Islam in Iraq

Islam in Iraq

Part of a series on

Islam by country

This box: view · talk · edit

The history of Islam in Iraq goes back almost 1,400 years to the lifetime of Muhammad (died 632).

Islam in Iraq

Iraq's Muslims follow two distinct traditions, Shia and Sunni Islam. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Iraq is 97% Muslim: 65% Shi'a, 35% Sunni. Iraq is home to many religious sites important for both Shia and Sunni Muslims. Baghdad was a hub of Islamic learning and scholarship for centuries and served as the capital of the Abassids. The city of Karbala has substantial prominence in Shia Islam as a result of the Battle of Karbala, fought on the site of the modern city on October 10, 680. Similarly, Najaf is renowned as the site of the tomb of Alī ibn Abī Tālib (also known as "Imām Alī"), whom the Shia consider to be the righteous caliph and first imām. The city is now a great center of pilgrimage from throughout the Shi'a Islamic world and it is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. The city of Kufa was home to the famed scholar, Abu Hanifah whose school of thought is followed by a sizable number of Sunni Muslims across the globe. Likewise, Samarra is also home to the al-Askari Mosque, containing the mausoleums of the Ali al-Hadi and Hasan al-Askari, the tenth and eleventh Shia Imams, respectively, as well as the shrine of Muhammad al-Mahdi, known as the "Hidden Imam", who is the twelfth and final Imam of the Shia of the Ja'farī Madhhab. This has made it an important pilgrimage centre for Ja'farī Shia Muslims. In addition, some female relatives of the Prophet Mohammad are buried in Samarra, making the city one of the most significant sites of worship for Shia and a venerated location for Sunni Muslims.

Smaller sects of Islam exist in the country, such as the small Shaykhist community concentrated in Basra and Karbala. The Muslim population of Iraq is approximately 60-65 percent Arab Shi'a, 15-20 percent Arab Sunni and 17 percent Kurdish.[1] Iraqi Kurds are mostly Sunni, with about 10% being Shi'a Faili Kurds. Most Kurds are located in the northern areas of the country, with most following the Shafi school of Islamic law and being members of either the Qadiri or the Naqshbandi Sufi tariqah.

Shi'a Islam

Notes

  1. ^ John Esposito, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, Oxford University Press 2003

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Iraq — /i rak , i rahk /, n. a republic in SW Asia, N of Saudi Arabia and W of Iran, centering in the Tigris Euphrates basin of Mesopotamia. 22,219,289; 172,000 sq. mi. (445,480 sq. km). Cap.: Baghdad. Also, Irak. * * * Iraq Introduction Iraq Background …   Universalium

  • Iraq — For other uses, see Iraq (disambiguation). Republic of Iraq جمهورية العراق (Arabic) …   Wikipedia

  • ISLAM - Expansion de l’Islam — Le phénomène de l’expansion de la religion musulmane est l’un des faits marquants et constants de l’histoire du monde depuis le premier tiers du VIIe siècle; l’aspect religieux s’est généralement doublé d’un aspect politique, offensif et… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • IRAQ — IRAQ, country in S.W. Asia (for period prior to 634 C.E. see mesopotamia and babylonia ). The Diaspora of Iraq was one of the most ancient of the Jewish people. The Jews came to Babylon after the destruction of the First Temple (586 B.C.E.), or… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Islam in Syria — is composed of a Sunni majority and four minority sects; Twelver Shiites, and also Druze (which is not an Islamic sect), Alawi and Ismailis. Sunnis make up 65% 70% of the total population of the country (including a majority of Arabs and a… …   Wikipedia

  • Islam in Pakistan — Category History Islamic conquest · Arab settlement Islamic rule · …   Wikipedia

  • Islam in London — Islam is London s largest and most significant minority religion. There are an estimated 1.3 million Muslims in the Greater London area, most concentrated in the East London boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. HistoryThe first… …   Wikipedia

  • Iraq — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda جمهورية العراق Yumhūriyyat al ‘Irāq كۆماری عێراق Komara Îraqê República de Iraq …   Wikipedia Español

  • ISLAM - La religion — Mouvement politico religieux, l’islam est tout entier édifié sur un livre sacré, le Coran, livre qui revêt pour lui une importance extrême. Source de son dogme et de sa prière, base de toute sa liturgie, code juridique, autorité suprême à… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Islam in Europe — Islam in Europe[1]   <1% (Armenia, Belarus, Czech R …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”