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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Political Dimension of Religion in Shiism Shiism, the Historical Moment of Division ============================================ The term Shiism has appeared making reference to Imam Ali's followers, the first ruler of Prophet's house and the one who first embraced the Islamic religion. He was assured after Mohamed's death he would be called his successor and heir.

The supreme proof for the shiits that Ali was the legitimate successor of the Prophet was the Ghadir Kuhumn event, when Mohamed assigned Ali as the major protector (walayat-immah). After the Prophet's death, Ali's partisans believed the caliphate and the religious authority (marjaya-ilmi) belonged to him. Instead, the Prophet's close friends didn't appoint Imam Ali their caliph, situation which led to division and the forming inside Islam of the "Ali's partisans - the shiah" minority.

This minority was first condemned due to the political circumstances of the moment. The fist appointed Caliph, Abu Bakr, also called "the imam of God" (khalifat al-rasul), has designated Omar as his successor in 634, to whose succession followed Othman who was killed in 644. The new caliph of Medina was appointed Imam Ali, circumstance which marked the short ascension of the shiits.

Due to the divergences with Muavie, the governor of Syria, there took place many military confronts which finally determined some of Ali's adepts to leave him (the kharigits). In 661, at Kuffa, one kharigit assassinated Ali, moment which coincided with Muavie's appointment as the new caliph of Medina and which marked the beginning of the dark period of Shiism.

The differences between Shiits and Sunnis don't lie in principles but in spirit "Shiism has doubts in accepting the idea of majority and pursues the ethic superiority of an active minority or the rational defense of oppressors". This idea was expressed, in 683, in the fundament of revolt of Imam Hossein and the other 72 allies of his, revolt which ended with his martyrdom at Kerballah.

The doctrinaire essence of Shiism could be summarized in the expression "Great Hope", which consists in the final victory over oppression and oppressors, through the appearance of the divinized Imam, (mahdaviat).