Islamic schools and branches

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/islamic-schools-and-branches

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary sectarian division?Sunni and Shia, stemming from a 7th-century dispute over leadership succession
2. What is the sufi orders (tariqas)?Numerous organized mystical paths within Islam, transcending Sunni-Shia divisions
3. What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam?Sunni Muslims choose leaders by agreement and follow the Prophet's practices, while Shia Muslims believe leaders should come from the Prophet's family, especially Ali.
4. Why are there four Sunni schools of law?Four Sunni schools of law—Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali—developed different ways to read the Quran and Sunnah, but all stay within the Sunni tradition.

Ahl al-Bayt: The household of Prophet Muhammad, considered by Shia Muslims to be the rightful inheritors of spiritual authority.
Dhikr: The remembrance of God, a central practice in Sufism involving chanting, meditation, and recitation.
Occultation (Ghaybah): The state of being hidden or absent, particularly referring to the Twelver Shia belief in the hidden Imam.