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{{Short description|Second-largest branch of Islam}}
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{{Islam}}

'''Shia Islam'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|iː|ə}} {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɪ|z|l|ɑː|m|,_|ˈ|ɪ|z|l|æ|m}}}} is the second-largest [[Islamic schools and branches|branch]] of [[Islam]]. It holds that [[Muhammad]] designated [[Ali ibn Abi Talib]] ({{Reign|656|661}}) as both his political [[Succession to Muhammad|successor]] ([[caliph]]) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community ([[Imamah (Shia doctrine)|imam]]). However, his right is understood to have been usurped by a number of [[Companions of the Prophet|Muhammad's companions]] at the meeting of [[Saqifa]], during which they appointed [[Abu Bakr]] ({{Reign|632|634}}) as [[caliph]] instead. As such, [[Sunni Muslims]] believe Abu Bakr, [[Umar]] ({{Reign|634|644}}), [[Uthman]] ({{Reign|644|656}}) and Ali to be '[[Rashidun|rightly-guided caliphs]]', whereas Shia Muslims regard only [[Ali]] as the legitimate successor.

Shia Muslims believe that the imamate continued through Ali's sons, [[Hasan ibn Ali|Hasan]] and [[Husayn ibn Ali|Husayn]], after which various Shia branches developed and recognized different imams. They revere the {{Transliteration|ar|[[ahl al-bayt]]}}, the family of Muhammad, maintaining that they possess divine knowledge. [[Holiest sites in Shia Islam|Shia holy sites]] include the [[Imam Ali Shrine|shrine of Ali]] in [[Najaf]], the [[Imam Husayn Shrine|shrine of Husayn]] in [[Karbala]], and other mausoleums of the {{Transliteration|ar|ahl al-bayt}}. Later events, such as Husayn's martyrdom in the [[Battle of Karbala]] (680 CE), further influenced the development of Shia Islam, contributing to the formation of a distinct religious sect with its own rituals and shared collective memory.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Armajani |first=Jon |title=Shia Islam and Politics: Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon |year=2020 |publisher=Lexington |isbn=978-1-7936-2136-8 |location=Lanham, MD |page=11}}</ref>

Shia Islam is followed by 10–15%<ref name="Shia">See

* {{cite encyclopedia |title=Shiʿi |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shii |access-date=2019-09-30 |date=2019-10-04 |quote=In the early 21st century some 10–13 percent of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims were Shiʿi.}}
* {{cite web |date=7 October 2009 |title=Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population/ |access-date=24 September 2013 |work=[[Pew Research Center]] |quote=The Pew Forum's estimate of the Shia population (10–13%) is in keeping with previous estimates, which generally have been in the range of 10–15%. Some previous estimates, however, have placed the number of Shias at nearly 20% of the world's Muslim population.}}
* {{cite web |title=Shia |url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/shi-a |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215070956/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/shi-a |archive-date=15 December 2012 |access-date=5 December 2011 |publisher=Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs |quote=Shi'a Islam is the second largest branch of the tradition, with up to 200 million followers who comprise around 15% of all Muslims worldwide...}}
* {{cite book |author=Jalil Roshandel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVcmKRyID2EC&pg=PA15 |title=Iran, Israel and the United States |publisher=Praeger Security International |year=2011 |isbn=9780313386985 |page=15 |quote=The majority of the world's Islamic population, which is Sunni, accounts for over 75 percent of the Islamic population; the other 10 to 20 percent is Shia.}}</ref> of all Muslims, numbering at an estimated 200–300 million followers worldwide as of 2025. The three main [[Islamic schools and branches#Shīʿa Islam|Shia branches]] are [[Twelverism]], [[Isma'ilism]], and [[Zaydism]]. Shia Muslims form a majority of the population in [[Shia Islam in Iran|Iran]], [[Shia Islam in Iraq|Iraq]], and [[Shia Islam in Azerbaijan|Azerbaijan]], as well as about half of the citizen population of [[Bahrain]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 July 2011 |title=وثيقة بحرينية: الشيعة أقل من النصف |url=https://www.aljazeera.net/news/2011/7/4/%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A3%D9%82%D9%84-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B5%D9%81 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320151402/https://www.aljazeera.net/news/2011/7/4/%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A3%D9%82%D9%84-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B5%D9%81 |archive-date=20 March 2023 |work=Al Jazeera |quote=كشفت وثيقة بحرينية رسمية حديثة أن نسبة المواطنين السنة من إجمالي مواطني البلاد تعادل 51%، في حين توقفت نسبة الطائفة الشيعية عند 49% |trans-quote="A recent official Bahraini document revealed that the percentage of Sunni citizens out of the country’s total citizens is 51%, while the percentage of the Shiite community stopped at 49%.."}}</ref> Significant Shia communities are also found in [[Lebanese Shia Muslims|Lebanon]], [[Shia Islam in Kuwait|Kuwait]], [[Shia Islam in Turkey|Turkey]], [[Shia Islam in Yemen|Yemen]], [[Shia Islam in Saudi Arabia|Saudi Arabia]], [[Shia Islam in Afghanistan|Afghanistan]] and the [[Shia Islam in the Indian subcontinent|Indian subcontinent]]. Iran stands as the world's only country where Shia Islam forms the foundation of both [[Constitution of Iran|its laws]] and [[Government of Iran|governance system]].{{sfn|Armajani|2020|pp=1–3}}

==Terminology==
The word Shia (or {{transliteration|ar|Shīʿa}}) ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|iː|ə}}) ({{Langx|ar|شيعيّ|shīʿī, {{plural form|shīʿiyyūn}}}}) is derived from {{Langx|ar|label=none|شيعة علي|shīʿatu ʿAlī|followers of Ali}}.<ref name="Britannica738">The New Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th ed., Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1998, {{ISBN|0-85229-663-0}}, Vol. 10, p. 738</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Duncan S. Ferguson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BPwHem3bV9sC&pg=PA192 |title=Exploring the Spirituality of the World Religions: The Quest for Personal, Spiritual and Social Transformation |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4411-4645-8 |page=192}}</ref><ref name="wehr-498">{{cite web |last1=Wehr |first1=Hans |title=Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic |url=https://ejtaal.net/aa/#hw4=594 |page=598 |edition=4th}}</ref> In Arabic, “Shīʿa” means followers and supporters; the term derives from *al-shiyāʿ* and *al-mushāyaʿa*, which convey the meanings of following, supporting, and obedience.{{citation needed|date=November 2025}} Shia Islam is also referred to in English as Shiism (or Shīʿism) ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|iː|ɪ|z|(|ə|)|m}}), and Shia Muslims as Shiites (or Shīʿites) ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|iː|aɪ|t}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=Difference Between The Meaning Of ''Shia'' And ''Shiite''? However the term Shiite is being used less and is considered less proper than simply using the term "Shia". |url=https://www.englishforums.com/English/DifferenceBetweenMeaningShia-Shiite/dxnnw/post.htm |website=English forums |date=2 February 2007 |access-date=31 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731194040/https://www.englishforums.com/English/DifferenceBetweenMeaningShia-Shiite/dxnnw/post.htm |archive-date=31 July 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The term {{Transliteration|ar|Shia}} was first used during Muhammad's lifetime.<ref>{{harvnb|Ṭabataba'i|1977|p=34}}</ref>{{not in source|date=November 2025}} At present, the word refers to the Muslims who believe that the leadership of the [[Ummah|Muslim community]] after Muhammad belongs to [[Ali|ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib]], Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, and his successors.<ref name="jaarel 2015">{{cite journal |last=Foody |first=Kathleen |date=September 2015 |editor-last=Jain |editor-first=Andrea R. |title=Interiorizing Islam: Religious Experience and State Oversight in the Islamic Republic of Iran |journal=[[Journal of the American Academy of Religion]] |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] on behalf of the [[American Academy of Religion]] |volume=83 |issue=3 |pages=599–623 |doi=10.1093/jaarel/lfv029 |issn=0002-7189 |eissn=1477-4585 |jstor=24488178 |lccn=sc76000837 |oclc=1479270 |quote=For Shiʿi Muslims, [[Muhammad]] not only designated [[Ali|ʿAlī]] as his friend, but appointed him as his [[Succession to Muhammad|successor]]—as the “lord” or “master” of the new [[Ummah|Muslim community]]. ʿAlī and [[Family tree of Ali|his descendants]] would become known as [[Imamah (Shia doctrine)|the Imams]], divinely guided leaders of the Shiʿi communities, sinless, and granted [[Tafsir|special insight into the Qurʾanic text]]. The theology of the Imams that developed over the next several centuries made little distinction between the authority of the Imams to politically lead the Muslim community and their spiritual prowess; quite to the contrary, their right to political leadership was grounded in their special spiritual insight. While in theory, the only just ruler of the Muslim community was the Imam, the Imams were politically marginal after the first generation. In practice, Shiʿi Muslims negotiated varied approaches to both interpretative authority over [[Islamic holy books|Islamic texts]] and governance of the community, both during the lifetimes of the Imams themselves and even more so following the [[Occultation (Islam)|disappearance]] of the [[Muhammad al-Mahdi|twelfth and final Imam]] in the ninth century. |doi-access=free}}</ref>
Nawbakhti states that the term ''Shia'' refers to a group of Muslims who at the time of Muhammad and after him regarded ʿAlī as the [[Imam]] and [[caliph]].<ref name="jaarel 2015"/><ref>{{harvnb|Sobhani|Shah-Kazemi|2001|p=97}}</ref> [[Al-Shahrastani]] expresses that the term ''Shia'' refers to those who believe that ʿAlī is designated as the [[Succession to Muhammad|heir]], Imam, and caliph by Muhammad<ref name="jaarel 2015"/><ref>{{harvnb|Sobhani|Shah-Kazemi|2001|p=98}}</ref> and that ʿAlī's authority is maintained through his descendants.<ref name="jaarel 2015"/><ref>{{cite book | last=Vaezi | first=Ahmad | title=Shia political thought | year=2004 | publisher=Islamic Centre of England | location=London | page=56 | isbn=978-1-904934-01-1 | oclc=59136662}}</ref> For the adherents of Shia Islam, this conviction is implicit in the [[Quran]] and the [[history of Islam]]. Shia Muslim scholars emphasize that the notion of authority is linked to the family of the [[Prophets in Islam|Abrahamic prophets]] as the Quranic verses {{qref|3|33}} and {{qref|3|34}} illustrate: "Indeed, Allah chose [[Adam in Islam|Adam]], [[Noah in Islam|Noah]], the family of [[Abraham in Islam|Abraham]], and the family of [[Amram|’Imrân]] above all people. They are descendants of one another. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing."<ref>{{harvnb|Cornell|2007|p=218}}</ref>

==History==
{{main|History of Shia Islam}}

The original Shia identity referred to the followers of Imam ʿAlī,<ref>"Shiʻite Islam", by Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i, translated by Sayyid Husayn Nasr, State University of New York Press, 1975, p. 24</ref> and Shia theology was formulated after the ''[[Hijra (Islam)|hijra]]'' (8th century CE).<ref>Dakake (2008), pp. 1–2</ref> The first Shia governments and societies were established by the end of the 9th century CE. The 10th century CE has been referred to by the scholar of Islamic studies [[Louis Massignon]] as "the Shiite Ismaili century in the history of Islam".<ref>In his "Mutanabbi devant le siècle ismaëlien de l'Islam", in Mém. de l'Inst Français de Damas, 1935, p.</ref>

=== Origins ===
{{main|Origin of Shia Islam|Ali ibn Abi Taleb|First Fitna}}
[[File:Chronology of Ancient Nations, f.162r miniature.jpg|thumb|The investiture of [[Ali|ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib]] at [[Rabigh#Ghadir Khumm|Ghadir Khumm]] ([[The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries|MS Arab 161]], fol. 162r, 1308–1309 CE, [[Ilkhanate|Ilkhanid]] manuscript illustration)]]
The Shia, originally known as the "partisans" of [[Ali|ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib]], Muhammad's cousin and [[Fatima]]'s husband, first emerged as a distinct movement during the [[First Fitna]] from 656 to 661 CE. Shia doctrine holds that ʿAlī was meant to lead the community after Muhammad's death in 632. Historians dispute over the [[History of Shia Islam|origins of Shia Islam]], with many Western scholars positing that Shia Islam began as a political faction rather than a truly religious movement.<ref>See: Lapidus p. 47, Holt p. 72</ref><ref name="franc23">Francis Robinson, ''Atlas of the Islamic World'', p. 23.</ref> Other scholars disagree, considering this concept of religious-political separation to be an anachronistic application of a Western concept.<ref>Jafri, S.H. Mohammad. "The Origin and Early Development of Shiʻa Islam", Oxford University Press, 2002, p. 6, {{ISBN|978-0-19-579387-1}}</ref>

Shia Muslims believe that Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his heir during a speech at [[Ghadir Khumm]].<ref name=":2" /> The point of contention between different Muslim sects arises when Muhammad, whilst giving his speech, gave the proclamation "Anyone who has me as his {{transliteration|ar|[[mawla]]}}, has ʿAlī as his {{transliteration|ar|mawla}}".<ref name="jaarel 2015" /><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Shiʿi |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shii |access-date=28 December 2021 |last=Newman |first=Andrew J.}}</ref><ref name="Esposito, John 2002. p. 40">Esposito, John. "What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam". Oxford University Press, 2002 | {{ISBN|978-0-19-515713-0}}. p. 40</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=From the article on Shii Islam in Oxford Islamic Studies Online |url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e2189?_hi=26&_pos=238 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528231159/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e2189?_hi=26&_pos=238 |archive-date=28 May 2012 |access-date=4 May 2011 |publisher=Oxfordislamicstudies.com}}</ref> Some versions add the additional sentence "O God, befriend the friend of ʿAlī and be the enemy of his enemy".<ref name="Amir-Moezzi">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Ghadīr Khumm |entry=Ghadīr Khumm |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam Three |date=2014 |author-link1=Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi |editor1=Kate Fleet |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_27419 |last1=Amir-Moezzi |first1=Mohammad Ali |editor2=Gundrun Krämer |editor-link2=Gudrun Krämer |editor3=Denis Matringe |editor4=John Nawas |editor5=Everett Rowson}}</ref> Sunnis maintain that Muhammad emphasized the deserving friendship and respect for ʿAlī. In contrast, Shia Muslims assert that the statement unequivocally designates ʿAlī as Muhammad's appointed successor.<ref name="jaarel 2015" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Olawuyi |first=Toyib |url=https://www.al-islam.org/khilafah-ali-over-abu-bakr-toyib-olawuyi/preface |title=On the Khilafah of Ali over Abu Bakr |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-4928-5884-3 |pages=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422181325/http://www.al-islam.org/khilafah-ali-over-abu-bakr-toyib-olawuyi/preface |archive-date=22 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Shura Principle in Islam – by Sadek Sulaiman |url=http://www.alhewar.com/SadekShura.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160727210611/http://www.alhewar.com/SadekShura.htm |archive-date=27 July 2016 |access-date=18 June 2016 |website=www.alhewar.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-01-04 |title=Sunnis and Shia: Islam's ancient schism |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-16047709 |access-date=2021-08-14 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Shia sources also record further details of the event, such as stating that those present congratulated ʿAlī and acclaimed him as {{transliteration|ar|[[Amir al-Mu'minin]]}} ("commander of the believers").<ref name="Amir-Moezzi" />

When Muhammad died in 632 CE, [[Ali|ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib]] and Muhammad's closest relatives made the funeral arrangements. While they were preparing his body, [[Abu Bakr|Abū Bakr]], [[Umar ibn al-Khattab|ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb]], and [[Abu Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah]] met with the leaders of Medina and elected Abū Bakr as the first ''[[Rashidun|rāshidūn]]'' caliph. Abū Bakr served from 632 to 634, and was followed by Umar (634–644) and [[Uthman ibn Affan|ʿUthmān]] (644–656).<ref name=":2" />
[[File:Kufa Mosque.jpg|thumb|[[Great Mosque of Kufa]], site of ʿAlī's assassination (661 CE)<ref name="Merriam-Webster 1999, p. 525" /><ref name="Esposito, John 2002. p. 46" />]]
With the murder of ʿUthmān in 657 CE, the Muslims of [[Medina]] invited ʿAlī to become the fourth caliph as the last source,<ref name="Merriam-Webster 1999, p. 525" /> and he established his capital in [[Kufa]].<ref name="Britannica738" /> ʿAlī's rule over the [[Rashidun Caliphate|early Islamic empire]], between 656 CE to 661 CE, was often contested.<ref name=":2" /> Tensions eventually led to the [[First Fitna]], the first major [[civil war]] between Muslims within the empire, which began as a series of revolts fought against ʿAlī. While the rebels had previously affirmed the legitimacy of ʿAlī's ''khilafāʾ'' (caliphate), they later turned against ʿAlī and fought him.<ref name="Merriam-Webster 1999, p. 525" /> 

Tensions escalated into the [[Battle of the Camel]] in 656, where Ali's forces emerged victorious against [[Aisha]], [[Talha ibn 'Ubayd Allah|Talhah]], and [[Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr|al-Zubayr]]. The [[Battle of Siffin]] in 657 turned the tide against ʿAlī, who lost due to arbitration issues with [[Muawiyah I|Muawiyah]], the governor of Damascus.<ref name=":2" /> ʿAlī withdrew to Kufa, overcoming the [[Kharijites|Kharijis]], a faction that had transformed from supporters to bitter rivals, at Nahrawan in 658. In 661, ʿAlī was assassinated by a Khariji assassin in Kufa while in the act of prostration during prayer ({{transliteration|ar|[[sujud]]}}). Subsequently, Muawiyah asserted his claim to the caliphate.<ref>The New Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th ed., Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1998, {{ISBN|0-85229-663-0}}, Vol. 10, p. tid738</ref><ref name="Esposito, John 2002. p. 46" />

=== Hasan, Husayn, and Karbala ===
{{main|Hasan ibn Ali|Husayn ibn Ali|Battle of Karbala}}
[[File:Bagh Toti 8167.jpg|left|thumb|[[Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine|S̲h̲āh ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīm Shrine]] in [[Ray, Iran|Rey]], [[Iran]], contains the tomb of [[Abd al-Azim al-Hasani|ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīm al-Ḥasanī]], a descendant of [[Hasan ibn Ali|Ḥasan ibn ‘Alī]] and a companion of [[Muhammad al-Taqi|Muhammad al-Taqī]].]]

