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The Origin of The Shia - Part One

© Fatima Aly Jaffer

Although few people realise it, one of the most significant results of September 11th and the Iraq conflict has been the distinction between the Shia and Sunni factions within Islam.

A couple of decades ago, the Shia were known only because of the Iran-Iraq War and associated with the “strict orthodox regime” of the “fanatical mulla” Imam Khomeini. It’s a shame that not many Shia put forth their point of view (in English) at this time, and so after the war, they had been largely forgotten except in the context of Iran.

I won’t attempt to discuss the aspect of being orthodox or why I think the world will always have problems with our ‘strictness’ in this article. I have a feeling this one will be long enough anyway!

What I will target is the origin of the Shia – of which there are enough variations to confuse even a keen student of religion. Some of the more common versions, forwarded mainly by Sunni scholars are:

1. The Shias came into existence decades or even centuries after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and thus don’t count as an official Islamic sect.
   
2. The Shias are Rafidhi - meaning those who rebelled or revolted, because they do not accept the first three caliphs after the Prophet (pbuh) as rightful leaders.
   
3. The Shias are an offshoot of the Jews that combine aspects of Judaism and Islam and thus do not profess not pure Islam.

   Amongst accusations levelled at the Shia to alienate them from the Muslim community is that:
   

   • They glorify their Imams to the height of divinity, worshipping them and raising them in status above the Holy Prophet (pbuh).
     
   • They have their own version of the Qur’an with parts added or removed at their convenience.
     
   • That they accuse great companions of hypocrisy and insult them out of a personal hatred, because Ali bin Abi Talib (the First Imam) lost the seat of power after the Prophet (pbuh)

     Now, here’s what happened 1416 years ago as recorded in both Sunni and Shia books (see end of article) by narrators who are accepted by both parties as being authentic. I will leave the final decision on what to believe, to you.

     A Little Background

     When the Prophet (pbuh) declared his message to the people, he was approximately 40 years of age. At this time, his cousin, Ali, was a young boy of about 13 years. This first announcement was made after the Prophet (pbuh) invited his close relatives and friends to a meal.