sunni vs sh`ite?

Question

Does anyone know the differences betweent them and why they want to kill each other

Answer 1

George W. Bush doesn't, that's for sure.

Answer 2

Way back when, in the 7th century, after Muhammad's death, the Shi'i wanted Ali (Muhammad's cousin) to become the caliph (Muhammad's successor). In other words, they only wanted direct descendants of Muhammad to rule. The Sunnis wanted someone from the Umayyad clan to become caliph instead. Nowadays, there are different rituals for the two brances. This is really no different than the differences between the various sects of Christianity. The hatred, I assume, doesn't have much to do with religous differences as I feel that is only used as the rationale for other activities. It seems outside of the Middle East, both groups of Muslims can coexist. It comes down more to poitical differences, like if Democrats and Republicans started killing each other.

Answer 3

The majority of the world’s Muslim population follows the Sunni branch of Islam, and approximately 10-15% of all Muslims follow the Shiite (Shi‘ite, Shi‘a, Shia) branch. Shiite populations live in a number of countries, but they constitute a majority in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, and Azerbaijan. There are also significant Shiite populations in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen. Sunnis and Shiites share most basic religious tenets. However, their differences sometimes have
served as the basis for religious intolerance, political infighting, and violent confrontations. This report includes a historical background of the Sunni-Shiite split and the differences in religious beliefs and practices between and within each Islamic
sect as well as their similarities.

For the full report see link below:

http://www.fas.org/irp/crs/rs21745.pdf...

Answer 4

In laymans language, that is like the Catholics and Methodists fighting each other.

The argument between Sunni and Shiite is about 13 centuries old, and relates to the "genuine" successor to Muhammed. Sunnis believe it was someone, and Shiites believe it was someone else. All other differences stem from that basic one

It has to do with succession(Caliph) after Mohammad's death. The split is between old tribal leaders(Sunni) or the Prophets family(Shiites).

Answer 5

Family feud. Sunni's don't think Shia are "real" Muslims because they disagree on who should have had authority after Mohammed died.

"The term Shia or Shi'ite derives from a shortening of Shiat Ali or partisans of Ali. Ali was a cousin and son in law of Mohammed. Ali had married Mohammed's daughter Fatima .

"Shias feel that Ali who was the fourth caliph should have been the first caliph and that the caliphate should pass down only to direct descendants of Mohammed via Ali and Fatima."

Answer 6

sunnis and shaism are two different school of thoughts which means that they differ in the way they understand the islamic faith . shia believe that the prophet saws cusin Ali was the successor of the prophet after prophet pbuh died and that Ali was the best man after prophet . whereas sunnis tend to respect all the companions and classify them as the best generation of the islamic nation ..

Answer 7

at this time its all jacked up.see-they been doing this for a couple of thousand years because Iraq is ancient Babylon.I think If your shoes are the wrong color you could get killed.they just don't like each other.It has to do with soo much stuff including religion and cultural differences.

population wise sunnies are the minority.But Shiites have been oppressed through Saddam so now that he is gone they are rebelling.they are more of a fundamentalist Muslim something Saddam did not allow. LOL

Answer 8

I think that one of them is the group that believes that Islam should be ruled(for lack of a better word)by the descendants of Mohammad; and the other group doesn't. If anyone can answer this better more power to them.

I just read the other answers - hello puppy had a good one.

Answer 9

I learned this in World Civilizations but I was half paying attention. It has something to do with a man who was "elected" to be the leader. The followers were called one name and the people who objected were called the other. Since then they have been battling.

