Shiah

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Shi·a

or Shi·ah also Shi·'a (shē′ə)Islam

1. (Used with a pl. verb) The Shiites.

2. (used with a sing. verb) A Shiite.

adj.

Shiite.

[Arabic šī'a, following, sect, from šā'a, to spread, become known; see śyʕ in Semitic roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Shiah

(ˈʃiːə) or

Shia

1. (Islam) one of the two main branches of Islam (the other being the Sunni), making up a tenth or more of the entire Muslim population, and forming the majority in Iran and Iraq, which regards Mohammed's cousin Ali and his successors as the true imams

2. (Islam) another name for Shiite

adj

(Islam) designating or characteristic of this sect or its beliefs and practices

[C17: from Arabic shī'ah sect, from shā'a to follow]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Shi•'ah

or Shi•'a

(ˈʃi ə)

n.

1. (used with a pl. v.) the Shi‘ites.

2. (used with a sing. v.) Shi‘ite.

[1620–30; < Arabic shī‘ah literally, sect]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

Shiah - one of the two main branches of orthodox Islam; mainly in Iran

Shia, Shiah Islam

Islam, Muslimism - the civilization of Muslims collectively which is governed by the Muslim religion; "Islam is predominant in northern Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, and Indonesia"

religious order, religious sect, sect - a subdivision of a larger religious group

Shia Muslim, Shiite, Shi'ite, Shiite Muslim, Shi'ite Muslim - a member of the branch of Islam that regards Ali as the legitimate successor to Mohammed and rejects the first three caliphs

References in periodicals archive ?

The man who says 'I don't have to be taught how to learn' is proud and ignorant.' Sufi Syncretism - Folklorist Sufis follow all of the orthodox practices of Sunni or Shi'ah Islam.

Sufism Peace and Harmony Promoting

So this year I decided to go to the Manama souq with a friend, Angela, to witness first-hand the Shi'ah Islamic traditions and would like to thank Abbas Ebrahim for being our tour guide.

Letters

1420 AH/1999) was an authority on all aspects of the Shi'ah intellectual tradition and one of the few such authorities to have acquired the highest philosophical credential from a Western university and written works of great insight in the light of his twin intellectual attainments.

Universal Science: An Introduction to Islamic Metaphysics

Classical Qur'anic interpreters and commentators, in their vast majority, both Sunni and Shi'ah, stated the prohibition of interfaith marriage for Muslim women, while recognizing interfaith marriage for Muslim men.

Interfaith marriage for Muslim women: this day are things good and pure made lawful unto you

Unrest builds over withdrawn subsidies, homegrown Sunni extremists, and an unhappy Shi'ah minority.

Rebalancing offshore balancing

(3) From this point of view, the annual ceremonies for the birth of Prophet Muhammad by the Sunni faction of Islam, the sacredness of the imams in the Shi'ah division of Islam, the use of music by the Sufi Muslims and many other practices by non-Wahhabi sections of the religion are acts of heresy.

How jihadists think and act: Karim Pourhamzavi discusses Wahhabism as an ideology and tactic in the mid-18th century and present-day Syria and Iraq

Fortunately, the adherence of Turkey's sultans to the Sunni creed, and Persia's shahs to the Shi'ah creed of Islam, brought about wars between the two states.

Georgia; The Land Below the Caucasus -- A Narrative History

A leader of the Shi'ah Amal Party -- a charitable institution created by one of the country's genuine patriots, the Imam Mousa Sadr, before it became a militia and a political party -- Berri used his perch to impose special rules, which were summarised with his quest for consensus long before any debates occurred.

Lebanon parliament term likely to be extended

Also, most of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, except Shi'ah, endorse the doctrines of tafwid-al-talq and taliq-al-talaq.

Gender Equality: Human Rights versus Islam

I got an email the other day from a brain damaged vet of the Gulf War who was asking me about Samarra, Surra Man Ra'a, a spiritual city in Shi'ah Islamic Iraq, a culture I'm totally unfamiliar with.

Allison Hedge Coke interview

Last year, Sudan closed down the daily newspaper Ra'y Al-Sha'b and sentenced its journalist Abu Zar al-Amin to five years in prison for publishing a report alleging that members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards had setup a weapon factory in Khartoum to supply arms to Somali insurgents and Shi'ah rebels in Yemen.