God and authority in IslamDifferences between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims
Islam means “submission to God”. Muslims believe in one God, Allah, and follow the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, Allah’s messenger. Muhammad received the Qur’an, the Islamic holy book, from Allah.
Within Islam, there are two main denominationA group within a religion. Christian denominations include, for example, Roman Catholic and Anglican denominations., called SunniMuslims who believe in the successorship of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali as leaders of the Muslim community after the Prophet Muhammad. and Shi'aMuslims, or Shi’ites, who believe in the Imamah, leadership of Ali and his descendants after the Prophet Muhammad.. All Muslims share some key beliefs. However, some beliefs vary depending on the denomination a Muslim belongs to.
Why did the divide between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims happen?
Sunni and Shi’a Muslims agree on the basic principles of Islam, such as believing in one God and the importance of the ProphetSomeone believed to give messages from God.. They also share the same holy book - the Qur’an.
The reason there has been a split into different branches is due to differences in belief about who was the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Muslim community after his death.
Many Muslims believed that Abu-Bakr, the Prophet’s closest companion would be the first Caliph (which means ‘deputy to God’s Prophet’). This is the Sunni viewpoint. A minority believed that Ali, the Prophet’s son-in-law should lead the community. These Muslims came to be known as Shi’a, which means ‘Party of Ali’