Shiism

Shiism, or Shia Islam, is one of the two major denominations of Islam, alongside Sunni Islam. It represents a minority within the global Muslim population, with large communities in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and Lebanon, and sizeable populations in South Asia and Africa.

Shiism traces its origins to a dispute over rightful leadership after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Shiites maintain that leadership should have remained within the Prophet’s family, beginning with Ali, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law, and that the Imams from his line possess special authority and knowledge to interpret the Qur’an and guide the community. The Imams are regarded as divinely chosen and, in many Shi’a traditions, infallible in matters of faith and law. In the Twelver branch, which is the largest, there have been twelve Imams, the last, Muhammad al-Mahdi, believed to be in occultation and to return as the Mahdi.

Among the other major branches are Ismaili Shiism, which split after the sixth Imam and includes groups such as the Nizari (led by the Aga Khan) and the Musta’li (including the Dawoodi Bohras); and Zaidi Shiism, predominant in Yemen, which follows a different line of Imams and often aligns its jurisprudence more closely with Sunni schools.

Important Shia practices include commemorations of Husayn’s martyrdom at Karbala during Muharram, pilgrimages to Karbala and other sacred sites, and an emphasis on the family of the Prophet, Ahl al-Bayt. Shia jurisprudence relies on Qur’an and hadith, with major compendia such as Al-Kafi and the four principal Shia collections.