Upon the death of ʿAlī, his elder son [[Hasan ibn Ali|Ḥasan]] became leader of the Muslims of Kufa. After a series of skirmishes between the Kufa Muslims and the army of Muawiyah, Ḥasan ibn Ali agreed to cede the caliphate to Muawiyah and maintain peace among Muslims [[Hasan–Mu'awiya treaty|upon certain conditions]]: The [[Umayyad tradition of cursing Ali|enforced public cursing of ʿAlī]], e.g. during prayers, should be abandoned; Muawiyah should not use tax money for his own private needs; There should be peace, and followers of Ḥasan should be given security and their rights; Muawiyah will never adopt the title of ''[[Amir al-Mu'minin]]'' ("commander of the believers"); Muawiyah will not nominate any successor.<ref>{{cite web |title="Solhe Emam Hassan"-Imam Hassan Sets Peace |url=http://www.valiasr-aj.com/fa/page.php?bank=question&id=1297 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311022151/http://www.valiasr-aj.com/fa/page.php?bank=question&id=1297 |archive-date=11 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=تهذیب التهذیب |page=271}}</ref> Ḥasan then retired to [[Medina]], where in 670 CE he was poisoned by his wife [[Ja'da bint al-Ash'ath]], after being secretly contacted by Muawiyah who wished to pass the caliphate to his own son [[Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah|Yazid]] and saw Ḥasan as an obstacle.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Madelung|first=Wilfred|title="Ḥasan b. ʿAli b. Abi Ṭāleb". [[Encyclopædia Iranica]]. Retrieved 7 November 2018|year=2003}}</ref>[[File:Brooklyn Museum - Battle of Karbala - Abbas Al-Musavi - overall.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''Battle of Karbala'', painting by the [[Isfahan]]-based Persian artist Abbas Al-Mousavi, [[Brooklyn Museum]] (between 1868 and 1933)]]

[[Husayn ibn Ali|Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī]], ʿAlī's younger son and brother to Ḥasan, initially resisted calls to lead the Muslims against Muawiyah and reclaim the caliphate. In 680 CE, Muawiyah died and passed the caliphate to his son [[Yazid I|Yazid]], thus breaking the treaty with Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī. Yazid asked Husayn to swear allegiance (''[[bay'ah]]'') to him. ʿAlī's faction, having expected the caliphate to return to ʿAlī's line upon Muawiyah's death, saw this as a betrayal of the peace treaty and so Ḥusayn rejected this request for allegiance. There was a groundswell of support in Kufa for Ḥusayn to return there and take his position as caliph and Imam, so Ḥusayn collected his family and followers in Medina and set off for Kufa.<ref name=":2" />

{{multiple image
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| image2            = Arba'een Pilgrims in Bayn al-Harmian 019.jpg
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| footer            = Left: the [[Imam Husayn Shrine|Shrine of Imam Ḥusayn]]; right: the shrine premises during [[Arba'een]]
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En route to Kufa, Husayn was blocked by an army of Yazid's men, which included people from Kufa, near [[Karbala]]. Rather than surrendering, Husayn and his followers chose to fight. In the [[Battle of Karbala]], Ḥusayn and approximately 72 of his family members and followers were killed, and Husayn's head was delivered to Yazid in Damascus. The Shi'a community regard Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī as a martyr (''[[shahid]]''), and count him as an Imam from the {{transliteration|ar|Ahl al-Bayt}}. The Battle of Karbala and martyrdom of Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī is often cited as the [[Shia–Sunni relations|definitive separation between the Shia and Sunnī sects of Islam]]. Ḥusayn is the last Imam following ʿAlī mutually recognized by all branches of Shia Islam.<ref>Discovering Islam: making sense of Muslim history and society (2002) Akbar S. Ahmed</ref> The martyrdom of Husayn and his followers is commemorated on the [[Ashura|Day of Ashura]], occurring on the tenth day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar.<ref name=":2" />

===Imamate of the ''Ahl al-Bayt''===
{{main|Imamate in Shia doctrine}}

[[File:Sword and shield reproduction from Bab al Nasr gate Cairo Egypt.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Zulfiqar]]'' with and without the shield. The [[Fatimid art|Fatimid depiction]] of ʿAlī's sword is carved on the gates of [[Old Cairo]], namely ''Bab al-Nasr'' (shown below). Two swords were captured from the temple of the [[Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia|pre-Islamic Arabian deity]] [[Manāt]] during the [[Raid of Sa'd ibn Zaid al-Ashhali]]. Muhammad gave them to ʿAlī, saying that one of them was "Zulfiqar", which became famously known as the sword of ʿAlī and a later symbol of Shia Islam.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tMVkAAAAMAAJ |title=Religious trends in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry |first=Ghulam |last=Mustafa |year=1968 |page=11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906045928/https://books.google.com/books?id=tMVkAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=6 September 2015 |quote=Similarly, swords were also placed on the Idols, as it is related that Harith b. Abi Shamir, the Ghassanid king, had presented his two swords, called Mikhdham and Rasub, to the image of the goddess, Manat....to note that the famous sword of Ali, the fourth caliph, called Dhu-al-Fiqar, was one of these two swords}}</ref>]]

[[File:Sword and shield from the Bab al Nasr gate, Cairo Egypt.jpg|thumb|Depiction of ʿAlī's sword and shield carved on the ''Bab al-Nasr'' gate wall in [[Islamic Cairo]], [[Egypt]]]]
Later, most denominations of Shia Islam, including [[Twelver Shi'ism|Twelvers]] and [[Isma'ilism|Ismāʿīlīs]], became [[Imamate in Shia doctrine|Imamis]].<ref name="jaarel 2015" /><ref name="franc46">{{cite web |date=13 January 2015 |title=Lesson 13: Imam's Traits |url=http://www.al-islam.org/principles-shiite-creed-ayatullah-ibrahim-amini/lesson-13-imams-traits |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150209161456/http://www.al-islam.org/principles-shiite-creed-ayatullah-ibrahim-amini/lesson-13-imams-traits |archive-date=9 February 2015 |work=Al-Islam.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2012 |title=Ahl al-BMatt |entry=Ahl al- Bayt |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam |publisher=Brill |editor=P. Bearman |edition=2nd |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_0378 |author2=van Arendonk, C. |author3=Tritton, A.S. |author=Goldziher, I. |editor2=Th. Bianquis |editor3=C.E. Bosworth |editor4=E. van Donzel |editor5=W.P. Heinrichs}}</ref> Shia Muslims believe that Imams are the spiritual and political [[Succession to Muhammad|successors to Muhammad]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=امامت از منظر متکلّمان شیعی و فلاسفه اسلامی|url=http://ensani.ir/fa/article/69853/%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%AA%DA%A9%D9%84%D9%91%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B9%DB%8C-%D9%88-%D9%81%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%81%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C|access-date=2021-08-28|website=پرتال جامع علوم انسانی|language=fa|archive-date=28 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828162637/http://ensani.ir/fa/article/69853/%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%AA%DA%A9%D9%84%D9%91%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B9%DB%8C-%D9%88-%D9%81%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%81%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C|url-status=dead}}</ref> Imams are human individuals who not only rule over the Muslim community with justice, but also are able to keep and interpret the divine law and its [[Esoteric interpretation of the Quran|esoteric meaning]]. The words and deeds of Muhammad and the Imams are a guide and model for the community to follow; as a result, they must be free from error and sin, and must be chosen by [[Nass (Islam)|divine decree]] ({{transliteration|ar|nass}}) through Muhammad.<ref name="Nasr_a">Nasr (1979), p. 10</ref><ref name="Momen 1985, p. 174">{{harvnb|Momen|1985|p=174}}</ref> According to this view peculiar to Shia Islam, there is always an Imam of the Age, who is the divinely appointed authority on all matters of faith and law in the Muslim community. ʿAlī was the first Imam of this line, the rightful successor to Muhammad, followed by male descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=عسکری|first=سید مرتضی|title=ولایت علی در قرآن کریم و سنت پیامبر، مرکز فرهنگی انتشاراتی منیر، چاپ هفتم}}</ref>

[[File:Santuario de Fátima bint Musa, Qom, Irán, 2016-09-19, DD 15.jpg|thumb|[[Fatima Masumeh Shrine]] in [[Qom]], [[Iran]], which contains the mausoleum of [[Fatima bint Musa|Fatima Masumeh]], the daughter of [[Musa al-Kazim]] and sister of [[Ali al-Rida|Imam Reza]], the 7th and 8th [[Imamah (Shia doctrine)|Imams]] in [[Twelver Shi'ism|Twelver Shia Islam]].]]
This difference between following either the ''[[Ahl al-Bayt]]'' (Muhammad's family and descendants) or pledging allegiance to Abū Bakr has shaped the [[Shia–Sunni relations|Shia–Sunnī divide]] on the interpretation of some Quranic verses, [[Hadith|hadith literature]] (accounts of the sayings and living habits attributed to the [[Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]] during his lifetime), and other areas of Islamic belief throughout the [[history of Islam]]. For instance, the [[List of hadith collections|hadith collections]] venerated by Shia Muslims are centered on narrations by members of the ''Ahl al-Bayt'' and their supporters, while some hadith transmitted by narrators not belonging to or supporting the ''Ahl al-Bayt'' are not included. 

Those of [[Abu Hurairah]], for example, Ibn Asakir in his ''Taʿrikh Kabir'', and Muttaqi in his ''Kanzuʿl-Umma'' report that [[Umar ibn al-Khattab|ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb]] lashed him, rebuked him, and forbade him to narrate ''ḥadīth'' from Muhammad. ʿUmar is reported to have said: "Because you narrate hadith in large numbers from the Holy Prophet, you are fit only for attributing lies to him. (That is, one expects a wicked man like you to utter only lies about the Holy Prophet.) So you must stop narrating hadith from the Prophet; otherwise, I will send you to the land of Dus." (An [[Tribes of Arabia|Arab clan]] in [[Yemen]], to which Abu Hurairah belonged). 

According to Sunnī Muslims, ʿAlī was the fourth successor to Abū Bakr, while Shia Muslims maintain that ʿAlī was the first divinely sanctioned "Imam", or successor of Muhammad. The seminal event in Shia history is the martyrdom at the [[Battle of Karbala]] of ʿAlī's son, [[Husayn ibn Ali|Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī]], and 71 of his followers in 680 CE, who led a non-allegiance movement against the defiant caliph.

It is believed in Twelver and Ismāʿīlī branches of Shia Islam that [['Aql|divine wisdom]] (''ʿaql'') was the source of the souls of the prophets and Imams, which bestowed upon them [[Hikmah|esoteric knowledge]] (''ḥikmah''), and that their sufferings were a means of divine grace to their devotees.<ref>Corbin 1993, pp. 45–51</ref><ref>Nasr (1979), p. 15</ref> Although the Imam was not the recipient of a [[Wahy|divine revelation]] (''waḥy''), he had a close relationship with [[God in Islam|God]], through which God guides him, and the Imam, in turn, guides the people. [[Imamate in Shia doctrine|Imamate]], or belief in the divine guide, is a fundamental belief in the Twelver and Ismāʿīlī branches of Shia Islam, and is based on the concept that God would not leave humanity without access to divine guidance.<ref name="Imamat">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam and the Muslim world; vol.1 |last=Gleave |first=Robert |title=Imamate |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-02-865604-5|year=2004 }}</ref>

===Imam Mahdi, last Imam of the Shia===
{{main|Mahdi|Muhammad al-Mahdi|Occultation (Islam)|Reappearance of Hujjat Allah al-Mahdi}}
{{further|History of Shia Islam|Imamate in Shia doctrine}}
[[File:Ghazan et Öldjeïtu.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|[[Ghazan]] and his brother [[Öljaitü]] both were tolerant of [[Islamic schools and branches|sectarian differences within the boundaries of Islam]], in contrast to the traditions of [[Genghis Khan]].]]

In Shia Islam, Imam [[Mahdi]] is regarded as the [[Islamic eschatology|prophesied eschatological redeemer of Islam]] who will rule for seven, nine, or nineteen years (according to differing interpretations) before the [[Day of Judgment]] and will rid the world of evil. According to Islamic tradition, the Mahdi's tenure will coincide with the [[Second Coming]] of [[Jesus in Islam|Jesus]] (ʿĪsā), who is to assist the Mahdi against the {{transliteration|ar|[[Masih ad-Dajjal]]}} (literally, the "false Messiah" or Antichrist). Jesus, who is considered the ''Masih'' ("[[Messiah]]") in Islam, will descend at the point of a white arcade east of [[Damascus]], dressed in yellow robes with his head anointed. He will then join the Mahdi in his war against the Dajjal, where it is believed the Mahdi will slay the Dajjal and unite humankind.

===Dynasties===
{{main|List of Shia dynasties}}

In the century following the [[Battle of Karbala]] (680 CE), as various Shia-affiliated groups diffused in the emerging Islamic world, several nations arose based on a Shia leadership or population.
*[[Idrisid dynasty|Idrisids]] (788–985 CE): a [[Zaydi]] dynasty in what is now [[Morocco]].
*[[Qarmatians]] (899–1077 CE): an [[Ismaili]] [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] dynasty. Their headquarters were in [[Eastern Arabia]] and [[Bahrain]]. It was founded by [[Abu Sa'id al-Jannabi]].
*[[Buyid dynasty|Buyids]] (934–1055 CE): a [[Twelver]] [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] dynasty. at its peak consisted of large portions of Iran and Iraq.
*[[Uqaylid Dynasty|Uqaylids]] (990–1096 CE): a Shia [[Arab]] dynasty with several lines that ruled in various parts of [[Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia|al-Jazira]], northern Syria and Iraq.
* [[Ilkhanate]] (1256–1335): a [[Persianate society|Persianate]] [[Mongol]] [[khanate]] established in [[Iran]] in the 13th century, considered a part of the [[Mongol Empire]]. The Ilkhanate was based, originally, on [[Genghis Khan]]'s campaigns in the [[Khwarezmid Empire]] in 1219–1224, and founded by Genghis's grandson, [[Hulagu Khan|Hulagu]], in territories in [[West Asia|Western]] and [[Central Asia]] which today comprise most of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Pakistan. The Ilkhanate initially embraced many religions, but was particularly sympathetic to [[Buddhism]] and [[Christianity]]. Later Ilkhanate rulers, beginning with [[Ghazan]] in 1295, chose Islam as the [[state religion]]; his brother [[Öljaitü]] promoted Shia Islam.<ref>{{Cite web|title=نقد و بررسى گرایش ایلخانان به اسلام و تشیّع|url=http://ensani.ir/fa/article/45590/%D9%86%D9%82%D8%AF-%D9%88-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%89-%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B4-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%88-%D8%AA%D8%B4%DB%8C%D9%91%D8%B9|access-date=2021-08-28|website=پرتال جامع علوم انسانی|language=fa|archive-date=12 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412101802/http://ensani.ir/fa/article/45590/%D9%86%D9%82%D8%AF-%D9%88-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%89-%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B4-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%88-%D8%AA%D8%B4%DB%8C%D9%91%D8%B9|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Bahmani Sultanate|Bahmanids]] (1347–1527): a Shia Muslim state of the [[Deccan Plateau]] in [[Southern India]], and one of the great medieval Indian kingdoms.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://orbat.com/site/cimh/kings_master/kings/ibrahimII_adil_shahi/5_provinces.html
|title=The Five Kingdoms of the Bahmani Sultanate
|publisher=orbat.com
|access-date=5 January 2007
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223071144/http://orbat.com/site/cimh/kings_master/kings/ibrahimII_adil_shahi/5_provinces.html
|archive-date=23 February 2007}}</ref> Bahmanid Sultanate was the first independent Islamic kingdom in Southern India.<ref name="Ansari">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.iranica.com/newsite/home/index.isc |last=Ansari |first=N.H. |title=Bahmanid Dynasty |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019004703/http://www.iranica.com/newsite/home/index.isc |archive-date=19 October 2006 |url-status=usurped |publisher=Encyclopædia Iranica}}</ref>

[[File:Fatimid Caliphate.PNG|thumb|The [[Fatimid Caliphate]] at its peak, {{circa|1100}}]]

====Fatimid Caliphate====
[[File:El_Hakim_Mosque.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Al-Hakim Mosque]], named after [[al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah|al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh]] (985–1021), the 6th [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]] caliph and 16th [[Isma'ilism|Ismāʿīlī]] Imam, in [[Islamic Cairo]], [[Egypt]].]]

