What is the difference between the Sunni and Shiites?

Question

In plain and easy words please

Answer 1

Very simply put; One (Shiites) thinks anyone who is a rightious Muslim can lead the people of Islam. The other (Sunnis) think the only ones qualified to lead, are the direct, blood descendants of Muhammed.

Answer 2

First, I am not a religious scholar, but a revert to Islam since 2 years ago. I apologize for any errors or omissions in my statements. As a revert, I do not have a connection to Sunni or Shia traditions. I base my statements on things I have read in Islamic books or on internet.

The divide of the Muslim people into Sunni and Shia started immediately after the death of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). Some believed that Ali ibn abu Talib had been appointed by the prophet to be his successor. Others believed that no successor had been appointed, so a council of the closest companions of the prophet chose Abu Bakr to lead the people.

Later, Ali did become the caliph (Islamic leader) and this should have ended the division, but Ali was murdered, and again the leadership was disputed. Muwayah, king of Syria, claimed the caliphate. Hasan, the son of Ali did not agree with Muwayah's leadership, but consented to allow him political control, with certain conditions. Many of the people continued to follow Hasan in religious matters, but some followed Muwayah, as the caliph.

After Muwayah's murder, Muwayah's son Yazid claimed the caliphate. Hasan had also been murdered, poisoned by his wife. Hasan's brother, Hussein, had taken over the spiritual leadership of the followers of the sons of Ali. (Shia) Hussein refused to acknowldge the authority of Yazid. He attempted to take his family and flee to safety in Iraq, but Yazid pursued him, and killed Hussein and all the healthy adult men of his family, and all his male slaves, and all his companions, and took all the women and children, as well as Hussein's adult son who was deathly ill, as prisoners.

The murder of Hussein and his family is what sealed the divide between Sunni and Shia. In fundamental belief, they are the same. The difference is almost entirely historical animosity, and also many Sunni find the Shia annual commemoration of the murder of Hussein to be distasteful, and some Shia very harshly criticize some of the wives and companions of the prophet.

"Hold fast to the rope of Allah, and do not be segregated" May Allah unite the Muslim ummah with respect, forgiveness, and compassion, for the sake of peace and justice.

Answer 3

The Sunni follow the Sunnah (the sayings and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him)

The Shiites, are a sect, who rejected the notion that Abu Bakr the First Caliph should be the rightful leader of the Islamic nation after the death of Muhammad peace be upon him.

They say it should have been Ali (May God be pleased with him), the Prophet's nephew. He did end up becoming the Caliph he was the 4, and the last of the rightly guided Caliphs.

Here is an important thing about sects in Islam

[006:159] Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects (all kinds of religious sects), you (O Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him) have no concern with them in the least. Their affair is only with God, Who then will tell them what they used to do.

(V.6:159) It is said that the Prophet Peace Be Upon Him recited this Verse and said: "These people are those who invent new things (Bid'ah) in religion and the followers of the vain desires of this Muslim nation, and their repentance will not be accepted by God." (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi)
[It has been narrated in the Hadîth Books (At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Mâjah and Abu Dâwûd) that the Prophet Peace Be Upon Him said: "The Jews and the Christians will be divided into seventy-one or seventy-two religious sects and this nation will be divided into seventy-three religious sects, all in Hell, except one, and that one is: on which I and my Companions are today, i.e. following the Qur'ân and the Prophet's Sunnah (legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements)."]

Peace Be With You

Answer 4

the difference is the size of their brain and whats in them and what they want to prove to the rest of the world show us that you are humans and not animals and stop fighting and start ******* alot more preferably each others wifes and not each others brothers just stop the fighting in the name of allah.....

Answer 5

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1592849,00.html

Answer 6

onewhosubmit is right!

you might find more informations about them @ :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunni

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia