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 تَهۡتَدُونَИ держитесь за вервь Аллаха все вместе, и не разделяйтесь. И помните милость Аллаха к вам: когда вы были врагами, Он сплотил ваши сердца, и вы, по Его милости, стали братьями. Вы были на краю огненной ямы, а Он спас вас от неё. Так Аллах разъясняет вам Свои знамения, быть может, вы последуете верным путём.
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.
Частые вопросы
Where do Shia live?
Mostly in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain, with large communities in Pakistan, India, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere.
Тексты и переводы проходят проверку учёными.