Shia Islam[a] is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib (r. 656–661) as his successor (khalifa) as the imam, that is the spiritual and political leader of the Muslim community.

May 25, 2024 · Sunni and Shia Muslims share core Islamic beliefs, but their division stems largely from political disagreements over leadership after Prophet Muhammad's death and led to …

Shi‘a Islam, also known as Shi‘ite Islam or Shia, is the second largest branch of Islam 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 descendants known as Shia Imams.

Jan 23, 2025 · Shiʿi, member of the smaller of the two major branches of Islam, the Shiʿah, distinguished from the majority Sunnis. The origins of the split between the Sunnis and the Shiʿah lie in the events which followed the death of the Prophet Muhammad.

Jul 31, 2019 · Though the two main sects within Islam, Sunni and Shia, agree on most of the fundamental beliefs and practices of Islam, a bitter split between the two goes back some 14 …

This text discusses the major denominations and branches of Islam, highlighting differences between Sunni and Shia.

Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib (r. 656–661) as his successor (khalifa) as the imam, that is the spiritual and political leader of the Muslim community.

Shia Islam is one of the two major sects within Islam. Along with monotheism, prophethood, and resurrection, Imamate is a principle held by Shi'a Islam, distinguishing it from Sunni Islam. In Shi'a Islam, an Imam is believed to be appointed by God and …

Jan 27, 2025 · Islam - Shi'a, Imams, Twelvers: Shiʿism is the only important surviving non-Sunni sect in Islam in terms of numbers of adherents. As noted above, it owes its origin to the hostility between ʿAlī (the fourth caliph, son-in-law of the Prophet) and the Umayyad dynasty (661–750).

May 23, 2018 · Shia one of the two main branches of Islam, followed especially in Iran, that rejects the first three Sunni caliphs and regards Ali, the fourth caliph, as Muhammad 's first true successor. Adherents are known as Shiites. The name comes from Arabic šī῾a ‘party of Ali’.