WikipediaExtracts:Shia–Sunni relations
Extracted from Wikipedia --
The issue of succession following the death Muhammad divided Muslims into two branches. One group held that the prophet did not appoint a successor, leaving the choice of leadership to the community. This group asserts that Abu Bakr, Muhammad's closest friend and father-in-law, succeeded him through a legitimate process of election at Saqifa. Another group held that Muhammad had designated Ali, his cousin and son-in-law, as successor, citing the events of Ghadir Khumm and regarding the leadership as belonging to the Prophet's family. The two Muslim groups came to be known as Sunni and Shia, respectively. The brutal and tragic killing of Muhammad's grandson Husayn by the forces of the Umayyad caliph Yazid at Karbala, where many other members of the prophet's family were massacred, finalized the schism. Over the centuries, Sunni and Shia Muslims developed distinct theological traditions, schools of jurisprudence, collections of hadith, and religious practices. Nevertheless, they share the fundamental foundations of Islam, including belief in the oneness God (Tawhid), the Quran, and Muhammad as the Seal of the Prophets (Khatam an-Nabiyin). Both branches also share the Five Pillars of Islam, which are profession of faith (Shahada), daily prayer (Salah), almsgiving (Zakat), fasting in the month of Ramadan (Sawm), and pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj).
Relations between Sunni and Shia Muslims have varied considerably across different periods and regions. While there have been periods of political rivalry, sectarian conflict, and persecution, there have also been long periods of coexistence, cooperation, intellectual exchange, and peaceful interaction. In the modern era, political conflicts and struggles for regional influence have sometimes taken on sectarian dimensions, particularly in parts of the Middle East and South Asia. Events such as the Iranian Revolution, the Iraq War, the Syrian Civil War, and Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict have contributed to heightened sectarian tensions. While the exact numbers are subject to debate, the Shia comprise around 15% of the Islamic world, and Sunnis around 85%. Shia Muslims form an overwhelming majority in Iran and Azerbaijan, while constituting a majority in Iraq and making up nearly half of the populations of Lebanon and Bahrain. Substantial Shia population are also present in Turkey, Yemen, Syria, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Nigeria, Chad, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and other countries around the globe. Estimates place the global Shia Muslim population at 285–300 million, while the Sunni Muslim population at 1.7–1.8 billion. Sunni and Shia scholars and religious leaders regularly participate in gatherings and conferences, including at the annual International Islamic Unity Conference, the Al-Azhar University, and the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought. Every three years, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation brings all Muslim leaders together.
