View source for Shi'ism

'''Shi‘ites''' (or ''Shi‘as'') are adherents of ''Shi‘ite Islam'' (also referred to as ''Shi‘a Islam'' or ''Shi‘ism''), and make up the second largest sect of [[Islam]] with an estimated 10-20% of the total Muslim population.<ref>[http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islamic_sects.htm Comparison of Sunni and Shia Islam] - ReligionFacts</ref><ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540503/Shiite Shīʿite] - Encyclopædia Britannica Online (2010)</ref><ref>[http://pewforum.org/Muslim/Mapping-the-Global-Muslim-Population%286%29.aspx Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population] - Pew Research Center, October 7, 2009</ref><ref>Tracy Miller - [http://pewforum.org/newassets/images/reports/Muslimpopulation/Muslimpopulation.pdf Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population] - Pew Research Center, October 2009</ref><ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2122.html The World Factbook]</ref> 

The historic background of the [[Sunni]]–Shi'ite split lies in the schism that occurred when the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]] died in the year 632 AD, leading to a dispute over succession to Muhammad as a [[caliph]] of the Islamic community spread across various parts of the world which led to the Battle of Siffin. 

According to this Shi'ite view, Ali as the successor of Muhammad, not only ruled over the community in [[justice]], but also interpreted the [[Shari'ah law]] and its esoteric meaning. Hence he was regarded as being free from error and sin (infallible), and appointed by [[Allah]] by divine decree (nass) to be the first Imam. Shi'ites combine five [[Salah|prayers]] into three prayer times; morning, afternoon and night. So, technically, they still partake in the same number of prayers a day as their Sunni counterparts.

Shi'ites, as with the Sunnis, also follow the Qur'an and [[Sunnah]]. Shi'ites have their own form of [[hadith]] largely based on sermons by Ali, ''Al-Kafi'' and ''Nahj al-Balagha'' being seen as the most reliable.<ref>[http://www.ahya.org/amm/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=72 Al Kafi - The Bukhari of Shi'ism] - AHYA</ref> Shi'ite [[fiqh]] (according to a fatwa by Al-Azhar, the most respected authority in Sunni Islam)<ref>[http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter1b/14.html al-Azhar Verdict on the Shia] - Shi'ite Encyclopedia v2.0, Al-islam</ref> is accepted as a fifth [[Madh'hab|school of Islamic thought]]. 

==See Also==
*[[Sunni]]
*[[Shi'ites]] ''- A hub page that leads to other articles related to Shi'ites''

==References==
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