Sunni and Shi'a: the cards as text
History. Draft written with AI help: awaiting scholar review.
- Card 1
One faith, one question about leadership, and two answers.
- Card 2
Who leads after the Prophet?
Who leads after the Prophet? Sunnis hold that the community rightly chose Abu Bakr. Shi'a hold that the Prophet appointed 'Ali, pointing to his words at Ghadir Khumm: "Whoever I am his master, 'Ali is his master." Sunnis read those words as praise, not appointment.
- Card 3
Lesson: Sunni and Shi'a both accept the words at Ghadir Khumm. They read them differently.
- Card 4
Karbala, 680
In 680, Husayn, the Prophet's grandson, refused allegiance to the Umayyad ruler Yazid. At Karbala in Iraq, a far larger army killed him and most of his small party. Muslims of every school mourn it. For Shi'a it is central.
- Card 5
Lesson: The killing of Husayn at Karbala is mourned across the Muslim world.
- Card 6
What is shared, and what differs
Sunni and Shi'a both pray five times, fast Ramadan, perform Hajj and read the same Qur'an. Differences include the role of Imams, some details of prayer and law, and which hadith collections are relied on. Shi'a are a majority in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Azerbaijan.
- Card 7
Lesson: Sunni and Shi'a share far more than divides them.
- Card 8
Reflect: What was the original question behind the Sunni and Shi'a split?
Answer: Who should lead after the Prophet. Who should lead the community after the Prophet.
- Card 9
The end of Sunni and Shi'a.