Can you beat them?
Sunni and Shia Islam Quiz
Ten questions on Islam's oldest divide, from how it began and why Karbala still matters to the countries where each branch is strongest today. Every answer comes with a short explanation.
- 10 questions
- About 3 minutes
- Medium
- Includes a map and a photo
About this quiz
The split between Sunni and Shia Muslims is fourteen centuries old, and it still shapes the politics of the Middle East. The quiz starts with how the divide began and what the word Shia means, then follows it through the killing of Hussein at Karbala in 680, Iran's conversion to Shia Islam and the American invasion of Iraq.
It suits anyone who hears the words Sunni and Shia in the news and wants to know how the two branches differ, how big each one is and where their followers live. The hardest questions come at the end, on Twelver Shia belief and on Iraq.
Topics in this quiz
Read up first
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Encyclopedia
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is the senior rank in Shia Islam, earned by scholarly reputation rather than appointment by any central authority.
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Encyclopedia
Kharijites
The Kharijites were an early Islamic faction that split from Caliph Ali in 657 and introduced takfir, the practice of declaring other Muslims unbelievers.
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Encyclopedia
Hadith
A hadith is a report of something the Prophet Muhammad said or did, and hadiths are the main source of detailed Islamic law.