* [[Fatimid dynasty|Fatimids]] (909–1171 CE): Controlled much of [[North Africa]], the [[Levant]], parts of [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabia]], and the holy cities of [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]]. The group takes its name from [[Fatima|Fāṭimah]], Muhammad's daughter, from whom they claim descent.
** In 909 CE, the Shia military leader [[Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i|Abu Abdallah al-Shiʻi]] overthrew the Sunni rulers in North Africa, an event which led to the foundation of the [[Fatimid Caliphate]].<ref name=":0">{{cite book |title=Worlds Together Worlds Apart |last=Pollard |first=Elizabeth |publisher=W.W. Norton Company Inc |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-393-91847-2 |location=New York |page=313}}</ref>
** [[Jawhar (general)|Al-Qaid Jawhar ibn Abdallah]] ({{langx|ar|جوهر}}; {{floruit}} 966–d. 992) was a Shia Fatimid general. Under the command of Caliph [[Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah|al-Muʻizz]], he led the conquest of [[Islamic conquest of North Africa|North Africa]] and then of [[Islamic conquest of Egypt|Egypt]],<ref>{{cite book |author1=Chodorow, Stanley |author2=Knox, MacGregor |author3=Shirokauer, Conrad |author4=Strayer, Joseph R.|author5-link=Hans W. Gatzke |author5=Gatzke, Hans W. |title= The Mainstream of Civilization |publisher= Harcourt Press |year= 1994 |page= 209 |isbn= 978-0-15-501197-7 |quote=The architect of his military system was a general named Jawhar, an islamicized Greek slave who had led the conquest of North Africa and then of Egypt}}</ref> founded the city of [[Cairo]]<ref>{{cite book |author=Fossier, Robert |author2=Sondheimer, Janet |author3=Airlie, Stuart |author4=Marsack, Robyn |title= The Cambridge illustrated history of the Middle Ages |publisher= Cambridge University Press |year= 1997 |page= [https://archive.org/details/cambridgeillustr00robe/page/170 170] |isbn= 978-0-521-26645-1 |quote= When the Sicilian Jawhar finally entered Fustat in 969 and the following year founded the new dynastic capital, Cairo, 'The Victorious', the Fatimids ... |url= https://archive.org/details/cambridgeillustr00robe/page/170 }}</ref> and the [[al-Azhar Mosque]]. A [[History of slavery in the Muslim world|Greek slave by origin]], he was freed by al-Muʻizz.<ref>{{cite book |author= Saunders, John Joseph |title= A History of Medieval Islam |publisher= Routledge |year= 1990 |page=133 |isbn= 978-0-415-05914-5 |quote=Under Muʼizz (955-975) the Fatimids reached the height of their glory, and the universal triumph of Isma ʻilism appeared not far distant. The fourth Fatimid Caliph is an attractive character: humane and generous, simple and just, he was a good administrator, tolerant and conciliatory. Served by one of the greatest generals of the age, Jawhar al-Rumi, a former Greek slave, he took fullest advantage of the growing confusion in the Sunnite world.}}</ref>

====Safavid Empire====
{{main|Safavid dynasty|Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam}}
[[File:Portrait of Shah Ismail I. Inscribed "Ismael Sophy Rex Pers". Painted by Cristofano dell'Altissimo, dated 1552-1568.jpg|alt=|thumb|One of the first actions performed by [[Ismail I|Ismā'īl I]] of the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavid Empire]] was the proclamation of the [[Twelver]] denomination of Shia Islam as the [[Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam|official religion]] of [[Iran]], causing sectarian tensions in the [[Middle East]] when he destroyed the tombs of the [[List of Abbasid caliphs|Abbasid caliphs]], the Sunnī Imam [[Abu Hanifa an-Nu'man|Abū Ḥanīfa al-Nuʿmān]], and the [[Sufism|Ṣūfī Muslim]] ascetic [[Abdul Qadir Gilani|ʿAbdul Qādir Gīlānī]] in 1508.<ref name="Masters 2009">{{cite encyclopedia |author-last=Masters |author-first=Bruce |year=2009 |chapter=Baghdad |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QjzYdCxumFcC&pg=PA71 |editor1-last=Ágoston |editor1-first=Gábor |editor2-first=Bruce |editor2-last=Masters |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Facts On File]] |page=71 |isbn=978-0-8160-6259-1 |lccn=2008020716 |access-date=21 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516202344/https://books.google.com/books?id=QjzYdCxumFcC&pg=PA71 |archive-date=16 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1533 the [[Ottoman Turks]], upon their conquest of [[Iraq]], rebuilt various important Sunnī shrines.<ref name="Masters 2009" /><ref>{{cite book|author1=Stanford J. Shaw|author2=Ezel Kural Shaw|title=History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey: Volume 1, Empire of the Gazis: The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1280–1808|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E9-YfgVZDBkC|year=1976|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-29163-7|access-date=10 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111152233/https://books.google.com/books?id=E9-YfgVZDBkC|archive-date=11 January 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
A major turning point in the [[history of Shia Islam]] was the dominion of the [[Safavid dynasty]] (1501–1736) in [[History of Iran|Persia]]. This caused a number of changes in the [[Muslim world]]:
* The ending of the relative mutual tolerance between Sunnis and Shias that existed from the time of the [[Mongol conquests]] onwards and the resurgence of antagonism between the two groups.
* Initial dependence of [[Shia clergy|Shia clerics]] on the state followed by the emergence of an independent body of ''[[ulama]]'' capable of taking a political stand different from official policies.<ref>Francis Robinson, ''Atlas of the Muslim World'', p. 49.</ref>
* The growth in importance of [[Safavid Iran|Persian]] centers of Islamic education and religious learning, which resulted in the change of Twelver Shia Islam from being a predominantly [[Arab people|Arab]] phenomenon to become predominantly [[Persianization|Persian]].<ref>{{harvnb|Momen|1985|p=123}}</ref>
* The growth of the [[Akhbari]] school of thought, which taught that only the [[Quran]], [[Hadith|''ḥadīth'' literature]], and ''[[sunnah]]'' (accounts of the sayings and living habits attributed to the [[Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]] during his lifetime) are to be bases for verdicts, rejecting the use of reasoning.

With the fall of the Safavids, the state in Iran—including the state system of courts with government-appointed [[Judge (Islamic law)|judges]] (''qāḍī'')—became much weaker. This gave the [[Sharia|''sharīʿa'' courts]] of ''[[mujtahid]]'' an opportunity to fill the legal vacuum and enabled the ''ulama'' to assert their judicial authority. The [[Usuli]] school of thought also increased in strength at this time.<ref>{{harvnb|Momen|1985|pp=130, 191}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:British Library Or. 3248, fol Shah Isma'el pronounces Shii Islam state religion.jpg|The declaration of [[Twelver|Twelver Shīʿīsm]] as the state religion of [[Safavid Persia|Safavids]]
File:Battle of Chaldiran (1514).jpg|[[Battle of Chaldiran]] in 1514 was a major [[Sectarian violence among Muslims|sectarian crisis between Muslims]] in the [[Middle East]].
File:Chaldiran Battlefield Site in 2004.JPG|A monument commemorating the [[Battle of Chaldiran]], where more than 7,000 [[Muslims]] of the Shia and Sunnī sects [[Sectarian violence among Muslims|killed each other]]
</gallery>

==Beliefs==
{{main|Shia Islamic beliefs and practices}}
{{cleanup section|reason=cluttered, inconsistent, and confusing|date=October 2022}}

Shia Islam encompasses [[Islamic schools and branches#Shīʿa Islam|various denominations and subgroups]],<ref name="Britannica738" /> all bound by the belief that the leader of the [[Ummah|Muslim community]] (''Ummah'') should hail from ''[[Ahl al-Bayt]]'', the family of the [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Martin |first=Richard C. |title=Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World |date=2003 |publisher=Macmillan reference USA |isbn=978-0-02-865603-8 |location=New York |pages=621–624 |chapter=Shīʿa}}</ref> It embodies a completely independent system of religious interpretation and political authority in the [[Muslim world]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Druze and Islam |url=http://americandruze.com/Druze%20And%20Islam.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514143649/http://americandruze.com/Druze%20And%20Islam.html |archive-date=14 May 2011 |access-date=12 August 2010 |publisher=americandruze.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ijtihad in Islam |url=http://alqazwini.org/qazwini_org/articles/by_articles/ijtihad.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050102023635/http://alqazwini.org/qazwini_org/articles/by_articles/ijtihad.htm |archive-date=2 January 2005 |access-date=12 August 2010 |publisher=AlQazwini.org}}</ref>

=== Alī: Muhammad's rightful successor ===
{{main|Shia view of Ali|Succession to Muhammad}}
{{further|Ali in the Quran}}
[[File:InsideImamAliMosqueNajafIraq.JPG|thumb|[[Zarih|Ḍarīẖ]] over ʿAlī's ''qabr'' (grave), [[Imam Ali Shrine|Sanctuary of Imām ʿAlī]] in [[Najaf]], [[Iraq]], the holiest site in Shia Islam.]]

Shia Muslims believe that just as a [[Prophets in Islam|prophet]] is appointed by [[God in Islam|God]] alone, only God has the prerogative to appoint the successor to his prophet. They believe God chose [[Ali|ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib]] to be Muhammad's successor and the first [[caliph]] ({{Langx|ar|خليفة|translit=khalifa}}) of Islam. Shia Muslims believe that Muhammad designated Ali as his successor by God's command in several instances, but most notably at [[The event of Ghadir Khumm|Eid Al Ghadir]].<ref>{{harvnb|Momen|1985|p=15}}</ref><ref name="shiite-doctrine">{{cite web |editor=Ehsan Yarshater |title=Shiʻite Doctrine |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/shiite-doctrine |first1=Mohammad Ali |last1=Amir-Moezzi |date=July 20, 2005 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517022711/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/shiite-doctrine |archive-date=17 May 2015 |access-date=22 January 2019 |publisher=Encyclopædia Iranica}}</ref> Additionally, ʿAlī was Muhammad's first-cousin, closest living male relative, and his son-in-law, having married Muhammad's daughter, [[Fatimah|Fāṭimah]].<ref name="Merriam-Webster 1999, p. 525">Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions, Wendy Doniger, Consulting Editor, Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, MA 1999, {{ISBN|0-87779-044-2}}, LoC: BL31.M47 1999, p. 525</ref><ref name="Esposito, John 2002. p. 46">"Esposito, John. "What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam" Oxford University Press, 2002. {{ISBN|978-0-19-515713-0}}. p. 46</ref>

=== Profession of faith (''Shahada'') ===
[[File:Kalema-tut-shahadat.jpg|thumb|Kalema at [[Qibla]] of the [[Mosque of Ibn Tulun]] in [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]], displaying the phrase ''Ali-un-Waliullah'' ({{lang|ar|علي ولي الله}}: "ʿAlī is the ''[[Wali]]'' (custodian) of [[God in Islam|God]]").]]

The Shia version of the ''[[Shahada]]'' ({{Langx|ar|الشهادة‎}}), the Islamic profession of faith, differs from that of the [[Sunni Islam|Sunnīs]].<ref name="Shahada">{{cite web |url=http://www.mideastweb.org/Middle-East-Encyclopedia/shahada.htm |title=Encyclopedia of the Middle East |publisher=Mideastweb.org |date=14 November 2008 |access-date=4 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512174339/http://www.mideastweb.org/Middle-East-Encyclopedia/shahada.htm |archive-date=12 May 2011}}</ref> The Sunnī version of the ''Shahada'' states ''La ilaha illallah, Muhammadun rasulullah'' ({{Langx|ar|لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله|lit=There is no god except God, Muhammad is the messenger of God}}); Shia Muslims add the phrase ''Ali-un-Waliullah'' ({{Langx|ar|علي ولي الله|lit=Ali is the friend of God}}). The basis for the Shia belief in ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as the ''Wali'' of God is derived from the [[Qur'an]]ic verse {{qref|5|55}}.

This additional phrase to the declaration of faith embodies the Shia emphasis on the inheritance of authority through [[Ahl al-Bayt|Muhammad's family and lineage]]. The three clauses of the Shia version of the ''Shahada'' thus address the fundamental Islamic beliefs of ''[[Tawhid|Tawḥīd]]'' ({{Langx|ar|تَوْحِيد|lit=oneness of God}}), ''[[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Nubuwwah]]'' ({{Langx|ar|نبوة|lit=prophethood}}), and ''[[Imamate in Shia doctrine|Imamah]]'' ({{Langx|ar|إمامة|lit=Imamate or leadership}}).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-12-09|title=اضافه شدن نام حضرت علی (ع) به شهادتین|url=https://article.tebyan.net/145755|access-date=2021-08-28|website=fa}}</ref>

=== Infallibility (''Ismah'') ===
{{main|Ismah}}

''Ismah'' ({{Langx|ar|عِصْمَة|lit=protection|translit='Iṣmah or 'Isma}}) is the concept of [[infallibility]] or "divinely bestowed freedom from error and sin" in Islam.<ref name="Dabashi" /> Muslims believe that Muhammad, along with the [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|other prophets and messengers]], possessed ''ismah''. [[Twelver Shi'ism|Twelver]] and [[Isma'ilism|Ismāʿīlī]] Shia Muslims also attribute the quality to [[Imamah (Shia doctrine)|Imams]] as well as to [[Fatimah|Fāṭimah]], daughter of Muhammad, in contrast to the [[Zaydism|Zaydī Shias]], who do not attribute ''ismah'' to the Imams.<ref>Francis Robinson, ''Atlas of the Muslim World'', p. 47.</ref> Though initially beginning as a political movement, infallibility and sinlessness of the Imams later evolved as a distinct belief of (non-Zaydī) Shia Islam.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shii | title=Shīʿite | encyclopedia=Britannica | access-date=21 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720054917/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shii | archive-date=20 July 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref>

According to [[Schools of Islamic theology#Shīʿa schools of theology|Shia Muslim theologians]], infallibility is considered a rational, necessary precondition for spiritual and religious guidance. They argue that since [[God in Islam|God]] has commanded absolute obedience from these figures, they must only order that which is right. The state of infallibility is based on the Shia interpretation of the [[verse of purification]].<ref>{{qref|33|33|b=y}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Momen|1985|p=155}}</ref> Thus, they are the most pure ones, the only immaculate ones preserved from, and immune to, all uncleanness.<ref>Corbin (1993), pp. 48, 49</ref> It does not mean that supernatural powers prevent them from committing a [[Islamic views on sin|sin]], but due to the fact that they have absolute belief in God, they refrain from doing anything that is a sin.<ref name="Dabashi">{{cite book |last=Dabashi |date=2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sTFdNNQP4ewC&pg=PA463 |title=Theology of Discontent: The Ideological Foundatation of the Islamic Revolution in Iran |page=463|publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=978-1412839723 }}</ref>

They{{who|date=June 2025}} also have complete knowledge of God's will. They are in possession of all knowledge brought by the [[Angels in Islam|angels]] ({{Langx|ar|ملائِكة|translit=malāʾikah}}) to the prophets ({{Langx|ar|أنبياء|translit=anbiyāʼ}}) and the messengers ({{Langx|ar|رُسل|translit=rusul}}). Their knowledge encompasses the totality of all times. Thus, they are believed to act without fault in religious matters.<ref>Corbin (1993), p. 48</ref> Shi'a Muslims regard [[Ali|ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib]] as the [[Succession to Muhammad|successor of Muhammad]], not only ruling over the entire [[Ummah|Muslim community]] in justice, but also in interpreting the Islamic faith, practices, and its esoteric meaning. ʿAlī is regarded as a "[[Al-Insān al-Kāmil|perfect man]]" ({{Langx|ar|الإنسان الكامل|translit=al-insan al-kamil}}) similar to Muhammad, according to the Shia perspective.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/subdivisions/sunnishia_1.shtml |title=How do Sunnis and Shias differ theologically? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417082653/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/subdivisions/sunnishia_1.shtml |archive-date=17 April 2014 |date=2009-08-19 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

=== Occultation (''Ghaybah'') ===
{{main|Occultation (Islam)|Reappearance of Hujjat Allah al-Mahdi}}
{{further|Major Occultation|Minor Occultation|The Fourteen Infallibles}}
[[File:Jamkaran Mosque مسجد جمکران قم 21.jpg|thumb|[[Jamkaran Mosque]] in [[Qom]], [[Iran]], is a popular pilgrimage site for Shia Muslims. Local belief holds that the [[Hujjat-Allah al-Mahdi|12th Shia Imam]]—the promised [[Mahdi]] according to [[Twelver Shi'ism|Twelvers]]—once appeared and offered prayers at Jamkaran.]]

The [[Occultation (Islam)|Occultation]] is an [[Islamic eschatology|eschatological belief]] held in various denominations of Shia Islam concerning a [[Messianism|messianic figure]], the hidden and last Imam known as "the [[Mahdi]]", that one day shall return on Earth and fill the world with justice. According to the doctrine of [[Twelver Shi'ism|Twelver Shia Islam]], the main goal of Imam Mahdi will be to establish an [[Islamic state]] and to apply [[Sharia|Islamic laws]] that were revealed to Muhammad. The Quran does not contain verses on the Imamate, which is the basic doctrine of Shia Islam.<ref>Nasr, Sayyed Hossein. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=btmNZgztDrAC&pg=PA19 Expectation of the Millennium: Shiìsm in History]'', State University of New York Press, 1989, p. 19, {{ISBN|978-0-88706-843-0}}</ref> 

Some [[Islamic schools and branches#Shīʿa Islam|Shia subsects]], such as the [[Zaydism]] and [[Nizari Isma'ilism]], do not believe in the idea of Occultation. The groups that believe in it differ as to which lineage of the Imamate is valid and, therefore, which individual has gone into Occultation. They believe many signs will indicate the time of his return.

