What Do Shiites Believe About Imams?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Shi’a Muslims believe that imams

are leaders appointed by God to be Muhammad’s successors

. Shi’a Muslims believe that imams are inspired by God, are without sin and are infallible, which means that they can interpret the teachings of the Qur’an without making any errors.

Are Imams Shia or Sunni?


Sunni

Ibadi
Current leaders Imams (not in the same sense as Shia or Ibadi) Imams (not in the same sense as Shia or Sunni)

Do Sunnis believe in Imams?

For Sunnis, the “Twelve Imams” and the present-day Shiite Imams (e.g., “Ayatollahs,” or the “shadows of Allah”) are humans without any divine powers. They are

considered righteous Muslims

, and the Twelve Imams are particularly respected because of their relationship to Ali and his wife Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad.

What do the Shiites believe?

Shiites believe

the Prophet Mohammed should have been succeeded by his son-in-law, Imam Ali, and leadership of the Muslim world should pass through the prophet’s descendants

. Sunnis don’t believe the leadership of the Muslim world should necessarily pass through hereditary succession.

Do Shia have imams?

For Shia Muslims, the Imams are

leaders of the Islamic community or ummah after the Prophet

. The term is only applicable to the members of Ahl al-Bayt, the family of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, considered infallibles by Twelver Shia.

Who are the 4 imams?

THE GREAT EDIFICE of Islamic Law is held up by four towering figures of the early middle ages:

Abu Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi i, and Ibn Hanbal

. Because of their immense dedication and intellectual acuity, these men enjoy recognition to this day as Islam s most influential scholars.

Is Iran Sunni or Shia?

According to some surveys, almost all of Iran’s 82,000,000 people are Muslim, with

90% of those being Shi’a

, almost all of these from the Twelver sect. Another 10% are Sunni, most of them Kurds, Achomis, Turkmens, and Baluchs, living in the northwest, northeast, south, and southeast.

Can Shia go to Mecca?

In 2009 a group of Shiites on their way to perform

hajj

pilgrimage (one of the five pillars of Islam that all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform once in their lives) in Mecca were arrested by Saudi religious police due to the involvement in a protest against the Saudi government.

How many times do Shia pray?

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

.

Does Shia believe in Muhammad?

The

Shia believe that Muhammad designated Ali as his successor by God’s command

(Eid Al Ghadir). Ali was Muhammad’s first-cousin and closest living male relative as well as his son-in-law, having married Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah.

How are Shia different from Sunni?

Those who followed the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law (‘Ali) became known as Shi’a (the followers of the Party of ‘Ali – Shi’atu Ali).

Sunnis focus on following the Prophet’s example

whereas Shi’a focus on the lineage of Muhammad’s family through a series of Imams.

What are the 3 types of Islam?

  • Sunni Muslims include 84%–90% of all Muslims. …
  • Shi`ite Muslims comprise 10%–16% of all Muslims. …
  • Sufis are Islamic mystics. …
  • Baha’is and Ahmadiyyas are 19th-century offshoots of Shi`ite and Sunni Islam, respectively.

Are there Shia imams today?

The line of imams of the Nizari Ismaili Shia Muslims (also known as the Agha-khani Ismailis in South and Central Asia) continues to their present living

49th hereditary imam, Aga Khan IV

(son of Prince Aly Khan). They are the only Shia Muslim community today led by a present and living (Hazir wa Mawjud) imam.

Who is the prophet of Shia?

Shia Islam and Ali

Shia Islam holds that

the Islamic Prophet Muhammad

designated Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor and the Imam (leader) after him, most notably at the event of Ghadir Khumm, but was prevented from the caliphate as a result of the incident of Saqifah.

Who is the 1st Imam?


Ali

was the first of the Twelve Imams, and, in the Twelvers view, the rightful successor to Muhammad, followed by male descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam, with the exception of Al-Husayn, who was the brother of Al-Hasan.

What is the highest position in Islam?


Grand Mufti

. The title of “Grand Mufti” (Arabic: مفتي عام) refers to the highest official of religious law in some Muslim countries.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.