Sunni vs Shia: The Real Differences Explained

Sunni and Shia Muslims share the same core faith: one God, the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad as the final prophet, the five daily prayers, Ramadan and Hajj. They divided over who should lead the Muslim community after the Prophet died in 632 CE. Sunnis accepted Abu Bakr, chosen by the Companions. Shia Muslims hold that the Prophet designated his cousin and son-in-law Ali.

About 87 to 90 percent of the world's Muslims are Sunni and 10 to 13 percent are Shia, according to the Pew Research Center. Both communities will read this page, so each position is described the way its own scholars describe it, with sources, and without ranking one above the other.

Key takeaways

• Pew estimates there are 154 to 200 million Shia Muslims, and that 68 to 80 percent of them live in four countries: Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq.
• Shia Muslims cite the Prophet's words at Ghadir Khumm, "For whomever I am his mawla, then Ali is his mawla" (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3713), as Ali's designation; Sunni scholars accept the hadith but read mawla as a call to love and support Ali.
• In Sahih Muslim 2408, the Prophet urged his community to hold to the Book of God and to remember God regarding his household; both communities cite it, with different emphases.
• The Quran commands, "hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided" (Quran 3:103), a verse both communities quote.
• The 2005 Amman Message, endorsed by scholars from both communities, recognized the four Sunni schools and the Ja'fari and Zaydi Shia schools as valid schools of Islam.

What does Sunni and Shia mean?

Sunni comes from Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah (أهل السنة والجماعة), "the people of the Prophet's way (sunnah) and the community." Sunnis emphasize following the Prophet's example as transmitted by the Companions as a whole, and the consensus of the community.

Shia comes from Shi'at Ali (شيعة علي), "the party" or "followers of Ali." Shia Muslims emphasize the leadership of the Prophet's family, the Ahl al-Bayt (أهل البيت), through a line of divinely guided Imams beginning with Ali.

Shia Islam includes the Twelvers (Ithna Ashari), Ismailis and Zaydis. Twelvers are by far the largest group, so "Shia" on this page means Twelver positions unless noted.

How did the Sunni and Shia split begin?

The question of succession (632 CE)

When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) died in Madinah in 632, the community had to decide who would lead it. A group of Companions met at the meeting hall (saqifah) of the Banu Sa'ida and chose Abu Bakr, the Prophet's close friend and father-in-law, as the first caliph. Ali, who was busy with the Prophet's burial, was not present. According to a report in Sahih al-Bukhari 4240, Ali gave his pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr some months later, after the death of the Prophet's daughter Fatima.

The Sunni position: The Prophet did not appoint a successor explicitly, and left the matter to the community's consultation. Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali are the four "rightly guided caliphs" (al-khulafa al-rashidun), in that order, and all four are honored.

The Shia position: The Prophet did appoint Ali, most clearly at Ghadir Khumm, a stop on the way back from his Farewell Pilgrimage in 632. Shia scholars cite the Prophet's words there, "For whomever I am his mawla, then Ali is his mawla" (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3713, graded sahih by Darussalam), as a public designation. Leadership after the Prophet, in this view, belongs to Imams chosen by God from the Prophet's family. Sunni scholars accept that the Prophet spoke these words but understand mawla here as "beloved friend and ally," a call to honor Ali rather than an appointment.

Ali became the fourth caliph in 656 and was assassinated in 661.

Karbala (680 CE)

The division deepened at Karbala, in modern Iraq. On the tenth of Muharram in 680, the Prophet's grandson Husayn ibn Ali and a small group of family and companions were killed by the army of the Umayyad ruler Yazid. Shia Muslims mourn Husayn every year on this day, called Ashura, as a martyr who stood against injustice. Sunni Muslims also honor Husayn and regard his killing as a tragedy; many fast on Ashura, which the Prophet observed in memory of God saving Moses.

You can explore the early history of Islam visually on the Quran Universe timeline.

What do Sunnis and Shias believe in common?

Far more unites the two communities than divides them. Both believe in:

• One God (tawhid), as explained in our guide to tawheed.
• The Quran as God's word, with the same text. Our guide to what the Quran is describes it.
• Muhammad as the final prophet, "the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets" (Quran 33:40).
• The angels, earlier scriptures, earlier prophets, and the Day of Judgment, set out in our guide to what Muslims believe.
• Prayer, fasting in Ramadan, charity and Hajj, facing the same Kaaba in Makkah.
• Love for the Prophet's family, including Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn.

Shia theology summarizes core belief as five "roots of religion" (usul al-din): God's oneness, divine justice ('adl), prophethood, the Imamate and the resurrection. Sunni theology commonly uses the six articles of faith from the hadith of Jibril. The overlap between the two lists is large; the Imamate is the main item that is distinctive.

Sunni vs Shia differences: comparison table

Most Shia scholars, as WikiShia notes, do not treat every report in the Four Books as authentic, just as Sunni scholars grade reports outside al-Bukhari and Muslim. Our guide to what hadith is explains grading.

Sunni vs Shia prayer: what is different?

