The Existence Of Shia 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 reformation of the country of Iran toward Islam caused turmoil among the people because the drastic changes forced on the people were not easily accepted. One of the major changes is that

The Safavid Empire was based in what is today Iran. This Islamic Empire was strong enough to challenge the Ottomans in the west and the Mughals in the east.

Shi’ite Islam was, and still is, the prominent ideology for Iran’s citizens, and its deep history suggests how their government should be run differently from that of the Shah. Shi’ite Islam places the legitimacy of power on the Imam, totally independent of state (Elwell-Sutton, 393). The religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini should take charge of the country instead of the Shah because Khomeini’s authority would be based off of religion. Shi’ite thinking says that religious power (true justice) will always be in conflict with the

The Safavid Empire began in Azerbaijan. The empire continued to expand during Shah Abbas's reign but after his death, the dynasty gradually lost its vigor. At first, Shah Ismail, the founder of the Safavid dynasty, tried to convert members of the Ottoman Empire into Shiites. This resulted in massacre of the Sunni Muslims in 1508. Alarmed, the Ottomans fought back and won a major battle. However, after a few years, Ismail regained the land. Many years later, the Ottomans attacked back and forced the new shah, Abbas, to sign a treaty. It was Abbas who led the Safavids to their highest point. The political and social structure was strong. Senior positions in the bureaucracy were by merit rather than by birth. Religious tolerance was practiced. Abbas hired foreigners from neighboring countries for positions in his government to avoid religious competition. The shahs also took a direct interest in the economy, playing an active part in trade and manufacturing. The artistic excellence was

Hundreds of Shia Muslim men and boys lie face down on a dusty spread of land north of Baghdad. Machine guns sound like hail as bullets fire into the men, dust and blood fly everywhere. The bearded executionists show no conscience and leave the bodies entangled in a shallow mass grave. In replacement of a tombstone waves the Islamic flag. These executions were carried out last month as part of ISIS’s crackdown on Shia Muslims and other infidels.

Syria is currently all over the news regarding what many have to come to see as a civil war. A term like civil war needs to identify the players and the reasons for the war. In this case the players are being identified as pro government or antigovernment with a Sunni or Shia overtone. Sunni and Shia are the two major sects of Islam and both have a historical based conflict going back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad and how Muslims should be governed. This conflict has caused tensions and violence to flare up throughout Islamic history. This conflict has carried into modern times and has becoming a rallying point for Muslim people calling for change with their government and across the Middle Eastern region. The

The Persian Empire also known as the Persian Republic occupied the modern day Iran. This Empire inhabited a vase variety of cultures and religions with its occupancy of thirty five to fifty million residents. Its primary ethnicity was that of the Indo-European race. It was created in 539 B.C.E. and became the model empire for the creation of other Second-Wave Civilizations. It specialized in the ability to provide freedom to its many people. This allowed them to practice religion freely and participate in trade and commerce. The Persian Empire was a Monarchy: having one set ruler or king over the entire population. Persian Monarchy was very welcoming for its time. It allowed people to be free as long as some form of taxes was paid and the

Throughout the history of present day Iran it has been contested whether the Shi’i ulama or the Shah are the logical leaders of the community. It is true that the ulama have gained control of Iran, and that Islam “changed much in Iran, but in some respects continuity from the past was far stronger than the new concepts” (Frye 36) due to the fact that the power of the Shah remained for hundreds of years after the introduction of Islam. The Iranian people have a long history of traditions and culture and even when Islam spread throughout the country it was adapted to include some of the Iranian traditions. The most significant example of this is the Shah’s adaptation and endorsement of Islam. The long history, tradition, and the decline of

I enjoyed reading your group's report on Shia Islam and their differences with Sunni Islam. It suffices to state that Sunni and Shia Islams' major disagreement was a rightful leadership in the Islamic religions. I think Sunni Muslims believe that a hereditarily privileged succession was not a right way to choose a leader in the Islamic community because Prophet Muhammad was a great leader in both religion and political world. Sunni Muslims simply wanted to continue the true role of the leader based on their leadership skills and behavior, and Prophet Muhammad was an ideal model. I have noticed that your group mentioned how Shia Islam is not "a religion that expressed itself and its ideas through many fantastical and lavish festivals."

As a political tactic, rulers often portray themselves in a certain way in order to stabilize their reign and rule more effectively. Some take the approach of uniqueness by setting themselves apart from their subject population while others take the approach of sameness by emphasizing the similarities in which they share with the people. Not exclusively limited to apartness or sameness, some rulers have shown to employ a mix of both ruling styles. It is these versatile rulers who have experienced more successes in their reign because they are not compelled to only one ruling style, allowing them to better adapt to the needs of their ruling population. The apartness ruling style is best seen in the Safavid Empire under the rule of Shah Ismail. Shah Ismail uses religion as a political tool to control his state and does so by declaring Shi’ism, a smaller branch of Islam, as the state religion (#). After separating himself & his people from those who are not willing to abide to his ideologies, Shah Ismail can now demand the absolute loyalties from his subjects and persecute those who are deviant. This radical act further creates a deep chasm between Shi’ite Muslims and nearby Sunni Muslims neighbors. As a result, cultural flow and the exchange of beliefs between Sunni & Shi’ite states are essentially hindered. Ismail’s apartness ruling approach is taken to the extreme with social, religious, and legal systems being strictly confined to Shi’ite doctrines (@). It is noted that

            The Safavids based their political and religious system on Shiism and loyalty to the royal

Iranians deeply value their social and cultural traditions. The Persian revolution formed the basis through which the country evolved and foundation upon which its empires were established. The Islamic regime practiced by the country formed the basis through which the country’s sophisticated institutions were built. Shah seemed to champion for secularization and westernization (Axworthy,

We are surrounded by many religions and their way of thinking and teaching that contributes to bring peace to the world. Even though, meaning of Islam is total submission to G-d and to follow his will, Islam is divided into two groups, Shia, Sunni and their view of the religion Islam. The blood shadings between Shia and Sunni in the history of Islamic interfaith differences have affected future generations, since the death of Prophet Muhammad in A.D. 632, which have affected educational and social opportunity for future generations. So, dose believing in will of G-d bring peace or death, hate or hormone? What is the mission of Islamic groups who call themselves Sunnis and Shias, to bring peace to the world or work against the universal believes that everyone is created equal and must be treated like a human being.

The Safavids were the first the first to declare Shia Islam the official religion of Iran, and their interest in Iraq lay in the Shia holy places in central Iraq, and also the fact that Baghdad held significant symbolic value as the seat of the ancient Abbasid Empire. The Ottoman Empire on the other hand was afraid that Shia Islam would spread to Asia Minor, and thus looked to control Iraq as a Sunni-dominated buffer state. During the Ottoman period, the Sunnis were placed in political positions, while the Shias were then shut out of the political process. This divide between the Sunnis and the Shias continued to be more and more of an important element in the Iraqi social structure, and remains an issue even today. It was also during this time period that the Kurdish Baban Dynasty emerged and began to organize resistance to the Ottoman rule in Northern Iraq.