The Shia/Sunni Schism: The Beginning

 When the Prophet Muhammad died in 632 CE, there

was a meeting held in Medina to decide who his
successor to lead the religion should be.

 There were two camps:

 Shia (Shiite):
They said it must stay in the family! This meant Ali –
Muhammad’s son-in-law and the father of his only grandsons

 Sunni
They said it should be elected by Muslim leaders through a
Shura, or meeting. They pushed for a man named Abu Bakr.
 The Shia Sunni Schism: The Beginning

 The Sunnis prevailed and Abu Bakr won

and became known as the First Caliph, or
Muslim leader.

 He expanded the Muslim empire through

military might, but the Shias remained
unhappy.

 He died two years later, but the next two

Caliphs were also Sunni choices through
shuras. Throughout this time, the Sunnis
and Shias regularly fought about the issue
of succession and who the true leader was.
 Potential Reconciliation…

 The fourth Caliph chosen at a shura was finally

Ali (remember Muhammad’s son-in-law).

 It seemed as if reconciliation was in sight, but

then a group of Sunnis called the Umayyads
challenge Ali, which brings the Muslim
community into a civil war.

 In 661 CE Ali is killed while trying to netotiate a

truce by one of his own supporters who doesn’t
agree; the two groups never get close to
reconciliation again.
 The Shia Path

• After the schism (breaking apart), the Shia went out on their
own and began following Imams (or those who are related to
the Prophet Muhammad).

• They believe Ali and his descendents (or Imams) have the
same kind of special relationship with God that Muhammad
had

• Most Shia believe that the last/current Imam is Muhammad

al-Mahdi, the twelfth Imam, who is in occultation. This
means God hid him in 874 CE and he is waiting until the end
of the world (and that Shia Islam has no central leader)
 The Sunni Path
• For the next 1200 years that Sunnis continued to choose
Caliphs (0r leaders) through shuras.
• In 1924, the office of Caliph was abolished by the Kemal
Ataturk of Turkey (more on that later), which means
Sunni Islam has no central leader either!
• One of ISIS’s stated goals is to reinstate a Caliph.
Distribution of Sects
 The Schism and Conflicts Today:

 85% Sunni (the most populace Muslim majority

 This divide plays a role in conflicts involving…
• Iraq
• Afghanistan
• Yemen
• Syria
• ISIS