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Islam is built on a foundation of core beliefs that every Muslim holds. However, Sunni and Shi'a Muslims organise these beliefs slightly differently. This lesson explores the Six Articles of Faith (Sunni) and the Five Roots of Usul ad-Din (Shi'a), which together define what it means to be a Muslim.
Sunni Muslims, who make up approximately 85-90% of the world's Muslim population, follow the Six Articles of Faith (Iman). These are the fundamental beliefs that every Sunni Muslim must hold:
| Article | Belief | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tawhid | Belief in the oneness of Allah | Allah is one, unique, and has no partners or equals |
| 2. Malaikah | Belief in angels | Angels are beings created by Allah from light to carry out his commands |
| 3. Kutub | Belief in the holy books | The Qur'an is the final and perfect revelation; previous books include the Torah, Psalms, and Gospel |
| 4. Rusul | Belief in the prophets | Allah sent prophets to guide humanity; Muhammad (PBUH) is the final prophet |
| 5. Al-Qadr | Belief in predestination | Allah knows and has determined everything that will happen |
| 6. Akhirah | Belief in the Day of Judgement and the afterlife | All people will be judged by Allah and sent to paradise (Jannah) or hell (Jahannam) |
Exam Tip: Make sure you can list all six articles and explain each one briefly. Questions often ask you to explain the significance of one or more articles for Muslim life.
Shi'a Muslims, who make up approximately 10-15% of the world's Muslim population, follow the Five Roots of Usul ad-Din (Foundations of Faith):
| Root | Belief | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tawhid | Oneness of Allah | Same as Sunni belief — Allah is one and has no partners |
| 2. Adalat | Divine justice | Allah is always just and fair; he will never wrong anyone |
| 3. Nubuwwah | Prophethood | Allah has sent prophets to guide humanity; Muhammad (PBUH) is the final prophet |
| 4. Imamah | Leadership | After Muhammad, the rightful leaders of the Muslim community are the Imams descended from Ali (Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law) |
| 5. Mi'ad | Day of Judgement | All people will be resurrected and judged by Allah |
Key Term: Imamah is the key difference between Sunni and Shi'a Islam. Shi'a Muslims believe that Ali and his descendants were the divinely appointed leaders of the Muslim community, while Sunni Muslims believe leadership should be decided by consensus.
| Aspect | Sunni | Shi'a |
|---|---|---|
| Core beliefs | Six Articles of Faith | Five Roots of Usul ad-Din |
| Leadership after Muhammad | Caliphs chosen by consensus | Imams descended from Ali |
| Religious authority | Qur'an, Hadith, scholarly consensus | Qur'an, Hadith, Imams' teachings |
| Percentage of Muslims | ~85-90% | ~10-15% |
| Additional practices | — | Ten Obligatory Acts |
The split between Sunni and Shi'a Islam began after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 CE:
graph TD
A["Death of Prophet Muhammad (632 CE)"] --> B["Who should lead?"]
B --> C["Sunni: Abu Bakr chosen by consensus"]
B --> D["Shi’a: Ali should lead as family of Muhammad"]
C --> E["Caliphate tradition"]
D --> F["Imamate tradition"]
E --> G["~85-90% of Muslims today"]
F --> H["~10-15% of Muslims today"]
In addition to the Five Roots, Shi'a Muslims follow the Ten Obligatory Acts, which include practices similar to the Five Pillars plus additional obligations:
Both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims share core beliefs in the oneness of Allah, prophethood, the holy books, angels, and the Day of Judgement. Their main difference lies in the question of leadership after Muhammad — Sunni Muslims follow the caliphate tradition, while Shi'a Muslims follow the imamate tradition. Understanding these similarities and differences is essential for the GCSE exam.
To understand why Sunni and Shi'a Muslims organise their core beliefs differently, we need to understand the event that split the early Muslim community — and this is a common GCSE exam topic.
The setting: Madinah, 8 June 632 CE. The Prophet Muhammad dies in the house of his wife Aisha, aged approximately 63, just three months after his Farewell Pilgrimage. He has unified the Arabian Peninsula under Islam in 23 years. He has not explicitly named a successor — or has he? This is the dispute.
The Sunni view. Sunni Muslims — from ahl as-sunnah wal-jamaah, "people of the Sunnah and the community" — believe the Prophet did not designate a specific successor, leaving it to the Muslim community (ummah) to choose a leader by consensus (shura). The senior companions, meeting in a hall called Saqifah Bani Sa'idah, chose Abu Bakr — Muhammad's closest friend, father of Aisha, and the man Muhammad had asked to lead prayers during his final illness. Abu Bakr became the first Caliph (Khalifah — "successor"). He was followed by Umar (634-644), Uthman (644-656), and finally Ali (656-661) — together known as the Rightly-Guided Caliphs (Rashidun). For Sunnis, this order reflects divine approval. The Six Articles of Faith (Tawhid, Malaikah, Kutub, Rusul, Al-Qadr, Akhirah) emerged as the standard Sunni summary of belief.