Twelver Shia Muslims believe that the prophesied Mahdi and [[Twelve Imams|12th Shia Imam]], [[Muhammad al-Mahdi|Hujjat Allah al-Mahdi]], is already on Earth in Occultation, and [[Reappearance of Hujjat Allah al-Mahdi|will return at the end of time]]. [[Tayyibi Isma'ilism|Ṭayyibi Ismāʿīlīs]] and Fatimid/Bohra/[[Dawoodi Bohra]] believe the same but for their 21st Ṭayyib, [[At-Tayyib Abi l-Qasim]], and also believe that a ''[[Da'i al-Mutlaq]]'' ("Unrestricted Missionary") maintains contact with him. [[Sunni Islam|Sunnī Muslims]] believe that the future Mahdi has not yet arrived on Earth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islamic_sects.htm |title=Compare Shia and Sunni Islam |date=March 17, 2004 |publisher=ReligionFacts |access-date=4 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429101140/http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islamic_sects.htm |archive-date=29 April 2011}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=March 2025}}

====Hadith tradition====
Shia Muslims believe that the status of Ali is supported by numerous [[Hadith|''ḥadīth'' reports]], including the [[Hadith of the pond of Khumm]], [[Hadith of the two weighty things]], [[Hadith of the pen and paper]], [[Hadith of warning|Hadith of the invitation of the close families]], and [[Hadith of the Twelve Successors]]. In particular, the [[Ahl al-Kisa|Hadith of the Cloak]] is often quoted to illustrate Muhammad's feeling towards ʿAlī and his family by both Sunnī and Shia scholars. Shia Muslims prefer to study and read the hadith attributed to the ''[[Ahl al-Bayt]]'' and close associates, and most [[List of Shia books#Hadith collections|have their own separate hadith canon]].<ref>"[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZPokHByS3N0C&pg=PA135 The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Religions]", Brandon Toropov, Father Luke Buckles, Alpha; 3rd ed., 2004, {{ISBN|978-1-59257-222-9}}, p. 135</ref><ref>''Shiʻite Islam'', by Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i (1979), pp. 41–44 {{ISBN?}}</ref>

=== Holy Relics (''Tabarruk'') ===
Shia Muslims believe that the armaments and sacred items of all of the [[Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic]] [[Prophets of Islam|prophets]], including [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]], were handed down in succession to the Imams of the ''[[Ahl al-Bayt]]''. [[Ja'far al-Sadiq|Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq]], the [[The Twelve Imams|6th Shia Imam]], in ''[[Kitab al-Kafi]]'' mentions that "with me are the arms of the Messenger of Allah. It is not disputable."<ref name="Kulayni">{{cite book |last1=Al-Kulayni |first1=Abu Jaʼfar Muhammad ibn Yaʼqub |title=Kitab al-Kafi |date=2015 |publisher=The Islamic Seminary Inc. |location=South Huntington, NY |isbn=978-0-9914308-6-4 }}{{page needed|date=August 2023}}</ref>

Further, he claims that with him is the sword of the Messenger of God, his coat of arms, his Lamam (pennon), and his helmet. In addition, he mentions that with him is the flag of the Messenger of God, the victorious. With him is the Staff of [[Moses in Islam|Moses]], the ring of [[Solomon in Islam|Solomon]], son of [[David in Islam|David]], and the tray on which Moses used to offer his offerings. With him is the name that whenever the Messenger of God would place it between the Muslims and pagans, no arrow from the pagans would reach the Muslims. With him is a similar object that the angels brought.<ref name="Kulayni" />

Al-Ṣādiq also narrated that the passing down of armaments is synonymous with receiving the ''Imamat'' (leadership), similar to how the [[Ark of the Covenant]] in the house of the [[Israelites]] signaled prophethood.<ref name="Kulayni" /> Imam [[Ali al-Ridha]] narrates that wherever the armaments among us would go, knowledge would also follow and the armaments would never depart from those with knowledge (''Imamat'').<ref name="Kulayni" />

=== Other doctrines ===

==== Doctrine about necessity of acquiring knowledge ====
According to [[Muhammad Rida al-Muzaffar]], God gives humans the faculty of reason and argument. Also, God orders humans to think carefully about creation, while he refers to all creations as his signs of power and glory. These signs encompass all of the universe. Furthermore, there is an analogy of humans as the little world and the universe as the large world. God does not accept the faith of those who follow him without thinking and only with imitation, but God also blames them for such actions. In other words, humans have to think about the universe with reason and intellect, a faculty bestowed on us by God. Since there is more insistence on the faculty of intellect among Shia Muslims, even evaluating the claims of someone who claims prophecy is based on the intellect.<ref>{{cite book|author=Allamah Muhammad Rida Al Muzaffar|title=The faith of Shia Islam|year=1989|page=1|publisher=Ansariyan Qum}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.introducingislam.org/info/muzaffar/chapter1.php|title=The Beliefs of Shia Islam – Chapter 1|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025175646/http://www.introducingislam.org/info/muzaffar/chapter1.php|archive-date=25 October 2016}}</ref>

== Practices ==
[[File:Karbala in 2019.jpg|thumb|Shia Muslims gathered in [[Salah|prayer]] at the [[Imam Husayn Shrine|Shrine of Imam Ḥusayn]] in [[Karbala]], [[Iraq]]]]

Shia religious practices, such as prayers, differ only slightly from the Sunnīs. While all [[Salat|Muslims pray]] five times daily, Shia Muslims have the option of combining ''[[Dhuhr]]'' with ''[[Asr]]'' and ''[[Maghrib (prayer)|Maghrib]]'' with ''[[Isha']]'', as there are three distinct times mentioned in the [[Quran]]. The Sunnīs tend to combine only under certain circumstances.

=== Holidays ===
{{main|Shia days of remembrance}}

Shia Muslims celebrate the following annual holidays:
* [[Eid ul-Fitr]], which marks the end of fasting during the month of [[Ramadan (calendar month)|Ramadan]]
* [[Eid al-Adha]], which marks the end of the ''[[Hajj]]'' or pilgrimage to Mecca
* [[Eid al-Ghadeer]], which is the anniversary of the Ghadir Khum, the occasion when Muhammad announced Ali's Imamate before a multitude of Muslims.<ref>{{cite book |first=Paula |last=Sanders |date=1994 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9fnBFANHMn4C&pg=PA121 |title=Ritual, politics, and the city in Fatimid Cairo |page=121|publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0791417812 }}</ref> Eid al-Ghadeer is held on the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah.
* The [[Mourning of Muharram]] and the [[Day of Ashura]] for Shia Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of [[Husayn ibn Ali|Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī]], brother of [[Hasan ibn Ali|Ḥasan]] and grandson of Muhammad, who was killed by the army of Yazid ibn Muawiyah in [[Karbala]] (central Iraq). Ashura is a day of deep mourning which occurs on the 10th of [[Muharram]].
* [[Arba'een]] commemorates the suffering of the women and children of Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī's household. After Ḥusayn was killed, they were marched over the desert, from Karbala (central Iraq) to Shaam ([[Damascus]], Syria). Many children (some of whom were direct descendants of Muhammad) died of thirst and exposure along the route. Arbaein occurs on the 20th of [[Safar]], 40 days after Ashura.
* [[Mawlid]], Muhammad's birth date. Unlike Sunnī Muslims, who celebrate the 12th of [[Rabi' al-awwal]] as Muhammad's day of birth or death (because they assert that his birth and death both occur in this week), Shia Muslims celebrate Muhammad's birthday on the 17th of the month, which coincides with the birth date of [[Ja'far al-Sadiq|Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq]], the [[The Twelve Imams|6th Shia Imam]].<ref>{{cite book |first1=Bernard |last1=Trawicky |first2=Ruth |last2=Wilhelme Gregory |date=2002 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gDbKexa1jfcC&pg=PA233 |title=Anniversaries and holidays |page=233|publisher=American Library Association |isbn=978-0838910047 }}</ref>
* [[Fatimah|Fāṭimah]]'s birthday on 20th of [[Jumada al-Thani]]. This day is also considered as the "'women and mothers' day"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.khamenei.ir/news/4724/Lady-Fatima-inspired-women-of-Iran-to-emerge-as-an-extraordinary|title=Lady Fatima inspired women of Iran to emerge as an extraordinary force|date=18 March 2017|access-date=26 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825203650/http://english.khamenei.ir/news/4724/Lady-Fatima-inspired-women-of-Iran-to-emerge-as-an-extraordinary|archive-date=25 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Ali|ʿAlī]]'s birthday on 13th of [[Rajab]].
* [[Mid-Sha'ban]] is the birth date of the 12th and final Twelver imam, [[Muhammad al-Mahdi]]. It is celebrated by Shia Muslims on the 15th of [[Sha'aban]].
* [[Laylat al-Qadr]], anniversary of the night of the revelation of the Quran.
* [[Eid al-Mubahila]] celebrates a meeting between the ''[[Ahl al-Bayt]]'' (household of Muhammad) and a Christian deputation from Najran. Al-Mubahila is held on the 24th of Dhu al-Hijjah.

=== Holy sites ===
{{main|Holiest sites in Shia Islam}}
[[File:ImamReza(A).jpg|thumb|230x230px|[[Imam Reza Shrine|Sanctuary of Imam Reza]] in [[Mashhad]], [[Iran]], is a complex which contains the mausoleum of [[Ali al-Rida]], the 8th [[Imamah (Shia doctrine)|Imam]] in Shia Islam. 25 Million Shia visit the shrine each year.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Andrew |date=2007-06-02 |title=Inside Iran's Holy Money Machine |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118072271215621679 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424032806/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118072271215621679 |archive-date=2016-04-24 |access-date=2017-10-24 |work=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}</ref>]]After [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]], the [[Holiest sites in Islam|two holiest cities of Islam]], the cities of [[Najaf]], [[Karbala]], [[Mashhad]] and [[Qom]] are the most revered by Shia Muslims.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2881835.stm |title=Karbala and Najaf: Shia holy cities |date=20 April 2003}}</ref><ref name="Sardeg">{{cite web|last=Escobar|first=Pepe|date=May 24, 2002|title=Knocking on heaven's door|url=http://www.atimes.com/c-asia/DE24Ag04.html|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020603155002/http://atimes.com/c-asia/DE24Ag04.html|archive-date=June 3, 2002|access-date=2006-11-12|work=Central Asia/Russia|publisher=[[Asia Times Online]]|quote=according to a famous hadith... 'our sixth imam, Imam Sadeg, says that we have five definitive holy places that we respect very much. The first is Mecca... second is Medina... third... is in Najaf. The fourth... in Kerbala. The last one belongs to... Qom.'}}</ref> The [[Imam Ali Shrine|Sanctuary of Imām ʿAlī]] in Najaf, the [[Imam Husayn Shrine|Shrine of Imam Ḥusayn]] in Karbala, The [[Imam Reza Shrine|Sanctuary of Imam Reza]] in Mashhad and the [[Fatima Masumeh Shrine|Shrine of Fāṭimah al-Maʿṣūmah]] in Qom are very essential for Shia Muslims. Other venerated pilgrimage sites include the [[Al-Kadhimiya Mosque|Kadhimiya Mosque]] in [[Kadhimiya]], [[Al-Askari Mosque]] in [[Samarra]], the [[Sahla Mosque]], the [[Great Mosque of Kufa]], the [[Jamkaran Mosque]] in Qom, and the [[Tomb of Daniel]] in [[Susa]].

Most of the [[Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia|Shia sacred places and heritage sites in Saudi Arabia have been destroyed]] by the [[House of Saud|Al Saud]]-[[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]] armies of the [[Ikhwan]], the most notable being the tombs of the Imams located in the Al-Baqi' cemetery in 1925.<ref>{{cite book |first=Laurence |last=Louėr |date=2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1vcfDuatockC&pg=PA22 |title=Transnational Shia politics: religious and political networks in the Gulf |page=22|publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0231700405 }}</ref> In 2006, a bomb destroyed the shrine of Al-Askari Mosque.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Karen |last1=Dabrowska |first2=Geoff |last2=Hann |date=2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DhJ3lRnXyXcC&dq=askari+mosque+bomb+2006&pg=PA239 |title=Iraq Then and Now: A Guide to the Country and Its People |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170102072559/https://books.google.com/books?id=DhJ3lRnXyXcC&pg=PA239&dq=askari+mosque+bomb+2006&hl=en&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2 |archive-date=2 January 2017 |page=239|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |isbn=978-1841622439 }}</ref> (''See'': [[Anti-Shi'ism]]).

=== Purity ===
Shia orthodoxy, particularly in [[Twelver Shi'ism]], has considered non-Muslims as agents of [[Ritual purity in Islam|impurity]] (''Najāsat)''. This categorization sometimes extends to ''kitābῑ'', individuals belonging to the [[People of the Book]], with [[Jews]] explicitly labeled as impure by certain Shia religious scholars.<ref name=":3">{{Citation |last=Tsadik |first=Daniel |title=Najāsat |date=2010-10-01 |url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/najasat-SIM_0016420 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World |access-date=2024-01-08 |publisher=Brill |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Litvak |first=Meir |title=Constructing nationalism in Iran: from the Qajars to the Islamic Republic |date=2017 |publisher=Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group |isbn=978-1-138-21322-7 |series=Routledge studies in modern history |location=London |pages=174}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Citation |last=Moreen |first=Vera B. |title=Shiʽa and the Jews |date=2010-10-01 |url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/shia-and-the-jews-COM_0020130 |url-access=subscription |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World |access-date=2024-01-08 |publisher=Brill |language=en}}</ref> [[Iranian Armenians|Armenians in Iran]], who have historically played a crucial role in the [[Economy of Iran|Iranian economy]], received relatively more lenient treatment.<ref name=":4" />

Shi'ite theologians and ''[[Ijtihad|mujtahids]]'' (jurists), such as [[Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi|Muḥammad Bāqir Majlisῑ]], held that Jews' impurity extended to the point where they were advised to stay at home on rainy or snowy days to prevent contaminating their Shia neighbors. [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Ayatollah Khomeini]], [[Supreme Leader of Iran]] from 1979 to 1989, asserted that every part of an unbeliever's body, including hair, nails, and bodily secretions, is impure. However, the current leader of Iran, [[Ali Khamenei|ʿAlī Khameneʾī]], stated in a ''[[fatwa]]'' that Jews and other Peoples of the Book are not inherently impure, and touching the moisture on their hands does not convey impurity.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jews and Wine in Shiite Iran – Some Observations on the Concept of Religious Impurity |url=https://associationforiranianstudies.org/content/jews-and-wine-shiite-iran-%E2%80%93-some-observations-concept-religious-impurity |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Association for Iranian Studies |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108090844/https://associationforiranianstudies.org/content/jews-and-wine-shiite-iran-%E2%80%93-some-observations-concept-religious-impurity |archive-date= Jan 8, 2024 }}</ref><ref name=":5" />

==Demographics==
{{Main|Islam by country}}
[[File:Islam by country.png|thumb|upright=1.8|Islam by country
{{color box|#4a6600}}{{color box|#a8e600}}{{color box|#f8ffe6}} [[Sunni Islam|Sunnī]]
{{color box|#66004a}}{{color box|#cc0096}}{{color box|#ffe6f8}} Shia
{{color box|#000000}} [[Ibadi Islam|Ibadi]]]]
[[File:Madhhab Map3.png|thumb|upright=1.8|A map of the Muslim world's schools of jurisprudence<ref>{{cite web |date=2009 |title=Jurisprudence and Law – Islam: Reorienting the Veil |url=http://veil.unc.edu/religions/islam/law/ |publisher=University of North Carolina}}</ref>]]
Shia Islam is the [[Islamic schools and branches|second largest branch of Islam]].<ref name="PEW2009">{{cite web |date=7 October 2009 |title=Mapping the Global Muslim Population |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151214172939/http://www.pewforum.org/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population/ |archive-date=14 December 2015 |access-date=10 December 2014 |quote=The Pew Forum's estimate of the Shia population (10–13%) is in keeping with previous estimates, which generally have been in the range of 10–15%.}}</ref> It is estimated that 10–13%<ref name="BritannicaShiite1">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Shīʿite |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shii/Shii-dynasties |access-date=18 January 2022 |quotation=In the early 21st century some 10–13 percent of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims were Shiʿi.}}</ref><ref name="PRC">{{cite web |date=7 October 2009 |title=Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151214172939/http://www.pewforum.org/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population/ |archive-date=14 December 2015 |access-date=25 August 2010 |work=[[Pew Research Center]] |quotation=Of the total Muslim population, 10–13% are Shia Muslims and 87–90% are Sunni Muslims. Most Shias (between 68% and 80%) live in just four countries: Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq.}}</ref><ref name="mgmpPRC">{{cite book |url=http://pewforum.org/newassets/images/reports/Muslimpopulation/Muslimpopulation.pdf |title=Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population |date=October 2009 |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |editor-last=Miller |editor-first=Tracy |access-date=8 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113140829/http://pewforum.org/newassets/images/reports/Muslimpopulation/Muslimpopulation.pdf |archive-date=13 January 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> of the [[Islam by country|global Muslim population]] are Shias. They may number up to 154–200&nbsp;million as of 2009.<ref name="PRC" /> In 1985, Shia Muslims were estimated to be 21% of the Muslim population in [[South Asia]], although the total number is difficult to estimate.<ref>{{harvnb|Momen|1985|p=277}}</ref>

Shia Muslims form a distinct majority of the population in three countries of the [[Muslim world]]: [[Islam in Iran|Iran]], [[Islam in Iraq|Iraq]], and [[Islam in Azerbaijan|Azerbaijan]].<ref name="mafhoum1">{{cite web |title=Foreign Affairs – When the Shiites Rise – Vali Nasr |url=http://www.mafhoum.com/press9/282S26.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115124722/http://www.mafhoum.com/press9/282S26.htm |archive-date=15 January 2014 |access-date=27 January 2014 |publisher=Mafhoum.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=11 December 2006 |title=Quick guide: Sunnis and Shias |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6213248.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228101639/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6213248.stm |archive-date=28 December 2008 |work=BBC News}}</ref> A c. 2008 estimate asserted that Shia Muslims constituted 36.3% of the entire population (and 38.6% of the Muslim population) of the [[Middle East]].<ref name="sha">{{cite book |title=Atlas of the Middle East |date=2008 |publisher=[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]] |isbn=978-1-4262-0221-6 |edition=Second |location=Washington, DC |pages=80–81}}</ref>

Estimates have placed the proportion of Shia Muslims in Lebanon between 27% and 45% of the population,<ref name="mafhoum1" /><ref>{{cite web |title=International Religious Freedom Report 2010 |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148830.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213121147/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148830.htm |archive-date=13 December 2019 |access-date=17 November 2010 |publisher=U.S. Government Department of State}}</ref> 30–35% of the citizen population in [[Islam in Kuwait|Kuwait]] (no figures exist for the non-citizen population),<ref name="irfr2012">{{cite web |year=2012 |title=International Religious Freedom Report for 2012 |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=208398#wrapper |work=[[US State Department]]}}</ref><ref name="ssi">{{cite web |date=April 2008 |title=The New Middle East, Turkey, and the Search for Regional Stability |url=http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/pub861.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318173523/http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/pub861.pdf |archive-date=18 March 2015 |work=[[Strategic Studies Institute]] |page=87}}</ref> over 20% in [[Islam in Turkey|Turkey]],<ref name="PRC" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Shankland |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lFFRzTqLp6AC&pg=PP1 |title=The Alevis in Turkey: The Emergence of a Secular Islamic Tradition |publisher=Routledge |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7007-1606-7}}</ref> 5–20% of the population in [[Islam in Pakistan|Pakistan]],<ref>{{cite web |date=February 2005 |title=Country Profile: Pakistan |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Pakistan.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050717171649/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Pakistan.pdf |archive-date=17 July 2005 |access-date=1 September 2010 |work=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]] on Pakistan |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |quote=''Religion: The overwhelming majority of the population (96.3 percent) is Muslim, of whom approximately 95 percent are Sunni and 5 percent Shia.''}}</ref><ref name="PRC" /> and 10–19% of [[Shi'a Islam in Afghanistan|Afghanistan]]'s population,<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov">{{cite web |date=August 2008 |title=Shia women too can initiate divorce |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Afghanistan.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408085103/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Afghanistan.pdf |archive-date=8 April 2014 |access-date=27 August 2010 |publisher=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]] on Afghanistan |quote=''Religion: Virtually the entire population is Muslim. Between 80 and 85 percent of Muslims are Sunni and 15 to 19 percent, Shia.''}}</ref><ref name="CIAAFG">{{cite web |title=Afghanistan |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2122.html?countryName=Afghanistan&countryCode=af&regionCode=sas&#af |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528122742/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2122.html?countryName=Afghanistan&countryCode=af&regionCode=sas&#af |archive-date=28 May 2010 |access-date=27 August 2010 |work=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) |publisher=[[The World Factbook]] on Afghanistan |quote=Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%}}</ref> and 45% in [[Islam in Bahrain|Bahrain]].<ref>[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]]: [], 1973, retrieved 14 February 2021</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Joyce|first=Miriam|title=Bahrain from the Twentieth Century to the Arab Spring|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2012|isbn=978-1-137-03178-5|location=New York, NY|pages=121}}</ref>

