REL_ST 2110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Shia Islam
28 Nov 2017
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Some ppl follow both traditions: abu bakr (muhammad"s father-in-law) takes over as first caliph (successor, minority faction (shi"a) think muhammad did appt a successor: his son-in-law, ali, ali does eventually rule as 4th caliph, but is assassinated. Shi"i belief in muhammad"s appt of ali as successor gives ali spiritual, military, and. Ali is first imam: supreme representative of divine authority on earth (like an islamic. Ali"s sons hasan and husayn are imams #2 and 3. Differences w/in shi"ism center on the identity of imams, but all agree god"s mercy. For shi"is, imams hold supreme religious authority, are intermediates btwn believers and: significance of ali for shi"is political authority over umma. God, and offer ongoing interpretation of god"s will: the umayyad caliphate/dynasty (sunnis) leadership became known as sunnis, sunni and shi"i in the modern world social/political factors--elsewhere, not so much. After ali"s death, 5th caliph turns caliphate into dynasty. Those muslims who rejected ali"s and his descendant claims and accepted umayyad.
