# Islam and Shia Islam: a Diptych comparison Schema version 1.0. The Diptych displays; it does not score, rank, or adjudicate. ## 1. In its own words ### Islam Islam began with the Prophet Muhammad's preaching in Mecca and Medina and divided within a generation over the succession to his leadership. That first division, and the schools of law and theology that grew from it, structure the tradition to this day, and this tree models them as first-class entities rather than as notes under a single heading. - [Islam](/tree/muslim) ### Shia Islam Shia Islam began as the party of Ali and became a family of traditions ordered by the Imamate: the line of divinely guided Imams through whom the Prophet's authority continued. Its Twelver, Ismaili, and Zaidi branches divided over the succession within that line. - [Shia Islam](/tree/shia-islam) ## 2. Scale and spread ### Islam Islam counts about 1.9 billion adherents, roughly a quarter of the world's people, and is the majority faith in 49 countries. The largest national population is Indonesia's; the Asia-Pacific region holds the most Muslims, ahead of the Middle East and North Africa. - [Islam](/tree/muslim) ### Shia Islam Shia Islam counts roughly 150 to 200 million adherents, about ten to thirteen percent of all Muslims. Shia form majorities in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, and Azerbaijan, with large communities in Lebanon, Yemen, Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. - [Shia Islam](/tree/shia-islam) ## 3. Historical timeline ### Islam - [The muslim timeline](/history/islam) - [Birth of Muhammad](/history/events/birth-of-muhammad) - [First revelation](/history/events/first-revelation) - [Hijra to Medina](/history/events/hijra-to-medina) - [Battle of Badr](/history/events/battle-of-badr) - [Conquest of Mecca](/history/events/conquest-of-mecca) - [Death of Muhammad](/history/events/death-of-muhammad) ### Shia Islam - [The muslim timeline](/history/islam) - [Birth of Muhammad](/history/events/birth-of-muhammad) - [First revelation](/history/events/first-revelation) - [Hijra to Medina](/history/events/hijra-to-medina) - [Battle of Badr](/history/events/battle-of-badr) - [Conquest of Mecca](/history/events/conquest-of-mecca) - [Death of Muhammad](/history/events/death-of-muhammad) ## 4. Sources of authority ### Islam - [Shahada](/prayers-and-creeds/shahada) - [Al-Fatiha](/prayers-and-creeds/al-fatiha) - [Salah](/prayers-and-creeds/salah) ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 5. Ultimate reality ### Islam - [Islam](/world-views/islam) ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 6. The human person ### Islam - [Islam](/world-views/islam) ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 7. Problem and solution ### Islam - [Islam](/world-views/islam) ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 8. Ethics and hard cases ### Islam - [Islam](/world-views/islam) ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 9. Practice and devotion ### Islam - [Ṣalāh; The Five Daily Prayers](/devotion/salah) - [Jumuʿah; The Friday Prayer](/devotion/friday-prayer) - [Dhikr; The Remembrance of God](/devotion/dhikr) - [The Hajj](/traditions/the-hajj) - [The Ramadan Fast](/traditions/the-ramadan-fast) - [Salah, the Daily Prayers](/traditions/salah) - [Shahada](/prayers-and-creeds/shahada) - [Al-Fatiha](/prayers-and-creeds/al-fatiha) ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 10. Community and governance ### Islam - [Muslim](/church/muslim) ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 11. Art and material culture ### Islam - [A Kufic Qur'an Folio](/art/entries/kufic-quran-folio) - [The Dome of the Rock](/art/entries/dome-of-the-rock) - [The Mughal Court Miniature](/art/entries/mughal-miniature) - [Islam](/art/profiles/islam) ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 12. Science and technology posture ### Islam - [Islamic Golden Age](/science/eras/islamic-golden-age) - [Contemporary](/science/eras/contemporary) - [Islamic](/science/traditions/islamic) - [The telescope](/science/technologies/telescope) - [Evolution by natural selection](/science/technologies/evolution-by-natural-selection) - [Vaccination](/science/technologies/vaccination) - [Gene editing and the germline](/science/flashpoints/gene-editing-and-the-germline) - [Climate and creation](/science/flashpoints/climate-and-creation) ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 13. Internal diversity ### Islam - [Sunni Islam](/tree/sunni-islam) - [Shia Islam](/tree/shia-islam) - [Ibadi Islam](/tree/ibadi-islam) - [Ahmadiyya](/tree/ahmadiyya) ### Shia Islam - [Sufism](/tree/sufi-orders) - [Twelver Shia Islam](/tree/twelver-shia-islam) - [Ismaili Shia Islam](/tree/ismaili-shia-islam) - [Zaidi Shia Islam](/tree/zaidi-shia-islam) ## 14. Contributions ### Islam Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ## 15. Internal critique ### Islam Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ## 16. External critique and reply ### Islam Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ## 17. Contested history ### Islam - [Sunni-Shia Split](/tree/schisms/sunni-shia-split) - [Kharijite Secession](/tree/schisms/kharijite-secession) ### Shia Islam - [Sunni-Shia Split](/tree/schisms/sunni-shia-split) ## 18. What each says about the other ### Islam Coverage: not documented. This slot renders only when both directions stand populated and reviewed. ### Shia Islam Coverage: not documented. This slot renders only when both directions stand populated and reviewed. ## 19. What this comparison cannot settle ### Islam This comparison sets two self-descriptions side by side; it does not decide between them. A tradition is a living range of positions, and each panel renders the range this site has documented, which is not the whole of the tradition. Where a cell is marked not yet documented, the gap belongs to this site's documentation, not to the tradition. Questions of truth between the panels turn on premises the reader brings: what counts as evidence, what authority is recognized, and what a human life is for. The instrument does not score, rank, or adjudicate. ### Shia Islam This comparison sets two self-descriptions side by side; it does not decide between them. A tradition is a living range of positions, and each panel renders the range this site has documented, which is not the whole of the tradition. Where a cell is marked not yet documented, the gap belongs to this site's documentation, not to the tradition. Questions of truth between the panels turn on premises the reader brings: what counts as evidence, what authority is recognized, and what a human life is for. The instrument does not score, rank, or adjudicate. ## 20. Sources ### Islam - [Islam](/tree/muslim) ### Shia Islam - [Shia Islam](/tree/shia-islam) ## Sources - Islam: The Qur'an. - Islam: Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization (2003). - Shia Islam: The Nahj al-Balagha, attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib. - Shia Islam: S. H. M. Jafri, The Origins and Early Development of Shia Islam (1979).