Just who are the Shia? To understand Shia Islam you must understand the “people of the house”. As described below- the “people of the house” as well as the place where Ali was buried are held in high regard. Pilgrimages are made to Karbala Iraq and the place where Ali is buried revered as seen in this video.

Shia Islam (Arabic: شيعة Shi‘ah, sometimes spelled Shi’a), is the second largest denomination of Islam, after Sunni Islam. The followers of Shia Islam are called Shi’as or Shi’ites.

Similar to other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is based on the teachings of the Islamic holy book, the Qur’an and the message of the final prophet of Islam, Muhammad. In contrast to other schools of thought, Shia Islam holds that Muhammad’s family, the Ahl al-Bayt (”the People of the House”), and certain individuals among his descendants, who are known as Imams, have special spiritual and political rule over the community. Shia Muslims further believe that Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, was the first of these Imams and was the rightful successor to Muhammad and thus reject the legitimacy of the first three Rashidun caliphs.

Shi’ites have come to account for roughly one-tenth of the Muslim population worldwide. The largest Shi’ite sect in the early 21st century is the Ithna Ashariyyah; they constitute the majority of the population in Iran, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and Iraq. Countries with a significant minority of Shia are Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Mauritius, Oman and Yemen.

The Shia Islamic faith is vast and inclusive of many different groups. There are various Shia theological beliefs, schools of jurisprudence, philosophical beliefs, and spiritual movements. Shi’a Islam embodies a completely independent system of religious interpretation and political authority in the Muslim world. The Shi’a identity emerged during the lifetime of Muhammad, and Shia theology was formulated in the second century. The first Shi’a governments and societies were established by the end of the third century (after Hijra).

Shi’a Islam is divided into three branches. The largest are the Twelver (اثنا عشرية iṯnāʿašariyya), named after their adherence to the Twelve Imams. They form a majority of the population in Iran, Azerbaijan, Bahrain and Iraq. Additionally they are a significant minority in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, India, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The term Shi’a often refers to Twelver Shi’a only. Other smaller branches include the Ismaili and Zaidi, who dispute the Twelver lineage of Imams and beliefs.

Check out this info on Ashura!