Shia Islam (Arabic: شيعة‎, Shīʿah) is the second largest denomination of Islam. Adherents of Shia Islam are called Shi'as, Shi'ites, or Shias. "Shia" is the short form of the historic phrase Shīʻatu ʻAlī (شيعة علي), meaning "followers of Ali", "faction of Ali", or "party of Ali".

Like other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is based on the teachings of the Quran and the message of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In contrast to other schools of thought, the Shia believe that only God has the right to choose a representative to safeguard Islam, the Quran and sharia (based upon verses in the Quran which stipulate this according to the Shia). For this reason, the Shias look to Ali, whom they consider divinely appointed, as the rightful successor to Muhammad, and the first imam. The Shia believe that there are numerous narrations where Muhammad selected Ali as his successor.

Shias believe that Muhammad's family, the Ahl al-Bayt ("the People of the House"), and certain individuals among his descendants, who are known as Imams, have special spiritual and political authority over the community. Therefore, Shias prefer hadith attributed to the Ahl al-Bayt and close associates, and have their own separate collection of hadiths. All Shias agree on the succession of Hassan and Hussein after Ali, but they may differ after Hussein. Hassan and Hussein are described by Shias as "leaders of all youths in Paradise", and believe that these sons of Ali were the true leaders and caliphs of the Muslims. Shias regard Ali as the successor of Muhammad not only ruling over the community in justice, but also interpreting Islamic practices and its esoteric meaning. Hence he was regarded as being free from error and sin (infallible), and appointed by God by divine decree (nass) to be the first Imam. Ali is known as "perfect man" (al-insan al-kamil) similar to Muhammad, according to Shia viewpoint.

Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips (born Dennis Bradley Philips on 6 January 1946 in Jamaica) is a contemporary Islamic scholar, teacher, speaker, and author, resident in Qatar. He appears on Peace TV, which is a 24-hour Islamic satellite TV channel broadcasting to many countries around the world.

Philips was born on 6 January 1946 in Jamaica, but grew up in Canada, where he converted to Islam in 1972. He received his B.A. degree from the Islamic University of Medina and his M.A. in Aqeedah (Islamic Theology) from the King Saud University in Riyadh, then to the University of Wales, where he completed a PhD in Islamic Theology in the early 1990s. Philips comes from a family of educators, as both his parents were teachers and his grandfather was a Christian minister and Bible scholar.

In 1994 he founded (and continues to direct) an Islamic Information Center, now known as Discover Islam, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Islamic Online University has been founded by Dr. Bilal Philips as a completely tuition-free institution that is offering an online intensive, undergraduate, and graduate courses in Islamic Studies. The university offers a four year bachelor of arts degree in Islamic studies program.

A-Mei (Chinese: 阿妹; pinyin: Ā Mēi), also known by her birth name Chang Hui-mei (traditional Chinese: 張惠妹; simplified Chinese: 张惠妹; pinyin: Zhāng Huìmèi), is an aboriginal Taiwanese pop singer and occasional songwriter. She is also known by her aboriginal name Gulilai Amit (traditional Chinese: 古歷來·阿蜜特; simplified Chinese: 古历来·阿蜜特). She was born in the rugged mountains of eastern Taiwan and is the third youngest of nine siblings. A-mei made her debut in the world of music in 1996, achieving rapid commercial success. She has been called a diva of the Mandarin pop music scene and the "Pride of Taiwan".^{[citation needed]} She has won numerous music awards and is extremely popular within Mandarin-speaking world.

A-Mei is an ethnic Puyuma. Like most Taiwanese aborigines, she was exposed to tribal music during her childhood. A-mei's mother used to record herself singing, then play back the tape for her daughters to hear. A-mei had always been fascinated by music; she once said that she stuck to the radio and would rush to watch the late night music program introducing English songs when she was a little girl. She also showed great eagerness to perform in public, even forcing her friends to listen to her sing.

Ja'afar Mahmud Adam (February 12, 1960 - April 13, 2007), was a prominent Nigerian Islamic scholar, well known for his good understanding of Qur'an and Hadith.

Ja’afar Mahmud Adam was born on February 12, 1960 in the city of Daura in Katsina State.

In 1984, he was admitted into the Government Teachers’ College, Gwale, now Government Arabic College Gwale Kano, (G.A.C gwale Kano). He graduated in 1988 and in 1989, he secured admission into the Islamic University in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, where he studied for four years and graduated in 1993.

Upon his return from Madinah, Ja’afar set up the Usman Bin Affan Centre which became autonomous in 1995. There, Shaikh Ja'afar taught various classes. He also conducted Tafsir annually in Maiduguri during Ramadhan. He was the head of the Usman Bin Affan Islamic Trust. At various times, he represented Nigeria internationally in Qur'anic recitation competitions. He was a member of the "Ulama Consultative Forum" in Zamfara and Bauchi states. He also presented various Islamic programmes on radio and television stations like Radio Kaduna, Bauchi Radio Corporation, ARTV Kano, DITV Kaduna, NTA Borno, OITV Damaturu, and NTA Yola, among others.