Shia Islam

"Shia" and "Shias" redirect here. For other uses, see Shia (disambiguation).

Shia Islam< is the second-largest branch of Islam and one of the world's largest religious denominations. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad appointed his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, as his successor and the leader of the Muslim community. A pivotal event took place in 632 at Ghadir Khumm, where Muhammad, shortly before his death, took Ali by the hand and delivered a speech in which he said "Whoever I am his mawla, then Ali is his mawla." The word mawla has several meanings depending on the context, including master, protector, ally, supporter, and one with authority. In Shia Islam, it is understood as Muhammad's formal designation of Ali as his successor. Sunni Islam also accepts that the event of Ghadir Khumm took place and that Muhammad made the statement about Ali. However, it does not interpret the statement as a designation of Ali as Muhammad's successor. Sunni Muslims interpret the word mawla in this context as referring to a close associate, friend, supporter, or one deserving loyalty and affection. Therefore, they regard the declaration as a simple affirmation of Muhammad's esteem for Ali, minimizing the event’s importance.

When Muhammad died in the same year, Abu Bakr was chosen as his successor at Saqifah by a group of Muhammad’s companions, while Ali was attending to Muhammad's funeral and was therefore absent from the gathering. Shia Muslims hold that Abu Bakr's appointment bypassed Ali's rightful claim to the succession, since the prophet had already designated Ali as his successor at Ghadir Khumm. Sunni Muslims hold that Muhammad left the choice of his successor to the community, and therefore regard Abu Bakr's selection as legitimate. The succession crisis became the initial cause of the division among Muslims that led to the emergence of the two main Islamic branches, Sunni and Shia. Ali was followed by a line of divinely appointed Imams from Muhammad's household (Ahl al-Bayt). The largest denomination of Shia Islam, Twelver Shi'ism, recognizes the Twelve Imams as the divinely appointed leaders, beginning with Ali himself and ending with the Mahdi, who is believed to be in occultation and expected to return in the End Times to establish justice and will be assisted by Isa (Jesus). Shia Islam places particular importance on the Ahl al-Bayt (the family of Muhammad), whom Shia Muslims regard as possessing divinely granted religious and spiritual authority. The Quran, the teachings of Muhammad (Sunnah), and the Imams form the principal foundations of Shia religious thought and jurisprudence. The principal hadith collections of Shia Islam are The Four Canonical Books, known as Kitab al-Kafi, Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih, Tahdhib al-Ahkam, and Al-Istibsar. Shia Muslims are guided by the Ja'fari school of jurisprudence.

Shia Islam comprises several denomination, the largest and most significant of which being Twelver Shia Islam, followed by the much smaller sects of Ismailism and Zaydism. The Battle of Karbala, in which the Prophet's grandson and the third Shia Imam, Husayn, was brutally killed and beheaded alongside most of his family members, gave the Alids their own religious identity and played a significant role in the development and consolidation of what became Shia Islam. It holds a central place in Shia history, tradition, and theology, and has frequently been recounted in Islamic literature. It is one of the most tragic, pivotal, and defining moments in Islamic history. Shia Muslims form an overwhelming majority in Iran and Azerbaijan, while constituting a majority in Iraq and making up nearly half of the populations of Lebanon and Bahrain. Substantial Shia population are also present in Turkey, Yemen, Syria, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Nigeria, Chad, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and other countries around the globe. Iran remains the only country in the world where Shia Islam officially serves as the foundation of both its legal framework and system of governance. Estimates place the global Shia Muslim population at 285–300 million, making them one of the world's largest religious denomination.

Etymology

The word Shia (or ; /ˈʃiːə/; Arabic: شِّيْعَة) is derived from Template:Tlit (شِّيْعَة عَلِيّ, 'followers of Ali'). An adherent is called a Shi'i (; Arabic: شيعيّ; Template:Plural form). In Arabic, "Shīʿa" means followers and supporters; the term derives from al-shiyāʿ and al-mushāyaʿa, which convey the meanings of following, supporting, and obedience. Shia Islam is also referred to in English as Shiism (or Shīʿism) (/ˈʃiːɪz(ə)m/), and Shia Muslims as Shiites (or Shīʿites) (/ˈʃiːaɪt/).

