define difference between sunni and shiite muslums?

Question

is the difference between a suni muslum and a shiite muslum merely political or theoligical? which and how be specific

Answer 1

Sunni is regular height and shiite (shoe height) is short.loly

Answer 2

Define Shiite

Answer 3

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RE:
define difference between sunni and shiite muslums?
is the difference between a suni muslum and a shiite muslum merely political or theoligical? which and how be specific

Answer 4

The Sunni branch believes that the first four caliphs--Mohammed's successors--rightfully took his place as the leaders of Muslims. They recognize the heirs of the four caliphs as legitimate religious leaders. These heirs ruled continuously in the Arab world until the break-up of the Ottoman Empire following the end of the First World War. Shiites, in contrast, believe that only the heirs of the fourth caliph, Ali, are the legitimate successors of Mohammed. In 931 the Twelfth Imam disappeared. This was a seminal event in the history of Shiite Muslims. According to R. Scott Appleby, a professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, "Shiite Muslims, who are concentrated in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon, [believe they] had suffered the loss of divinely guided political leadership" at the time of the Imam's disappearance. Not "until the ascendancy of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1978" did they believe that they had once again begun to live under the authority of a legitimate religious figure

Answer 5

Sunni Muslims are by far the largest denomination of Islam. They are also referred to as Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jamaa'h (Arabic: أهل السنة والجماعة) (people of the example (of Muhammad) and the community) which implies that they are the majority, or Ahl ul-Sunna (Arabic: أهل السنة; "The people of the example (of Muhammad)") for short. The word Sunni comes from the word sunna (Arabic : سنة ), which means the words and actions [1] or example of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad. They represent the branch of Islam that accepted the caliphate of Abu Bakr due to him being chosen by majority, thus elections, or Shurah, on the caliphate being the first distinguishing factor in Sunni Islam. Most Sunni lawyers define themselves as those Muslims who are rooted in one of the four orthodox schools of Sunni law (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii or Hanbali).


Shī‘a Islam, also Shi‘ite Islam or Shi‘ism (Arabic شيعة šīʿa), is the second largest denomination of the Islamic faith after Sunni Islam. Shias adhere to the teachings of the Muhammad and the religious guidance of his family (who are referred to as the Ahl al-Bayt) or his descendents known as Shi'a Imams.Muhammad's bloodline continues only through his beloved daughter Fatima Zahra and cousin Ali which alongside the prophet's grandsons are the Ahl al-Bayt. Thus, Shi'as consider Muhammad's descendents as the true source of guidance while considering the first three ruling Sunni caliphs a historic occurrence and not something attached to faith. The singular/adjective form is šīʿī (شيعي.) and refers to a follower of the faction of Imam Ali according to the Shia ideology.

Shia Islam, like Sunni Islam, has at times been divided into many branches; however, only three of these currently have a significant number of followers. The best known and the one with most adherents is the Twelvers (اثنا عشرية iṯnāʿašariyya) which have a large percentage in Iran 90% and Iraq; the others are Ismaili, Sevener, and Zaidiyyah. Alawites and Druzes consider themselves Shias, although this is sometimes disputed by mainstream Shias[1]. The Sufi orders among the Shias are the Alevi, Bektashi, Kubrawiya, Noorbakhshi, Oveyssi, Qizilbashi, Hamadani and Fatimid orders and denominations. Twenty percent of Turkey's population is Alevi while Lebanon and Syria have a large presence of Druze and Alawites.

Answer 6

My understanding is this:

When Mohammed died, the other leaders who served under him in the religion all tried to take charge, one was a son, one was a nephew (I think). One group followed one and became what we know as Sunni, and the others followed the other and they became Shiia. The groups never reconcilled their traditions, and things went from bad to worse and traditions became solidified and calcified, much as the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics did; as Lutherians and Methodists and Baptists and Churches of Christ have.

The differences are real, but they originate in the willfulness of mankind, our propensity to sin.

Romans 7:19
For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

Answer 7

Sunni believe Prophet Muhammad(PBUH*) chose Abu Bakr to be his successor. Shia believe Muhammad(PBUH*) chose Ali his cousin to be the successor. Abu Bakr is the father in law of Muhammad(wife is Aisha) and a close companion of the Prophet(PBUH*). It's basically political.

Answer 8

Also, Shiites are the radical and militant division of Islam. The Fundamentalist involved in today's terror. They claim that God has sent at least 124,000 prophets.

Answer 9

"Shiite" is a term too vague when it comes to religious comparison. Because there are many factions that claim to be Shiites, yet differ highly in matters of religion amongst themselves. This is very well known in intellectual Islamic circles.

Different factions are recognized as Shiites because the term "Shiite" refers to the person who has the trait of "Shiism" in himself, which means the extreme partisanship to the son-in-law of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam. So people can agree with partisanship, but can differ on other huge religious matters.

The term "Sunni" on the other hand, can not include factions because it is in reference to an adherent of "Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jama’ah" which means "the people of prophetic tradition and the congregation." So if anyone has a huge religious difference, he is not regarded as "Sunni" at all because the congregation considers him or his group as against the prophetic tradition. And one can not be against the prophetic tradition and amongst the "people of prophetic tradition" at the same time.

