Differences Between Shi'ites and Sunnis: The Fundamentals

Thanks to the conflict in Iraq, everyone is aware of the sectarian difference between Shi'ites and Sunnis. For many people, 2003, at the earliest, and 2006, at the latest, was the first time that many people had heard of a Shi'ite or a Sunni. As far as many in the West knew, there was simply Islam. As has been reported across several different sources, the initial schism between the two factions comes out of a succession struggle between Muhammad's family and the democratically elected Abu Bakr.

Using this as the sole explanation between the two sects however leaves much to be desired in terms of knowledge - even worse it unfairly paints both sides as petty enough to continue to bicker over something as trivial as a thousand year old succession. Something the two parties themselves were able to resolve, as Ali later became a Caliph after Abu Bakr. The Shi'a/Sunni difference goes down to the very culture; to the way the two pray, approach science, government, law, and spirituality. Indeed, it is as different as a Baptist and a Catholic in some regards.

In the modern world, Sunnis are essentially the norm when one considers a Muslim. They turn to the Sunnah, the hadiths, recognize Abu Bakr as the first Caliph, and carry a more internal view on Islam. They pray at the Mosque, respect the fast of Ramadan, go on the pilgrimage to Mecca, but it is mostly on an internal or personal level, shared with fellow Muslims. There's clearly deviations on this, such as with wahabism, but at its barest Sunni Islam is a deeply personal thing. There are no strict hierarchies - the local religious leaders are roughly the highest level of the clergy a Sunni Muslim will ever come in contact with.

Likewise, Sunnis tend to focus on the general veneration of God and study of jurisprudence. They are usually categorized as highly spiritual, often favoring an understanding and memorization of the Quran over scientific or mathematic studies. This is naturally not the case in all Sunnis, but rather is a general, cultural trait - there is a great deal of faith in Allah and he is where the focus of their energy should be.

Shi'a Islam in contrast is a very worldly, stately religion. Much like the Roman Catholic Church, it has a number of religious titles ranging from local sheikhs to the Grand Ayatollah, the closest thing Islam has to a Pope or other religious authority figure. This has long been reflected in Shi'a doctrines in comparison to Sunni - Shi'ites are generally more interested in an Islamic code of laws, where legal codes are based primarily on jurisprudence.

These cultural differences appear in almost every aspect of their lives, down to the azaan, or "call to prayer". Although they appear fundamentally the same, at the strong suggestion of the ayatollahs, an entire addition was put into the call where Imam Ali is referred to as "the vicegerent of God" - something considered blasphemous by many Sunnis.

Traditionally, Shi'ites have been approached education and learning with a greater general interest than Sunnis. During the Middle Ages, the Egyptian Sultanate was primarily Shi'a in comparison to modern census levels - and they were constantly pressured for focusing on utilizing Greek medical transcripts and learning about science or astronomy in their universities. Sunnis were particularly distressed at the absence of focus allotted to the Quran.

With both sides polarized since the death of Muhammad himself, the differences in culture between the two have only expanded into what they are today.