Shias are Muslims just like Catholics are Christians. Shia is a branch of Islam. The two main branches of Islam are Sunni and Shia; Sunnis constitute the vast majority of the Muslim diaspora but there are some regions where Shias are either in the majority or form a powerful minority.

Comparison chart

Islam versus Shia comparison chart
Edit this comparison chartIslamShia
Belief of God Only one God (monotheism). God is the one True Creator. God has always existed, none existed before him and will exist forever. He transcends life and death. No part of His creation resembles Him, He cannot be seen, but sees all. One God
Clergy Imam leads congregational prayer in a mosque. Sheikh, Maulana, Mullah and Mufti Imaam (divinely guided), Ayatollah, Mujtahid, Allamah, Maulana, Hojatoleslam, Sayed, Mollah (colloquial)
Place of worship Mosque/masjid, any place which is considered clean by Islamic standards. Mosque, Imambarah or Ashurkhana, Eidgah
Founder Prophet Muhammad. According to Islamic scripture, all people who follow God's revealed guidance and the messengers sent with it 'submit' to that guidance, and are considered Muslims (ie. Adam, Moses, Abraham, Jesus, etc.). The Prophet Muhammad and Ali, his son in law.
Literal Meaning Islam is derived from the Arabic root "Salema": peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law. A Muslim is one who follows Islam. party of Ali
Marriage Islam is totally opposed to monasticism and celibacy. Marriage is an act of Sunnah in Islam and is strongly recommended. Men can only marry the "people of the book" i.e., Abrahamic religions. Women can only marry a Muslim man. Man may marry up to 4 women.
Scriptures The Qur'an, and traditions of the Holy Last messenger Muhammad, called 'Sunnah' which is found in narrations or 'hadiths' by the men around him. The Quran
Life after death All beings created with reason will be accountable to God Almighty on the Day of Judgement. They will be rewarded for every atom's weight of good, and either forgiven or punished for evil deeds. Eternity in Heaven or Hell.
Practices Five pillars: Testament that there is one God and Muhammad is his messenger (shahadah); prayer five times daily; fast during Ramadan; charity to the poor (zakat); pilgrimage (Hajj). Latm, arbaeen walk.
Use of statues and pictures Images of God or prophets not permitted. Art takes the form of calligraphy, architecture etc. Muslims distinguish themselves from other groups by not drawing lifelike human works, which could be mistaken as idolatry. No image is representative of God Not permitted, although pictures permitted as long as the imams are painted respectfully.
Population 1.6 billion Muslims 200 million
Second coming of Jesus Affirmed Affirmed
Holy Days Ramadan (month of fasting), Eid-ul Adha (feast of the sacrifice), Eid-ul Fitr (sweet festival at the end of Ramadan).Ashura (Shia). Ashura, Eid al Fitr, Eid al Adha, Eid al ghadeer, Ashura, Mawlid
Belief Belief in one God, who has sent messengers with revelation and guidance for humanity so they may be guided to good & who have came with both good news and a warning, the last & final messenger being Muhammad. One God, and Muhammad is his prophet.
Day of worship Prayer five times daily is obligatory. Friday is the day of congregational prayer, obligatory for men, but not for women. Friday.
View of the Buddha N/A. Islamic scripture does not discuss or mention Gautam Buddha. N/A.
Geographical distribution and predominance There are 1.6 billion. By the percentage of the total population in a region considering themselves Muslim, 24.8% in Asia-Oceania, 91.2% in the Middle East-North Africa, 29.6% in Sub-Saharan Africa, around 6.0% in Europe, and 0.6% in the Americas. Majority in Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Azerbaijan, Syria and Lebanon. Minority across the globe.
Goal of religion Fulfill gift and responsibility of this life through following the guidance of Holy Quran and Hadith, striving to serve mankind through compassion, justice, trustworthiness, and love for all of God's creation To love God and obey his commandments through the Progeny of the Prophet Muhammad.
Use of Statues Not allowed Forbidden.
View of other Dharmic religions N/A. N/A
Position of Mary Mary (Mariam/Miriam) receives significant admiration from Muslims. She is said by the Prophet Muhammad to be one of the four best women that God created. She is free of sin as the mother of Jesus. Shiites venerate Muhammad's daughter above Mary. Mother of Jesus. Although Mary receives far more exultation from Muslims than she does from the average Protestant, Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, is venerated more than Mary, in Shia.