[[Saudi Arabia]] hosts a number of distinct Shia communities, including the [[Twelver]] [[Bahrani people|Baharna]] in the [[Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia|Eastern Province]] and [[Nakhawila]] of Medina, and the [[Isma'ilism|Ismāʿīlī]] [[Sulaymani]] and [[Zaydism|Zaydī Shias]] of [[Najran]]. Estimations put the number of Shia citizens at roughly 15% of the local population.<ref>{{cite news |last=al-Qudaihi |first=Anees |date=24 March 2009 |title=Saudi Arabia's Shia press for rights |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7959531.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407072038/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7959531.stm |archive-date=7 April 2010 |access-date=24 March 2009 |publisher=BBC Arabic Service}}</ref> Approximately 40% of the population of Yemen are Shia Muslims.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Merrick |first1=Jane |last2=Sengupta |first2=Kim |date=20 September 2009 |title=Yemen: The land with more guns than people |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-the-land-with-more-guns-than-people-1790461.html |access-date=21 March 2010 |work=The Independent |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Hriday |date=30 June 2011 |title=The Arab Spring: The Initiating Event for a New Arab World Order |url=https://www.e-ir.info/2011/06/30/the-arab-spring-the-initiating-event-for-a-new-arab-world-order/#_ednref24 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200829054650/https://www.e-ir.info/2011/06/30/the-arab-spring-the-initiating-event-for-a-new-arab-world-order/ |archive-date=29 August 2020 |website=E-international Relations |quote="In Yemen, Zaidists, a Shia offshoot, constitute 30% of the total population"}}</ref>

Significant Shia communities exist in the coastal regions of [[West Sumatra]] and [[Aceh]] in Indonesia (see [[Tabuik]]).<ref name="Leo">{{cite book |author=Leonard Leo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eYSA2uew3CUC&pg=PA261 |title=International Religious Freedom (2010): Annual Report to Congress |publisher=Diane Publishing |isbn=978-1-4379-4439-6 |pages=261– |access-date=24 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101201437/http://books.google.com/books?id=eYSA2uew3CUC&pg=PA261 |archive-date=1 January 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Shia presence is negligible elsewhere in Southeast Asia, where Muslims are predominantly [[Shafiʽi school|Shāfiʿī]] Sunnīs.

A significant [[Shi'a Islam in Nigeria|Shia minority is present in Nigeria]], made up of modern-era converts to a [[Islamic Movement (Nigeria)|Shia movement]] centered around [[Kano State|Kano]] and [[Sokoto State|Sokoto]] states.<ref name="PRC" /><ref name="mgmpPRC" /><ref>{{cite news |author=Paul Ohia |date=16 November 2010 |title=Nigeria: 'No Settlement With Iran Yet' |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201011170502.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018004932/http://allafrica.com/stories/201011170502.html |archive-date=18 October 2012 |newspaper=This Day}}</ref> Several African countries like [[Kenya]],<ref name="Nairobi">{{cite book |last1=Charton-Bigot |first1=Helene |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLX9n4fG5V8C&pg=PA239 |title=Nairobi Today: the Paradox of a Fragmented City |last2=Rodriguez-Torres |first2=Deyssi |date=2010 |publisher=African Books Collective |isbn=978-9987080939 |pages=239}}</ref> [[South Africa]],<ref name="Matthée2008">{{cite book |author=Heinrich Matthée |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hwGjbDurQ5IC&pg=PA136 |title=Muslim Identities and Political Strategies: A Case Study of Muslims in the Greater Cape Town Area of South Africa, 1994–2000 |publisher=kassel university press GmbH |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-89958-406-6 |pages=136– |access-date=14 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009062019/http://books.google.com/books?id=hwGjbDurQ5IC&pg=PA136 |archive-date=9 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Somalia]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Abdullahi |first=Mohamed Diriye |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Nu918tYMB8C&pg=PA55 |title=Culture and customs of Somalia |date=2001 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-31333-2 |pages=55}}</ref> etc. hold small minority populations of various Shia subsects, primarily descendants of immigrants from South Asia during the colonial period, such as the [[Khoja]].<ref name="HaseMiyake2002">{{cite book |author1=Yasurō Hase |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qh0EAQAAIAAJ |title=South Asian migration in comparative perspective, movement, settlement and diaspora |author2=Hiroyuki Miyake |author3=Fumiko Oshikawa |publisher=Japan Center for Area Studies, National Museum of Ethnology |year=2002 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906043850/https://books.google.com/books?id=Qh0EAQAAIAAJ |archive-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Significant populations worldwide===
Figures indicated in the first three columns below are based on the October 2009 demographic study by the [[Pew Research Center]] report, ''Mapping the Global Muslim Population''.<ref name="PRC" /><ref name="mgmpPRC" />

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; float:left;"
|+Nations with over 100,000 Shia<ref name="PRC" /><ref name="mgmpPRC" />
|-
! style="width:10%;"|Country
! style="width:10%;"|Article
! style="width:10%;"|Shia population in 2009 (Pew)<ref name="PRC" /><ref name="mgmpPRC" /><!-- This column shows Pew statistics only, please! -->
! style="width:10%;"|Percent of population that is Shia in 2009 (Pew)<ref name="PRC" /><ref name="mgmpPRC" /><!-- This column shows Pew statistics only, please! -->
! style="width:10%;"|Percent of global Shia population in 2009 (Pew)<ref name="PRC" /><ref name="mgmpPRC" /><!-- This column shows Pew statistics only, please! -->
! style="width:20%;" class="unsortable"|Population estimate ranges and notes <!-- Please provide reliable, verifiable reference with the claim -->
|-
| {{Flagicon|Iran}} [[Islam in Iran|Iran]]
| [[Islam in Iran]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|66000}}66,000,000–69,500,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|90}}90–95
| align=right | {{ntsh|37}}37–40
| align=right |
|-
| {{Flagicon|Pakistan}} [[Shi'a Islam in Pakistan|Pakistan]]
| [[Shia Islam in the Indian subcontinent]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|25200}}25,272,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|15}}15
| align=right | {{ntsh|15}}15
| align=right | A 2023 census estimate was that Shia made up about 15-20% of Pakistan's population.<ref>{{cite web |date= 2023 |title=2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Pakistan |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/pakistan/ |publisher=US Department of State}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagicon|Iraq}} [[Iraq]]
| [[Shi'a Islam in Iraq]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|19000}}19,000,000–24,000,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|55}}55–65
| align=right | {{ntsh|10}}10–11
| align=right |
|-
| {{Flagicon|India}} [[Shi'a Islam in India|India]]
| [[Shia Islam in the Indian subcontinent]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|12300}}12,300,000–18,500,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|1.3}}1.3–2
| align=right | {{ntsh|9}}9–14
| align=right | 
|-
| {{Flagicon|Yemen}} [[Yemen]]
| [[Shia Islam in Yemen]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|7000}}7,000,000–8,000,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|35}}35–40
| align=right | {{ntsh|5}}~5
| align=right | Majority following [[Zaidiyyah|Zaydi Shia]] sect.
|-
| {{Flagicon|Turkey}} [[Turkey]]
| [[Shi'a Islam in Turkey]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|6000}}6,000,000–9,000,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|10}}~10–15
| align=right | {{ntsh|3}}~3–4
| align=right | Majority following [[Alevism|Alevi Shia]] sect.
|-
| {{Flagicon|Azerbaijan}} [[Azerbaijan]]
| [[Islam in Azerbaijan]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|4500}}4,575,000–5,590,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|45}}45–55
| align=right | {{ntsh|2}}2–3
| align=right | Azerbaijan is majority Shia.<ref>{{cite news |last=Reynolds |first=James |date=12 August 2012 |title=Why Azerbaijan is closer to Israel than Iran |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-19063885 |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Umutlu |first=Ayseba |title=Islam's gradual resurgence in post-Soviet Azerbaijan |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/islam-gradual-resurgence-post-soviet-azerbaijan-180108110517329.html}}</ref><ref name="Bedford">{{cite book |last=Bedford |first=Sofie |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327829401 |title=Turkish–Azerbaijani Relations: One Nation – Two States? |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1138650817 |editor-last1=Ismayilov |editor-first1=Murad |page=128 |editor-last2=Graham |editor-first2=Norman A.}}</ref> A 2012 work noted that in Azerbaijan, among believers of all faiths, 10% identified as Sunni, 30% identified as Shia, and the remainder of followers of Islam simply identified as Muslim.<ref name="Bedford" />
|-
| {{Flagicon|Afghanistan}}[[Afghanistan]]
| [[Shi'a Islam in Afghanistan]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|3000}}3,000,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|15}}15
| align=right | {{ntsh|1}}~2
| align=right | A reliable census has not been taken in Afghanistan in decades, but about 20% of Afghan population is Shia, mostly among ethnic [[Tajiks|Tajik]] and [[Hazaras|Hazara]] minorities.<ref>{{cite news |last=Massoud |first=Waheed |date=6 December 2011 |title=Why have Afghanistan's Shias been targeted now? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16045209 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagicon|Syria}} [[Syria]]
| [[Islam in Syria]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|2400}}2,400,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|13}}13
| align=right | {{ntsh|1}}~2
| align=right | Majority following [[Alawites|Alawites Shia]] sect.
|-
| {{Flagicon|Lebanon}} [[Lebanon]]
| [[Shi'a Islam in Lebanon]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|1000}}2,100,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|31}} 31.2
| align=right | {{ntsh|0}}<1
| align=right |In 2020, the CIA World Factbook stated that Shia Muslims constitute 31.2% of Lebanon's population.<ref>{{cite web |date=2020 |title=Lebanon |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lebanon/ |publisher=CIA World Factbook}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagicon|KSA}} [[Saudi Arabia]]
| [[Shi'a Islam in Saudi Arabia]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|2000}}2,000,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|6}}~6
| align=right | {{ntsh|1}}
| align=right |
|-
| {{Flagicon|Nigeria}} [[Nigeria]]
| [[Shi'a Islam in Nigeria]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|3000}}<2,000,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|1}}<1
| align=right | {{ntsh|0}}<1
| align=right | Estimates range from as low as 2% of Nigeria's Muslim population to as high as 17% of Nigeria's Muslim population.{{Efn|A 2019 [[Council on Foreign Relations]] article states: "Nobody really knows the size of the Shia population in Nigeria. Credible estimates that its numbers range between 2 and 3 percent of Nigeria's population, which would amount to roughly four million."<ref name=Campbell>{{cite web |first=John |last=Campbell |url=https://www.cfr.org/blog/more-trouble-between-nigerias-shia-minority-and-police |title=More Trouble Between Nigeria's Shia Minority and the Police |publisher=Council on Foreign Relations |date=10 July 2019}}</ref> A 2019 BBC News article said that "Estimates of [Nigerian Shia] numbers vary wildly, ranging from less than 5% to 17% of Nigeria's Muslim population of about 100 million."<ref>{{cite news |first=Haruna Shehu |last=Tangaza |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49175639 |title=Islamic Movement in Nigeria: The Iranian-inspired Shia group |publisher=BBC |date=5 August 2019}}</ref>}} Some, but not all, Nigerian Shia are affiliated with the banned [[Islamic Movement in Nigeria]], an Iranian-inspired Shia organization led by [[Ibrahim Zakzaky]].<ref name="Campbell" />
|-
| {{Flagicon|Tanzania}} [[Tanzania]]
| [[Islam in Tanzania]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|1500}}~1,500,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|2.5}}~2.5
| align=right | {{ntsh|0}}<1
| align=right |
|-
| {{Flagicon|Kuwait}} [[Kuwait]]
| [[Shi'a Islam in Kuwait]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|0500}}500,000–700,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|20}}20–25
| align=right | {{ntsh|0}}<1
| align=right | Among Kuwait's estimated 1.4&nbsp;million citizens, about 30% are Shia (including [[Ismaili]] and [[Ahmadi]], whom the Kuwaiti government count as Shia). Among [[Expatriates in Kuwait|Kuwait's large expatriate community]] of 3.3&nbsp;million noncitizens, about 64% are Muslim, and among expatriate Muslims, about 5% are Shia.<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 Report on International Religious Freedom: Kuwait |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-report-on-international-religious-freedom/kuwait/ |publisher=[[Office of International Religious Freedom]], United States Department of State}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagicon|Bahrain}} [[Bahrain]]
| [[Islam in Bahrain]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|400}}400,000–500,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|66}}65–70
| align=right | {{ntsh|0}}<1
| align=right |
|-
| {{Flagicon|Tajikistan}} [[Tajikistan]]
| [[Shi'a Islam in Tajikistan]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|400}}~400,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|4}}~4
| align=right | {{ntsh|0}}<1
| align=right |Shi'a Muslims in Tajikistan are predominantly [[Nizari Isma'ilism|Nizari Ismaili]]
|-
| {{Flagicon|Germany}} [[Germany]]
| [[Islam in Germany]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|400}}~400,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|0.5}}~0.5
| align=right | {{ntsh|0}}<1
| align=right |
|-
| {{Flagicon|UAE}} [[United Arab Emirates]]
| [[Islam in the United Arab Emirates]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|300}}~300,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|3}}~3
| align=right | {{ntsh|0}}<1
| align=right |
|-
| {{Flagicon|USA}} [[United States]]
| [[Islam in the United States]]<br />[[Shia Islam in the Americas]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|225}}~225,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|0.07}}~0.07
| align=right | {{ntsh|0}}<1
| align=right | Shi'a form a majority amongst Arab Muslims in many American cities, e.g. Lebanese Shi'a forming the majority in [[Detroit]].<ref>Aswad, B. and Abowd, T., 2013. Arab Americans. Race and Ethnicity: ''The United States and the World'', pp. 272–301.</ref>
|-
| {{Flagicon|UK}} [[United Kingdom]]
| [[Islam in the United Kingdom]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|125}}~125,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|0.2}}~0.2
| align=right | {{ntsh|0}}<1
| align=right |
|-
| {{Flagicon|Qatar}} [[Qatar]]
| [[Islam in Qatar]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|100}}~100,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|3.5}}~3.5
| align=right | {{ntsh|0}}<1
| align=right |
|-
| {{Flagicon|Oman}} [[Oman]]
| [[Islam in Oman]]
| align=right | {{ntsh|100}}~100,000
| align=right | {{ntsh|2}}~2
| align=right | {{ntsh|0}}<1
| align=right | As of 2015, about 5% of Omanis are Shia (compared to about 50% [[Ibadi]] and 45% Sunni).<ref>{{cite news |last=Erlich |first=Reese |date=4 August 2015 |title=Mitigating Sunni-Shia conflict in 'the world's most charming police state' |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-08-04/mitigating-sunni-shia-conflict-world-s-most-charming-police-state |publisher=Agence France-Presse}}</ref>
|}
{{clear}}

==Major denominations or branches<span class="anchor" id="Branches"></span>==
<!-- Section linked from Template:Shia_Islam -->
{{main|Islamic schools and branches#Shīʿa Islam}}
{{further|List of extinct Shia sects|Schools of Islamic theology#Shia schools of theology}}

The Shia community throughout its history split over the issue of the Imamate. The largest branch are the [[Twelvers]], followed by the [[Zaydism|Zaydīs]] and the [[Isma'ilism|Ismāʿīlīs]]. Each subsect of Shia Islam follows its own line of Imamate. All mainstream Twelver and Ismāʿīlī Shia Muslims follow the same school of thought, the [[Jaʽfari jurisprudence]], named after [[Ja'far al-Sadiq|Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq]], the [[The Twelve Imams|6th Shia Imam]]. [[Shia clergy|Shia clergymen]] and [[Faqīh|jurists]] usually carry the title of ''[[mujtahid]]'' (i.e., someone authorized to issue legal opinions in Shia Islam).

