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 تَهۡتَدُونَRestez tous fermement attachés à la religion d’Allah sans jamais vous diviser. Souvenez-vous des faveurs d’Allah envers vous lorsque, ennemis les uns des autres avant l’islam, Il a uni vos cœurs si bien que, par Sa grâce, vous êtes devenus frères. Vous étiez alors au bord du gouffre de l’Enfer dont Il vous a sauvés. C’est ainsi qu’Allah vous expose clairement Ses enseignements afin que vous suiviez le droit chemin.
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.
Questions fréquentes
Where do Shia live?
Mostly in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain, with large communities in Pakistan, India, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere.
Les textes et traductions sont en cours de révision par des savants.