What are the main differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims?

Question

and do most British Muslims belong to one group or the other?

Answer 1

It was an issue of leadership after Muhammad(AS) death. The Shia believed that only those within Muhammad's family should be able to rule while Sunnis believed the vote was given to Abu Bakr.

After this theological differences had risen within empires, the Shia believe that those who have the most religious intellect should rule and give judgement, while the Sunni believe that Islamic knowledge can be gathered from the Noble Qur'an and Sunnah.

Most people in the UK and US follow the Sunni branch.

Answer 2

Sunni Muslims in the world are in the majority at 85%, Shia 15%. They consider each other heretics and don't get along. The main event that split the two was a fight over who was to become the fourth Caliph (leader of the Muslims and successor to Mohammed) in the eighth century. If you want details read Sunni-Shia relations at Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Shia-Sunni_relations

Answer 3

salaam the two Sunni and Shia Muslims share the main needed Islamic ideals and articles of religion. the transformations between those 2 substantial sub-communities interior of Islam initially stemmed no longer from non secular transformations, yet political ones. Over the centuries, even if, those political transformations have spawned numerous various practices and positions that have come to hold a non secular value. The branch between Shia and Sunni dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the question of who replace into to take over the management of the Muslim united states of america. Sunni Muslims accept as true with the situation taken by skill of many of the Prophet's companions, that the hot chief might desire to be elected from between those able to the job. that's what replace into carried out, and the Prophet Muhammad's close pal and consultant, Abu Bakr, grew to become the 1st Caliph of the Islamic united states of america. with a bit of luck this helped the whole chop up is all politics as your pal suggested that the shias have faith that the caliphate might desire to descend throught the prophets blood whilst sunnis dont thats in certainty it peace outzz

Answer 4

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 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.


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).

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

Answer 5

The main difference came from who the early Muslims felt should become the Kalifah after Muhammad. Sunni wanted one person, the Shi'a wanted another. This feud has been going on ever since.

Answer 6

The division began when Abu Bakr (r) was the calipha a few years later after Mohammad(pbuh), but not everyone was happy with Abu Bakr being the calipha, some people wanted Ali (r), cousin of Mohammad(pbuh) to be the calipha, so the division of shia and sunni begun over politics.