===Twelver===
{{main|Twelver}}

'''Twelver Shia Islam''' is the largest branch of Shia Islam,<ref name="Newman2013">{{cite book |last=Newman |first=Andrew J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-_M8BQAAQBAJ |title=Twelver Shiism: Unity and Diversity in the Life of Islam, 632 to 1722 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-7486-7833-4 |page=2 |chapter=Introduction |access-date=13 October 2015 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-_M8BQAAQBAJ&pg=PP18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501201413/https://books.google.com/books?id=-_M8BQAAQBAJ |archive-date=1 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="PEW2009" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Guidère |first=Mathieu |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tCvhzGiDMYsC&pg=PA319 |title=Historical Dictionary of Islamic Fundamentalism |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-8108-7965-2 |page=319}}</ref><ref>Tabataba'i (1979), p. 76</ref><ref>''God's rule: the politics of world religions'', p. 146, Jacob Neusner, 2003</ref><ref>Esposito, John. ''What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam'', Oxford University Press, 2002. {{ISBN|978-0-19-515713-0}}. p. 40</ref> and the terms ''Shia Muslim'' and ''Shia'' often refer to the Twelvers by default. The designation ''Twelver'' is derived from the doctrine of believing in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as "[[the Twelve Imams]]". Twelver Shia are otherwise known as ''Imami'' or ''Jaʿfari''; the latter term derives from [[Ja'far al-Sadiq|Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq]], the [[The Twelve Imams|6th Shia Imam]], who elaborated the Twelver jurisprudence.<ref>{{harvnb|Cornell|2007|p=237}}</ref> Twelver Shia constitute the majority of the population in [[Iran]] (90%),<ref>"Esposito, John. "What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam" Oxford University Press, 2002. {{ISBN|978-0-19-515713-0}}. p. 45.</ref> [[Iraq]] (65%) and [[Azerbaijan]] (55%).<ref name="Britannica738" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Administrative Department of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan – Presidential Library – Religion |url=http://files.preslib.az/projects/remz/pdf_en/atr_din.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111123084541/http://files.preslib.az/projects/remz/pdf_en/atr_din.pdf |archive-date=23 November 2011}}</ref> Significant populations also exist in Afghanistan, [[Bahrain]] (40% of Muslims) and [[Lebanon]] (27–29% of Muslims).<ref name="esp45">Esposito, John. "What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam" Oxford University Press, 2002. {{ISBN|978-0-19-515713-0}}. p. 45</ref><ref name="review">{{cite web |date=25 March 2011 |title=Challenges For Saudi Arabia Amidst Protests in the Gulf – Analysis |url=http://www.eurasiareview.com/25032011-challenges-for-saudi-arabia-amidst-protests-in-the-gulf-analysis/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401034318/http://www.eurasiareview.com/25032011-challenges-for-saudi-arabia-amidst-protests-in-the-gulf-analysis/ |archive-date=1 April 2012 |work=Eurasia Review}}</ref>

====Doctrine====
Twelver doctrine is based on [[Theology of Twelvers|five principles]].<ref name="shiite-doctrine"/> These five principles known as ''Usul ad-Din'' are as follow:<ref name="Rich2006">{{cite book |last=Richter |first=Joanne |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X9fxXEdeIP8C&pg=PA7 |title=Iran: the Culture |date=2006 |publisher=Crabtree Publishing Company |isbn=978-0778791423 |page=7}}</ref>
# '''[[Tawhid|Monotheism]]''': [[God in Islam|God]] is one and unique;
# '''[[Adl|Justice]]''': the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, fairness, and equity, along with the punishment of the breach of these ethics;
# '''[[Nubuwwah|Prophethood]]''': the institution by which God sends emissaries, or prophets, to guide humankind;
# '''[[Imamate in Shia doctrine|Leadership]]''': a divine institution which succeeded the institution of Prophethood. Its appointees (''Imams'') are divinely appointed;
# '''[[Day of Resurrection|Resurrection and Last Judgment]]''': God's final assessment of humanity.

====Books====
Besides the [[Quran]], which is the [[Islamic holy books|sacred text]] common to all Muslims, Twelver Shias derive scriptural and authoritative guidance from [[List of hadith Books|collections of sayings and traditions]] ([[hadith]]) attributed to Muhammad and the Twelve Imams. Below is a list of some of the most prominent of these books:
* ''[[Nahj al-Balagha]]'' by [[Al-Sharif al-Radi|Ash-Sharif Ar-Radhi]]<ref>Nahj al-balaghah, Mohaghegh (researcher) 'Atarodi Ghoochaani, the introduction of Sayyid Razi, p. 1</ref> – the most famous collection of sermons, letters & narration attributed to Ali, the first Imam regarded by Shias
* ''[[Kitab al-Kafi]]'' by [[Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Al-Kafi Book I: Intellect and Foolishness |publisher=Taqwa Media |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-939420-00-8}}</ref>
* ''[[Wasa'il al-Shia|Wasa'il al-Shiʻah]]'' by [[al-Hurr al-Amili]]

====The Twelve Imams====
{{main|Imamate in Twelver doctrine|The Twelve Imams|Hadith of the Twelve Successors|l2 = Sunni reports about there being 12 successors to the Prophet}}
{{further|Occultation (Islam)|Reappearance of Hujjat Allah al-Mahdi|The Fourteen Infallibles}}

According to the theology of Twelvers, the successor of Muhammad is an [[Ismah|infallible]] human individual who not only rules over the [[Ummah|Muslim community]] with justice but also is able to keep and interpret the [[Sharia|divine law]] (''sharīʿa'') and its esoteric meaning. The words and deeds of Muhammad and the Twelve Imams are a guide and model for the Muslim community to follow; as a result, they must be free from error and [[Islamic views on sin|sin]], and Imams must be chosen by [[Nass (Islam)|divine decree]] (''nass'') through Muhammad.<ref name="Nasr_a" /><ref name="Momen 1985, p. 174" /> The twelfth and final Imam is [[Muhammad al-Mahdi|Hujjat Allah al-Mahdi]], who is believed by Twelvers to be currently alive and hidden in [[Occultation (Islam)|Occultation]].<ref name="Imamat" />

====Jurisprudence====
{{main|Ja'fari jurisprudence}}
{{further|Shia clergy}}

The Twelver jurisprudence is called ''[[Jaʽfari jurisprudence]]''. In this [[Madhhab#Shia|school of Islamic jurisprudence]], the ''[[sunnah]]'' is considered to be comprehensive of the oral traditions of Muhammad and their implementation and interpretation by the Twelve Imams. There are three schools of Jaʿfari jurisprudence: Usuli, Akhbari, and [[Shaykhism|Shaykhi]]; the Usuli school is by far the largest of the three. Twelver groups that do not follow the Jaʿfari jurisprudence include [[Alevism|Alevis]], [[Bektashi Order|Bektashi]], and [[Qizilbash]].

The [[five pillars of Islam]] to the Jaʿfari jurisprudence are known as ''Usul ad-Din'':
# ''[[Tawhid|Tawḥīd]]'': unity and oneness of God;
# ''[[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Nubuwwah]]'': prophethood of Muhammad;
# ''[[Islamic eschatology#Resurrection and final judgement|Muʿad]]'': resurrection and final judgment;
# ''[[Adl|ʿAdl]]'': justice of God;
# ''[[Imamate in Shia doctrine|Imamah]]'': the rightful place of the Shia Imams.

In Jaʿfari jurisprudence, there are eight secondary pillars, known as ''Furu ad-Din'', which are as follows:<ref name="Rich2006" />
# ''[[Salat]]'' (prayer);
# ''[[Sawm]]'' (fasting);
# ''[[Hajj]]'' (pilgrimage) to [[Mecca]];
# ''[[Zakat|Zakāt]]'' (alms giving to the poor);
# ''[[Jihad|Jihād]]'' (struggle) for the righteous cause;
# [[Ma'ruf|Directing others towards good]];
# [[Forbidding what is evil|Directing others away from evil]];
# ''[[Khums]]'' (20% tax on savings yearly, after deduction of commercial expenses).

According to Twelvers, defining and interpretation of [[Fiqh|Islamic jurisprudence (''fiqh'')]] is the responsibility of Muhammad and the Twelve Imams. Since the [[Muhammad al-Mahdi|12th Imam]] is currently in [[Occultation (Islam)|Occultation]], it is the duty of [[Shia clergy|Shia clerics]] to refer to the [[Islamic literature]], such as the [[Quran]] and [[hadith]], and identify legal decisions within the confines of [[Sharia|Islamic law]] to provide means to deal with current issues from an Islamic perspective. In other words, clergymen in Twelver Shia Islam are believed to be the guardians of ''fiqh'', which is believed to have been defined by Muhammad and his twelve successors. This process is known as ''[[ijtihad]]'' and the clerics are known as ''[[Marja'|marjaʿ]]'', meaning "reference"; the labels ''[[Allamah]]'' and ''[[Ayatollah]]'' are in use for Twelver clerics.

====Islamists====
[[Islamist Shi'ism|Islamist Shia]] ({{langx|fa|تشیع اخوانی}}) is a new denomination within [[Twelver Shi’ism|Twelver Shia Islam]] greatly inspired by the political ideology of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] and mysticism of [[Ibn Arabi]]. It sees Islam as a political system and differs from the other mainstream [[Usuli]] and [[Akhbari]] groups in favoring the idea of the establishment of an [[Islamic state]] in [[Occultation (Islam)|Occultation]] under the rule of the [[Muhammad al-Mahdi|12th Imam]].{{sfn|Khalaji|2009|p=64}}{{sfn|Bohdan|2020|p=243}} [[Hadi Khosroshahi]] was the first person to identify himself as ''[[Ikhwan al-Muslimeen|ikhwani]]'' (Islamist) Shia Muslim.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-01 |title=اخوانی گوشه‌نشین |url=https://plus.irna.ir/news/83696140/%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%DA%AF%D9%88%D8%B4%D9%87-%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C%D9%86 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523163121/https://plus.irna.ir/news/83696140/%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%DA%AF%D9%88%D8%B4%D9%87-%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C%D9%86 |archive-date=23 May 2022 |access-date=2022-05-10 |website=ایرنا پلاس |language=fa}}</ref> 

Because of the concept of the hidden Imam, [[Muhammad al-Mahdi]], Shia Islam is inherently secular in the age of Occultation, therefore Islamist Shia Muslims had to borrow ideas from Sunnī Islamists and adjust them in accordance with the doctrine of Shia  Islam.{{sfn|Bohdan|2020|pp=250–251}} Its foundations were laid during the [[Persian Constitutional Revolution]] at the start of 20th century in [[Qajar Iran|Qajar Empire]] (1905–1911), when [[Fazlullah Nouri]] supported the [[List of monarchs of Persia|Persian king]] [[Ahmad Shah Qajar]] against the will of [[Muhammad Kazim Khurasani]], the Usuli ''[[Marja'|marjaʿ]]'' of the time.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hermann |first=Denis |date=1 May 2013 |title=Akhund Khurasani and the Iranian Constitutional Movement |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00263206.2013.783828 |journal=Middle Eastern Studies |volume=49 |issue=3 |page=437 |doi=10.1080/00263206.2013.783828 |issn=0026-3206 |s2cid=143672216|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Ismāʿīlī===
{{main|Isma'ilism}}

[[Isma'ilism|Ismāʿīlīs]], otherwise known as ''Sevener'', derive their name from their acceptance of [[Isma'il ibn Ja'far|Ismāʿīl ibn Jaʿfar]] as the divinely appointed spiritual successor ([[Imamate in Ismaili doctrine|Imam]]) to [[Ja'far al-Sadiq|Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq]], the [[The Twelve Imams|6th Shia Imam]], wherein they differ from the Twelvers, who recognize [[Musa al-Kadhim|Mūsā al-Kāẓim]], younger brother of Ismāʿīl, as the true Imam.

After the death or Occultation of [[Muhammad ibn Isma'il|Muhammad ibn Imam Ismāʿīl]] in the 8th century CE, the teachings of Ismāʿīlīsm further transformed into the belief system as it is known today, with an explicit concentration on the deeper, esoteric meaning (''[[Batin (Islam)|bāṭin]]'') of the Islamic faith. With the eventual development of Twelver Shia Islam into the more literalistic ''([[Zahir (Islam)|zahīr]])'' oriented Akhbari and later Usuli schools of thought, Shia Islam further developed in two separate directions: the metaphorical Ismāʿīlī group focusing on the [[Mysticism|mystical]] path and nature of God and the divine manifestation in the personage of the "Imam of the Time" as the "Face of God", with the more literalistic Twelver group focusing on [[Sharia|divine law]] (''sharī'ah'') and the [[Sunnah|deeds and sayings]] (''sunnah'') attributed to Muhammad and [[Ahl al-Bayt|his successors]] (the ''Ahl al-Bayt''), who as A'immah were guides and a [[Nūr (Islam)|light]] (''nūr'') to God.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsa'i |url=http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/ahsai1.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218072512/http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/ahsai1.htm |archive-date=18 February 2007 |access-date=25 April 2007}}</ref>

[[File:His Highness the Aga Khan (15760993697).jpg|thumb|[[Shah|Shāh]] Karim al-Husayni, known as the [[Aga Khan IV]], was the 49th Imam of [[Nizari Isma'ilism|Nizārī Ismāʿīlīs]].]]
Though there are several subsects amongst the Ismāʿīlīs, the term in today's vernacular generally refers to the Shia Imami Ismāʿīlī [[Nizari Isma'ilism|Nizārī community]], often referred to as the ''Ismāʿīlīs'' by default, who are followers of the [[Aga Khan]] and the largest group within Ismāʿīlīsm. Another Shia Imami Ismāʿīlī community are the [[Dawoodi Bohra|Dawudi Bohras]], led by a ''[[Da'i al-Mutlaq]]'' ("Unrestricted Missionary") as representative of a hidden Imam. While there are many other branches with extremely differing exterior practices, much of the spiritual theology has remained the same since the days of the faith's early Imams. In recent centuries, Ismāʿīlīs have largely been an Indo-Iranian community,<ref>Nasr, Vali, ''The Shia Revival'', Norton, (2006), p. 76</ref> but they can also be found in [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Syria]], [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], [[Saudi Arabia]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Congressional Human Rights Caucus Testimony&nbsp;– Najran, The Untold Story |url=http://lantos.house.gov/HoR/CA12/Human+Rights+Caucus/Briefing+Testimonies/107/TESTIMONY+OF+ALI+H.+ALYAMI.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061227222620/http://lantos.house.gov/HoR/CA12/Human+Rights+Caucus/Briefing+Testimonies/107/TESTIMONY+OF+ALI+H.+ALYAMI.htm |archive-date=27 December 2006 |access-date=8 January 2007}}</ref> [[Yemen]], [[Jordan]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Afghanistan]], [[East Africa|East]] and [[South Africa]], and in recent years several Ismāʿīlīs have emigrated to [[China]],<ref>{{cite web |date=22 September 2003 |title=News Summary: China; Latvia |url=http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/11253.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070506190104/http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/11253.htm |archive-date=6 May 2007 |access-date=1 June 2007}}</ref> [[Western Europe]] (primarily in the [[United Kingdom]]), [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], and [[North America]].<ref name="DaftaryShort1998p1">{{cite book |last=Daftary |first=Farhad |title=A Short History of the Ismailis |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-7486-0687-0 |location=Edinburgh |pages=1–4}}</ref>

====Ismāʿīlī Imams====
{{main|List of Ismaili imams}}

In the [[Nizari Isma'ilism|Nizārī]] [[Isma'ilism|Ismāʿīlī]] interpretation of Shia Islam, the [[Imamate in Nizari doctrine|Imam]] is the guide and the intercessor between humans and God, and the individual through whom God is recognized. He is also responsible for the [[esoteric interpretation of the Quran]] (''taʾwīl''). He is the possessor of divine knowledge and therefore the "Prime Teacher". According to the "Epistle of the Right Path", a Persian Ismāʿīlī prose text from the post-[[Mongol invasions and conquests|Mongol period]] of Ismāʿīlī history, by an anonymous author, there has been a chain of Imams since the beginning of time, and there will continue to be an Imam present on the Earth until the end of time. The worlds would not exist in perfection without this uninterrupted [[List of Isma'ili imams|chain of Imams]]. The proof (''[[hujja]]'') and gate (''[[Bab (Shia Islam)|bāb]]'') of the [[Imamate in Nizari doctrine|Imam]] are always aware of his presence and are witness to this uninterrupted chain.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Virani |first=Shafique N. |date=2010 |title=The Right Path: A Post-Mongol Persian Ismaili Treatise |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00210860903541988 |journal=Iranian Studies |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=197–221 |doi=10.1080/00210860903541988 |issn=0021-0862 |s2cid=170748666|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

After the death of [[Isma'il ibn Ja'far|Ismāʿīl ibn Jaʿfar]], many Ismāʿīlīs believed that one day the [[Islamic eschatology|eschatological figure]] of Imam [[Mahdi]], whom they believed to be [[Muhammad ibn Isma'il|Muhammad ibn Imam Ismāʿīl]], would return and establish an age of justice. One group included the violent [[Qarmatians]], who had a stronghold in [[Bahrain]]. In contrast, some Ismāʿīlīs believed the Imamate ''did'' continue, and that the Imams were in Occultation and still communicated and taught their followers through a network of ''[[Dawah|Da'i]]'' ("Missionaries").

In 909 CE, [[Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah]], a claimant to the Ismāʿīlī Imamate, established the [[Fatimid Caliphate]]. During this period, three lineages of Imams were formed. The first branch, known today as the [[Druze]], began with [[Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah|Al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh]].<ref name="Timani 2021">{{cite book |author-last=Timani |author-first=Hussam S. |title=Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |year=2021 |isbn=978-90-04-43554-4 |editor1-last=Cusack |editor1-first=Carole M. |editor1-link=Carole M. Cusack |series=Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion |volume=21 |location=[[Leiden]] and [[Boston]] |pages=724–742 |chapter=Part 5: In Between and on the Fringes of Islam – The Druze |doi=10.1163/9789004435544_038 |issn=1874-6691 |editor2-last=Upal |editor2-first=M. Afzal |editor2-link=Afzal Upal |doi-access=free}}</ref> Born in 985 CE, he ascended as ruler at the age of eleven. When in 1021 CE his mule returned without him, soaked in blood, a religious group that was forming in his lifetime broke off from mainstream Ismāʿīlīsm and did not acknowledge his successor.<ref name="Timani 2021" /> 

Later to be known as the Druze, they believe Al-Ḥākim to be God incarnate<ref name="Poonawala">{{cite journal |last=Poonawala |first=Ismail K. |date=July–September 1999 |title=Review: ''The Fatimids and Their Traditions of Learning'' by Heinz Halm |journal=[[Journal of the American Oriental Society]] |publisher=[[American Oriental Society]] |volume=119 |issue=3 |page=542 |doi=10.2307/605981 |issn=0003-0279 |jstor=605981 |lccn=12032032 |oclc=47785421}}</ref> and the prophesied Mahdi on Earth, who would one day return and bring justice to the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=al-Hakim bi Amr Allah: Fatimid Caliph of Egypt |url=http://baheyeldin.com/history/al-hakim-bi-amr-allah-fatimid-caliph-of-egypt.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070406065948/http://baheyeldin.com/history/al-hakim-bi-amr-allah-fatimid-caliph-of-egypt.html |archive-date=6 April 2007 |access-date=24 April 2007}}</ref> The Druze faith further split from Ismāʿīlīsm as it developed into a distinct [[Monotheism|monotheistic]] [[Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic religion]] and [[ethno-religious group]] with its own unique doctrines,<ref name="Timani 2021" /> and finally separated from both Ismāʿīlīsm and Islam altogether.<ref name="Timani 2021" /> Thus, the Druze do not identify themselves as Muslims,<ref name="Timani 2021" /> and are not considered as such by Muslims either.<ref name="Timani 2021" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Pintak |first=Lawrence |title=America & Islam: Soundbites, Suicide Bombs and the Road to Donald Trump |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-78831-559-3 |page=86}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Jonas |first=Margaret |title=The Templar Spirit: The Esoteric Inspiration, Rituals and Beliefs of the Knights Templar |publisher=Temple Lodge Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-906999-25-4 |page=83 |quote=[Druze] often they are not regarded as being Muslim at all, nor do all the Druze consider themselves as Muslim}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=8 August 2018 |title=Are the Druze People Arabs or Muslims? Deciphering Who They Are |url=https://www.arabamerica.com/are-the-druze-people-arabs-or-muslims-deciphering-who-they-are/ |access-date=13 April 2020 |website=Arab America |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=J. Stewart |first=Dona |title=The Middle East Today: Political, Geographical and Cultural Perspectives |publisher=Routledge |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-135-98079-5 |page=33 |quote=Most Druze do not consider themselves Muslim. Historically they faced much persecution and keep their religious beliefs secrets.}}</ref>

The second split occurred between [[Nizari Isma'ilism|Nizārī]] and [[Musta'li Ismailism|Musta‘lī]] Ismāʿīlīs following the death of Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah in 1094 CE. His rule was the longest of any caliph in any Islamic empire. Upon his death, his sons, [[Nizar (Fatimid Imam)|Nizār]] (the older) and [[Al-Musta'li|Al-Musta‘lī]] (the younger), fought for political and spiritual control of the dynasty. Nizār was defeated and jailed, but according to the Nizārī tradition his son escaped to [[Alamut]], where the [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] Ismāʿīlī had accepted his claim.<ref name="DaftaryShort1998p106">{{cite book |last=Daftary |first=Farhad |title=A Short History of the Ismailis |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-7486-0687-0 |location=Edinburgh |pages=106–108}}</ref> From here on, the Nizārī Ismāʿīlī community has continued with a present, living Imam.

