Comparing The Two Main Branches Of Islam

One of the most famous religious splits in human history is the well known Sunni-Shia split. The Sunni-Shia split is highly divisive throughout the world, and predominantly in the Middle East. These sects share similarities, such as they all believe that Allah is the one true god, and Muhammad is his messenger. They also believe in the same five religious pillars that Muslims follow. Although these sects are very similar, there is one big schismatic difference that separates the two. This difference lies with the question of: “Who is the rightful successor of the Prophet Muhammad?” Through this 1,400 year conflict Most sunnis believe that Abu Bakr the Prophet 's closest companion is the true successor. In contrast most Shias believe that Ali, who was the prophet 's cousin and son in law is the true successor. Abu bakr was the rightful heir to lead Muslims after the Prophet’s death. Abu Bakr was arguably his closest confidant throughout their lives, and Abu Bakr understood the Messenger teachings the best. It can also be argued that that Ali would be the fourth caliph instead of the first because choosing a successor to the Prophet based on bloodline could be seen as committing idolatry according to Islamic teaching.

The religion of Islam is based on the prophet Mohammad ibn-Abdullah born in Mecca around A.D.570 (Braswell, 11). “He served the Muslin community as a prophet, political and economic leader, and a commander –in –chief of his warriors” (Braswell, 19). In Islamic terms, Mohammad means, “the much praised one” and in Moslem it means “submission one”. It educates their followers that there is only one god and it is through their faith and conduct that they will go to a heaven or paradise after their death. Islam gives people principles and encourages unity (Crites, 2011). Mohammad's Islamic teachings manifested over the years. He would take trips into the

To start off, even though Sunni and Shia Muslims share the same religion, they disagree who should lead after Muhammad death. Sunni Muslims take up 85 to 90 percent of Muslims. Sunni Muslims believe Muhammad did not clearly

An individual known as Muhammad contemplated by himself in a cavern nearby Mecca and had acquired a godly insight. This insight established the beginning for a new creed. The ideology that emerged Muhammad’s vision turned out to be the foundation of one of the world’s most widely carry out creed, Islam. Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca, situated on the Arabian headland. Muhammad was raised by his uncle and grandfather due to his parents passing before he was six years old. His family were from a sept that was effective in Mecca politics.

Compare and Contrast Christianity and Islam Nature of the Afterlife and Nature of the Divine

I have always assumed that the Sunni and Shia conflict is similar to the war between the Catholic and Protestant, however it is much more complex and different. These two branches of Islam share the same Holy Book and all agree that Allah is there God. Sunni and Shia both believe that the last prophet was Muhammad. However, when Muhammad died, there was a disagreement of who would be Muhammad’s successor. There were two candidates to be the successor of Muhammad, Abu Bakr and Ali bin Abi Talib. Ali bin Abi Talib was Muhammad’s cousin and son-in law. Abu Bakr was Muhammad’s friend and senior companion. The Sunni Muslims believed that the leadership should be granted to the person with most experience. On the other hand, the Shi’a believed the decision should be based purely through Muhammad’s bloodline. The majority of Muslim ended up choosing Abu Bakr to be the Caliph (successor). However, Abu Bakr’s rule was shortlived when he died in 634 CE.

One being who would succeed the Prophet Muhammad after his death; Shias holding the belief that Muhammad had elected someone to be his successor; this being Ali, the closest relative to Muhammad. On the other hand, Sunni Muslims believe Muhammad did not choose a specific person to follow this death, but instead the best community would vote the most qualified candidate to take over the role as Caliph. This one controversy has spawn fights, debates, and even wars over who is correct, and is the primary cause in the split between the Sunnis and

Islam is a religion created in the seventh century by Muhammad a, Arab long distance merchant from Mecca. Muhammad was born and grew in an era where Christianity was the dominant religion in the Mediterranean region. The message of Christianity was at the time spreading so fast through the major trading routes in what is commonly known as the Trans Atlantic trade. Mecca happened to have been on one of the trade routes of goods and ideas. It is not a surprise to find that Islam as a religion was heavily influenced by other religions such as Christianity and Judaism; Muhammad claimed that angel Gabriel visited him with a message from God. The same angel for instance is being referred and

Islam is a monotheistic religion that started in Arabia (1). It was founded by the prophet Muhammad and during the first century of its creation, it spread throughout Arabia and beyond (12). Muslims believe that Muhammad saw visions of the angel Gabriel telling him the of the wisdoms of God. Today, Islam is the second largest religion in the world and just like other major world religions, there are divisions that exist in Islam. What must be the most significant division is the division between the Sunnis and the Shiites.

After reading this excerpt, I discovered that there was also theological debates within the Muslim community (Hillenbrand, 171). While in class, we had learned about a divide in the Muslim community; this divide is between two different groups, the Shi‘ites and the Sunnis. Although there is a divide between these two groups, the Shi‘ites and the Sunnis both agree on the fact that Allah is the one true God in the Islamic faith. Furthermore, these two groups also believe that Muhammad was the messenger of God. Unfortunately, these two groups have opposing theories on the rightful successor to the prophet Muhammad. The Shi‘ites feel that Muhammad’s successor should be someone from his bloodline; therefore, the Shi‘ites sought leadership from Muhammad's closest male relative, his cousin Ali ibn Abu Talib. Conversely, the Sunnis felt that a caliphate or religious leader should be elected by the Islamic community as his successor and sought leadership from the rightly guided caliphate, Abu

Islam is the largest religion in the world, that was founded in 610 A.D by Muhammad the Prophet. Muhammad was born in Mecca,

Islam originated from the country known today as Saudi Arabia. It was founded by a man named Muhammad ibn Abdullah. Muhammad was known as a Prophet because people believed that he was a messenger for God. It is also known that the angel Gabriel spoke to him and gave him the messages that Muslims would later follow. After Muhammad’s death that is when the two groups of Muslim formed. The two groups are the Sunni and the Shia. The difference between these two groups are that the Sunni group believes that the successor after

It’s incredible how two religions can be so different yet so similar. Whether it be the various branches of Christianity, the Chinese religions, or even Judaism and Islam, they have so much in common when you work down to the roots of the religions. For starters, I will be comparing Islam and Baha’i.

Islam is divided into two branches called the Shi’ite and the Sunni. The Sunni make up the majority of muslims today. The Shi’ite Muslims believe that Ali (Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law) was the rightful successor to Muhammad, and that leadership of the community should remain in the family line of the prophet. Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism. Sufis place emphasis on the inward experience of God, and on individual acts of spiritual discipline. (Basic facts about)

For about fifteen hundred years, Saudi Arabia’s history has centered on one major theme: Islam. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born around 570 A.D. in the city of Mecca. Early in the 7th century A.D., according to Islamic belief, Muhammad, while meditating in a cave on Mount Hira, was visited by the angel Gabriel. Gabriel