Shia Islam

Type: Concept

As of November 2026, Shia Islam has been mentioned in one podcast episode on The Rest Is History (Jan 2026). In the episode "The Iranian Revolution: The Fall of the Shah" on The Rest Is History, Tom Holland discusses how Shia Islam is central to understanding the ideological foundations of the Iranian Revolution. He emphasizes that Iran uniquely adopted Shia Islam as its state religion, highlighting its significance in the context of the revolution and the clergy's role.

Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It is rooted in the belief that the Islamic prophet Muhammad explicitly designated his cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib as his rightful political successor (caliph) and the divinely guided spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). Shia Muslims maintain that Ali's divine right to leadership was unjustly usurped at the meeting of Saqifa, where certain companions of Muhammad apparently acted against the Prophet's mandate to appoint Abu