The [[Musta'li Ismailism|Musta‘lī Ismāʿīlīs]] split between the [[Tayyibi Isma'ilism|Ṭayyibi]] and the [[Hafizi Isma'ilism|Ḥāfiẓi]]; Ṭayyibi Ismāʿīlīs, also known as "Bohras", are further divided between [[Dawoodi Bohra|Dawudi Bohras]], [[Sulaymani|Sulaymani Bohras]], and [[Alavi Bohras]]. The former denomination claims that [[At-Tayyib Abi l-Qasim]], son of [[Al-Amir bi-Ahkami l-Lah]], and the Imams following him went into a period of anonymity (''Dawr-e-Satr'') and appointed a ''[[Da'i al-Mutlaq]]'' ("Unrestricted Missionary") to guide the community, in a similar manner as the Ismāʿīlīs had lived after the death of Muhammad ibn Imam Ismāʿīl. The latter denomination claims that the ruling Fatimid caliph was the Imam, and they died out with the fall of the Fatimid Empire.

====Pillars====
Ismāʿīlīs have categorized their practices which are known as ''[[Seven pillars of Ismailism|seven pillars]]'':
{| width="100%"
| width="33%" valign="top"|
* [[Walayah]] (Guardianship)
* [[Islam|Taharah]] (Purity)
| width="33%" valign="top"|
* [[Salat]] (Prayer)
* [[Zakāt]] (Charity)
| width="33%" valign="top"|
* [[Sawm]] (Fasting)
* [[Hajj]] (Pilgrimage)
| width="33%" valign="top"|
* [[Jihad]] (Struggle)
|}

====Contemporary leadership====
The [[Nizari Isma'ilism|Nizārīs]] place importance on a scholarly institution because of the existence of a present Imam. The Imam of the Age defines the jurisprudence, and his guidance may differ with Imams previous to him because of different times and circumstances. For Nizārī Ismāʿīlīs, the current Imam is Karim al-Husayni [[Aga Khan IV]]. The Nizārī line of Imams has continued to this day as an uninterrupted chain.

Divine leadership has continued in the Bohra branch through the institution of the "Missionary" (''[[List of Dai of Dawoodi Bohra|Da'i]]''). According to the Bohra tradition, before the last Imam, At-Tayyib Abi l-Qasim, went into seclusion, his father, the 20th Al-Amir bi-Ahkami l-Lah, had instructed [[Al-Hurra Al-Malika]] the [[Malik]]a ([[Queen consort]]) in Yemen to appoint a vicegerent after the seclusion—the ''[[Da'i al-Mutlaq]]'' ("Unrestricted Missionary"), who as the Imam's vicegerent has full authority to govern the community in all matters both spiritual and temporal while the lineage of [[Musta'li Ismailism|Musta‘lī]]-[[Tayyibi Isma'ilism|Ṭayyibi]] Imams remains in seclusion (''Dawr-e-Satr''). The three branches of Musta‘lī Ismāʿīlīs ([[Dawoodi Bohra|Dawudi Bohras]], [[Sulaymani|Sulaymani Bohras]], and [[Alavi Bohras]]) differ on who the current "Unrestricted Missionary" is.{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}

===Zaydī===
{{main|Zaydism}}
[[File:Dinar of al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq, AH 298.jpg|thumb|[[Gold dinar]] of [[Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya|al-Ḥādī ila'l-Ḥaqq Yaḥyā]], the [[Islamic history of Yemen|first Zaydī Imam of Yemen]], minted in 910–911 CE]]
[[File:Zaydi State 1675.jpg|thumb|The [[Yemeni Zaidi State|Zaydī State of Yemen]] under the rule of Imam [[Al-Mutawakkil Isma'il|Al-Mutawakkil Ismāʿīl bin al-Qāsim]] (1644–1676)]]
[[Zaydism]], otherwise known as '''Zaydiyya''' or as '''Zaydi Shia Islam''', is a branch of Shia Islam named after [[Zayd ibn Ali|Zayd ibn ʿAlī]]. Followers of the Zaydī school of jurisprudence are called Zaydīs or occasionally ''Fivers''. However, there is also a group called ''Zaydī Wāsiṭīs'' who are Twelvers (see below). Zaydīs constitute roughly 42–47% of the [[Demographics of Yemen|population of Yemen]].<ref>{{cite web |title=About Yemen |url=http://www.yemenincanada.ca/map.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127175930/http://www.yemenincanada.ca/map.php |archive-date=27 January 2007 |access-date=9 April 2015 |website=Yemeni in Canada |publisher=Embassy of the Republic of Yemen in Canada}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Yemen [Yamaniyyah]: general data of the country |url=http://www.populstat.info/Asia/yemeng.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041925/http://www.populstat.info/Asia/yemeng.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=9 April 2015 |website=Population Statistics}}</ref>

====Doctrine====
The Zaydīs, Twelvers, and Ismāʿīlīs all recognize the same first four Imams; however, the Zaydīs consider [[Zayd ibn Ali|Zayd ibn ʿAlī]] as the 5th Imam. After the time of Zayd ibn ʿAlī, the Zaydīs believed that [[Sayyid|any descendant]] (''Sayyid'') of [[Hasan ibn Ali|Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī]] or [[Husayn ibn Ali|Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī]] could become the next Imam, after fulfilling certain conditions.<ref name="Washington">{{cite web |date=1991 |title=Sunni-Shiʻa Schism: Less There Than Meets the Eye |url=http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0591/9105024.htm |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20050423070201/http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0591/9105024.htm |archive-date=23 April 2005 |page=24}}</ref> Other well-known Zaydī Imams in history were Yahya ibn Zayd, [[Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya]], and Ibrahim ibn Abdullah.

The [[Imams of Yemen|Zaydī doctrine of Imamah]] does not presuppose the infallibility of the Imam, nor the belief that the Imams are supposed to receive divine guidance. Moreover, Zaydīs do not believe that the Imamate must pass from father to son but believe it can be held by any ''[[Sayyid]]'' descended from either [[Hasan ibn Ali|Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī]] or [[Husayn ibn Ali|Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī]] (as was the case after the death of the former). Historically, Zaydīs held that Zayd ibn ʿAlī was the rightful successor of the 4th Imam since he led a [[Revolt of Zayd ibn Ali|rebellion against the Umayyads in protest of their tyranny and corruption]]. Muhammad al-Baqir did not engage in political action, and the followers of Zayd ibn ʿAlī maintained that a true Imam must fight against corrupt rulers.

====Jurisprudence====
In matters of [[Intellectual proofs in Shia jurisprudence|Islamic jurisprudence]], Zaydīs follow the teachings of Zayd ibn ʿAlī, which are documented in his book ''Majmu'l Fiqh'' (in [[Arabic language|Arabic]]: {{big|مجموع الفِقه}}). [[Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya|Al-Ḥādī ila'l-Ḥaqq Yaḥyā]], the [[Islamic history of Yemen|first Zaydī Imam and founder of the Zaydī State in Yemen]], is regarded as the codifier of Zaydī jurisprudence, and as such most Zaydī Shias today are known as ''Hadawis''.

====Timeline====
The [[Idrisid dynasty|Idrisids]] ({{langx|ar|{{big|الأدارسة}}}}) were Arab<ref>
* {{cite book |last=Hodgson |first=Marshall |title=Venture of Islam |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1961 |location=Chicago |page=262}}{{clarify|reason=this is a multi-volume source; which volume?|date=February 2022}}</ref> [[Zaydism|Zaydī Shias]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Ibn Abī Zarʻ al-Fāsī |first=ʻAlī ibn ʻAbd Allāh |title=Rawḍ al-Qirṭās: Anīs al-Muṭrib bi-Rawd al-Qirṭās fī Akhbār Mulūk al-Maghrib wa-Tārīkh Madīnat Fās |title-link=Rawd al-Qirtas |publisher=Dār al-Manṣūr |year=1340 |location=ar-Rabāṭ |publication-date=1972 |page=38}}
* {{cite web |title=حين يكتشف المغاربة أنهم كانوا شيعة وخوارج قبل أن يصبحوا مالكيين ! |url=http://hespress.com/?browser=view&EgyxpID=5116 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612182657/http://www.hespress.com/?browser=view&EgyxpID=5116 |archive-date=12 June 2008 |work=hespress.com}}
* {{cite book |author=Ignác Goldziher |url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontois0000gold |title=Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1981 |isbn=978-0-691-10099-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/introductiontois0000gold/page/218 218] |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |author=James Hastings |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XBwOF6jXBdIC&pg=PA844 |title=Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics |publisher=Kessinger Publishing |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7661-3704-2 |page=844}}{{Dead link|date=January 2023|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}
* {{cite web |title=The Initial Destination of the Fatimid caliphate: The Yemen or The Maghrib? |url=http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=101310 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706101911/http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=101310 |archive-date=6 July 2015 |publisher=The Institute of Ismaili Studies}}
* {{cite web |title=Shiʻah tenets concerning the question of the imamate – New Page 1 |url=http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ik/Muqaddimah/Chapter3/Ch_3_25.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829024816/http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ik/Muqaddimah/Chapter3/Ch_3_25.htm |archive-date=29 August 2012 |work=muslimphilosophy.com}}</ref> whose dynasty, named after its first sultan, [[Idris I]], ruled in the western [[Maghreb]] from 788 to 985 CE. Another Zaydī State was established in the region of [[Gilan Province|Gilan]], [[Deylaman]], and [[Tabaristan]] (northern [[Iran]]) in 864 CE by the [[Alavids]];<ref>Article by Sayyid 'Ali ibn 'Ali Al-Zaidi,''At-tarikh as-saghir 'an ash-shia al-yamaniyeen'' (Arabic: التاريخ الصغير عن الشيعة اليمنيين, A short History of the Yemenite Shiʻites), 2005 Referencing: Iranian Influence on Moslem Literature</ref> it lasted until the death of its leader at the hand of the [[Samanids]] in 928 CE. Roughly forty years later, the Zaydī State was revived in Gilan and survived under Hasanid leaders until 1126 CE. Afterwards, from the 12th to 13th centuries, the Zaydī Shias of Deylaman, Gilan, and Tabaristan then acknowledged the Zaydī [[Imams of Yemen]] or rival Zaydī Imams within Iran.<ref>Article by Sayyid 'Ali ibn 'Ali Al-Zaidi, ''At-tarikh as-saghir 'an ash-shia al-yamaniyeen'' (Arabic: التاريخ الصغير عن الشيعة اليمنيين, A short History of the Yemenite Shiʻites), 2005 Referencing: Encyclopædia Iranica</ref>

The [[Buyid dynasty|Buyids]] were initially Zaydī Shias,<ref>{{cite book |last=Walker |first=Paul Ernest |title=Hamid Al-Din Al-Kirmani: Ismaili Thought in the Age of Al-Hakim |publisher=I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies |year=1999 |isbn=978-1-86064-321-7 |series=Ismaili Heritage Series |volume=3 |place=London; New York |page=13}}</ref> as were the [[Banu Ukhaidhir]] rulers of [[al-Yamama]] in the 9th and 10th centuries.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=al-Uk̲h̲ayḍir |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam |publisher=Brill |url=http://www.brillonline.nl/subscriber/entry?entry=islam_SIM-7693 |last=Madelung |first=W. |date=7 December 2007}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> The leader of the Zaydī community took the title of [[caliph]]; thus, the ruler of Yemen was known by this title. Al-Hadi Yahya bin al-Hussain bin al-Qasim ar-Rassi, a descendant of [[Hasan ibn Ali|Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī]], founded the Zaydī Imamate at [[Sa'dah]] in 893–897 CE, and the [[Rassid dynasty]] continued to rule over Yemen until the middle of the 20th century, when the [[North Yemen Civil War|republican revolution of 1962]] deposed the last Zaydī Imam. ''See'': [[Arab Cold War]]. 

The founding Zaydī branch in Yemen was the Jarudiyya. With increasing interaction with the [[Hanafi|Ḥanafī]] and [[Shafiʽi school|Shāfiʿī]] schools of [[Madhhab#Sunni|Sunnī jurisprudence]], there was a shift from the Jarudiyya group to the Sulaimaniyya, Tabiriyya, Butriyya, and Salihiyya.<ref>Article by Sayyid Ali ibn ' Ali Al-Zaidi, ''At-tarikh as-saghir 'an ash-shia al-yamaniyeen'' (Arabic: التاريخ الصغير عن الشيعة اليمنيين, A short History of the Yemenite Shiʻites), 2005</ref> Zaydī Shias form the [[Religion in Yemen|second dominant religious group in Yemen]]. Currently, they constitute about 40–45% of the population in Yemen; Jaʿfaris and Ismāʿīlīs constitute the 2–5%.<ref>{{cite web |title=Universiteit Utrecht Universiteitsbibliotheek |url=http://www.library.uu.nl/wesp/populstat/Asia/yemeng.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060502125032/http://www.library.uu.nl/wesp/populstat/Asia/yemeng.htm |archive-date=2 May 2006 |access-date=4 May 2011 |publisher=Library.uu.nl}}</ref> In [[Saudi Arabia]] there are over 1&nbsp;million Zaydī Shias, primarily in the western provinces.

Currently, the most prominent Zaydī political movement is the [[Houthi movement]] in [[Yemen]],<ref name="Nevola-Shiban 2020">{{cite book |author1-last=Nevola |author1-first=Luca |title=Global, Regional, and Local Dynamics in the Yemen Crisis |author2-last=Shiban |author2-first=Baraa |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |year=2020 |isbn=978-3-030-35578-4 |editor1-last=Day |editor1-first=Stephen W. |location=[[Cham, Switzerland]] |pages=233–251 |chapter=The Role of "Coup Forces," Saleh, and the Houthis |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-35578-4_15 |editor2-last=Brehony |editor2-first=Noel |chapter-url=https://www.doabooks.org/doab?func=fulltext&uiLanguage=en&rid=50561 |s2cid=213121908}}</ref> known by the name of ''Shabab al-Mu'mineen'' ("Believing Youth") or ''Ansar Allah'' ("Partisans of God").<ref name="Glenn 2015">{{cite magazine |last=Glenn |first=Cameron |date=29 April 2015 |title=Who are Yemen's Houthis? |url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/who-are-yemens-houthis |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307094845/https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/who-are-yemens-houthis |archive-date=7 March 2022 |access-date=8 March 2022 |magazine=The Islamists |publisher=[[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars|Woodrow Wilson International Center]] |location=[[Washington, D.C.]]}}</ref> In 2014–2015, [[Houthi takeover in Yemen|Houthis took over the Yemeni government]] in [[Sana'a]], which led to the fall of the [[Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)|Saudi Arabian-backed government]] of [[Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi]].<ref name="Nevola-Shiban 2020" /><ref name="Glenn 2015" /><ref name="government">{{cite news |date=6 February 2015 |title=Yemen's Houthis form own government in Sanaa |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/02/yemen-houthi-rebels-announce-presidential-council-150206122736448.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207102231/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/02/yemen-houthi-rebels-announce-presidential-council-150206122736448.html |archive-date=7 February 2015 |access-date=7 February 2015 |agency=Al Jazeera}}</ref> Houthis and their allies gained control of a significant part of Yemen's territory, and resisted the [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen]] seeking to restore Hadi in power.<ref name="Nevola-Shiban 2020" /><ref name="Glenn 2015" /> (''See'': [[Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict]]). Both the Houthis and the Saudi Arabian-led coalition were being attacked by the Sunnī [[Islamism|Islamist]] [[militant]] group and [[Salafi jihadism|Salafi-jihadist]] [[terrorist organization]] [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL/ISIS/IS/Daesh]].<ref>{{cite web |date=7 October 2015 |title=Yemen govt vows to stay in Aden despite IS bombings |url=https://news.yahoo.com/yemen-govt-vows-stay-aden-despite-bombings-102423218.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222173259/http://news.yahoo.com/yemen-govt-vows-stay-aden-despite-bombings-102423218.html |archive-date=22 December 2015 |work=Yahoo News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=7 October 2015 |title=Arab Coalition Faces New Islamic State Foe in Yemen Conflict |url=http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/arab-coalition-faces-new-islamic-state-foe-in-yemen-conflict-1229476 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064145/http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/arab-coalition-faces-new-islamic-state-foe-in-yemen-conflict-1229476 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |work=NDTV.com}}</ref><ref name="Poljarevic 2021" /><ref name="Rickenbacher 2019" /><ref name="Badara 2017" /><ref name="Bunzel 2015" />

