Sunni and Sh’ia: The Branches of Islam
By
Kendra Craig
March 5, 2010
Strayer University

Abstract

The paper is focused on Sunni and Sh’ia, which are two branches of Islam. The paper will compare the different religious belief that is practiced throughout Islam. It will also show the laws and the cultures of each religious branch. The paper will show the major dispute that caused separation of these religions in Islam.

Sunni and Sh’ia Sunni and Sh’ia are two of the most dominate cultures in Islam. In my research, I learned that these two branches were among the worst enemies of the Islamic culture. In this paper I will show the differences in the belief of each religious group. I will also show the division within the Islamic community between these groups. Sunni Muslims are individuals that were firm believers in the prophet Muhammad. The words that were spoken through Muhammad influenced and provided them with strong religious belief. Sunni means “customary practices” (Macmillan Reference USA 2001-2006) which referred to the teaching and preaching of Muhammad. The Sh’ia Muslims are individuals that believe that the political leader position should have gone to Ali (Penay). Sh’ia means “group” or faction”. After the death of Muhammad is when things began to turn for the worst between these communities. The main belief of the Sunni Muslims was those that came after Muhammad were true believers of Muhammad teachings. This allowed them to become comfortable with his successors and have trust in the first four caliphs (Staff, 2006). The Sh’ia or Shiites beliefs were totally different. They believed that the only person who could be Muhammad successor was Ali (Staff, 2006). It was at this point where the war between the two branches began. The Sunni and Sh’ia communities were very committed to their belief. The problem that the two branches could not