Shia vs Sunni, why "vs"?
Born into a Sunni family, I’ve been learning about and exploring Shia Islam. Here are my thoughts so far.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert in religion. I’m not even sure I count as a student of knowlege. I am however seeking knowlege. This is an opinion post not designed to prove one perspective true at the expence of the other.
If I had a choice I would just call myself Muslim. Not Shia, not Sunni, just Muslim. I don’t really like the concept of vs in religion at all to be honest. It’s like when you watch religious debates, one person on one side and another person opposite, both trying to win arguments and prove they are right and the other person is wrong, often resorting to insults and derogitory speech toward one another.
The objective of each side? To win.
I’m not here to win. I’m here to learn and I think if people had conversations instead of debates aiming to learn instead of win, we would make a lot more progress in much shorter spans of time.
The religion of my forefathers.
One of the common themes we hear about in the Quran when Allah speaks about non believers is how they used to reject Islam not because they believed it to be false but because it was not the religion of their fathers and forefathers. We can see examples of this given by Allah in the Quran like in Surah Al-Ma’idah verse 104 when He says:
“When it is said to them, “Come to Allah’s revelations and to the Messenger,” they reply, “What we found our forefathers practicing is good enough for us.” Would they still do so, even if their forefathers had absolutely no knowledge or guidance?” - Quran 5:104
Another example I find amusing is just before the time of the Prophet PBUH when the Jews and Chrisians used to boast to the pagan arabs that ’their’ prophet would soon be coming to this area and then, led by him they would ruin the pagans, but then when they saw that Prophet rise from among the pagans themselves (though obviously not being pagan himself) they rejected him.
We Muslims like to think that we are beyond this behaviour. That we would not think about ourselves or others like this.
But let me ask you. Sunni, Shia or just Muslim. Did you choose to be who you are? Or did you simply accept what you were given without thought?
It might just be the way things happen but it seems like too many people including myself in my early youth unfortunately just accept what their taught without questioning it. This has also allowed different cultures across the centuries to infuse themselves within Islam.
Raised as a Sunni (though I have ventured outside of Islam as well in the past) when I had the opportunity to experience worshiping in a Shia mosque for the first time earlier this year (2025) something incredible happened that I had never experienced before. A spiritual experience that has kept me going to the same mosue ever since.
Praying behind the Prophet.
Earlier this year I was invited to attend a Khatam at a local Shia mosque which I obviously accepted. At that time I knew that Shia’s prayed with their hands to their sides and prostrated on top of stones but that was about it. I did not know that they would be praying Isha immidiately after Maghrib.
Going in to the event I had some slight apprihention thinking about the opinions of sunni’s on how Shia’s worship but I my belief on the matter was and still is simple:
I could see two perspectives that I could adopt:
- Here’s something I don’t understand. Therefore it’s wrong. (A perspective commonly held by people who get their education from Muslim youtubers and influencers instead of actual scholars and literature.) A perspective based on fear and ignorance.
- Here’s something I don’t understand. Let me learn about it. A perspective based on curiosity and a mind open enough to learn but hopefully not so open that my brain falls out.
I chose the second option.
As we prepared to read Isha following the Maghrib prayer a voice in my head cried “It’s not time!!” To which I replied “I’m here to learn.” But while praying Isha something incredible happened. I had an experience of a spiritual nature that I have never had before. One that keeps me going to the same mosque to this day.
As we settled into the prayer I began to feel like we were actually being led in prayer by the holy Prohet himself PBUH! It was a literal feeling but of a spiritual nature. I literally felt like we were praying behind the Prophet PBUH. The experience had an effect on me for several days afterwards.
Now imagine this happens to you. I think you would want more of that right? Well I did and it’s why I still default to going to the same mosque every Jummah.
Then, later, as I started to learn about Shia Islam I actually learnt that the idea of combining prayers can also be found in Sunni literature and that the Prophet sometimes used to combine prayers for no other reason than to make life easier for his followers.
Just take a look at some of the hadiths I found in Sahih Muslim below:
References from sunni literature allowing the combination of prayers:
Sahih Muslim Volume 2 Chapter 6 Pages 216 -218, Hadiths 1628-1633:
I wondered, why did Sunni influencers I used to follow not talk about or ever even mention things like this? In fact, some of them even said the exact opposite. I remembered a video where one guy said if your prayer is one minute before or one miniute after the prescribed time it is not valid even if you read a thousand rakats.
Why would people say something like this when even in Sunni literature the opposite is clearly shown?
This increased my curiosity regarding Shia Islam tenfold. Now I had to learn more. It’s one thing for each group to say the other is wrong. That happens in all religous sects. Protestants and Catholics are a great example of this.
But when the very points that Sunni influencers and youtubers object to can be proven from Sunni literature itself, what am I to do?
This is why I am stil exploring Shia Islam and will likely continue for the forseeable future though I am still very much at the beginning of this journey.
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