# Shia

/ˈʃiə/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/shia
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 2. a follower

noun · CEFR B2

a person who follows the Shia branch of Islam.

For teachers: an individual adherent of the Shia branch of Islam.

- He is a Shia and visits the local mosque every Friday.
- The community included both Sunnis and Shias who had lived together in the same neighbourhood for generations.

## Examples

- The Shia and Sunni communities live together in many cities.
- Scholars of the Shia tradition emphasize the spiritual authority of the Imams as descendants of the Prophet.
- The historical divergence between the Shia and Sunni branches originated in a dispute over political and religious leadership following the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century.

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