Shi'a

(noun)

The minority Islamic branch that believes Muhammad appointed his cousin Ali as his successor and that the caliph should be decided based on this family lineage.

Related Terms

  • Ummah
  • Sunni
  • caliph

Examples of Shi'a in the following topics:

  • The Abbasid Empire

    • In 793 the Shi'a dynasty of Idrisids set up a state from Fez in Morocco, and the Berber Kharijites set up an independent state in North Africa in 801.
    • Most Shi'a Muslims had supported the Abbasid war against the Umayyads because the Abbasids claimed legitimacy with their familial connection to Muhammad, an important issue for Shi'a.
    • However, once in power, the Abbasids embraced Sunni Islam and disavowed any support for Shi'a beliefs.
    • By the 920s, a Shi'a sect that only recognized the first five Imams and could trace its roots to Muhammad's daughter Fatima took control of Idrisi and then Aghlabid domains.
    • This group advanced to Egypt in 969, establishing their capital near Fustat in Cairo, which they built as a bastion of Shi'a learning and politics.
  • Muhammad's Successors

    • After Muhammad's death in 632 CE, there were conflicts among his followers as to who would become his successor, which created a split in Islam between the Sunni and Shi'a sects.
    • These disagreements over Muhammad's true successor led to a major split in Islam between what became the Sunni and Shi'a denominations, a division that still holds to this day.
    • Shi'a Muslims believe that just as God alone appoints a prophet, only God has the prerogative to appoint the successor to his prophet.
    • Uthman was killed by members of a disaffected group.
    • The followers of Ali later became the Shi'a minority sect of Islam, which rejects the legitimacy of the first three caliphs.
  • Islam

    • It caters mainly to the Shi'a Muslim congregation; however, all Muslims may attend this mosque.
    • Muslims of Arab decent are mostly Sunni (56%) with minorities who are Shi'a (19%).
    • Bangladeshis (90%), Pakistanis (72%), and Indians (82%) are mainly Sunni, while Iranians are mainly Shi'a (91%).
    • Deen Mohammed), 16% other (mostly Nation of Islam and Ahmadiyya) and 2% Shi'a.
    • Some of the similarities include a belief in a single God, who is supreme to all other gods.
  • Safavid Dynasty

    • The Iranian Safavid Empire (1501-1786) is distinguished from the Mughal and Ottoman dynasties by the Shi'a faith of its shahs, which was the majority Islamic denomination in Persia.
    • In the sixteenth century, carpet weaving evolved from a nomadic and peasant craft to a well-executed industry with specialization of design and manufacturing using quality fibers such as silk.
    • Textiles became a large export, and Persian weaving became the most popular imported good of Russia.
    • In the seventeenth century a new type of painting developed based around the album (known as the muraqqa).
    • Finally, architecture flourished in the Safavid Dynasty, attaining a high point with the building program of Shah Abbas in Isfahan, which included numerous gardens, palaces (such as Ali Qapu), an immense bazaar, and a large imperial mosque .
  • Islamic Textiles

    • These intricately knotted carpets were made of silk, or a combination of silk and cotton, and were often rich in religious and other symbolism.
    • The Iranian Safavid Empire (1501-1786) is distinguished from the Mughal and Ottoman dynasties by the Shi'a faith of its shahs, which was the majority Islamic denomination in Persia.
    • In the sixteenth century, carpet weaving evolved from a nomadic and peasant craft to a well-executed industry with specialization of design and manufacturing using quality fibers such as silk.
    • Textiles became a large export, and Persian weaving became one of the most popular imported good of Europe.
    • Today, batik has undergone a revival, and cloths are used for other purposes besides wearing, such as wrapping the Quran.
  • The Qin Dynasty

    • He renamed himself Shi Huangdi (First Emperor), a far grander title than King, establishing the way in which China would be ruled for the next two millennia.
    • Today he is known as Qin Shi Huang, meaning First Qin Emperor.
    • This resulted in a very bureaucratic state with a large economy, capable of supporting an expanded military.
    • Qin Shi Huang standardized writing, a crucial factor in the overcoming of cultural barriers between provinces and the unification of the empire.
    • In 207 BCE, Qin Shi Huang's son was killed, and the dynasty collapsed entirely.
  • Expansion Under the Umayyad Caliphates

    • Non-Muslims paid a poll tax for policing to the central state.
    • Allegedly, The Sunnis killed Ali's son Hussein and his family at the Battle of Karbala in 680, solidifying the Shi'a-Sunni split.
    • Mass conversions brought a large influx of Muslims to the caliphate.
    • According to one common view, the Umayyads transformed the caliphate from a religious institution (during the Rashidun) to a dynastic one.
    • The Umayyads have met with a largely negative reception from later Islamic historians, who have accused them of promoting a kingship (mulk, a term with connotations of tyranny) instead of a true caliphate (khilafa).
  • The Quran

    • On the other hand, Shi'a tradition maintains that Muhammad was neither surprised nor frightened at the appearance of Gabriel, but rather welcomed him as if he was expected.
    • The initial revelation was followed by a pause of three years (a period known as fatra) during which Muhammad felt depressed and further gave himself to prayers and spiritual practices.
    • However, Muhammad's critics accused him of being a possessed man, a soothsayer or a magician, since his experiences were similar to those claimed by such figures well known in ancient Arabia.
    • An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim.
    • A depiction of Muhammad receiving his first revelation from the angel Gabriel
  • Interventions in Latin America and the Middle East

    • A fraction split from the government partyAD and formed the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR).
    • These developments led to a growing presence of the United States in Middle East affairs.
    • Iran in particular became a key U.S. ally, until a revolution led by the Shi'a clergy overthrew the monarchy in 1979 and established a theocratic regime that was even more anti-western than the secular regimes in Iraq or Syria.
    • This forced the U.S. into a close alliance with Saudi Arabia.
    • In 1979, Egypt under Nasser's successor, Anwar Sadat, concluded a peace treaty with Israel, ending the prospects of a united Arab military front.
  • Sect

    • A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political, or philosophical beliefs.
    • A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political, or philosophical beliefs.
    • Within Islam, there has been conflict at various periods between Sunnis and Shias.
    • Shi'ites consider Sunnis to be damned, due to their refusal to accept the first Caliph as Ali and accept all following descendants of him as infallible and divinely guided.
    • Many Sunni religious leaders, including those inspired by Wahhabism and other ideologies have declared Shias to be heretics and apostates.
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