Many Muslims would say that there is no division in Islam. There is just Islam, and
that's it. However, when it comes to organized religious differences, there
are fundamental differences in the beliefs and practices of Sunni and
Shiite, also known as Shia Muslims, that cannot be ignored. Welcome back, guys,
to FTD Facts. My name is Leroy Kenton. And in this episode, we're going
to be exploring the differences that have produced two groups who identify as
Muslim, Sunni and Shia.
So let's get into the differences starting right now, starting at
difference number 10.
And that is the Prophet Mohammed's successor.
This is considered to be the dominant difference between Shia and Sunni Muslims.
In Shia Islam, they hold that Ali Ibn Abu Talib is the appointed
successor to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and he's the head of the
Muslim community. However, Sunni Muslims hold on to the belief that Abu Bakr was
actually the first Muslim leader after the Prophet Muhammad, based on election.
The difference at number nine is the difference in the afterlife philosophy.
There's a whole lot to say about this, but let's try to keep it as simple as
possible. Both Sunnis and Shiites believe that in the afterlife, there's
either paradise or hell. Now, the split comes when deciding on how somebody
actually gets to heaven or hell. For Shias, if one believes and follows the
Prophet Muhammad as well as the 12 imams, then paradise is guaranteed for
them. However, Sunni Muslims believe that they must have faith in Allah, his
prophets, believe in the righteous deeds presented in the entire Quran, as well
as accept Muhammad as the final prophet in order to have a chance at attaining
paradise. But even if you do all of the above, you're still dependent on the
mercy of Allah. Let's talk about self flagellation. This is a big one. So
Sunnis disagree with the practice of self flagellation so much that they view
it as a sin, like a big sin.
They do not even participate in the act in any capacity, in any way, shape or
form. Now, over to the Shias, they practice self flagellation to
commemorate the martyrdom of Hussein. And these acts, they consist of flogging
your own back, hitting your chest with your hands, or using knives or chains or
other sharp objects. Now, we're not going to show images because some of
them get very, very, very graphic. But as you can imagine, this practice can be
very, very painful for someone to experience. The difference at number seven
is the worship at graves. Sunnis strongly oppose the idea of praying at grave
sites. And it's viewed as shirk or a major sin because they're relying on
someone other than Allah for their help. Shias, on the other hand, they are
totally fine with the practice and they actually encourage it. There are some
varying beliefs about this, though, but touching or kissing the shrines of the
prophets and the imams, they believe that it does not imply shirk according
to their beliefs, nor does it associate that this particular person is equal
with Allah, because Allah has the ultimate sovereignty in this entire
universe. And Muslims submit to and worship and seek the help from him only.
But Shias maintained the idea that visiting shrines is merely a gesture of
respect. They're not actually asking for help from those individuals who passed
away. Now, let's look at the difference at number six when it comes to choosing
a leader, when it comes to choosing a leader, Shia and Sunni Muslims have
completely different views. Shias believe that the doctrine of an imam is
perfect because it comes directly from God and that the leader of the Muslim
community must be a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. Sunnis, on the other
hand, don't believe that there is any basis in Islam to have spiritual leaders
that are admired or being held in such high regard like this as a leader of a
Muslim community. Also, Sunnis believe that leadership shouldn't be a
birthright, but it should be a trust that is earned and which may be given or
taken away by the people themselves through voting and election. All right,
guys, since you reach halfway in this episode, just want to take this time to
let you know that we recently did a video about the 10 differences between
Muslim and Christian prophets. So Islam and Christianity, they have a lot of the
same prophets that are identified in each of their holy books. However, some
of the details are a little bit different. Some of the events are seen
at different angles. So it's a very interesting one looking at the
differences and the comparison and everything. So I'll link to it down
below in the video description section. Enjoy that one after you finish watching
this one. OK, so let's jump back into this episode difference at number five.
And this difference has to do with al-Mahdi, although the concept of
al-Mahdi is not an essential doctrine in Sunni Islam, it is popular among both
Sunni and Shia Muslims. Both groups agree that he will rule over Muslims and
establish justice. However, they differ when it comes to his attributes and his
status. Sunni Muslims, generally speaking, do not believe that Mahdi has
already been born. Sunnis and general reject the Twelver Shiite principle.
The Mahdi is the 12th in the last in a chain of the purified Imams. He was
born on the 15th of Shaban (255 A.H).
His name is Mohammed, and his titles are Mahdi, among others. His birth was kept
a complete secret, and Shias believed that the 12th imam will return as the
Mahdi with a company of his chosen ones, and his enemies will be led by the dajjal
or the false messiah.
The next difference we are looking at number 4 is temporary marriage.
Temporary marriage is an ancient Islamic practice that usually happens when a man
had to travel far distances.
And pretty much what these marriages do is unite a man and a woman as
husband and wife, but only for a predetermined and temporary amount of
time. Certain Shias still hold on to this practice. However, Sunnis, they
view this as adultery.
So if you're married and you leave without a divorce, that's adultery.
That's a sin. The difference in number three leads us to holy cities. Both
Sunnis and Shias have three common holy cities, which are Mecca, Medina and
Jerusalem. The only difference is that Shias also believed that Najaf,
Karbala and Kufa are holy cities as well. Now, an important practice of
Shia Islam is that of visiting the shrines of imams in Iraq and also in Iran
In Iraq, these include the tomb of Imam Ali and also visiting the tomb of his son, Imam
Hussein, because both are considered to be major Shia martyrs.
The difference at number 2 has to deal with angels and their free will.
Both Sunnis and Shias, they believe in angels, that God created them from light and they carry
out his will. They're powerful creatures.
However, angels lead very different lives when it comes to Shia and Sunnis.
OK, so for Shias, they believe that angels obey God's commandments, but they
are granted the option to disobey.
But with this belief, though, Shias believe angels have no desire to sin.
So they remain faithful regardless.
But they do have the option to sin if they choose to.
Sunnis, though, they feel that angels always obey God's commandments. And that's because they
have no free will at all.
So even the potential or the possibility to sin and stray from God isn't even
there for angels. So as you can see, that would be a completely different
lifestyle when it comes to the angelic beings based on the beliefs of Shia and
Sunni Muslims. And finally, we end up with a different set, number 1.
And this is the difference in praying. Sunni Muslims, they pray five times a day.
This is known by everybody, even people that aren't Muslim.
Whereas Shia Muslims, they can combine prayers and pray three times a day. And one of the
things that you can use to identify a Shia praying is that you'll often see a
small tablet of clay from a holy place, often from Karbala or a place like that.
And on that thing, they place their forehead on it while they're bowing down in prayer.
Now, for Sunnis, Sunnis have their arms folded in various positions from below
the navel to the chest right over the left. But Shias keep their arms straight
by their sides. And just like that, we've come to the end of another
episode. This is a brief look at 10 of the biggest differences between Sunni
and Shia Muslims.
Hope this video brought a little bit more understanding and highlighted some
of the differences. Either way, regardless of where you fall on this
spectrum or if you're not Muslim at all, I'll always want to hear your thoughts
and comments down below. If you enjoyed this one, leave a like. And if it's your first
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