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What is the difference between Alawites and Shia?
Alawites identify as Shiite Muslims, but the sect carried over older beliefs that predate Islam. Although most Muslims have five pillars of faith, the Alawites have seven. They believe in the divinity of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad; other Shiites revere Ali but do not believe he was divine.
What is the main difference between Sunni and Shiite?
The main difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims is their belief surrounding who should have succeeded the Prophet Muhammad in 632 AD. Historically, Sunni Muslims believed that Abu Bakr was the rightful successor, while Shiite, or Shia, Muslims thought it should have been Ali ibn Abi Talib.
What are the beliefs of Alawites?
Alawi literally means “those who adhere to the teachings of Ali.” — But several beliefs differ sharply from traditional Islam. Named after Ali, Alawites believe he was divine, one of many manifestations of God in a line with Adam, Jesus, Mohammad, Socrates, Plato and some pre-Islamic sages from ancient Persia.
What is the difference between Alevis and Alawites?
Unlike the Alawite faith, Alevism lacks written traditions and does not emphasize religious practice. An additional key difference between the two nearly eponymous sects is that while the Alawite faith might be considered an offshoot of Shiite Islam, the Alevis are neither Sunnis nor Shiites.
How are Alawites different?
Alawites follow the Shiite interpretation, claiming that succession should have been based on bloodlines. According to Shiite Islam, Muhammad’s only true heir was his son-in-law Ali bin Abu Talib. But Alawites go a step further in the veneration of Imam Ali, allegedly investing him with divine attributes.
Can Alevis eat pork?
Alevi people represent a marginalized and persecuted faction of the Turkish population. It differs from Sunni islam in that Alevis don’t have the same restrictions, for instance against drinking alcohol and eating pork. So there are no strict rules in this belief, and traditions are passed on through oral tradition.
Are Shiites and Shia the same?
Shiites are the second-largest branch of Islam, after Sunnis. Though Shiites hold this basic belief in common, there are further divisions within Shia Islam, another name for the group of Shiites. You can also call a Shiite a Shia, which is its root as well — from the Arabic shi’ah, “partisans or followers.”
What are Shiites beliefs?
Shiites believe that only Allah, the God of the Islam faith, can select religious leaders, and that therefore, all successors must be direct descendants of Muhammad’s family. They maintain that Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, was the rightful heir to the leadership of the Islam religion after Muhammad’s death.
What is the difference between Alevi and Sunni?
Alevi worship includes singing and Semah, a form of spiritual dance, whereas Sunnis worship via Namaz ritual. An additional distinguishing factor between Alevi and Sunnis includes that Alevis don’t fast during the major fasting period Ramadan, but instead during Muharram.
What is the meaning of Alawi?
Definition of Alawi : a member of a religious sect living mainly in Syria that originated in Shiite Islam but separated from other Shiite groups in the ninth and tenth centuries.