Muslim VGCers: What's the difference between Sunni and Shiite?

[huaxiong90]

superchunk said:
Sunnis follow the Sunnah while the Shiites (and there many sub-sects of Shiites) follow separate secondary books with the Qur'an.

Most Shiites believe in one person or the other has been the Mahdi (similar sort of to the Messiah, however not the same as non think Jesus has returned).

Shiites and Sunnis both have very extremist adherents and sub-sects while by large they have many who are not.

Shiites have many super holy people (similar to Catholics and the various Saints) and therefore many other holy sites than the three main ones in Mekkah, Medinah, and Jerusalem.

Each sect prays slightly different.. but the daily count and observation times are the same... as well as other five pillars of Islam.

It really comes down the the same reason they split... leadership of the religion/people. They have disagreed over the generations on who is who and who is qualified. Sunnis stick to more secular path... even democracy in its originality while Shiites stick to more of a patriarchal path based on religious control. Given this difference is why people titled Mahdi's and others similar to catholic saints and popes have been created and honored in various ways.

The core beliefs of the religion both share the same book and therefore are still quite similar. They are closer to similarity like Protestants and Lutherans than they are like Mormons and Catholics.... however like Mormons to Christianity they've added other religious figureheads... not prophets.. just religious leaders.

Personally, I think it should all be abolished and a focus solely on the Qur'an as it forbade the division into sects like has happened to Christianity. Had the Qur'an been followed and not allowed any other book before it, this wouldn't be an issue. But people have chosen these Hadiths at a higher guidance and allowed in the many sects that Islam now contains (as there are many others beyond these main two).

Agreed with everything you said except the last part. The Hadiths aren't the reason the Sunni-Shia split occured (followed by the many offshoots of Shia Islam).

I would send you a link that explains the roots of the divide, but it's in Arabic (unless you can read Arabic).

Personally, although I live in Saudi Arabia at the moment, a country that follows the Hanbali way, my thoughts are more closely aligned to the Hanafi school. The Hanbali math'hab is too extreme for me.