shia
part of speech
noun (Shia; a Shia, Shias); adjective (Shia); also spelled Shi'a, Shiite
meaning for a pupil
1) (religion) Shia is one of the two main branches of Islam; the other, larger one is Sunni. tree →
2) A Shia (or Shia Muslim) is a person who belongs to this branch. tree →
sense in the lessons
Religious education: Shia Muslims believe that, after the Prophet Muhammad, the leader of Muslims should have been his cousin and son-in-law Ali and his descendants; Sunni Muslims followed other leaders chosen by the community. Both share the Qur'an and the main practices of Islam. Most people in Iran and Iraq are Shia. In the news, Shia and Sunni groups are sometimes mentioned in conflicts; people of both branches mostly live peacefully side by side.
examples
- Shia and Sunni Muslims both pray and fast in Ramadan. tree →
- Most people in Iran are Shia. tree →
- Our RE lesson compared Shia and Sunni Islam. tree →
- Shia Muslims remember the death of Husayn, Ali's son, at Ashura. tree →
- A Shia mosque was opened in the city. tree →
- The word Shia comes from Arabic for «the party of Ali». tree →
note
Always a capital S. Said «SHEE-uh». Other spellings: Shi'a, Shi'ite or Shiite (the person). Be respectful: it is a faith group, not an insult. Not to be confused with the English word «she» or «shea» (shea butter, from a tree).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «shia» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.