What they share
- One God, the Quran as His word, Muhammad ﷺ as the final prophet.
- Prayer, zakat, fasting, Hajj and most core rulings.
- One qibla, Ramadan and the two Eids.
Main differences
- Leadership: caliphate by community choice for Sunnis; for Twelver Shia, the imamate by designation within the Prophet’s family.
- Hadith sources: Sunnis rely on their six books; Shia rely on other collections and the narrations of the imams.
- Some practices: such as mourning commemorations on Ashura among Shia, and joining certain prayers.
Brotherhood
The Quran calls Muslims to unity and not to split:
وَٱعۡتَصِمُواْ بِحَبۡلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعٗا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُواْۚ وَٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ إِذۡ كُنتُمۡ أَعۡدَآءٗ فَأَلَّفَ بَيۡنَ قُلُوبِكُمۡ فَأَصۡبَحۡتُم بِنِعۡمَتِهِۦٓ إِخۡوَٰنٗا وَكُنتُمۡ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفۡرَةٖ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنۡهَاۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَهۡتَدُونَAnd hold firmly to the rope[142] of Allāh all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allāh upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allāh make clear to you His verses that you may be guided.
Scholars in each tradition hold views that converge and diverge, and Sunnis and Shia live together in many countries. This page is a calm, descriptive summary and attacks no one.
Frequently asked questions
Where do Shia live?
Mostly in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain, with large communities in Pakistan, India, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere.
Texts and translations are under scholarly review.