Shia
pronunciation
How to pronounce Shia in British English:
UK [ˈʃɪə]
How to pronounce Shia in American English:
US
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- Noun:
- one of the two main branches of orthodox Islam; mainly in Iran
Word Origin
- Shia (n.)
- also Shiah, 1620s, a collective name for one of the two great Muslim sects, from Arabic shi'ah "partisans, followers, sect, company, faction" (from sha'a "to follow"). This is the proper use, but it commonly is used in English to mean "a Shiite." In Arabic, shi'ah is the name of the sect, shiya'iy is a member of the sect. The branch of Islam that recognizes Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law, as the lawful successor of the Prophet; the minority who believed, after the death of the Prophet, that spiritual and political authority followed his family line, as opposed to the Sunni, who took Abu Bakr as the political leader of the community. The Arabic name is short for Shi'at Ali "the party of Ali."
Example
- 1. Senior shia clergy have deplored his hardening line .
- 2. Within 5 minutes of the film starting , leading actor shia labeouf appears wearing a meters / bonwe mtee t-shirt .
- 3. Two days after that , another 40 people died in a series of bomb attacks , mainly in shia districts , also in baghdad .
- 4. But shia discomfort is growing .
- 5. Ill feeling between sunni and shia is growing across the gulf .