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Sunni VS. Shiite What is Islam? Islam is a monotheistic religion characterized by the acceptance of the doctrine of submission to God and to [|Muhammad] as the chief and last prophet of God. People who follow the Islamic faith are considered Muslims. “Islam is a major world religion, with over 1 billion followers worldwide (1/5 of the world population). Even though they are normally associated with the Arabs of the Middle East, less than 10% of Muslims are actually Arab. Muslims are found all over the world, of every nation, color and race.”(About.com) Followers of Islam’s’ beliefs fall under 6 main categories they are: Faith in the unity of God, Faith in angels, Faith in prophets, Faith in books of revelation, Faith in an afterlife, and Faith in destiny/divine decree. Islam’s believe in the “5 Pillars of Islam” -Testimony of faith (Kalima), Prayer (Salat,) Almsgiving (Zakat), Fasting (Sawm), and Pilgrimage (Hajj). Muslims say prayer 5 times a day. The fajr (dawn or early morning) prayer is performed from the break of dawn until sunrise. The zuhr (noon) prayer is performed when the sun passes its zenith until a person’s shadow is the same length as his or her height. The ‘asr (afternoon) prayer is performed when a person’s shadow is the same length as his or her height and continues until the yellowing of the sun. The maghrib (evening) prayer is performed as long as twilight lasts until the sun’s complete disappearance. The ‘isha’ (night) prayer begins with the end of twilight and continues until a short while before the break of dawn. The Jumu‘a prayer is performed during the time of the noon prayer on Friday. The time of the ‘Iyd (religious festive days) prayers is some three quarters after sunrise on ‘Iyd days. Their time continues until the sun reaches its zenith. Like the other major world religions, Christianity and Judaism, Islam has many variations and sects, but the main divisions of Islam are Sunnism and Shiism Sunni is from the Arab word Sunna. It is the largest division of Islam. Sunni Islam is the heir to the early central Islamic state, in its acknowledgement of the legitimacy of the order of succession of the first four caliphs in contrast to the Shiite rejection of the first three as usurpers. It can also be seen as the aggregate of the adherents to the four extant schools of religious law (fiqh), the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii, and Hanbali schools. “With no centralized clerical institution, Sunni Islam should be understood as an umbrella identity, grouping close to 90% of the approximately one billion Muslims, stretching geographically from the Indonesian islands to the African steppes, through the Indian subcontinent, central Asia, and the Arab world, and ideologically from ecstatic Sufism to the puritanic literalism of the Wahhabis and Salafias, through scholasticism and secularism.”(Refrence.com) “Shia Islam is the second largest denomination of the Islamic Faith, after Sunni Islam, making up 10-20% of Muslims worldwide — almost all of the rest of Muslims being Sunni.”(Refrence.com). Shiites believe that the prophet Muhammad designated a successor—his son-in-law Ali—and that Ali's descendants are the only rightful Islamic leaders. The Shiite tradition emerged in opposition to the political dominance of Sunnism in most areas, although there have been exceptions to that rule, notably in Persia, where the Safavid Empire established Shiism as the religion of state. [|What is the difference between the two sects?] The basic difference in the two sects is that of the Shiite faith regarding the system of "Imamat". The Shiite faith of "Imamat" implies that after the Prophet (pbuh), there shall be no other prophet, but the only true leader of the Muslims, at a given time, is an "Imam" who, like the prophets of Allah, is directly appointed by Allah. Allah made the appointment of the first “Imam” through the last prophet (pbuh) and Allah through the “Imam” who precedes him appoints every subsequent “Imam”. Another qualification of the "Imam", according to the Shiite belief is that he shall belong to the family of the last prophet (pbuh). The Shiite belief holds that the "Imams", like the prophets of Allah, are "masoom" (sinless, innocent) and therefore should be obeyed in all matters and under all circumstances. The "Imams", according to the Shiite faith, are thus not just the political leaders of the Muslims but also their religious leaders and clergy. The Sunni school, on the other hand, does not hold any such belief. This may, at first sight, seem to be a trivial difference between the two schools. But a close analysis reveals that it amounts to a difference of the sources of religion for the two schools. The Sunni school, because of its lack of belief in the institution of "Imamat" holds the last prophet of Allah and the book revealed on him as the two primary sources of Islam, while the Shiite school, because of the importance and position it gives to the "Imams" holds them to be an autonomous source of their religion. Anything that an "Imam" says, any thing that he does and anything that he narrates is "religion" for the Shiite school. Differing with an "Imam" in any matter is of about the same consequence as differing with a prophet. Not submitting to the directions of an "Imam" is as grave a sin as refusing to submit to the directions of a prophet of Allah. __ Works Cited __ __About.com__. 7 May 2008 . Gordon, Matthew S,. __The Rise of Islam__. Westport : Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 2005. Shiism." __Reference.com__. 7 May 2008 . "Sunni." __Reference.com__. 7 May 2008 . __The Difference Between Shia and Sunni Muslims __. 7 May 2008 .