What is the difference between Sunni, Shiite, and Shiah?
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Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam - the Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama'ah.\n\nAccording to Sunni thought, Muhammad died without appointing a successor to lead the Muslim community. After an initial period of confusion, a group of his most prominent companions gathered and elected Abu Bakr, the Prophet's close friend and father-in-law, as the first Caliph.\n\nSunnis initially believed that the position of Caliph should be democratically chosen, but after the first four Rightly Guided Calliphs the position turned into a hereditary dynastic rule. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1923, there has never been another Caliph.\n\nShi'a Islam is the second largest denomination of Islam.\n\nShi'a Muslims believe that Ali was appointed by Muhammad to be the direct successor and leader of the Muslims. They regard him as the first Imam, which continued as a hereditary position. The largest group of Shi'a Muslims believe in a total of 12 Imams. The Shi'a Hadiths include the sayings of the Imams.\n\nShite-  member of the branch of Islam that regards Ali and his descendants as the legitimate successors to Muhammad and rejects the first three caliphs.
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Salaam-un-Alaikum. The reason, brother, why us Shias do not accept the three Khulafahs is because we believe Imam Ali (A.S.) was the rightful leader after our Prophet's death. We believe Prophet Muhmmad (S.A.W.) had told the Muslim ummah to follow Imam Ali (A.S.) after his departure from this world as Allah had appointed Imam Ali (A.S.) as the rightful leader. I hope this helps....Khuda Hafiz Wa-Alaikum As-Salaam...
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this may not be EXACTLY  the difference in the rituals, but the diffenence in their belief  which I think probably is more important.\n\nhttp://www.dianedew.com/islam.htm
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Sunni and Shiite muslims disagree over who was the caliph. The shiite believe that the grandsons of Mohammed should have been the caliph (leader of the Islamic ummah.) The Sunnah believe in a different line, led off by a friend of Mohammed Abu Bakr.\n\nThere are other subtle differences - such as the rites and celebrations. Shia tend to focus on the martyrdom of the grandsons at Karbala, and as such have a devotion for saints that is not entirely unlike the Catholics. Shia each are expected to devote themselves to an Imam (also almost the way a Catholic is under a bishop.)\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia
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Islam does not have nearly as many sects and divisions as does Christianity, but there are a few and it is worth knowing something about them. The two biggest are the Sunnis and the Shi'ites, with the Sunnis being the largest of all and representing the vast majority of Muslims. Shi'ites are a minority everywhere except Iran. \n\nAfter them, the two most influential sects are the Sufis and the Wahhabis. The Sufis represent a mystical tradition in Islam, whereas the Wahhabis are a strict traditionalist tradition which is dominant on the Arabian peninsula, but has little support elsewhere. \n\nUnlike churches, mosques are not denominational. Despite the differences among Muslims, traditional Friday prayer services are largely similar and Muslims of any background are welcome to attend services at any mosque. \n\nWho are the Sunnis?\nSunnis are Muslims who are considered the more "orthodox" believers. Sunnis follow all of the most traditional beliefs and actions. \n\nWho are the Shi'ites?\nThe term Shi'a is a shortened form of Shi'at Ali, which means "the party of Ali" - and at the time of Ali's death in 661, that is probably all it was: a party or tendency of people who supported Ali's claims to the caliphate. Over time, they became the largest non-Sunni sect in Islam. \n\nWho are the Sufis?\nSufism is important to the development of Islam because it is in this tradition that the more spiritual and mystical aspects were preserved. This stands in contrast to the mainstream of Islam which, through its first centuries, was more concerned with the expansion and organization of the general community. \n\nWho are the Kahrijites?\nIn Arabic, their label means "to go out" - they were, in effect, the first Mulism dissidents and rebels, being present almost from the dawn of Islam. Like later dissidents, they chose to separate themselves from the main body of believers, feeling that the majority of Muslims had lost the "true path." \n\nWho are the Wahhabis?\nMuhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab could be considered the first modern Islamic fundamentalist. He made the central point of his reform movement the idea that absolutely every idea added to Islam after the third century of the Mulsim era was false and should be eliminated. \n\nWho are the Ismailis?\nAn early Shi'a sect which split from the main group because of a dispute over who should be considered the next Imam. \n\nWho are the Zaidis?\nFormed by Zaid, a grandson of Husain, the Zaidis have believed that the true Imam must publicly assert his claim to the title and seek to overthrow the corrupt regime run by unacceptable rulers. \n\nWho are the Fatimids?\nThe Fatimids are a successor movement to the Isma'ilis and are descendants of Fatima and Ali through the line of Isma'il. In the tenth century, those descendants asserted themselves as caliphs in North Africa, and ruled Egypt from 969 to 1171. \n\nWho are the Nizari?\nThis sect is actually very well known around the world, but under a different name: the Assassins. \n\nWho are the Alawis?\nAlso known as Nusayris, the Alawis are a branch of Isma'ilism which has gone so far along its own path that many Muslims no longer even regard it as a form of Islam. The term Alawis actually just means "followers of Ali," which is used in some countries to refer to all Shi'a in general. Some think that they worship Ali as God, but that isn't entirely accurate. \n\nWho are the Druze?\nThe Druze comprise another sect which is not widely regarded as being "truly" Muslim. This group diverged from mainstream Islam in the eleventh century when some Isma'ilis started to believe that God became manifest in the personality of a prophet or imam. \n\nWho are the Baha'i?\nBaha'i is another movement which is descended from Islam, but which most Muslims today no longer regard as authentically Islamic. \n\nMost of these are Arab Muslims.. The Kurds
