Islam is the youngest of the world religions that arose at the beginning of the 7th century A.D. Historically, the first split in Islam, which occurred in the middle of the 7th century, gave rise to several directions, within which there are significant differences.
Islam is not a single religion. In the second half of the 7th century AD Because of the dispute over the inheritance of religious and secular power, 3 main directions arose: Sunnism, Harijitism and Shiism.
Sunnism
Sunnism is the largest trend in Islam, because almost 90% of Muslims around the world are Sunnis. The Koran and the Sunnah are recognized as sources of dogma, they are considered righteous by all four caliphs after Muhammad. Thus, Sunnism has always been the official religion of the Arab Caliphate and adhered to the principles proclaimed by the prophet.
Very often, Sunnis are called people of truth, professing true faith. On the basis of the Koran and Sunna, the faithful developed a code of Muslim rights, i.e. Sharia.
Sunnism is represented in all Muslim countries, except Lebanon, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran and Azerbaijan.
Shiism
At the beginning of the second half of the 7th century, Shiism arises, which in Arabic means a party or a group.
According to Shiite teachings, only the descendants of Ali and Fatima, descending from the Prophet Muhammad, have the right to occupy the post of caliph-imam. Imams are infallible in all their affairs and faith. The cult of martyrs is very widespread among Shiites, the Ashur festival is celebrated, which is celebrated on the day when Ali Hussein was killed.
The Qur'an is also recognized by those hadiths in the Sunnah, authored by the fourth caliph Ali and his adherents. Shiites have created their own holy books - ahbar, including the hadiths of Ali.
In addition to Mecca, places of worship include Nejef, Karbala and Mashhad. Most Shiites live in Azerbaijan, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Afghanistan.
