WikipediaExtracts:Shia Islam
Extracted from Wikipedia --
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It emphasizes a distinction between the exoteric (zahir) and esoteric (batin) dimensions of Islam, and maintains that the esoteric meaning was only preserved from corruption by a line of descendants of Muhammad through his son-in-law Ali, known as imams. Most sects of Shi'ism believe that this esoteric inheritance only lasted for the first few generations after Muhammad's death, with the exception of Ismailism, which maintains an unbroken line of living imams continuing to the present day. Sects of Shi'ism divide along different lines of descent from Ali.
Although initially strictly a political movement that held Ali to be the rightful heir of Muhammad (the Shi'at 'Ali; the partisans of 'Ali), the assassination of Ali and the subsequent establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate by his rivals would gradually morph this political dispute into a sectarian crisis. This shift gradually birthed the central Shi'ite notion that the exoteric dimension of Islam is not sufficient, and that it is subject to corruption in the absence of one who possess the esoteric knowledge to interpret it properly (i.e. descendants of Muhammad; imams). By contrast, Sunnis may or may not believe in an esoteric dimension of Islam, but all believe that the ultimate authority to interpret it is not reserved for a specific inherited class of people.
Shia Muslims believe that the imamate continued through Ali's sons, Hasan and Husayn, after which various Shia branches developed and recognized different imams. They revere the ahl al-bayt, the family of Muhammad, maintaining that they possess divine knowledge. Shia holy sites include the shrine of Ali in Najaf, the shrine of Husayn in Karbala, and other mausoleums of the 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.
Shia Islam is followed by 10–15% of all Muslims, numbering at an estimated 200–300 million followers worldwide as of 2025. The three main Shia branches are Twelverism, Isma'ilism, and Zaydism. Shia Muslims form a majority of the population in Iran, Iraq, and Azerbaijan, as well as about half of the citizen population of Bahrain. Significant Shia communities are also found in Lebanon, Kuwait, Turkey, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and the Indian subcontinent. Iran stands as the world's only country where Shia Islam forms the foundation of both its laws and governance system.
