Religion

Islam (Shia)

Sacred bookThe Quran, interpreted in light of the teachings and spiritual authority of the imams descended from Ali, regarded as infallible guides to the right understanding of revelation and of Islamic law.
OriginIn AD 632, after Muhammad's death, one group in the Islamic community held that the leadership should remain in the prophet's family and belonged by right to Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law. Because Ali did not become caliph until nearly 25 years later, in AD 656, and his rule ended with his assassination, this group (the Shia, from the Arabic shi'a, the party of Ali) came to reject the legitimacy of the earlier caliphs and to uphold a line of spiritual succession through Ali's family and descendants.
FounderMuhammad (AD 570 to 632) is the founding prophet of Islam, but for Shia Muslims the central figure of legitimate succession is Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, regarded as the first imam and the only true spiritual and political successor of the prophet, who began a line of imams descended from him.
~250 million
Followers worldwide
~3.2%
Of world population
Iran
Where most live
Where most live
Pakistan 40.8M followers Yemen 14.8M followers Lebanon 1.9M followers Kuwait 1.1M followers

Estimate: the religion's percentage in each country multiplied by the country's population.

What it is
Overview

Shia Islam is one of the two largest branches of Islam. It split from Sunnism soon after the death of the prophet Muhammad in the 7th century, in a dispute over who should lead the Muslim community. Shia Muslims hold that the leadership should have gone to Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, and to his direct descendants, called imams, regarded as the legitimate spiritual interpreters of Islam.

Today Shia Muslims make up 10% to 13% of the world’s Muslims, according to the Pew Research Center: about 250 million people, roughly 3% of the world’s population. The largest community is in Iran, and Shiism is also the majority faith in Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain. There are large Shia communities in Pakistan, India, Lebanon and Yemen. In several countries, such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Shia Muslims live as a minority in Sunni-majority nations, which has historically led to political and religious tensions.

The Shia tradition places strong emphasis on suffering and martyrdom, especially through the memory of Husayn, Muhammad’s grandson, who was killed in battle. This theme offers a possible point of contact with the Christian message of Christ’s redemptive suffering, even though the theological meanings are very different.

These communities live with intense devotion and a deep sense of justice and sacrifice, fertile ground for conversations about the suffering that truly sets people free.