Answer 10

Peace and blessings be upon everyone!
Sunnis and Sh'ites are two branches of Islam that almost completely differ in many beliefs and practices because each branch interprets the Quran and the ahadiths (sayings of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) differently. Their division of branches came about some time after Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)'s death. When he passed away, some people wanted his cousin Ali to be his successor, the leader of the Muslim community back then, because Ali was a close relative of the Prophet. Others wanted Muhammad's best friend, Abu Bakkar to be the successor because he was closer to the Prophet and hence would be more able to lead the Muslim community the way Muhammad had done; he was also much older than Ali. The divisions began upon Abu Bakkar's becoming the successor after all; those wanted Ali became known as the Shias and those who wanted Abu Bakkar the Sunnis.
Extremely important differences between the two groups:
-- Imaamat in Shiasm: The Shiite faith of "Imamat" implies that after the Prophet (peace be upon him), there shall be no other prophet, but the only true leader of the Muslims, at a given time, is an "Imam" who, like the prophets of Allah, is directly appointed by Allah (God). They believe that this Imaam is sinless, faultless and is directly sent by God and hence should be obeyed in all matters and under all circumstances. The Sunnis, on the other hand, believe that there's no such person as "sent directly from God" (like a Prophet); they believe that Muhammad was the last prophet sent by God, and they also believe that no person is sinless or faultless.
-- The Shias declaration of faith states: "There is no god (for worship) but Alláh (God), Muhammad is the Messenger of Alláh, Alí is the Friend of Alláh. The Successor of the Messenger of Alláh And his first Caliph (is Ali)." The Sunnis, on the other hand, declare it this way: "There is no god for worship except Allah (God), and Muhammad is the (last) Prophet of Allah." The Shias, as you can see, continue to believe that Ali was still the successor.
-- On a practical daily level, Shias have a different call to prayer, they perform wudu (ablution; washing certain parts of the body before prayers) and salat (prayers) differently including placing the forehead onto a piece of hardened clay from Karbala (a city in Iraq), not directly onto the prayer mat when prostrating. Sunnis, however, pray directly on a prayer mat, putting their forehead on the mat during prostration.
--Shias tend to combine prayers, sometimes worshipping three times per day instead of five. Sunnis pray 5 times a day, as was taught by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
--The Shias have some different ahadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad) and prefer those narrated by Ali and his wife Fatima to those related by other companions of the Prophet.
-- The matter of leadership evolved into the Shia institution of the Imamate, a spiritual leader follower considered chosen by God (as mentioned above). To the Shias, Ali was the first of the 12 most important Imams and Shias regularly visit the shrines of the Imams. Sunnis have Imams too, but these men are more like prayer leaders and scholars but NOT spiritual leaders who're sinless, and they don't hold the same religious or political authority as Shia imams do.
-- About the "12 Imaams", the Shias believe that Mahdi was the last of the 12 caliphates, meaning that they believe he has already come but went into a hiding in 931 and will be returned later on. Sunnis, on the other hand, believe that Mahdi never did come but will be coming some time before the end of the world and that his role will be to bring a just global caliphate into being.

The Sunnis believe that the Shias are not following the correct Islam, and the Shias believe that the Sunnis aren't following the correct Islam. As a Muslim, NO ONE is allowed to decide who's right and who's wrong or who's a Muslim and who's not. Prophet Muhammad taught us that if even a non-Muslim comes to you and tells you that he's a Muslim and you know for sure that he's not, you must still accept him as a Muslim, believe that he's a Muslim. Hence, if the Sunnis and Shias both call themselves Muslims, no one has the authority to say that they're not Muslims.
They hate each other because of their practices and how one branch judges the other.

Shias and SunnisToday:
Up to 90% of all Muslims follow the Sunni tradition, making it the largest branch of Islam. The name Sunni comes from the Arabic word "sunnah", which means the custom or example of the prophet Muhammad. "Shia" comes from the Arabic phrase shi'at 'Ali, which means the partisans of Ali, who was the son-in-law and cousin of Muhammad, and Shias believe that he was the prophet's rightful successor. However, Ali ruled as the fourth caliph (leader) after Muhammad, but he was assassinated in 661 AD. Worldwide, Shias constitute 10-15% of the overall Muslim population.

It is VERY important, however, to note that the Quran strictly forbids the creation of new branches in Islam. Muslims must NOT identify themselves as Sunnis or Shias or any other branches that may exist. All are supposed to be ONE, a united Muslim community, following the Quran and Sunnah (teachings of Prophet Muhammad).

As for WHY the heck they want to kill each other, that's beyond our understanding. They can be very much compared to other religious groups with branches.... Just like most Protestants believe that the Catholics aren't Christians and the Catholics think the same thing. Same thing with the Muslims.... Very, very wrong and unIslamic, but they do it anyway. May God guide them all (and everyone else) to His Preferred Path, and may He bring unity amongst all of His followers.

You can always find out more differences between the two sects from any Islamic website, and there are many, many out there!

Peace and blessings be upon all, and I pray I answered your question properly! May God bless you!

Answer 11

When muhammad died he failed to leave an heir to his criminal empire, so they started fighting among themselves to see who would be the next leader. They split into 2 groups, sunnis and shiites, and have been fighting since then.