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: -Though the two main sects within Islam, Sunni and Shia, agree on most of the fundamental beliefs and practices of Islam, a bitter split between the two goes back some 14 centuries. The divide originated with a dispute over who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Islamic faith he introduced.

Detailed explanation-3: -The main difference between the two branches is their contradicting beliefs on succession after the Prophet Muhammad died. Sunni leaders, called Caliphs, are elected through voting while Shiite leaders, or Imams, are direct descendants of Muhammad.

Detailed explanation-4: -After the death of Muhammad in 632, a group of Muslims, who would come to be known as the Sunnis, believed that Muhammad’s successor should be Abu Bakr, whereas a second group of Muslims, who would come to be known as the Shias, believed that his successor should have been Ali.