Pillars and practices
1
Shahada
The declaration of faith that sums up Islamic belief: 'There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.' Many Shia Muslims add a statement of loyalty to Ali as part of their devotional confession.
2
Salat
The five obligatory daily prayers. Shia Muslims often combine them into three times of prayer during the day, and in prayer many rest their forehead on a small clay tablet (turbah), often made from the soil of Karbala.
3
Zakat (and khums)
Besides obligatory almsgiving (zakat), Shia Muslims practice khums, a contribution of one fifth of certain yearly earnings, traditionally set aside for the support of the prophet's descendants and of the religious authorities.
4
Sawm
The obligatory fast during the month of Ramadan, from dawn to sunset, kept with the same spiritual rigor as in the wider Islamic tradition.
5
Hajj
The pilgrimage to Mecca, required at least once in a lifetime of all who are able, which many Shia Muslims follow up with devotional visits to the holy shrines of the imams.
6
Pilgrimage to the shrines of the imams and Ashura
Visits to Karbala and Najaf in Iraq, where the tombs of Husayn and Ali are located, are central devotional practices, culminating in the yearly commemoration of Ashura, a day of public mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Husayn.
Beliefs and practices
What is believed
The spiritual and political authority of the imams
Shia Muslims believe that Ali and his direct descendants are the only infallible and legitimate interpreters of Islam after Muhammad, with an authority that extends beyond political leadership to the right understanding of the faith.
The doctrine of the hidden imam
In Twelver Shiism (named for its twelve imams), the majority among Shia Muslims, the twelfth imam is said to have disappeared from human sight as a child in 874 and, since 941, to remain hidden by God, to return at the end of time as the Mahdi, a deliverer who will restore justice.
The theological value of suffering and martyrdom
The martyrdom of Imam Husayn, Muhammad's grandson, killed at the Battle of Karbala in AD 680, is remembered as a supreme act of resistance to injustice and holds a central place in Shia spirituality and identity.
Rejection of the legitimacy of the first three caliphs
Unlike Sunnis, Shia Muslims do not recognize Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman as Muhammad's legitimate successors, holding that the leadership was taken from the prophet's family.
A clergy with a more defined hierarchy
In contrast to the more horizontal spread of authority among Sunnis, Shiism has a more structured clerical hierarchy, with titles such as ayatollah, giving greater interpretive authority to certain religious leaders.
Jesus as a prophet, not the Son of God
Like Sunnis, Shia Muslims recognize Jesus (Isa) as a great prophet born of a virgin, but not as divine; and, following the Quran (4:157), they deny that he was even crucified.
Dates and practices
Ashura and Muharram
The tenth day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is the high point of a period of mourning that recalls the martyrdom of Imam Husayn at the Battle of Karbala in AD 680, marked by public processions and recitations. Forty days later, Arbaeen draws millions of pilgrims to Karbala.
Ramadan
The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, devoted to daily fasting from dawn to sunset and to more intense prayer and reading of the Quran.
Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan with congregational prayer, festive meals and gifts to the poor. Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, recalls Abraham's willingness to obey God and is celebrated with the ritual sacrifice of an animal during the season of the Hajj.
Eid al-Ghadir
A distinctly Shia festival recalling Muhammad's address at Ghadir Khumm in AD 632, when, in their view, the prophet named Ali as his successor.
How they live
The five daily prayers with the turbah
Many Shia Muslims use a small clay tablet, often brought from Karbala, on which they rest their forehead when they prostrate in prayer.
Halal food
Shia Muslims follow dietary rules similar to those of the wider Islamic tradition, avoiding pork and alcohol and preferring meat slaughtered by the halal method.
Modest dress
Men and women follow principles of modesty in dress, with cultural and regional variations, including the wearing of the veil by many women.
Mourning and public devotion at Ashura
During the month of Muharram, many Shia communities hold public mourning processions, recitations and reenactments of the story of Karbala, expressing intense emotional devotion to Husayn's sacrifice.
Frequent devotional pilgrimages
Besides the Hajj, journeys to the shrines of Karbala and Najaf are common and repeated practices throughout life, not just a one-time obligation.
Religious education for children
From an early age, children learn the Quran and also the story of the imams, especially the account of Husayn's martyrdom, which deeply shapes Shia religious identity.
Brief history
AD 610
According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad receives in Mecca the first revelations that would form the Quran.
AD 632
Muhammad dies. One group holds that Ali, the prophet's cousin and son-in-law, should be his legitimate successor by blood ties and spiritual designation, but Abu Bakr is chosen as caliph by the majority of the community.
AD 656 to 661
Ali finally becomes the fourth caliph, but his rule is marked by internal civil wars and ends with his assassination in AD 661, deepening the division between his followers and the majority that would later be called Sunni.
AD 680
Battle of Karbala: Husayn, son of Ali and grandson of Muhammad, is killed along with his companions after refusing to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliph Yazid. This martyrdom becomes the founding event of Shia identity and spirituality.
9th and 10th centuries AD
The doctrine of the twelve imams takes shape among Twelver Shia Muslims. The twelfth imam disappears in 874 and, from 941 on, tradition teaches that he remains hidden until his return as the Mahdi.
AD 1501
The Safavid Empire adopts Twelver Shiism as the official religion of Persia (present-day Iran), establishing the region as the historic heartland of Shiism to this day.
20th and 21st centuries
Shiism remains the second largest branch of Islam, the majority faith in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain, with significant communities in several other countries of the Middle East and South Asia.
How to engage in dialogue
Countries where it is the majority religion 54
Indonesia Pakistan Bangladesh Egypt Iran Türkiye Sudan Iraq Algeria Afghanistan Yemen Uzbekistan Morocco Saudi Arabia Malaysia Ivory Coast Niger Syria Mali Burkina Faso Chad Kazakhstan Somalia Senegal Guinea Tunisia Jordan Tajikistan Azerbaijan United Arab Emirates Sierra Leone Turkmenistan Libya Kyrgyzstan Lebanon Palestine Oman Mauritania Kuwait Eritrea Bosnia and Herzegovina Qatar Gambia Albania Guinea-Bissau Kosovo Bahrain Djibouti Comoros Western Sahara Maldives Brunei Mayotte Cocos Islands
Unreached peoples of this religion 1.871 in total
Shaikh +5

Shaikh

103.9M people
8 unreached locations

Turk +35

Turk

66.8M people
38 unreached locations

Hausa +13

Hausa

59.1M people
16 unreached locations

Persian +36

Persian

48.4M people
36 unreached locations

Sunda

Sunda

37.3M people
1 unreached location

What to pray for
Intercession
For the Shia Muslims of Iran, home to the largest community, and of Iraq, that they may know peace amid conflict and religious tension.
For Shia communities living as a minority in Sunni-majority countries, such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
For those who find deep meaning in the martyrdom and suffering of Husayn, that they may come to know the redemptive suffering of Christ.
For Shia religious leaders, such as the ayatollahs, that they may personally encounter Jesus as the way, the truth and the life.
For Shia families persecuted for being a minority, such as the Hazaras of Afghanistan and Pakistan, targeted for both their faith and their ethnicity.
For Christians who build bridges of respectful dialogue with Shia communities.
Pray for lasting peace between Shia and Sunni Muslims in the countries where they live side by side.

Related content