Sunnis and Shias

As thousands of Iraqi Shias make the pilgrimage to Kerbala for the first time in many years, here's a guide to the main branches of Islam

What is Islam?

Islam is one of the three monotheistic religions, along with Christianity and Judaism. Islam in Arabic means "submission" and is derived from the Arabic root Salema, meaning "peace, purity, submission, and obedience". Islam is the submission to the will of god, or Allah. There are an estimated 1.2 billion Muslims in the world, making Islam the second largest religion in the world. The Muslim holy book is the Koran.

Who is Mohammed?

Muslims believe in a number of prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus. But Muslims believe it was the Prophet Mohammed who received the word of God through the Angel Gabriel for 23 years.

As Mohammed preached Islam he was prosecuted by leaders of Mecca, the Quarish, and had to leave Mecca for Medina with a small group of followers in the year 622 AD. This event is known as the Hijra, or migration, and marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar (It is now 1424 H. in the Muslim calendar). The Prophet Mohammed was later able to return to Mecca in 629 AD. He died in 632 AD at the age of 63.

What are the five pillars of Islam?

The five pillars of Islam are faith, prayer, zakat, fasting, and Hajj. The declaration of faith is called the Shahada, which says that there is no god but God and Mohammed is his prophet. Prayers are performed five times a day: dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and nightfall. Zakat means "purification" and "growth" and requires Muslims to give a portion of their wealth to the needy.

Fasting takes place every year for a month during Ramadan, when from sunrise to sunset Muslims abstain from food, drink and sexual relations in a form of self-purification. The final and fifth pillar is Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, a requirement at least once in their lives for all Muslims who are physically and financially able to go.

What are the different branches of Islam?

There are many branches of Islam with Sunni and Shia being the two major ones. Some of the other branches are Sufi, Wahhabi, and Ismaili. The vast majority of Muslims (about 83%) are Sunnis. The difference between the two groups started as political but has become more and more theological over time.

The split came after the death of the Prophet Mohammed. Sunnis believe that Ali, the cousin of the Prophet and the husband of Mohammed's daughter Fatima, was the fourth and last of the caliphs (successors of Mohammed), the first three being Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman.

Shias, however, believe that Ali should have been the first caliph and that the caliphate should be passed down only to direct descendants of Prophet Mohammed through Ali and Fatima.

After Uthman, Ali succeeded as caliph. He was opposed by Aisha, the Prophet's wife and the daughter of Abu Bakr. Ali's forces defeated Aisha's but he was still opposed by Mu'awiyya Ummayad, Uthman's cousin and the governor of Damascus. After Ali's death, the caliphate went to Mu'awiyya instead of Ali's sons, Hassan and Hussein.

How are Sunnis and Shias divided geographically?

While Sunnis are the majority in most Muslim countries, in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain the majority of Muslims are Shias. In Iran, Shias make up an estimated 93% of the total of the Muslim population. In Iraq, they make up more than 60% of the Muslim population.

How were the Shias treated under Saddam?

The marja'iyya, the highest acknowledged authority of the Shias, have a strong influence on Shias in southern Iraq and in the poor districts of Baghdad where many Shias live in very poor conditions. Under Saddam Hussein, they played no direct role in government. The regime managed to control and suppress its Shia population, and many clerics said to be of Iranian origin were expelled to Iran. Schools were forbidden to teach Shia; the curriculum taught only Sunni Islam.

Around the time of the Iranian revolution in 1979, thousands of Shias in Iraq were accused of belonging to al-Da'wa, the largest underground Shia political organisation. Shias were targeted, some were killed, and many were expelled to Iran. In the 1980s as Saddam waged an eight-year war against Iran, he also targeted Iraq's Shia population by accusing them of having connections with Iran and not being patriotic. The Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei refused to lend his support to the war and many of his allies were arrested.

In 1991, Saddam had shrines, homes, shops, and religious centres in Kerbala, a holy city for Muslims and especially Shias, destroyed. After the 1991 Gulf war precipitated by Saddam's invasion of Kuwait, President George Bush Snr told the Iraqi people to rise against Saddam. The Kurds and Shias did so, but the US did not protect them from Saddam and many lost their lives in the ensuing harsh crackdown. However, the removal of Saddam now opens the possibilities of Iraqi Shias playing a large role in Iraq's new government.

What is the significance of Kerbala?

Kerbala is one of the holiest cities for Muslims, in particular Shias. In 680 AD, Hussein, Prophet Mohammed's grandson, was promised the caliphate after the death of Mu'awiyya, but the promise was broken and Yazid took over. With a small army of 70 men, women and children, Hussein met Yazid in Kerbala. Hussein was deprived of food and water and was killed, as were all those with him.

This is remembered during the first 10 days of Muharram, which is the first month of the Hijri Calendar. Before the event was banned by Saddam, an annual pilgrimage by Shias to Kerbala commemorated the death of Imam Hussein. This year, the fall of Saddam has seen thousands attending the pilgrimage again.