Both pray five times a day, facing Makkah, with the same basic movements of standing, bowing and prostrating. Visible differences include:

• Hands: Most Sunnis fold their hands over the chest or navel while standing. Shia Muslims pray with arms at their sides, as do many followers of the Sunni Maliki school.
• Prostration surface: Shia Muslims prostrate on natural earth or something grown from it that is not eaten or worn, often a small clay tablet (turbah). Sunnis prostrate on any clean surface, including a prayer mat.
• Combining prayers: Shia Muslims commonly combine the noon with the afternoon prayer, and the sunset with the night prayer. They cite Sahih Muslim 705, where Ibn Abbas reports that the Prophet combined prayers in Madinah without fear or rain, so his community would not face hardship. Sunnis generally combine mainly when traveling.
• Call to prayer: Many Shia add "I bear witness that Ali is the wali (friend) of God." Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani states that it is not part of the call to prayer but is good to say with the intention of seeking closeness to God (Sistani Q&A).

You can learn the general method of prayer in our guide on how to pray salah.

Quran verses each community emphasizes

Both read the same Quran, but some verses carry special weight in the debate. Quran 33:33 ends with God's wish "to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household." In Sahih Muslim 2424, Aisha reports that the Prophet gathered Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn under his cloak and recited this verse. Shia scholars see it as establishing the purity of the household; Sunni scholars note that the surrounding verses address the Prophet's wives and include them in the household too.

Shia scholars also read Quran 5:55, "those who establish prayer and give zakah, and they bow," as referring to Ali giving a ring in charity while bowing in prayer. Many Sunni scholars, such as Ibn Taymiyyah, reject the narration behind this reading and understand the verse as describing believers in general.

Sunni vs Shia population

Sectarian affiliation is rarely recorded in censuses, so Pew gives broad ranges and asks readers to treat them as approximate. These are its estimates for the countries with the largest Shia populations, from Mapping the Global Muslim Population (2009), the most recent Pew country-level breakdown.

Pew's 2025 update counts about 25.6 percent of the world's population as Muslim in 2020, roughly two billion people, but it does not break that total down by sect.

Which countries are majority Sunni or Shia?

Sufi vs Sunni vs Shia: is Sufism a third sect?

No. Sufism (tasawwuf, تصوف) is a spiritual path focused on purifying the heart and remembering God, not a separate branch of Islam. Pew notes that Sufi practices have followers among both Sunnis and Shias, though most historic Sufi orders are Sunni. Our guide to dhikr covers the practice of remembrance that is central to Sufism.

Is the conflict about religion or politics?

Much of today's Sunni-Shia tension is driven by politics, especially the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the wars in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. In many places Sunnis and Shias have lived side by side for centuries and intermarried.

Scholars from both communities have worked for mutual recognition. In 1959, Shaykh Mahmud Shaltut, the head of Egypt's al-Azhar, issued a fatwa that following the Ja'fari school is permissible, like following the four Sunni schools. In 2005, the Amman Message affirmed that followers of eight schools, Sunni, Shia and Ibadi, are Muslims. The Quran's own words, "The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers" (Quran 49:10), are quoted on both sides.

Read the verses on Quran Universe

You can read Quran 3:103 on unity and Quran 33:33 on the Prophet's household on Quran Universe with the Arabic text, word-by-word meanings and Tafsir Ibn Kathir. For the Prophet's life, see our biography of the Prophet Muhammad.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main difference between Sunni and Shia?

The main difference is about leadership after the Prophet Muhammad. Sunnis hold that the community rightly chose Abu Bakr as the first caliph. Shia Muslims hold that the Prophet designated his cousin Ali, followed by a line of Imams from his family. Over time, this led to differences in religious authority, hadith collections, law and some practices.

What percentage of Muslims are Sunni and Shia?

According to the Pew Research Center, about 87 to 90 percent of Muslims are Sunni and 10 to 13 percent are Shia, which is 154 to 200 million people. Pew stresses these are approximate ranges, since most countries do not record sect. Between 68 and 80 percent of Shias live in Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq.

Which countries are Sunni vs Shia?

Pew identifies four countries where Shia Muslims are a majority: Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain. Lebanon's Muslims are roughly evenly divided, and Yemen has a large Zaydi Shia minority. Most other Muslim-majority countries, including Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Turkey, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, are majority Sunni. Oman is home to most Ibadi Muslims.

Do Sunni and Shia pray differently?

Both pray five daily prayers facing Makkah with the same basic movements. Shia Muslims usually pray with arms at their sides, prostrate on natural earth or a clay tablet, and often combine prayers, citing Sahih Muslim 705. Most Sunnis fold their hands and combine prayers mainly when traveling, though Maliki Sunnis also pray with arms at their sides.

Do Sunni and Shia have the same Quran?

Yes. Sunni and Shia Muslims read the same Quran, with the same 114 surahs and the same text. They differ in the hadith collections they rely on and in how they interpret some verses, such as 33:33 and 5:55. Major scholars of both communities affirm that the Quran in Muslims' hands is complete.

Is Sufism Sunni or Shia?

Sufism is neither a sect nor a third branch of Islam. It is a spiritual path of purifying the heart and remembering God that exists within both communities, as Pew notes. Most historic Sufi orders are Sunni and follow one of the four Sunni schools of law.