==Persecution of Shia Muslims==
{{main|Anti-Shi'ism|Shia–Sunni relations}}
{{further|Sectarian violence among Muslims|}}
[[File:Mausoleo de Shah Cheragh, Shiraz, Irán, 2016-09-24, DD 32.jpg|thumb|249x249px|[[Shah Cheragh|Shāh Cherāgh]] in [[Shiraz]], [[Iran]], houses the mausoleums of the two sons of [[Musa al-Kazim]], the seventh [[Twelve Imams|Imam]] in [[Twelver Shi'ism|Twelver Shia Islam]] and a descendant of [[Muhammad]].]]
The history of [[Shia–Sunni relations]] has often involved [[religious discrimination]], [[Religious persecution|persecution]], and [[Religious violence#Islam|violence]], dating back to the earliest development of the two competing sects.
At various times throughout the history of Islam, [[Anti-Shiism|Shia groups and minorities have faced persecution perpetrated by Sunnī Muslims]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Stevan Lars Nielson |author2=E. Thomas Dowd |title=The Psychologies in Religion: Working with the Religious Client|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PcKBtc8bymoC&pg=PA237|year=2006|publisher=Springer Publishing Company|isbn=978-0-8261-2857-7|page=237}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,30809-2523714,00.html | work=The Times | location=London | title=Hanging will bring only more bloodshed | date=30 December 2006 | access-date=23 May 2010 | first=Bronwen | last=Maddox | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029030344/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/ | archive-date=29 October 2019 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/681/re2.htm |title=Al-Ahram Weekly &#124; Region &#124; Shiʻism or schism |publisher=Weekly.ahram.org.eg |date=17 March 2004 |access-date=4 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110404044349/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/681/re2.htm |archive-date=4 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nmhschool.org/tthornton/mehistorydatabase/shia.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813160720/http://www.nmhschool.org/tthornton/mehistorydatabase/shia.php |title=The Shia, Ted Thornton, NMH, Northfield Mount Hermon |archive-date=13 August 2009}}</ref>

Militarily established and holding control over the Umayyad government, many Sunnī rulers perceived the Shias as a threat—both to their political and religious authority.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.islamfortoday.com/shia.htm |title=The Origins of the Sunni/Shia split in Islam |publisher=Islamfortoday.com |access-date=4 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070126045119/http://www.islamfortoday.com/shia.htm |archive-date=26 January 2007}}</ref> The Sunnī rulers under the Umayyad dynasty sought to marginalize the Shia minority, and later the Abbasids turned on their Shia allies and imprisoned, persecuted, and killed them. The [[Anti-Shiism|persecution of Shia Muslims throughout history by their Sunnī co-religionists]] has often been characterized by [[Religious violence#Islam|brutal]] and [[Genocide|genocidal]] acts. Comprising only about 10–15% of the [[Islam by country|global Muslim population]],<ref name="PEW2009"/> Shia Muslims remain a marginalized community to this day in many Sunnī-dominant [[Arab world|Arab countries]], and are denied the rights to practice their religion and freely organize.<ref>Nasr, Vali (2006). ''The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future''. W.W. Norton & Company Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-393-06211-3}} pp. 52–53</ref>

In 1514, the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Ottoman dynasty|sultan]] [[Selim I]] (1512–1520) ordered the massacre of 40,000 [[Alevism|Alevis]] and [[Bektashi]] (Anatolian Shia Muslims).<ref>George C. Kohn (2007). ''Dictionary of Wars''. Infobase Publishing. p. 385. {{ISBN|0-8160-6577-2}}</ref> According to [[Jalal Al-e-Ahmad]], "Sultan Selim I carried things so far that he announced that the killing of one Shia had as much [[Afterlife#Islam|otherworldly reward]] as killing 70 [[Persecution of Christians|Christians]]."<ref>Al-e Ahmad, Jalal. ''Plagued by the West'' (''[[Gharbzadegi]]''), translated by Paul Sprachman. Delmor, NY: Center for Iranian Studies, [[Columbia University]], 1982.</ref> In 1802, the [[House of Saud|Al Saud]]-[[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]] armies of the [[Ikhwan]] from the [[Emirate of Diriyah|First Saudi State]] (1727–1818) [[Wahhabi sack of Karbala|attacked and sacked the city of Karbala]], the Shia shrine in [[Najaf]] (eastern region of Iraq) that commemorates the martyrdom and death of [[Husayn ibn Ali|Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/saudi-arabia/7.htm |title=Saudi Arabia – The Saud Family and Wahhabi Islam |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721222356/http://countrystudies.us/saudi-arabia/7.htm |archive-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]]}}</ref>

During the rule of [[Saddam Hussein]]'s [[Ba'athist Iraq]], Shia political activists were arrested, tortured, expelled or killed, as part of a crackdown launched after an assassination attempt against Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister [[Tariq Aziz]] in 1980.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gritten|first1=David|title=Long path to Iraq's sectarian split|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4750320.stm|access-date=19 April 2015|work=[[BBC News]]|date=25 February 2006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080727005418/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4750320.stm|archive-date=27 July 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Whitaker |first=Brian |date=25 April 2003 |title=Christian outsider in Saddam's inner circle |work=The Guardian |location=London, UK |url=https://www.theguardian.com/Iraq/Story/0,2763,943280,00.html |access-date=24 December 2007}}</ref> In March 2011, the [[Government of Malaysia|Malaysian government]] declared Shia Islam a "deviant" sect and banned Shia Muslims from promoting their faith to other Muslims, but left them free to practice it themselves privately.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/belief/minister-malaysian-shia-keep-your-beliefs-yourself|title= Malaysian government to Shia Muslims: Keep your beliefs to yourself|publisher= globalpost.com|access-date= 17 March 2014|url-status=live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140228011729/http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/belief/minister-malaysian-shia-keep-your-beliefs-yourself|archive-date= 28 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/192853.pdf|title = Malaysia|work=International Religious Freedom Report|date=2011|publisher=United States Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor|access-date = 17 March 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170328212153/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/192853.pdf|archive-date = 28 March 2017|url-status = live}}</ref>

The most recent campaign of anti-Shia oppression was the [[Islamic State]] organization's [[Persecution of Shias by the Islamic State|persecution of Shias]] in its [[Territory of the Islamic State|territories]] in Northern Iraq,<ref name="Poljarevic 2021">{{cite book |author-last=Poljarevic |author-first=Emin |year=2021 |chapter=Theology of Violence-oriented Takfirism as a Political Theory: The Case of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) |editor1-last=Cusack |editor1-first=Carole M. |editor1-link=Carole M. Cusack |editor2-last=Upal |editor2-first=Muhammad Afzal |editor2-link=Afzal Upal |title=Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements |location=[[Leiden]] and [[Boston]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |series=Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion |volume=21 |doi=10.1163/9789004435544_026 |doi-access=free |isbn=978-90-04-43554-4 |issn=1874-6691 |pages=485–512}}</ref><ref name="Baele 2019">{{cite journal |last=Baele |first=Stephane J. |date=October 2019 |title=Conspiratorial Narratives in Violent Political Actors' Language |editor-last=Giles |editor-first=Howard |journal=[[Journal of Language and Social Psychology]] |publisher=[[SAGE Publications]] |volume=38 |issue=5–6 |pages=706–734 |doi=10.1177/0261927X19868494 |doi-access=free |hdl=10871/37355 |hdl-access=free |issn=1552-6526 |s2cid=195448888 }}</ref><ref name="Rickenbacher 2019">{{cite journal |last=Rickenbacher |first=Daniel |date=August 2019 |title=The Centrality of Anti-Semitism in the Islamic State's Ideology and Its Connection to Anti-Shiism |editor-last=Jikeli |editor-first=Gunther |journal=[[Religions (journal)|Religions]] |location=[[Basel]] |publisher=[[MDPI]] |volume=10 |issue=8: ''The Return of Religious Antisemitism?'' |page=483 |doi=10.3390/rel10080483 |doi-access=free |issn=2077-1444}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |last=Ghasemi |first=Faezeh |date=2020 |title=Anti-Shiism Discourse |publisher=[[University of Tehran]] |type=PhD |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342697889}}<br />{{bullet}}{{cite journal |first=Faezeh |last=Ghasemi |title=Anti-Shiite and Anti-Iranian Discourses in ISIS Texts |journal=Discourse |volume=11 |issue=3 |date=2017 |pages=75–96 |url=https://www.magiran.com/paper/1713990}}<br />{{bullet}}{{cite web |first=Toby |last=Matthiesen |title=The Islamic State Exploits Entrenched Anti-Shia Incitement |date=21 July 2015 |work=Sada |publisher=[[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]] |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/?fa=60799&lang=en}}</ref> which occurred alongside the persecution of various religious groups and the [[Genocide of Yazidis by the Islamic State|genocide of Yazidis]] by the same organization.<ref name="Poljarevic 2021"/><ref name="Rickenbacher 2019"/><ref name="Badara 2017">{{cite journal |last1=Badara |first1=Mohamed |last2=Nagata |first2=Masaki |date=November 2017 |title=Modern Extremist Groups and the Division of the World: A Critique from an Islamic Perspective |journal=[[Arab Law Quarterly]] |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |volume=31 |issue=4 |doi=10.1163/15730255-12314024 |doi-access=free |issn=1573-0255 |pages=305–335}}</ref><ref name="Bunzel 2015">{{cite journal |last=Bunzel |first=Cole |date=March 2015 |url=http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Papers/2015/03/ideology-of-islamic-state-bunzel/The-ideology-of-the-Islamic-State.pdf?la=en |title=From Paper State to Caliphate: The Ideology of the Islamic State |journal=The Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World |volume=19 |pages=1–48 |publisher=[[Center for Middle East Policy]] ([[Brookings Institution]]) |location=Washington, D.C. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321022758/http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Papers/2015/03/ideology-of-islamic-state-bunzel/The-ideology-of-the-Islamic-State.pdf?la=en |archive-date=21 March 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=13 September 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Shia Islam|Islam|Religion}}
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* {{anl|Alawism}}
* [[Criticism of Twelver Shia Islam]]
* {{anl|Islamic primary rulings}}
* [[List of Shia books]]
* [[List of Shia Islamic dynasties]]
* [[List of Shia Muslim scholars of Islam]]
* [[List of Shia Muslims]]
* [[Shi'ite iconography]]
* {{anl|Shia crescent}}
* {{anl|Shia Rights Watch}}
* [[Shia view of the Quran]]
* {{anl|Tatbir}}
{{div col end}}

==References==
=== Notes ===
{{Notelist}}

=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last1=Cornell |first1=Vincent J. |title=Voices of Islam |date=2007 |publisher=[[Praeger Publishers]] |location=Westport, Conn. |isbn=978-0-275-98732-9| author-link=Vincent Cornell}}
* {{cite book |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/ |title=Encyclopædia Iranica Online |publisher=Columbia University Center for Iranian Studies |access-date=2019-09-11 }}
* {{cite book |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam and the Muslim World |volume=1: ''Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World: A–L'' |last=Martin |first=Richard C. |publisher=MacMillan |isbn=978-0-02-865604-5 |year=2004 }}
* {{cite book |last=Corbin |first=Henry |author-link=Henry Corbin |title=History of Islamic Philosophy |translator=Liadain Sherrard and Philip Sherrard |publisher=London; Kegan Paul International in association with Islamic Publications for The Institute of Ismaili Studies |year=1993 |orig-date=1964 |isbn=978-0-7103-0416-2|title-link=Philip Sherrard }}
* {{cite book |last=Dakake |first=Maria Massi |title=The Charismatic Community: Shiʻite Identity in Early Islam |publisher=Suny Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7914-7033-6}}
* {{cite book |last1=Holt |first1=P. M. |author-link1=Peter M. Holt |last2=Lewis |first2=Bernard |author-link2=Bernard Lewis |title=Cambridge History of Islam, Vol. 1 |year=1977a |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-29136-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Lapidus |first=Ira |author-link=Ira M. Lapidus |title=A History of Islamic Societies |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2002 |edition=2nd |isbn=978-0-521-77933-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Sachedina |first=Abdulaziz Abdulhussein |author-link=Abdulaziz Sachedina |title=The Just Ruler (al-sultān Al-ʻādil) in Shīʻite Islam: The Comprehensive Authority of the Jurist in Imamite Jurisprudence |publisher=Oxford University Press US |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-19-511915-2}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sobhani |last2=Shah-Kazemi |first1=Ja'afar |first2=Reza |title=Doctrines of Shiʻi Islam: A Compendium of Imami Beliefs and Practices |date=2001 |publisher=I. B. Tauris [u.a.] |location=London |author-link= Ja'far Sobhani |author-link2=Reza Shah-Kazemi |isbn=978-1-86064-780-2 |edition=[Online-Ausg.]}}
* {{cite book | last=Tabatabaei| first=Sayyid Mohammad Hosayn| title= Shiʻite Islam| publisher=State University of New York Press | year=1979| isbn=978-0-87395-272-9 |translator=Seyyed Hossein Nasr| author-link=Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei}}
* {{cite book |last1=Ṭabataba'i |first1=Allamah Sayyid Muḥammad Husayn |title=Shiʻite Islam |date=1977 |publisher=State University of New York Press |location=Albany |isbn=978-0-87395-390-0}}
* {{cite book | last=Vaezi | first=Ahmad | title=Shia political thought | publisher=Islamic Centre of England | location=London | year=2004 | isbn=978-1-904934-01-1 | oclc=59136662}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |first=Peter J. |last=Chelkowski |date=2010 |title=Eternal Performance: Taziyah and Other Shiite Rituals |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-1-906497-51-4}}
{{NIE Poster|Shiites}}
{{EB1911 poster|Shi'ites}}
{{Commons category|Shiism|Shia Islam}}
* {{cite book
| url = http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?
| title=Shiʻism: A Religion of Protest
| last=Dabashi
| first=Hamid
| publisher=Harvard University Press
| year=2011
| isbn= 978-0-674-06428-7
| author-link=Hamid Dabashi
}}
* {{cite book |last=Halm |first=Heinz |author-link=Heinz Halm |title=Shiʻism |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7486-1888-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Halm |first=Heinz |title=The Shiʻites: A Short History |publisher=Markus Wiener Pub |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-55876-437-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Lalani |first=Arzina R. |title=Early Shiʻi Thought: The Teachings of Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=2000 |isbn=978-1-86064-434-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Marcinkowski |first=Christoph |year=2010 |title=Shiʻite Identities: Community and Culture in Changing Social Contexts |publisher=Lit Verlag |isbn=978-3-643-80049-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Momen |first=Moojan |author-link= Moojan Momen  |title=An Introduction to Shiʻi Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver Shiʻism |publisher=Yale University Press |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-300-03499-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Shirazi |first=Sultanu'l-Wa'izin |author-link=Sultan al-Wa'izin Shirazi |title=Peshawar Nights, A Transcript of a Dialogue between Shia and Sunni scholars |publisher=[[Ansariyan Publications]] |url=http://www.al-islam.org/peshawar/index.html |isbn=978-964-438-320-5|date=2013}}
* {{cite book |last=Nasr |first=Seyyed Hossein |author2=[[Hamid Dabashi]] |author-link=Seyyed Hossein Nasr |title=Expectation of the Millennium: Shiʻism in History |publisher=SUNY Press |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-88706-843-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Rogerson |first=Barnaby |author-link=Barnaby Rogerson |title=The Heirs of Muhammad: Islam's First Century and the Origins of the Sunni Shia split |url=https://archive.org/details/heirsofmuhammadi00roge|url-access=registration|publisher=Overlook Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-58567-896-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Wollaston |first=Arthur N. |title=The Sunnis and Shias |publisher=Kessinger Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4254-7916-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Moosa |first=Matti |title=Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects |publisher=Syracuse University Press |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-8156-2411-0}}
* Shi'a Minorities in the Contemporary World: Migration, Transnationalism and Multilocality. United Kingdom, Edinburgh University Press, 2020.
*{{Cite journal|last=Khalaji|first=Mehdi|date=November 27, 2009|title=The Dilemmas of Pan-Islamic Unity|url=https://www.hudson.org/research/9859-the-dilemmas-of-pan-islamic-unity-|journal=Current Trends in Islamist Ideology|volume=9|pages=64–79}}
*{{Cite journal|last=Bohdan|first=Siarhei|date=Summer 2020|title="They Were Going Together with the Ikhwan": The Influence of Muslim Brotherhood Thinkers on Shi'i Islamists during the Cold War|url=https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/mei/mei/2020/00000074/00000002/art00005;jsessionid=3669aj37j07cl.x-ic-live-03|journal=The Middle East Journal|volume=74|issue=2|pages=243–262|doi=10.3751/74.2.14 |s2cid=225510058 |issn=1940-3461|url-access=subscription}}
{{refend}}

==External links ==
{{Commons}}{{Wikinews}}{{Wikiquote}}
* {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |year=2022 |title=Shi'a History and Identity |url=https://shiism.wcfia.harvard.edu/research/shia-history-and-identity |website=shiism.wcfia.harvard.edu |location=[[Cambridge, Massachusetts]] |publisher=Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs ([[Harvard University]]) |access-date=4 March 2022 |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604053950/https://shiism.wcfia.harvard.edu/research/shia-history-and-identity |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web |last1=Daftary |first1=Farhad |last2=Nanji |first2=Azim |year=2018 |orig-date=2006 |title=What is Shi'a Islam? |url=https://www.iis.ac.uk/academic-article/what-shia-islam |website=www.iis.ac.uk |location=[[London]] |publisher=[[Institute of Ismaili Studies]] at the Aga Khan Centre |access-date=4 March 2022 |archive-date=31 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331025405/https://www.iis.ac.uk/academic-article/what-shia-islam |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web |author-last=Muharrami |author-first=Ghulam-Husayn |translator-last=Limba |translator-first=Mansoor L. |year=2003 |title=History of Shi'ism: From the Advent of Islam up to the End of Minor Occultation |url=https://www.al-islam.org/history-shiism-advent-islam-end-minor-occultation-ghulam-husayn-muharrami |website=Al-Islam.org |publisher=Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project |access-date=4 March 2022}}
* {{cite news |author=Ayatullāh Jaʿfar Subḥānī |year= |title=Shia Islam: History and Doctrines |url=https://en.shafaqna.com/tag/shia-islam-history-and-doctrines/ |website= |location=[[United Kingdom]] |publisher=[[Shafaqna]] (International Shia News Agency) |access-date=18 April 2023}}

{{World topic|title=Shia Islam around the World|prefix=Shia Islam in|noredlinks=yes}}
{{Islamic theology |schools}}
{{Islam topics |collapsed}}
{{Religion topics}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Shia Islam| ]]