WORLD RELIGIONS

Detailed explanation-1: -Shias, a term that stems from shi’atu Ali, Arabic for “partisans of Ali, ‘’ believe that Ali and his descendants are part of a divine order. Sunnis, meaning followers of the sunna, or “way” in Arabic, of Mohammed, are opposed to political succession based on Mohammed’s bloodline.

Detailed explanation-2: -However, not only do the interpretations between three sects within Islam – Sunni, Shia, and Alawite – differ in terms of observable practice (Alawites, for example, do not worship in mosques or wear traditional hijab), but even within these three sects there can vast differences.

Detailed explanation-3: -Sunni Islam is by far the largest branch of Islam: its followers make up 87 to 90% of the global Muslim population. The name ‘Sunni Islam’ derives from the term ahl al-sunna wa-l-jama’a (’people of the prophetic tradition and the community’).