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Ashura:\n\n"This day is of particular significance to Shi'a Muslims, who consider Hussein the third Imam and a rightful successor of Muhammad. Many Shi'a make pilgrimages on Ashurah to the Mashhad al-Husayn, the shrine in Karbala, Iraq that is traditionally held to be Husayn's tomb. Shi'as also express mourning by thumping their chests. This is intended to connect them with Husayn's suffering and death. Husayn's martyrdom is widely interpreted by Shi'a as a symbol of the struggle against injustice, tyranny, and oppression. The regime of Saddam Hussein saw this as a potential threat and banned Ashurah commemorations for many years. In neighboring Iran, the festival became a major political symbol during the Islamic Revolution, as also occurred in the Lebanese Civil War, and in Bahrain during the History of Bahrain. The Iranian Revolution and social and political change and the anti-government uprising of the 1990s."\nRead more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashura\n\nDon't forget the other side of the truth, which you can take it from this site which took from Tabari history:\nIslam royal family: http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/rf6_yazid_husayn.htm\n\n\nAlso, for information about Islam look these, these are mostly from non-Muslims. but I'm ex-Muslim I can encourage you to read them:\n\n\nMyths in Islam\nhttp://www.bibleandscience.com/science/quran.htm\n\n\nBeating wives in Muhammed traditions:\nhttp://answering-islam.org.uk/Silas/beating_badawi.htm\n\nread this:\nhttp://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/857518/posts\n&\nhttp://www.abrahamic-faith.com/quran-modern-science.html\n& here presecution stories and convertions:\nhttp://www.persecution.org/newsite/index.php?PHPSESSID=d9a082ce0d7c3e0ffc1c508f53f08a0f\n& Women in Islam\nhttp://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/HT_wims/chapter_3.htm\n& answering to Islam\nhttp://www.answering-islam.org\n& Again responses to fake miracles of Quran\nhttp://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/wonders.htm\n& Islam and violence ((COOL, HUH??)\nhttp://answering-islam.org/Terrorism/islam_and_violence.html\n& another contraditions\nhttp://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/\n& one more\nhttp://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/qi032.html\n& Muhammed marriage to 6 years old from a forum this using hadiths\nhttp://pub18.ezboard.com/fbalkansfrm89.showMessage?topicID=45.topic\n& Quran has been corrupted and all the other copies burned!!\nhttp://www.bibleprobe.com/corruptedquran.htm\n& NOw some challenges to quran in producing suras and verses which quran placed as point to claim it is valid. so if anyone bring something similar Quran is not valid.\nTrue Forqan\nhttp://www.islam-exposed.org/furqan/contents.html\nSura like it\nhttp://www.suralikeit.com\nMy try in Kotban Ajeeb\nhttp://kotban.blogspot.com\nMy blogs too:\nhttp://ex-muslim.blogspot.com
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One difference is, the way they wrap their heads. Sunnis wrap clockwise, while shiites wrap counter.
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All Muslims go to Mecca.  It is one of the main teachings in Islam to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime.  \n\nThe main difference between the two has to do with who should succeed Mohammed.\n\nThe Sunni believe it would be a man who was capable of doing the job.  Abu Bakr was the first chosen. They believe that leadership was not a common birthright but rather a privilege.\n\nThe Shia believe that the Imam (religious teachers) are sinless by nature. They become saints capable of divine intervention.  Shia make pilgrimages to the tombs of the saints.\n\nThe Sunni do not believe there is any basis for the existence of saints in Islam.\n\nThe Shia reject the Hadith(traditions).  These were written by the friends and relatives of Mohammed and have to do with the life and practices of Mohammed.\n\nThere are many more differences, but these are the main ones. \n\nThe Shia believe the leadership should remain within Mohammed's family.  They believe the true successor  was Ali, who was the cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed.  They believe that the Sunni assassinated Ali.\n\nSunni
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Islam is a religion, like Christianity and Judaism.  All the followers of Islam are called muslims.  Islam has several sects, just like Christianity which has Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, etc.  Sunnis and Shi'ites are two of the sects of Islam.  Sunnis are the great majority of all muslims.  Shi'ites are in a minority everywhere except Iran.\n\nAfghans are people who are citizens of Afghanistan, a country.  Just like Americans are citizens of the United States of America.\n\nInsurgents are terrorists/rebels who are trying to overthrow the popularly elected government in Iraq.
