Shiite

Shiite, or Shiʿa Islam, refers to the branch of Islam that holds that leadership of the Muslim community should have remained within the line of Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, and his descendants, known as the Imams. The term distinguishes adherents from the majority Sunni branch and reflects a historical dispute over rightful succession after Muhammad’s death.

Shiʿa Islam developed in the wake of that succession crisis and diversified into several groups. The largest is the Twelvers (Imami Shiʿa), who believe a succession of twelve Imams guided the community and that the twelfth Imam is in occultation and will return. Other branches include Ismailis, who emphasize a different line of Imams, and Zaidi Shiʿa, prominent in Yemen. Across centuries, Shiʿa communities formed distinctive religious authorities, jurisprudence, and rituals while sharing core beliefs about the Imams, divine guidance, and the importance of martyrdom in commemorations like Ashura.

Beliefs and authority in Shiʿa Islam center on the Imams as divinely chosen leaders with special knowledge. In Twelver Shiʿism, ultimate religious authority gradually expanded to learned jurists, with marjaʿ al-taqlid (sources of emulation) guiding followers. The principal Shia legal tradition is Jaʿfari fiqh. Closer clerical hierarchies include figures such as ayatollahs and grand ayatollahs who interpret law, ethics, and religious practice for communities.

Key practices include mourning the martyrdom of Husayn at Karbala during Ashura, pilgrimages to Shia shrines, and a devotional emphasis on the Imam’s guidance. Shiʿa communities are geographically concentrated in Iran and parts of Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Lebanon, with extensive diasporas worldwide. In some regions, Shiʿa Islam also interacts with state structures and politics, influencing religious authority and social life.