Quora Answer: How are the ‘Alawiyyah Different from the Shi’ah?
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ How are the ‘Alawiyyah different from the Shi’ah? ” The ‘Alawiyyah sect is an offshoot of Twelver Shi’ah Islam. They were once considered ghuluw , an extreme group beyond the fold of Islam; some still consider them out of the fold for various doctrinal reasons. The ‘Alawiyyah are named after Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ). There is some confusion amongst many since there is a separate ‘Alawi sect in Anatolia and the Balkans, known in Turkish as the Alevi , and there is a Sunni Sufi Order known as the ‘Alawiyyah or the Ba ‘Alawiyyah . They are not related to each other. In the early days of the sect, they were known as the Nuswayriyyah , named after Abu Shu’ayb Muhammad ibn Nuswayr, a disciple of Imam Hasan ibn ‘Ali al-Askari ( r.a. ). However, due to the fact the ‘Alawi have traditionally practiced an extreme form of taqiyyah suc...