- published: 02 Jul 2014
- views: 1338170
Shia (/ˈʃiːə/; Arabic: شيعة Shīʿah), an abbreviation of Shīʻatu ʻAlī (شيعة علي, "followers of Ali"), is a branch of Islam which holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad's proper successor as Caliph was his son-in-law and cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib. Shia Islam primarily contrasts with Sunni Islam, whose adherents believe that Muhammad's father-in-law Abu Bakr was his proper successor.
Adherents of Shia Islam are called Shias or the Shi'a as a collective or Shi'i individually. Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam: in 2009, Shia Muslims constituted 10–13% of the world's Muslim population.Twelver Shia (Ithnā'ashariyyah) is the largest branch of Shia Islam. In 2012 it was estimated that perhaps 85 percent of Shias were Twelvers.
Shia Islam is based on the Quran and the message of the Islamic prophet Muhammad attested in hadith recorded by the Shia, and certain books deemed sacred to the Shia (Nahj al-Balagha). Shia consider Ali to have been divinely appointed as the successor to Muhammad, and as the first Imam. The Shia also extend this "Imami" doctrine to Muhammad's family, the Ahl al-Bayt ("the People of the House"), and certain individuals among his descendants, known as Imams, who they believe possess special spiritual and political authority over the community, infallibility, and other divinely-ordained traits. Although there are myriad Shia subsects, modern Shia Islam has been divided into three main groupings: Twelvers, Ismailis and Zaidis, with Twelver Shia being the largest and most influential group among Shia.
Oh, the fire's burning slow
Now, where's that mistletoe
Dear, it's getting kind of hot in here
I need a taste of Christmas cheer
I hope he gets here quick, I need a St. Nick fix
Oooo-eee, I just want him to be all wrapped up for me
Santa's never been this hard to resist
But Santa never used to look like this
He's traded in his reindeer for a limousine
He's wearing purple trousers instead of red and green
This Christmas, I'm wanting something I've never had
'Cause Santa's got a brand new bag (oh, oh)
Now, I've got to, got to find out how
To make him want to settle down
I've got his big fat kiss
Right at the top of my list
So we can build a little candy home
And have a few elves of our own
I want to sneak a peek at my surprise
And see tradition metamorphosize
He's given up the cookies and he's slimming down
He bought a little bungalow in Tinsel Town
This Christmas, I'm wanting something I've never had
'Cause Santa's got a brand new bag (oh yeah)
As he finds his Zen down on the kitchen floor
He lights a fat Cohiba from his humidor
This Christmas, I want something I've never had
'Cause Santa's got a brand new bag
He's got a Rickenbacher and he's bleached his hair
He's rockin' to the rhythm with a Latin flair
This Christmas, I'm wanting something I've never had
'Cause Santa's got a brand new
He's reading Socrates and cooking French cuisine
He's pictured on the front of "Money" magazine
This Christmas, I'm wanting something I've never had
'Cause Santa's got a brand new