Shi'ite

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.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

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 5 prayers times into only 3 prayer times; morning, afternoon and night. Yet they still pray 5 prayers a day. They justify this with the verse from the Quran 24:58. "O you who believe! let those whom your right hands possess and those of you who have not attained to puberty ask permission of you three times; before the morning prayer, and when you put off your clothes at midday in summer, and after the prayer of the nightfall; these are three times of privacy for you; neither is it a sin for you nor for them besides these, some of you must go round about (waiting) upon others; thus does Allah make clear to you the communications, and Allah is Knowing, Wise. Also they use the following authentic Hadith to show that one may pray Zuhr and Asr together during midday and Maghrib and Isha together after sunset without any constrain forcing him to do so. Muslim Ibn Hajjaj in his Sahih, in the Chapter "Jam'a Baina's-salatain fi'l-Hazar," says that Ibn Abbas said: "The Prophet used to say Zuhr and Asr as well as Maghrib and Isha prayers jointly without being constrained to do so, or, when he was at home." Again Ibn Abbas narrated:"We said eight rak'ats of Zuhr and Asr, and later seven rak'ats of Maghrib and Isha prayers jointly with the Holy Prophet." (Sahih Muslim, English version, Chapter CCL, Tradition #1520)

Shi'ites, as with the Sunnis, 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.^[6] Shi'ite fiqh (according to a fatwa by Al-Azhar, the most respected authority in Sunni Islam)^[7] is accepted as a fifth school of Islamic thought.

See Also

• Sunni
• Shi'ites - A hub page that leads to other articles related to Shi'ites

References