However, the current reference to the term "Shiite" is usually to an adherant of the "Twelvers" faction amongst the Shiites. The famous Shiite religious leaders in Iraq, the Irani Shiites, etc. mentioned in news today all belong to this faction.

Note: Since I have explained the matter, I will mention the Twelvers as “Shiites” now so it is easier to understand.

So now the question is: What is the difference between the Shiites and Sunnis and are they political or religious differences?

Many people say that the differences between the two groups are only political, this is absolutely incorrect. The main difference is related to leadership, but the Shiites believe that the community of Muslims always needs a divine body (like a Prophet) upon them so that it could lead them both politically and religiously after Muhammad. The Sunnis on the other hand believe that there is no divine body after Muhammad, so it is upon the Muslims themselves, to choose leaders through election. It is a matter of accepting or denying the concept that a *divine* leader like a Prophet after Muhammad is upon the Muslims or not, so it is definitely a matter of religious and political differences.

This faction is known as “Twelver” because it believes that there will be twelve divine bodies after Muhammad and the world will end then. They believe that these twelve individuals, who they refer as “Imams” are infallible, have super-natural knowledge, connection with God, ability to do miracles and are superior to all the Prophets before Muhammad. Including Adam, Moses, Aaron, Abraham, Lot etc. They believe the eleven have already died, and the twelfth is in occultation from more than a thousand years now.

The Shiites do not call these divine bodies “Prophets” though; they do believe that Muhammad was the last Prophet. So they call this concept of divine Prophethood like leadership as “Imamah,” and the Shia Scholars say that the belief of Imamah is amongst the fundamentals of belief near them.

This Sunnis reject all this and regard the eleven as good and normal humans and completely deny the existence of the twelfth. They also say that no human can be superior to a prophet after the last Prophet of Islam, Muhammad.

This is the main difference that has lead to countless major and minor differences, from matters of theology to jurisprudence. Here are some of the major ones:

1. The Shiites believe that God can not be seen in afterlife. The Sunnis argue that He can.

2. The Sunnis believe that God is also the creator of the bad events that take place in human lives. The Shiites believe that God is only the creator of good.

3. The Shiites mention some things that they believe are obligatory on God to do, such as placing an “Imam” on land. The Sunnis say that God is free from obligations.

4. The Shiites believe that the Koran is a creation and a thing. The Sunnis believe that it is “uncreated” and do not count it as a thing.

5. The Shiites believe that the Koran was compiled during the time of Muhammad. The Sunnis believe that it was compiled after the demise of Muhammad.

6. The Sunnis believe that the Koran is exactly how it is suppose to be from God. The Shiites say that it is against the chronological order and that is how it should have been. Many Shiite clerics even say that some of it is lost and some say that things have been added to it by humans; but there is an agreement that the perfect one is preserved with the twelfth “Imam.”

7. The Shiites believe that there exists another station such as Prophethood called “Imamah,” which is also superior to all other stations. The Sunnis completely deny this concept.

8. The Sunnis believe that Abu Bakr, the Companion of Muhammad, was the first leader after the demise of Muhammad because he was elected by the Muslims. The Shiites believe that it is not a matter of election, leadership is from God, and the first “Imam” was the son-in-law of Muhammad, namely Ali. The Sunnis regard Ali and his son Hasan as leaders too, but the rest of the list of leaders is entirely different.

9. The Sunnis believe that the Companions of Muhammad were all righteous. The Shiites say the vast majority of them were sinful and many of them even infidels. Many also hold the view that all of them were deviants or disbelievers except a handful of those who supported Ali.

10. The Sunnis hold all of the wives of Muhammad in high regard and have completely positive sentiments towards them. The Shiites do not regard them as the household of Muhammad and say that some of them were impious and sinful women, such as Aishah. Many even say she was a disbeliever.

11. The Shiites believe that one can hurt oneself and wail to mourn the dead (the self-beating commemorations in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan etc. shown in media are for the third “Imam”). The Sunnis say that this is forbidden.

12. The Shiites allow dissimulation for reconciliation with an opponent or to soften his heart. The Sunnis disallow it.

13. The Shiites believe that one has to prostrate on literal land for their prayers to be valid, so they use a small clay piece to prostrate upon. the Sunnis say that it can be done on anything as long as it is pure.

14. The Shiites engage in “temporary marriages,” in which a time period is fixed with an amount of money with an informal agreement for sexual intercourse between couples. The Sunnis say it is strictly forbidden.

15. The Shiites include Ali’s name with Muhammad’s to the call to prayers, the Sunnis do not include another name than Muhammad’s and consider any addition as impermissible.

There are many more such examples, which lead to hair-splitting differences between Sunni and Shiites. Other than the Koran, they both use completely difference sources for Traditions and interpretation of the Koran, and deny the authenticity of each others’ sources. This is the reason behind the difference of practices and beliefs found amongst them.

As it is obvious, the difference is mainly religious.

Note: Some individuals may deny things that I have stated from both Sunnis and Shiites. But this is only due to the ignorance of the original school of thoughts.

Answer 10

physical,..... more so, than political or theological,

corz they like chopping each other's head's off....