Authority of Dalai Lama N/A. N/A.
Status of Muhammad Deeply loved and revered in Islam. The last Prophet, but is not worshipped. Only God (the creator) is worshipped in Islam; God's creation (including prophets) are not considered worthy of worship. The seal of the prophets.
Angels Angels are created from light and remain unseen as they worship and follow God's commands. Angels obey God's commandments. They have limited free will, though no drive to sin.
Followers Muslims Shiites
Original Language(s) Arabic Arabic, Farsi
Ressurection of Jesus Denied because God raised Jesus to him and he will return before end of time to finish his life, correct any confusion about his teachings and restore order to the world. Denied, as is His Crucifixion and Death.
Symbols Muhammad's name in calligraphy is common. There is also the black standard that says "There is no god but God and Muhammad is the last messenger of God" in Arabic. The star and crescent is not Islam per se; it is inspired by the Ottoman empire. Hand of Fatima (Hamsa), Zulfiqar.
Jesus Muslims believe Jesus to be a perfect, sinless, highly revered Prophet and a messenger of God. His name in Arabic is Isa. Jesus was immaculately conceived through God, but is not God or the son of God. Prophet and messiah, but, not the son of God, and did not die on the Cross.
Prophets God sent thousands of divinely inspired messengers to guide mankind. These include Adam, Solomon, David, Noah, Abraham, Ismail, Issac, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. There are 124,000 prophets, who were sent to all the world's nations. Highly venerated, especially Muhammad, & his daughter Fatimah.
Abrahamic Lineage The ancestor of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is Abraham (Ibrahim) through his son Ismael. Ismael.
Status of Vedas N/A N/A.
Position of Abraham A great prophet and a perfect, sinless example of the divine guidance of God. Father of the faithful.
Praying to Saints, Mary, and Angel Shiites ask for Saints' intercession, but, Sunnis do not. Mary is venerated by both Sunnis and Shiites however. They visit the graves of Fatimah, Ali, Husayn, and other holy men and women so that they may intercede for you.
Original Language Arabic Arabic.
On Clothing Women must present themselves modestly to cover hair and body shape. Men must be modestly dressed and covered from waist to knee. In most Muslim culture, women wear a form of the hijab; in some, they must wear the full-body cover known as the burqa. Modest clothing is obligatory.
Related Religions Christianity, Judaism, Baha'i faith Christianity, Judaism.
imams identified as Shiites believe they are the successors of Ali; Sunnis regard them as their clergy. Divinely guided. Considered as the only legitimate interpreters of the Quran.
View of other Oriental religions N/A. N/A.
No. of Gods and Godesses 1 God 1 God
Revered People Prophets, Imams (religious leaders). Imams, Prophets, Ayatollahs, Saints.
Spiritual Beings Angels, demons, spirits, jinn (genies). Angels, Jinns.
Sacred Texts While the Qur'an is the only holy text of Islam, the Hadith, which is said to be the sayings of Muhammad, is also highly revered. Quran.
View on Abrahamic religions Believe that Jews & Christians should accept Muhammad as the final Prophet; believe that Baha'is are wrong in believing that Bah-u-llah is a prophet. Belivers in this world, disbelivers in the hereafter.
On LGBT Varies, but generally homosexuality is not accepted. Verses from the Qur'an condemn it and modern fatwas (Islamic law interpretation) often ban homosexuality as a crime, punishable by death in some countries. Sex change is not permitted. Haram.
On Marriage/Divorce According to the Qur'an, men may marry more than one woman, but no more than four, as long as he can support them and treat them fairly. Divorce easy for men, difficult for women. Marriage is a sign of faith and completion of belief, divorce is one of the most hated actions.
Year Formed 610-622 CE. 632 CE. 10AH (Ghadeer khum)

Origins of the Shia sect

Almost immediately after the death of Muhammad, there had been a split within the religion he had founded. Many of his followers believed that his son-in-law, Ali, should be his successor. Others did not. So, the followers of Ali formed their own sect called Shia. They revered him almost as much as they had revered Muhammed. Ali was eventually murdered by other Muslims who opposed his succession, and his death recalled by Shias, during the holiday of Ashura.

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