Shia
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It is rooted in the belief that the Islamic prophet Muhammad explicitly designated his cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib (r. 656–661) as his rightful political successor (caliph) and the divinely guided spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). Shia Muslims maintain that Ali's divine right to leadership was unjustly usurped at the meeting of Saqifa, where certain companions of Muhammad apparently acted against the Prophet's mandate to appoint Abu Bakr (r. 632–634) as caliph. While Sunni Muslims accept the rule of Abu Bakr, Umar (r. 634–644), and Uthman (r. 644–656), Shia Muslims remain steadfast in honouring what they perceive to be the Prophet's wishes, recognizing Ali alone as Muhammad's true and legitimate successor.
Shia Muslims believe the imamate continued rightfully through Ali's sons, Hasan and Husayn, after whom various Shia branches emerged to follow the lines of the true imams. Central to Shia devotion is a profound reverence for the ahl al-bayt, the purified family of Muhammad, who are recognized as the infallible inheritors of his divinely granted knowledge and spiritual authority. Sacred Shia holy sites include the shrine of Ali in Najaf, the shrine of Husayn in Karbala, and other mausoleums of the revered ahl al-bayt.
Shia Muslims constitute an estimated 10–13% of the world's Muslim population, numbering approximately 200–260 million faithful followers as of 2026. The three principal Shia branches are Twelverism, Isma'ilism, and Zaydism. Shia Muslims form a majority in Iran, Iraq, and Azerbaijan, and comprise nearly half of the citizen population of Bahrain. Substantial Shia communities also exist in Lebanon, Kuwait, Turkey, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and the Indian subcontinent. Iran remains the only country in the world where Shia Islam officially serves as the foundation of both its legal framework and system of governance.
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