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Islam’s Sunni / Shi’a Split
The world’s Muslims fall into two major camps, Sunni and Shi’a, sometimes likened to Christianity’s Catholics and Protestants. But the similarity is superficial. In terms of the world’s total Muslim population, Sunnis and Shi’as disagree over what percentage each group owns, with Sunnis accounting for 80-85 percent of the total and Shi’as 10-15 percent. With over 40 denominations in Islam, that leaves a maximum of ten percent to be divided by the remainder.
After Muhammad’s death in 632 AD, the struggle over who should succeed him made Islam’s next half-century very turbulent. In fact, three of Muhammad’s first four successors were assassinated. The Sunni-Shi’a division goes back to that early conflict.
Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, was chosen by the larger community as his fourth successor. But a minority claimed Muhammad had appointed Ali and his family line to succeed him, and that Ali would have led from the first if powerful families hadn’t sidelined him. That minority came to be known as the Shi’a or “partisans of Ali.” The Sunnis, their opponents, countered that, by letting a majority of Muslim leaders decide, they followed Muhammad’s sunna, or “way” of choosing.
Given this history, Sunnis and Shi’as naturally diverge on various theological and practical issues. One defining practice of Twelver Shi’as, for example, is their annual ritual commemoration of Husayn and his companions’ martyrdom. The Sunni-Shi’a split is also marked by sharp disagreement over:
- How the schism unfolded, including which characters are heroes;
- Which hadith are accepted;
- Matters of law, on such things as marriage and divorce;
- The authority of Muhammad’s rightful successors, whether caliphs (Sunni) or imams (Shi’a);
- How history will play out and the role of the Mahdi, an eschatological deliverer from external evils;
- But despite their many differences, Sunnis and Shi’as agree on the centrality of Muhammad and the Qur’an to their faith;
Hence, they hold similar views on most of the basics:
- Islam’s “five pillars,” or essential practices—the creed, ritual prayers, almsgiving, Ramadan and pilgrimage to Mecca;
- The prophets and scriptures before Muhammad;
- The nature of the believer’s relationship to Allah;
- That salvation is earned by good deeds and loyalty to the Muslim community;
- The Last Day’s vital importance.
The news media often report on violence between Sunnis and Shi’as in places like Iraq and Pakistan. Such violence is tragic and must not be minimized, especially with the threat of a nuclearized Iran (Shi’a) and Saudi Arabia (Sunni) before us. But Muslims who complain that these reports distort the picture are partly right because our news media’s business model “both assumes and heightens polarization,” and most Sunnis and Shi’as coexist peaceably. It’s equally true, however, that Sunni-Shi’a rivalry will remain a destabilizer wherever either sect is considered a threat in the Muslim world. That is, as long as both versions of Islamism—Shi’a and Sunni—are alive and well. *And neither currently shows any sign of abating.
Islam’s Sunni / Shi’a Split
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Last Updated: 12/2021
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