Shias, like other Muslim sects, follow the Five Pillars of Islam, i.e., there is no God but God, pray five times a day, collect a tax to help the less fortunate, fast during Ramadan, and go to Mecca.
Sunni Muslims specifically set the duties out clearly and see them as pillars holding up the religion. The pillars keep faith strong, so Sunni Muslims try to keep all five to make them better Muslims and support the religion fully.
The five key beliefs for Shi'a Muslims were agreed by early Shi'a leaders. These are often referred to as the five roots of Shi'a Islam or the five roots of Usul ad-Din. They can be found in the Qur'an and Hadith and explain how Muslims should act in their daily life.
There are five key practices that all Muslims are obligated to fulfil throughout their lifetime. These practices are referred to as pillars because they form the foundation of Muslim life. The five pillars of Islam are Shahada, Salah, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj.
The Five Pillars are the core beliefs and practices of Islam: Profession of Faith (shahada). The belief that "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God" is central to Islam.
The five pillars – the declaration of faith (shahada), prayer (salah), alms-giving (zakat), fasting (sawm) and pilgrimage (hajj) – constitute the basic norms of Islamic practice. They are accepted by Muslims globally irrespective of ethnic, regional or sectarian differences.
Sunni Muslims pray five times a day, whereas Shia Muslims can combine prayers to pray three times a day. Shia prayers can often be identified by a small tablet of clay, from a holy place (often Karbala), on which they place their forehead while bowing in prayer.
Shias, a term that stems from shi'atu Ali, Arabic for “partisans of Ali,” believe that Ali and his descendants are part of a divine order. Sunnis, meaning followers of the sunna, or “way” in Arabic, of Mohammed, are opposed to political succession based on Mohammed's bloodline.
The three clauses of the Shīʿa version of the Shahada thus address the fundamental Islamic beliefs of Tawḥīd (unity and oneness of God), Nubuwwah (the prophethood of Muhammad), and Imamah (the Imamate, leadership of the faith).
Both Sunnis and Shiites read the Quran, the sayings of the Prophet. Both believe Prophet Muhammad was the messenger of Allah.
Sunni and Shia Muslims both share the same fundamental views of Islam, for instance, both groups worship Allah as God, accept Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) as the Prophet, and follow the teachings of the Quran.
Books attributed to Shia Imams
Al-Sahifa al-Alawiya (Book of Supplications (Du'a)) by Imam Ali, translated by William Chittick. Divan-i Ali ibn Abu Talib (poems which are attributed to Ali ibn Abu Talib).
Shi'a Muslims add an extra phrase to the Shahadah: And Ali is the friend of God. This shows their belief that Ali, Muhammad's cousin, was the true successor to Muhammad. The Shahadah is usually said a few times each day. It is always whispered into a baby's ear at birth, as the first words the baby hears.
Both Sunni and Shia Muslims fast during Ramadan.
Sunni Muslims believe that the Prophet did not explicitly declare a successor. Shia Muslims believe that the Prophet publicly designated his cousin and son-in-law, Hazrat Ali (peace be upon him), as the first in a line of hereditary Imams from the Prophet's family to lead the community after him.
Shi'a Islam, also known as Shi'ite Islam or Shi'ism, is the second largest branch of Islam after Sunni Islam. Shias adhere to the teachings of Muhammad and the religious guidance of his family (who are referred to as the Ahl al-Bayt) or his descendants known as Shia Imams.
The society has shunned the idea of a Shia marrying a Sunni (and vice versa) not because of the religious difference, but because of “what will we tell the society?” The matter has become less of a religious debate, but more of a societal symbol, which then leads to two individuals being punished for choosing each ...
While Medina is an important, if optional, stop for pilgrims on the hajj, it is a pilgrimage destination for the Shia.
Husayn is important because of his relationship with Muhammad, and so therefore the dust from Karbala is considered to be one of the most sacred places to pray. Since there are Muslims located all over the world, Shi'ah Muslims have created small clay tablets called mohr or Turbah from the ground of Karbala.
3. Praying with closed hands is a method that didn't exist during the prophet's (s) time, because the prophet himself would pray with open hands, and since the Shia solely believe in following the prophet (s) and the imams (a) in all fields, they also pray with open hands.
Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah, is the fifth pillar and the most significant manifestation of Islamic faith and unity in the world. For those Muslims who are physically and financially able to make the journey to Makkah, the Hajj is a once in a lifetime duty that is the peak of their religious life.
Whether one is Sunni or Shi'ite Muslim, the Five Pillars of Islam are the same: Faith (witness), Prayer, Charity, Fasting, and the Pilgrimage. These Pillars come from the Qur'an, but are not well defined therein. It is in the Hadith literature that the Five Pillars are fully defined and detailed.
The Qur'an, Hadith, and Sunna contain the Five Pillars of Islam. The Pillars of Islam are listed in the Hadith of Gabriel as one of the fundamental concepts of Islam.