Difference between Sunni and Shia
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be
upon all of you)
One of our
brothers/sisters has asked this question:
I am a Sunni
Muslim and i have afew
friends who are Shia. I know some points
differentiate between the two sects. However could you please advise me on what
exactly are the main differences between the two.
Another question is what happens if a couple from each sect gets married? What
happens then? Must there be changes?
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Answer:
Difference between Sunni and Shia
In the name of Allah, We praise
Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can
misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We
bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Guidance is not through
following any sect, but it is the following of Allah and His Messenger (saws),
worshipping Allah Alone and associating no partners with Him, and following the
way and traditions of the Messenger of Allah (saws). That is guidance.
Whoever, turns away from the
guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws) and instead chooses to follow any
other person as his ‘guide’,
or invents and follows his own ‘way’ of life; they are indeed the ones who are astray.
The Straight Path is the one
which Allah describes in detail in the Holy Quran,
and the Path or Way of Life which the Prophet (saws), his noble family, and his
noble companions followed. That is the
Straight Path.
The sects of Shias,
Sunnis, Ismaelis, Bohras, etc. are the creation and
invention of man himself, and have
absolutely no basis in Islam. Whoever
believes, follows and obeys Allah and His Messenger (saws) are honored to be
recognized and called by the name that Allah has chosen for the believers; that
is, ‘muslims’.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 38:Henceforth, there
shall come to you Guidance from Me (Allah) now and again. Whoever will follow it shall have neither
fear nor sorrow, and whoever will refuse to accept it and defy Our Revelations;
they shall be doomed to the Fire wherein they shall remain forever.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 31-32:O Prophet, tell
the people, “If you sincerely love Allah, follow me. Then Allah will love you and forgive you your
sins, for He is All Forgiving, All Merciful.”
Also say to them, “Obey Allah and His Messenger.” And if, in spite of this, they do not accept
your invitation, warn them that Allah does not love those, who refuse to obey
Him and His Messenger.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 153:This alone is My
Right Way. Therefore you should not follow
this Way and should follow other ways, lest they should lead you astray from
His Way. This is what Allah has
enjoined on you, so that you may attain piety.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verse 43:So hold fast to
the Book that has been revealed to you:
you are surely on the
Your Question:
However could you please advise me on what exactly are the main differences
between the two.
The absolute main difference is
that the Shias recognize Hadrat
Ali (r.a.) as the successor
and first Khalifa of Islam after the death of Prophet
Mohamed (saws); and the Sunnis claim that Hadrat Ali
(r.a.) was the fourth Khalifa.
There was actually no dispute at
the time of the Khalifas themselves; and they all
lived peacefully in the bond of Islamic brotherhood as trained by Allah’s
Messenger (saws). Many years after the
death of the noble Khalifas, there arose a political
dispute and some people started claiming that Hadrat
Ali (r.a.) was in fact the
chosen successor of the Prophet (saws); and his descendants were the appointed
Imams. It was only a political
difference at the time; but with time, this political difference was changed
into a religious difference and some unscrupulous leaders parted from the Ummah of Islam and created their own sects and sub-sects in
the name of the noble companion and ‘ahle-bayt’ of
the Messenger of Allah (saws).
Your Question:
Another question is what happens if a couple from each sect gets married? What
happens then? Must there be changes?
Both sects believe in Allah, His
Message of the Holy Quran, and the appointment of the
Last Messenger, Mohamed ar Rasool
Allah (saws); thus they are all muslims. If a couple from each sect
get married, the marriage will be considered legal and binding and they
will both enjoy all the rights due to a believer.
Whatever written of Truth and
benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error
is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He
is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in Islam,
Wister