Today Muslims of all branches, including the Sunni and the Shia, all pray towards the Kaaba.
Apart from Iran's rejection of the alleged fatwa, Shiite jurists and scholars are of the conviction that the hajj cannot be performed anywhere else but in Mecca. In fact, while performing the hajj is "wajib" (mandatory), visiting the shrine of Hussein is merely "mostahab" (recommended).
Many Shia, when performing prayers during the hajj, will follow Sunni practices rather than their own, which include a different call to prayer, a different form of ablution, and combining prayers, worshipping three times a day instead of five. Despite the reported divisions, yesterday the customs of hajj continued.
Sunni and Shia Muslims both share the same fundamental views of Islam, for instance, both groups worship Allah as God, accept Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) as the Prophet, and follow the teachings of the Quran.
Sunni and Shia Muslims share many central beliefs, including a belief in the Oneness of Allah (tawhid), and that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) was the final Messenger of Allah, who received Divine revelations recorded in the Holy Qur'an.
Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims share the same faith and abide by the same five pillars of Islam (Professor 7 Oct. 2003). There are no rules forcing a woman to adopt her husband's particular branch of Islam (ibid.).
The Shī'ah use the same Qur'an as Sunni Muslims, however they do not believe that it was first compiled by Uthman ibn Affan. The Shī'ah believe that the Qur'an was gathered and compiled by Muhammad during his lifetime.
Shia Islam
Shia Ayatollahs Ali al-Sistani and Ali Khamenei believe there are no authoritative Islamic prohibitions on tattoos. The Quran does not mention tattoos or tattooing at all. Grand Ayatollah Sadiq Hussaini Shirazi ruled: "Tattoos are considered makruh (reprehensible but not forbidden).
The Shi'a view of Aisha is generally unfavourable. This is primarily due to what they see as her contempt for the Ahl al-Bayt (the Islamic prophet Muhammad's family) and her actions in the First Fitna (civil war) of the time.
Sunni Muslims only combine the five daily prayers if they have a good reason to, for example if they are travelling. Shi'a Muslims have more freedom to combine certain prayers, such as the midday and afternoon prayers. Therefore they may only pray three times a day.
For Sunni Muslims, the Shahadah is: There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah. Shi'a Muslims add an extra phrase to the Shahadah: And Ali is the friend of God. This shows their belief that Ali, Muhammad's cousin, was the true successor to Muhammad.
For the most part, Sunnis and Shias observe Ramadan the same way, but there are some differences. For one, Sunnis break their fast at sunset, once the sun is no longer visible, but there is still light in the sky. However, for Shias they wait to break after it gets completely dark.
Eid al-Mubahila, an Eid for Shia Muslims which marks the success of Muslims in a peaceful debate with the Christians of the time. Eid-e-Shuja', an Eid for Shia Muslims which marks the end of the mourning period after the events of Karbala.
Shiite Muslims include the words and deeds of some of the prophet's family in the Sunna. However, sharia largely comprises the interpretive tradition of Muslim scholars.
The state religion in Qatar is Islam. Most Qataris belong to the Sunni sect of Islam. Shiites comprise around 10% of Qatar's Muslim population. Religious policy is set by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Islamic instruction is compulsory for Muslims in all state-sponsored schools.
Most Muslims in Turkey are Sunni Muslims forming about 90%, and Shia-Aleviler (Alevis, Ja'faris and Alawites) denominations in total form up to 10% of the Muslim population. Precise numbers are unavailable since Turkey doesn't conduct censuses about religious denominations.
Shi'a Muslims seldom if ever use the six major hadith collections followed by the Sunnis because they do not trust many of the Sunni narrators and transmitters. They have their own extensive hadith literature.
Eleven women were confirmed to be married to Islamic prophet Muhammad. Muslims use the term Umm al-Mu'minin (Arabic: أم ٱلْمُؤْمِنِين; meaning 'Mother of the Believers') prominently before or after referring to them as a sign of respect, a term derived from Quran 33:6.
At the negotiations, Aisha's party demanded the removal of Ali from office and a council to elect his successor, but Ali countered that he was the legitimate caliph. The two sides also accused each other of responsibility in the assassination of Uthman.
Traditionally, dogs are considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam as they are thought of as dirty. But while conservatives advocate complete avoidance, moderates simply say Muslims should not touch the animal's mucous membranes — such as the nose or mouth — which are considered especially impure.
The most popular tattoos are '313. ' In Shia, '313' is the number of the commanders of Al-Mahdi's army. The other popular tattoos are the name of Ali, who was Prophet Muhammad's son in law. Hezbollah members, like most Iranian people, belongs to the Shiite (Shia) Sect.
Shias, a term that stems from shi'atu Ali, Arabic for “partisans of Ali,” believe that Ali and his descendants are part of a divine order. Sunnis, meaning followers of the sunna, or “way” in Arabic, of Mohammed, are opposed to political succession based on Mohammed's bloodline.
All Muslims are guided by the Sunnah, but Sunnis stress its primacy. Shia are also guided by the wisdom of Muhammad's descendants through his son-in-law and cousin, Ali. Sunni life is guided by four schools of legal thought, each of which strives to develop practical applications of the Sunnah.
Sunni and Shia Muslims both share the same fundamental views of Islam, for instance, both groups worship Allah as God, accept Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) as the Prophet, and follow the teachings of the Quran.
Shias, like other Muslim sects, follow the Five Pillars of Islam, i.e., there is no God but God, pray five times a day, collect a tax to help the less fortunate, fast during Ramadan, and go to Mecca.