Buddhist
Catholic
Contemplative
Evangelical
General Christian
Hindu
Jewish
Latter-day Saint
Muslim
New Visions
Progressive Christian
Beliefs
Buddhist
Catholic
Contemplative
Evangelical
General Christian
Hindu
Jewish
Latter-day Saint
More Voices
Muslim
New Visions
Pagan
Progressive Christian
Topics
Religion News
Food and Religion
Sports and Religion
Religious Art
Religious Music and Entertainment
Religious Events
History and Religion
Style and Religion
Politics and Religion
Women in Religion
Recreation Outdoors and Religion
Business Finance and Religion
Careers Workplace and Religion
Education and Religion
Family Parenting and Religion
Health Fitness and Religion
Home and Religion
Relationships and Religion
Technology and Religion
Travel and Religion
Columnists
Buddhist Columnists
Business Finance and Religion Columnists
Careers Workplace and Religion Columnists
Catholic Columnists
Contemplative Columnists
Education and Religion Columnists
Evangelists Columnists
Family Parenting and Religion Columnists
General Christian Columnists
Health Fitness and Religion Columnists
Hindu Columnists
History and Religion Columnists
Home and Religion Columnists
Jewish Columnists
More Voices Columnists
Latter Day Columnists
Muslim Columnists
New Visions Columnists
Nonreligious Columnists
Pagan Columnists
Politics and Religion Columnists
Progressive Columnists
Recreation Outdoors and Religion Columnists
Relationships and Religion Columnists
Religion News Columnists
Religious Art Columnists
Religious Events Columnists
Religious Music and Entertainment Columnists
Sports and Religion Columnists
Style and Religion Columnists
Technology and Religion Columnists
Travel and Religion Columnists
Women in Religion Columnists
Resource Library
Library of World Religions
Patheos Answers
Podcasts
Videos
Faith Leaders Database
Anglican Episcopalian
Bahai
Baptist
Buddhism
Christianity
Confucianism
Eastern Orthodoxy
Hinduism
Holiness and Pentecostal
ISKCON
Islam
Judaism
Lutheran
Methodist
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
New Age
Paganism
Presbytarian and Reformed
Protestantism
Religion Behind the Scenes
Roman Catholic
Scientology
Shia Islam
Sikhism
Sufism
Sunni Islam
Taoism
Zen
See all religions
Research Tools
Comparison Lens
Preacher Resources
Teacher Resources
Video
Podcasts
Thought Readers
E-Books and Other Special Offers
God's Cheat Sheet to Finances
Books of the Bible Study series
History of the Bible
7 Day Prayer Challenge for Spouses
A Different Kind of Christian
Jesus is Love
Prayer Devotional
The Saints We Love
FaithChatter Conversation Cards
Newsletters
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In
Subscription Support
Trending:
Prayer
|
Bible
|
Hope
|
Love
|
Faith
|
Parenting
RELIGION LIBRARY
Shia Islam
Toggle navigation
Overview
Origins
History
Beliefs
Rituals and Worship
Ethics and Community
Sacred Narratives
Shiite sacred narratives often concern the family of Muhammad, most notably Ali (his son-in-law), Husayn (his grandson), and Fatima (his daughter). Another set of stories concerns the Imams and the return of the Twelfth Imam, known as the Mahdi.
read more
Ultimate Reality and Divine Beings
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 expressions of Ismailism.
read more
Human Nature and the Purpose of Existence
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.
read more
Suffering and the Problem of Evil
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.
read more
Afterlife and Salvation
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.
read more
History
Rituals and Worship
Back to religion Library
editors picks
View All Columns
Evangelical
Before You Unplug or Sign Out for Good
Guest Contributor
Evangelical
What Is the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts, and How Do You Discover Yours?
Randy Alcorn
New Visions
5 Ways to Hear What God is Telling You
Tom Rapsas
Muslim
How Awake Are We? When Waking Up is Falling Asleep
Daniel Thomas Dyer
Latter-day Saint
"The Church supports the use of vaccinations"
Dan Peterson
Evangelical
Luther and the Beauty of Christ
Guest Contributor
Entertainment
The Soul of Gospel Music Explored in New Netflix Series "Voices of Fire"
DeWayne Hamby
Contemplative
Seven Ways to Think About Christian Mysticism
Carl McColman
Evangelical
Cancelling Alice Walker?
Philip Jenkins
Evangelical
Does God Have His Own Logic?
Roger E. Olson
Patheos
Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.
Close Ad
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In