Архивы форума Египетского Клуба

вот нашла завалявшийся кусок реферата на компутере, который писала в прошлом году.. Очень надеюсь, что тот факт, что написан он на английском вам не слишком огорчит..:)))) Если что - могу перевести.....

Shiite
The Shiite today is the largest single sect next to the Sunnis, numbering no more than 60 million (Farah, 1987). The name is derived from shi’at Ali, the Arabic term for the “party” of Ali ibn Abu Talib, cousin of the prophet Muhammad and husband of Muhammad’s daughter Fatima (The Encyclopedia of Religion, 1987). Today, Shiite Muslims populate Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and parts of Africa and India (Let Us Reason, 2002). In the very early history of Islam, the politically motivated Shiites developed into a religious sect with a unique dogma based on its own theological promises (Nigosian, 1987). The key figures in the Shiite tradition are Ali, his wife Fatima, and their two martyred sons Hassan and Hussein. The events at Karbala and the motif of martyrdom are of deep significance to the Shiite sect. The Shiites believe that each new leader of the community should be chosen by the previous Imam and that he should be a descendant of the Prophet and thus of Ali (Akbar, 1993). The belief in the return of Mahdi (“the awaited one”) is another crucial element of the Shiite sect. After the death of Hussein and Hassan another son of Ali, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyah (who was the son of Ali’s wife other than Fatima), was proclaimed to be the imam and the messianic Restorer of Islam. After his mystical death the belief was formed that he would return in the golden era of true Islam shortly before the end of the world (Farah, 1987).









Differences between Sunni and Shiite
Both Sunni and Shiite Muslims recognize Qur’an as their ultimate guide, both believe in five pillars of Islam. However, over the centuries an entire body of different rituals has evolved.
Guidance: Sunnis believe that the prophet’s role in revealing God’s laws and guiding people to God has ended with his death. Shiites believe that God appoints the leaders (Imams) who have the right to interpret the Qur’an and guide people to God (Akbar, 1993).
Prayer: “call to prayer” differs as well as the ritual of ablution accompanying it (Nigosian, 1987, p.87).
Marriage: Shiites permit a temporary marriage (mut’a) contracted for a specific period of years, months or even days (Nigosian, 1987, p.87).
Holy places: visiting a worshipping holy places, particularly the tombs of the Imams, occupies the central place in Shiite faith (Nigosian, 1987, p.87). The Sunnis are ambivalent about this tradition, and the orthodox strongly reject these practices as un-Islamic (Akbar, 1993).
Relationship with God: for Sunnis, God and human beings have a direct relationship; saints and scholars cannot be intermediaries to God but are only formal interpreters of religion. By contrast, the Shiites believe that intercession in an integral part of the divine plan for salvation (Akbar, 1993, p.52).

These are major key differences between the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam.


Desert child - Noura