Shi'a Islam

The origins of Shiism lie in the disagreement about the succession of Muhammad in the 7th century, when the 'Party of Ali' supported the prophet's son-in-law. The First Civil War (656-661 C.E.) cemented the divisions within the young Muslim community.

Early Shiism reflects, like all of Islam, the political and religious culture of late antiquity. Its more distinctive features may be attributed to its southern Arabian and non-Arab supporters in Kufa and their traditions of charismatic leadership.

Ali and his son Husayn, who was killed by the Umayyads in Karbala, are the most prominent historical figures in Shiite salvation history.

In addition to the Quran, Shiites consult traditions of the prophet as transmitted by their own authorities. Shiite approaches to the Islamic scripture, the Quran, differ from Sunnis in two respects: the integrity of the preserved text and exegetical methods, with a strong esoteric tendency characterizing Shiite interpretations.

Shiism developed over several centuries, but few, if any, sources remain that give an accurate impression of the earliest days. Later developments reflect often negotiated narratives. Furthermore, Shiite-majority Iran has often been incorrectly used as a paradigm for all of Shiism.

In the aftermath of Husayn's defeat in Karbala, several rebellions with Shiite associations took place in Iraq against the Umayyads. In 750, the Abbasid revolution ended Umayyad rule, but the Shiite demands for an Alid on the throne were not met.

Internal disagreements among Shiites developed mostly in the 9th and 10th centuries and concern the line of succession, the nature of the Hidden Imam, and activist or quietist attitudes regarding political life.

The most significant change in the development of Shiism in the early modern period took place when the Safavids, initially a Sunni Sufi order, converted to Shiism, conquered Iran, and forced the population to Shiism. Under the Safavids, the scholars gained more and more power, a development that culminated in the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Shiite learning and public religiosity flourished from the 10th to the 11th century, when two Shiite dynasties in particular ruled over large parts of the Islamic world: the Buyids over Iran and Iraq and the Ismaili Fatimids over North Africa and Egypt.

Shiites in the modern world experience very different living conditions. Sectarian identities are often crucial for political allegiances.

Shiite sacred narratives often concern the family of Muhammad, most notably Ali, Husayn, and Fatima. Another set of stories concerns the Imams, who were eventually considered infallible, and the return of the Twelfth Imam, known as the Mahdi.

Shiites share many beliefs regarding God with the Sunnis, but also believe in the Imams as entities in between God and mankind. The Neoplatonic trend is particularly pronounced in intellectual Ismailism.

Shiite theologians discussed the nature of God and its implications for human nature (such as the problem of free will) along similar lines as rationalist Sunni theologians. A common prominent tendency of Shiite and Sufi thought are esoteric and holistic views of humankind as part of the created world.

Suffering and martyrdom are important elements of Shiite thought and religious culture. They form a crucial part in Shiite salvation history and serve as a spiritual perspective and moral ideal.

Shiite Islam has an elaborate apocalyptic vision with the Mahdi as the key protagonist. After the Resurrection, people will be judged according to their deeds and rewarded or punished in paradise or hell. Unlike Sunnis, Shiites acknowledge the possibility of intercession through the Imams.

In addition to the common Muslim events connected with the pilgrimage and fasting in Ramadan, Shiites commemorate Husayn's martyrdom and other events in early Islamic history such as Muhammad's appointment of Ali as his successor at Ghadir Khumm.

Apart from mosques, the most important sacred spaces for Shiites are the shrines of the Imams located mostly in Iran and Iraq, which believers visit during pilgrimages. They have received patronage from rulers and often become important centers of learning.

The most distinctive Shiite rituals are the Muharram passion plays (taziyah), during which Shiites remember the martyrdom of Husayn. The elaborate theatrical forms of these ceremonies developed in Qajar Iran.

Important forms of worship and devotion in daily life include following the regulations of Islamic law and the examples of the Imams.

In addition to the symbols used during the Muharram rituals, Shiites display symbols in everyday contexts that allude to the members of the house of the Prophet.

While Shiite religious scholars have been quietists for centuries, the Islamic Revolution in Iran put these scholars in the position of great authority. This was the culmination of a longer development, in which scholars gradually assumed the prerogatives of the Hidden Imam.

Shiites are part of the same community as Sunnis, but the relationship remains controversial. Important institutions within the Shiite community include the scholars, guilds, and, in the modern world, political parties and militias.

Shiites find guidance in the Quran, in law, and in the sacred narratives around the family of the prophet and the Imams. The branches within Shiism have held different views regarding the need for political action in different historical epochs.

While all Shiites tend to consider current conditions as unjust and expect the restoration of justice from the Mahdi, they differ regarding their own duty and possibilities to improve the here and now.

The protagonists of Shiite sacred narratives are often used to promote ideals of gender behavior. These differ according to historical period and geographical region. Shiite law differs from Sunni law by allowing temporary marriage for the sake of pleasure.