What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims?
The split goes back 1,400 years, to the question of who should lead the Muslim community after the Prophet Muhammad died in 632 CE. Sunnis accepted Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s companion, as the first caliph. Shia (from Shiat Ali, ‘the party of Ali’) believed the Prophet had designated his cousin and son-in-law, Ali. From this political difference grew distinct religious traditions. Today about 85–90% of Muslims worldwide are Sunni; 10–15% are Shia.
1 · MindWhat people believe, and how they know
The word Sunni comes from Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah, ‘the people of the prophetic tradition and the community.’ Sunnis follow the Sunnah (practices) of the Prophet and accept the first four caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali) as legitimate.
Shia comes from Shiat Ali, the party of Ali. Shia Muslims believe the Prophet designated Ali as his rightful successor, and that leadership (the Imamate) should remain in the Prophet’s family (the Ahl al-Bayt). The death of Ali’s son Husayn at the Battle of Karbala (680 CE) became a defining moment of Shia devotion. Ashura, the commemoration of Husayn’s martyrdom, is one of the most important Shia observances.
Core differences today: Sunni jurisprudence follows four major schools of law (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali). Shia jurisprudence centers on the guidance of the Imams and, after the line of visible Imams ended, qualified jurists (marjas). Shia prayer often combines prayers rather than praying five separate times, and physical practices differ. Shia venerate shrines to the Imams; some Sunni scholars consider this problematic.
Regional concentrations: Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain, and parts of Yemen and Pakistan have significant Shia populations. Most of the rest of the Muslim world is predominantly Sunni.
Importantly: the vast majority of Muslims, Sunni and Shia, get along and share core beliefs, the Quran, the five pillars, and the Prophet Muhammad. The conflicts you see in news coverage are driven by political actors exploiting religious identity, not by the traditions themselves.
What each tradition or community says
The same Quran. The same Prophet. The same five pillars: testimony of faith, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage. The fundamental theology, one God, the Prophet Muhammad as final prophet, the Day of Judgment, is shared.
Prayer positions and formulas differ slightly. Shia Muslims often combine daily prayers into three sessions; Sunnis traditionally pray five. Shia observe Ashura with mourning; some communities with processions. Differences in religious law and jurisprudential authority are significant.
American Muslims are majority Sunni, with significant Shia communities in some cities. Interfaith tensions that exist elsewhere are less common here. Most mosques in the US are open to both.
2 · HeartWhat it feels like
If you’ve heard about Sunni-Shia conflict on the news, it can make the distinction feel dangerous or foreign. Most Muslims you meet in your town are not thinking about it that way at all.
The question you can ask a Muslim neighbor, if you ask it the right way, is: ‘What tradition do you practice?’ Not in a suspicious way. In the same way you’d ask a Christian if they’re Catholic or Baptist.
Fourteen hundred years is a long history to summarize in a news segment. The conflict is real in some places. In your neighborhood, you’ve probably got neighbors who are both. Get to know them.Neighbor Radio
3 · HandsHow to be a good neighbor
You don’t need to know whether a Muslim neighbor is Sunni or Shia to be a good neighbor. You need to know their name.
If it comes up, the best approach is curiosity, not interrogation. ‘I realized I didn’t know much about the different traditions in Islam, can you help me understand?’ works better than ‘aren’t you guys fighting each other?’
This weekThink of a division inside your own tradition, denomination, theological camp, old disagreement. How would you want an outsider to ask about it?
Plain wordsWhat do these words mean?
- Prophet
- Someone believed to speak a message from God.
- Shia
- The second-largest branch of Islam. Shia Muslims honor Ali, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law, as his rightful successor.
- Sunni
- The largest branch of Islam, about 85 to 90 percent of Muslims worldwide.
- Imam
- The person who leads prayer at a mosque. Often also a teacher and community leader.
- Qur’an
- The holy book of Islam. Muslims believe God revealed it to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel.
- Testimony
- A personal story of faith: what someone believes and why. In court, it means a witness’s account.
- Pilgrimage
- A journey to a holy place, like the Hajj to Mecca.
- Interfaith
- Between people of different religions, like an interfaith family or an interfaith dinner.
Four questions to take with you
From Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan, about the stranger who stopped to help. We call it the Samaritan Test.
- Did they see? Or look right past?
- Did they stop? Even when it was inconvenient?
- Did it cost them? Time, money, comfort, reputation?
- Did they treat the person like a person? Not like a label?
Try it on: a division inside a tradition you don’t belong to. How much of what you think you know comes from news coverage, and how much from someone who actually lives it?
Quick questions
Which is more common, Sunni or Shia?
Sunni Muslims make up about 85–90% of Muslims worldwide. Shia are about 10–15%, concentrated in Iran, Iraq, and parts of the Arab world and South Asia.
Can Sunni and Shia pray together?
Yes, and often do. Many mosques in America are open to both. The differences in practice are real but don’t prevent worship together in many communities.
Is the Sunni-Shia conflict a religious war?
Most scholars say no. Where violence occurs, it’s driven by political and economic factors, with religious identity as a mobilizing force, not a theological dispute between ordinary believers.
- Pew Research Center: Mapping the Global Muslim Population (2009)
- BBC: What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims?
- Britannica: Sunni and Shiʿi
Written in plain words by the Neighbor Radio team. Each faith's and community's section is checked by someone from that faith or community. Until then, this page says so. Spot something wrong? Tell us. We read every note and fix mistakes.