Shia Islam: History and Doctrines, by Ayatollah Ja'far Sobhani [Full Text] – International Shia News Agency shafaqna.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from shafaqna.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Shiʿi, Arabic Shīʿī, also called Shiʿite, collective Shiʿah or Arabic Shīʿah, member of the smaller of the two major branches of Islam, the Shiʿah, distinguished from the majority Sunnis. The origins of the split between the Sunnis and the Shiʿah lie in the events which followed the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad was understood to be the messenger of God who, in the early 7th century ce, commenced to proclaim the Qurʾān, the sacred scripture of Islam, to the Arabs. In the 620s Muhammad and his followers were driven from his hometown of Mecca and settled in Medina. About