The Shi'a view. Shi'a Muslims — from Shi'at Ali, "the party of Ali" — believe the Prophet did designate a successor: his cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib (married to Muhammad's daughter Fatimah). Shi'a cite the Event of Ghadir Khumm (March 632 CE), where Muhammad, returning from his Farewell Pilgrimage, reportedly declared: "Whoever I am the master of, Ali is his master." Shi'a Muslims interpret this as explicit appointment. When the community chose Abu Bakr instead, Shi'a regard this as a historical injustice. Ali eventually became Caliph (656-661) but was assassinated. His son Hasan and grandson Husayn — Muhammad's own grandchildren — were both persecuted; Husayn was killed at Karbala in 680 CE.
Why this shapes their beliefs. For Sunnis, leadership is political and scholarly — chosen by consensus. For Shi'a, leadership is divinely appointed and inherited through the Ahl al-Bayt (household of the Prophet). This explains why the Five Roots of Usul ad-Din include Imamah — belief in the Twelve Imams (for Twelver Shi'a) as divinely guided leaders descended from Ali. The Imams are not prophets but are infallible (ma'sum). The 12th Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, is believed to be in occultation (ghaybah) and will return at the end of time.
Shared ground. Despite these differences, Sunnis and Shi'a share Tawhid, Risalah, Kutub, Akhirah, and the Qur'an. They pray the same Five Pillars (though Shi'a also observe the Ten Obligatory Acts). In the UK, Sunni and Shi'a Muslims often attend each other's weddings, work and study together, and regard each other as Muslim brothers and sisters. Many UK Muslims now describe themselves simply as "Muslim" without emphasising the denominational label. However, historic tensions remain in some parts of the Middle East.
Exam takeaway. When asked to compare Sunni and Shi'a beliefs, the key is: same core theology, different leadership traditions, resulting in slightly different organisations of belief (Six Articles vs Five Roots + Ten Obligatory Acts). Note also that within Shi'a Islam there are further subdivisions — Twelvers (Ithna Ashariyya) are by far the largest group, followed by Ismailis and Zaydis. Within Sunni Islam there are four main schools of law (madhhabs): Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali. These sub-traditions agree on all Six Articles but may differ on ritual details. In the UK, the majority of Muslims are Sunni of South Asian heritage following the Hanafi school, with significant Shi'a communities especially in cities such as Manchester and London.
Misconception: "Sunni and Shi'a are two different religions." They are not — both are branches of Islam, sharing Tawhid, the Qur'an, the Five Pillars, and the Prophet Muhammad as the final messenger. The split is about leadership succession after Muhammad, not about core beliefs. Sunni Muslims make up approximately 85-90% and Shi'a about 10-15% of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims. Describing them as different religions is like describing Catholics and Protestants as different religions — they are different traditions within one faith.
Exam-style question (12 marks): "The differences between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims are more important than their similarities." Evaluate this statement. Refer to Muslim teachings, different Muslim views, and non-religious views.
Grade 3-4 response: Sunni and Shi'a are both Muslim. They both believe in Allah and the Qur'an. They are different because Shi'a believe Ali should have been the leader and Sunni believe Abu Bakr was right. There are more similarities than differences so the statement is wrong. (Basic.)
Grade 5-6 response: Sunni and Shi'a share Tawhid, the Qur'an, Muhammad as final prophet, and the Five Pillars. They both believe in Akhirah and the angels. Their differences are in leadership — Sunni follow Abu Bakr and the caliphs, while Shi'a follow Ali and the Twelve Imams. Shi'a also have the Ten Obligatory Acts which include Khums. These differences are important historically but most Muslims say they are brothers and sisters. So the similarities are more important. (Good range.)
Grade 7-9 response: This statement is largely incorrect though it has some historical validity. In favour of the statement, the differences between Sunni and Shi'a are theologically significant: Shi'a believe the Imams are divinely appointed and infallible (ma'sum), while Sunnis reject this. Shi'a add Adalat as a second root of faith, have different prayer practices (hands at sides, turbah, combined prayers), observe Ashura as mourning for Husayn, and pay khums in addition to zakah. The political history — from Karbala (680 CE) to modern Iran-Saudi Arabia tensions — shows real, sometimes violent, division. Against the statement, the similarities vastly outnumber the differences: both affirm Tawhid, Risalah, the Qur'an, Muhammad as Seal of the Prophets, the Five Pillars, and Akhirah. Both pray towards the Ka'bah, fast Ramadan, perform Hajj, and recite the Shahadah. The 1963 Cairo Declaration and 2005 Amman Message — signed by both Sunni and Shi'a scholars — explicitly affirm the Islamic unity of both traditions. From a non-religious sociological perspective, researchers like Akbar Ahmed have argued that the vast majority of ordinary Muslims focus on shared practice rather than sectarian difference, and that political conflict is often driven by state interests (Iran-Saudi Arabia rivalry) rather than genuine theological division. From a British Muslim perspective, initiatives like the Big Iftar bring Sunni and Shi'a together each Ramadan. My judgement: the similarities are more important — both traditions are clearly Islam, worship the same Allah, follow the same Qur'an, and aspire to the same Akhirah. The differences matter historically and ritually but do not outweigh the shared foundation. (Precise terminology, historical evidence, Sunni/Shi'a contrast, non-religious sociological view, reasoned judgement.)
This content is aligned with the AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062) specification, Component 1: The study of religions — Islam. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, please refer to the official AQA specification document.