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Brief Background on Shí’a Islam
The region where the story of the Dawn-Breakers unfolds and virtually all its early protagonists were from the branch of Islam known as Shī’ī. Shī’ī is pronounced Shee-ah, and often written simply as Shí’a. We will use this spelling from now onwards. The word Shíite means belonging/related to the Shí’a. To understand the Dawn-Breakers setting, we must understand some basics about Islam, and particularly the Shí’a.
In the 1800s the Middle East was ruled by two empires: the Ottoman Empire ruled by the Caliphate and the Persian Empire ruled by the Qájár kings. Both were Islamic, but the Caliphate was the Sunní branch of Islam, and the Persian empire was Shí’a Islam.
Two main branches of Islam: Shí’a and Sunní
The Sunní and Shí’a are the two main branches in Islam, and they often bitterly oppose each other. Their main issue is the matter of succession to the Prophet Muhammad, and what followed as consequences of that. The issue of succession to the Prophet is not just about the authority to rule but also the nature of the role of the successor. The Shí’a believe that the right of spiritual leadership belongs to the Imáms, while political leadership can be from the ummá (the people). Ideally both spiritual and political leadership are in the Imám, but they can be separated. Importantly, for the Shí’a, it is not just a matter of succession. They believe that the Imám’s are the vicegerents [meaning representatives] of God on earth and endowed with all perfections and spiritual gifts. Their word and writings are second only to the Holy Qur’án. Every believer must turn to them and follow them. The world always needs an Imám for its guidance. For the Sunní, they don’t believe this to be the case. Whoever is selected from the umma is the authority (the Caliph), and the spiritual guidance is provided by the ulamá (the religiously learned).
[Note: The word Imám is used nowadays by the Sunní to refer to a senior mullá who heads the congregation and not with the specific qualities as a representative of God or line of successorship to the Prophet].
The Shí’a and Sunní’s have over the centuries developed differences in ways of practicing Islam. And there are many sects in both. We find a parallel in Christianity