightful succession of this Imam and the current rightful successor (Twelvers, Ismalis, and Zaydīs, for instance).



More details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia

Answer 6

Shiite believes that the successor of Muhammed should have been descendants of Muhammed and Sunni beliefs are it should be the one most senior and with most knowledge.

Answer 7

Shi'a - believe that Ali was the ultimate Imam, shouldve been the first

Sunni- accept the original first Imam as the right one

Trust me...it's complex.

Answer 8

The way i see it....
They are two different tribes and I believe the head honcho is
called a warlord.It,s a pleasure to kill each other off if one
offends the other.They look the same.

Answer 9

the difference in between shiit? and what? and take a dump on a sunny day? say what?

Answer 10

I've been wanting an answer for years.

There is just enough of a difference that they take turns blowing each other up