The term was first used during Muhammad's lifetime.Template:Not in source At present, the word refers to Muslims who believe that the leadership of the Muslim community after Muhammad belongs to ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, and his successors.

Nawbakhti states that the term Shia refers to a group of Muslims who, at the time of Muhammad and after him, regarded ʿAlī as the Imam and caliph. Al-Shahrastani explains that the term Shia refers to those who believe that ʿAlī was designated as the heir, Imam, and caliph by Muhammad, and that ʿAlī's authority is maintained through his descendants. For the adherents of Shia Islam, this conviction is implicit in the Quran and the history of Islam. Shia Muslim scholars emphasize that the notion of authority is linked to the family of the Abrahamic prophets, as the Quranic verses Template:Qref and Template:Qref illustrate: "Indeed, Allah chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of 'Imrân above all people. They are descendants of one another. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing."

History

Main article: History of Shia Islam

The original Shia identity referred to the followers of Imam ʿAlī, and Shia theology was formulated after the hijra (7th century CE). The first Shia governments and societies were established by the end of the 9th century. The 10th century has been referred to by the scholar of Islamic studies Louis Massignon as "the Shiite Ismaili century in the history of Islam".

Origins

Main articles: Origin of Shia Islam, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and First Fitna

The Investiture of Ali by Muhammad at the Ghadir Khumm, 1307 AD Ilkhanid manuscript illustration.

The Shia, originally known as the "partisans" of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, Muhammad's cousin and Fatima's husband, first emerged as a distinct movement composed of those fiercely loyal to him during the First Fitna (656–661). Shia doctrine is founded on the understanding that ʿAlī was uniquely designated to lead the Muslim community after Muhammad's death in 632. While the origins of Shia Islam remain a subject of scholarly debate, many Western historians have attempted to characterize early Shia Islam merely as a political faction rather than a religious movement, while others recognize this framework as an anachronistic imposition of the Western separation of religion and politics.

Shia Muslims point to Muhammad's explicit designation of ʿAlī as his successor during a major sermon at Ghadir Khumm, in which he declared: "Anyone who has me as his , has ʿAlī as his ". Many versions of the sermon include the invocation: "O God, befriend the friend of ʿAlī and be the enemy of his enemy". The interpretation of this prominent proclamation is central to the Sunni–Shia divide: while Sunni scholars tend to interpret it as a general affirmation of ʿAlī's merit, Shia Muslims maintain it to be a clear and unambiguous designation of ʿAlī as Muhammad's appointed successor. Shia sources further record that those present at Ghadir Khumm immediately congratulated ʿAlī, acclaiming him as ("commander of the believers").

Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, is a profoundly holy site in Shia Islam, considered by Shia Muslims as the holiest site in Islam after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.

When Muhammad died in 632 CE, ʿAlī and Muhammad's closest relatives remained occupied with the solemn duty of his funeral arrangements. While they were preparing his body, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, and Abu Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah convened a separate meeting with the leaders of Medina at Saqifa and secured the election of Abū Bakr as the first of the rāshidūn caliphs. While Sunni Muslims maintain that this election was politically legitimate, the process had no clear basis or precedent set by Muhammad, and ʿAlī's partisans viewed it as a direct violation of the Prophet's designation at Ghadir Khumm. Abū Bakr served from 632 to 634, followed by ʿUmar (634–644) and ʿUthmān (644–656).

Following the assassination of ʿUthmān in 656, the Muslims of Medina finally turned to ʿAlī as the fourth caliph, and he established his capital in Kufa. ʿAlī's subsequent rule over the early Islamic empire (656–661) was marked by entrenched opposition from rival factions. The resulting conflict, known as the First Fitna, became the first major civil war within the Muslim community, encompassing a series of revolts against ʿAlī by groups that had initially affirmed the legitimacy of his caliphate before ultimately turning against him.

The Great Mosque of Kufa in Kufa, Iraq, is a holy site in Shia Islam. It is where Ali lived and led prayers, and also the site where he was assassinated.

The conflict began with the Battle of the Camel in 656, in which ʿAlī's forces successfully prevailed against the coalition of Aisha, Ṭalḥah, and al-Zubayr. At the Battle of Siffin in 657, ʿAlī's campaign to subdue Muʿāwiyah, the governor of Damascus, was frustrated by a forced arbitration th