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Hey, I was just wondering about this myself recently, and did some research about it (Wikipedia is a great source, as is understandingislam.org).\n\nEssentially, within Islam, it is a discrepency between where they beleive true religious authority lies. The Shiites practice something called Amimism, which is, that they beleive that the Amim is the divine messenger on earth, and his word is God. The Amim is named by the previous Amim, and, as I mentioned, the Amim's word becomes religous law, and to defy him would be heresy. The Sunnis beleive that the Qur'an, the word of Muhammed, is the ultimate source of religious authority. There are probably a lot of subtelties that I'm missing, but the the best of my ablitiy that's the general idea.
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SUNNI\n\nThe conflict between the two is on the spiritual leader, SUNNIs are pro-mohammed and Shiites...some ayatollahs
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Baha'i \nBuddhism\nChristianity \n  Catholic \n  Christian Science \n  Eastern Orthodox\n  Mormon \n  Protestant \n     Quaker \nFalun Gong \nHinduism \nIslam \nJainism \nJudaism \nNation of Islam \nPagan & Earth-Based \nScientology \nSecular Philosophies \nShinto \nSikhism \nTaoism \nUnitarian Universalist \nZoroastrianism
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Mohamad didnt create 2 beliefs, after his death his followers separated in to different groups and the majority was Shia or Sunni. Like in christianity how there are Babtists, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic.. u get the picture.
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Shiah and Shiites are the same thing.  And yes, maybe it's spin; Shiites looks a lot like sh*t.  \n\nLike when Bush the First changed the pronunciation of Sadam Hussein to "Sodom".
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first the base of islam for shites and sunnis is the same the difference is so much historical rather than religious sunnis think the leader of islam and muslims must be chosen by free voting shites think that the son`s of Ali ( prophet muhammed cousin and son in law ) are the only one to role , the fact that sunnis and shites are fighting is new as it just appeared in iraq as a game of political balance ( thanks for usa iraqi people survived sadam to enter civil war) that is not a rule not all shites fight sunnis ( there are some shites living in maroc a sunni country and they are peacefull)
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think about it as like this. \n\ncatholic to christianity is like shia to muslim. \n\nmuslim sunni follow and respect the words of the Quran and Muhammad only. \n\nShia take the words of the Quran, Muhammad and Ali. but mostly focus on Ali. \n\nShia sometime add things to Islam that are not necessary related to Islam.
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Ali is the central figure at the origin of the Shia / Sunni split which occurred in the decades immediately following the death of the Prophet in 632. Sunnis regard Ali as the fourth and last of the "rightly guided caliphs" (successors to Mohammed (pbuh) as leader of the Muslims) following on from Abu Bakr 632-634, Umar 634-644 and Uthman 644-656. Shias feel that Ali should have been the first caliph and that the caliphate should pass down only to direct descendants of Mohammed (pbuh) via Ali and Fatima, They often refer to themselves as ahl al bayt or "people of the house" [of the prophet].\n\nWhen Uthman was murdered while at prayer, Ali finally succeeded to the caliphate. Ali was, however, opposed by Aisha, wife of the Prophet (pbuh) and daughter of Abu Bakr, who accused him of being lax in bringing Uthman's killers to justice. After Ali's army defeated Aisha's forces at the Battle of the Camel in 656, she apologized to Ali and was allowed to return to her home in Madinah where she withdrew from public life.\n\nHowever, Ali was not able to overcome the forces of Mu'awiya Ummayad, Uthman's cousin and governor of Damascus, who also refused to recognize him until Uthman's killers had been apprehended. At the Battle of Suffin Mu'awiya's soldiers stuck verses of the Quran onto the ends of their spears with the result that Ali's pious supporters refused to fight them. Ali was forced to seek a compromise with Mu'awiya, but this so shocked some of his die-hard supporters who regarded it as a betrayal that he was struck down by one of his own men in 661.\n\nMu'awiya declared himself caliph. Ali's elder son Hassan accepted a pension in return for not pursuing his claim to the caliphate. He died within a year, allegedly poisoned. Ali's younger son Hussein agreed to put his claim to the caliphate on hold until Mu'awiya's death. However, when Mu'awiya finally died in 680, his son Yazid usurped the caliphate. Hussein led an army against Yazid but, hopelessly outnumbered, he and his men were slaughtered at the Battle of Karbala (in modern day Iraq). Hussein's infant son, Ali, survived so the line continued. Yazid formed the hereditary Ummayad dynasty. The division between the Shia and what came to be known as the Sunni was set.