The difference between Sunni and Shia Ramadan- Generally speaking, no. Muslims who are Sunni or Shia both fast throughout Ramadan. There are, however, a few small distinctions. For instance, Sunnis break their daily fast at sunset, when the sun is no longer visible on the horizon (but there is still light in the sky), whereas Shia waits until the sky is completely dark and the redness of the setting sun has completely disappeared.
In addition, Shia observes a different holiday during Ramadan than Sunnis do. Shia Muslims remember Ali ibn Abi Talib’s martyrdom for three days, on the 19th, 20th, and 21st days of Ramadan. Ali was the Prophet Mohammed’s cousin and son-in-law, and he served as both the acclaimed fourth caliph of Sunni Islam and the first “valid” imam (leader) of Shia Islam.
Ali was murdered during the bloody civil conflicts that broke out after Mohammed’s passing about who should take charge of the Muslim society. While Ali was attending prayer on the 19th day of Ramadan in a mosque in Kufa, Iraq, an assassin from a band of rebels who disapproved of his leadership fatally stabbed him with a poisoned sword. Two days later, Ali perished.
In Shia Islam, Ali is a crucial person. Millions of Shia Muslims visit his tomb in adjacent Najaf, Iraq, which is the third holiest place in Shia Islam. Although Sunnis revere Ali as one of the four “rightly guided” caliphs who ruled after Mohammed’s death, they do not commemorate his death or make a pilgrimage to his tomb.
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