Islam: history, beliefs, and contemporary practice

Islam

Explain the differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Where do the Shia geographically reside generally? Cite two examples of differences in theology and religious practices between Sunni and Shiites. Finally, are there differences in theology within Shiite Islam?

Each religion of the world has different interpretations and different religious denominations that have evolved over time. Islam is no different and the Sunni and Shia denominations of Islam represent the majority of its believers. The Sunni denomination is substantially larger in terms of population however the Shias also have widespread following. The roots of these ideologies can be traced back all the way to the death of Muhammad and the opinions that developed after his death about which way the religion should go. This analysis will introduce differences in the two denominations in terms of their population's geography and their theological differences.

Demographics

Sunnism and Shia beliefs are spread throughout the Islamic world with certain areas having higher proportions of each. For example, Iran has a majority of the population that claims the Shia denomination while Iraq, Turkey, and Afghanistan all have larger percentages of the Sunni denomination. The darker green on the map represents the regions that have a Shia majority while the lighter green represents a Sunni majority.

Figure 1 - Islamic Denominations (Sick, 2011)

The divisions in the beliefs have led to intense divides in political and social beliefs in many countries in the Middle East. For example, in Syria, a Sunni-majority country dominated by members of a Shiite sect, fighting that began as anti-government has taken on sectarian overtones and this has also spilled over to Iraq, which is Shiite-majority and has a predominantly Shiite government but is increasingly troubled by Sunni rebels (Fisher, 2014). The Sunnis are estimated to have a population of over nine hundred million while Shias have one hundred twenty million by comparison (Religion Facts, N.d.).

The Sunnis regard themselves as the orthodox and traditionalist branch of Islam and the word Sunni comes from "Ahl al-Sunna" which literally translates to the people of tradition (BBC, 2014). They believe that the prophet Muhammad was the final prophet in the religion. The Shias on the other hand believe that the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, Ali, carried on the religious traditions of his father.

Religious Differences

The differences in the beliefs of the two denominations stems from the Muslim leaders that they give historical preference to. For example, the Shias prefer to give more weight to the family of the prophet Muhammad while the Sunnis believe that any work produced by the twelve thousand companions of the prophet should be given equal consideration. The Sunnis believe that Abu Bakr should have been the Muslim successor after Muhammad while the Shias believe it was Ali. However, initially, when the prophet died the divisions in the two sects were relatively small and it was not until later that the divide began to grow.