Shia

Posted on November 26, 2005

Shia Islam, spelled as Syiah in Bahasa Indonesia, is the second largest denomination of Islam, after Sunni Islam. Shi’a Muslims, though a minority in the Muslim world, constitute the majority of the populations in Iran, Azerbaijan, Bahrain and Iraq, as well as a plurality in Lebanon.

The Shi’a attribute themselves to the Qur’an and teachings of the final Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, and in contrast to other Muslims, believe that his family, the Ahl al-Bayt (the People of the House), including his descendants known as Imams, have special spiritual and political rule over the community. Unlike Sunni Muslims, the Shi’a believe that Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad’s cousin and husband of his daughter, Fatimah, was the true successor to Muhammad who was appointed by God as his prophet, and thus reject the legitimacy of the first three Rashidun caliphs.[1]

Both Sunni and Shia Muslims share the most fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith. The differences between these two main sub-groups within Islam initially stemmed not from spiritual differences, but political ones.[2]

Shia and Shiite

Shiite (noun): a Muslim of the Shia branch of Islam.

- Shiite adjective

Shia (noun)

1: the Muslims of the branch of Islam comprising sects believing in Ali and the Imams as the only rightful successors of Muhammad and in the concealment and the messianic return of the last recognized Imam.

2: Shiite

3: the branch of Islam formed by the Shia [3]

Shiite (also Shi’ite)
? noun an adherent of the Shia branch of Islam.
? adjective relating to Shia.

Shia (also Shi’a)
? noun (plural same or Shias) one of the two main branches of Islam, regarding Ali, the fourth caliph, as Muhammad’s first true successor. Compare with Sunni. ?a Muslim who adheres to this branch of Islam. [4]

Shia Branches

1. Ithna Ashary (the Twelve Imams or the Twelver)

The Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, in the Twelver or Ithna Ashariya branch of Shia Islam.[18] According to the theology of Twelvers, the successor of Muhammad is an infallible human individual who not only rules over the community with justice, but also is able to keep and interpret the Divine Law and its esoteric meaning.

2. Ismaili

The Ism?‘?l? (Arabic: ????????????? al-Ism???liyy?n; Urdu: ???????? Ism???l?, Persian: ?????????? Esm??iliy?n) branch of Islam is the second largest part of the Sh?‘ah community after the Twelvers. The Ism?‘?l? get their name from their acceptance of Ism?‘?l ibn Ja‘far as the divinely-appointed spiritual successor (Im?m) to Ja‘far a?-??diq, wherein they differ from the Twelvers, who accept M?sà al-K?zim, younger brother of Ism?‘?l, as the true Im?m

3. Zaidi The Zaidi are a branch of Shi’a Islam named after the Im?m Zayd ibn ?Al?. Followers of the Zaidi fiqh are called Zaidis (or occasionally, Fivers by Sunnis). However, there is also a group called the Zaidi Was?t?s who are Twelvers.[5]

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[1] Wikipedia
[2] About.com
[3] Merriam Webster’s Dictionary
[4] Oxford English Dictionary
[5] Wikipedia

Filed Under Blogger Indonesia Tags: Islam, ismaili, ithna ashary, Muslim, shia, syiah, zaidi