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Islam: Practices That Shape Religious Identity

Shi'a Islam and the succession to Muhammad

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Overview

Dispute over the succession to Muhammad and event of Ghadir Khumm.

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Key term

What was the dispute over the succession to Muhammad?

Key term

What is the event of Ghadir Khumm, and how is it read?

Key term

To what extent is Shi'a Islam a unique form of Islam?

Questions from this subtopic

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  1. 1

    What was the dispute over the succession to Muhammad?

    Model answer

    One group held that the community should choose its leader, and accepted Abu Bakr as caliph in 632 CE. Another held that Ali, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, had already been designated.

  2. 2

    What is the event of Ghadir Khumm, and how is it read?

    Model answer

    The Prophet at Ghadir Khumm said of Ali that whoever takes him as master takes Ali as master. Shi'a Muslims read the words as divine designation, while Sunni Muslims read them as praise and a call for loyalty.

  3. 3

    To what extent is Shi'a Islam a unique form of Islam?

    Model answer

    Distinctive doctrines of the Imamate, occultation, khums, muta and Ashura mourning mark Shi'a Islam out clearly. Shi'a Muslims nevertheless hold the same God, Qur'an, Prophet, prayer and ḥajj as Sunni Muslims.

  4. 4

    What happened to Ali in the end?

    Model answer

    Ali became the fourth caliph in 656 CE and was assassinated in 661 CE. Shi'a Muslims regard him as the first Imam and the rightful successor from the beginning.

  5. 5

    Why is the death of Husayn so significant?

    Model answer

    Husayn, the second son of Ali, was killed at Karbala in 680 CE while resisting Umayyad rule. Martyrdom for the sake of justice became the defining theme of Shi'a piety.

  6. 6

    What do Twelver Shi'a Muslims believe about the Imams?

    Model answer

    Twelver Shi'a Muslims believe the Imams were divinely appointed, sinless and authoritative interpreters of the Qur'an. Authority passed by designation through the family of the Prophet.

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