Islamic Divisions Death of the Prophet Muhammad died suddenly, he had no male heirs and had not chosen

a successor. Muhammads political achievements were in many ways miraculous, namely the unification of the Arabian peninsula, A region fought over for centuries by the greatest powers in the world for centuries was united by an illiterate orphan. The tribal mindset was not gone at the time of his passing. And what would be the main schism started soon after he died. Muhammad had a large circle of trusted friends. During a stop just before his death, he had taken the time to point to his cousin and son-in-law Ali as a the executor of his will, and a person deserving of respect and power. He did not explicitly state that Ali should be the caliph (the man who would be the non-prophetic leader of the religion). Those who wanted to follow Ali thought that this was the closest to direct succession and that the line should be resumed under him. Muhammads words were vague enough for most to think that the caliph should be chosen on a case by case basis. They had the added theological weight of shura, a concept repeated in the Koran that people should be able to choose their leaders. These people, of a more democratic mindset, threw their support behind a different man Abu Bakr, Muhammads father-inlaw, who had also been very close to him. This was the begging of a major split in Islam, the Shiite and the Sunni. But as it spread carried both through war and culture they would come into greater conflict. (HNN Staff 1) Despite his initial attempts to keep Islam together, the one person who holds the most responsibility for Islam falling apart is Ali. His decisions as Caliph, and how he reacted to criticism.

Abu Bakr Abu Bakr was thus elected to lead, Ali decided to preserve unity and submitted to his rule. It took two more caliphs before the mantle was passed to Ali after the killing of the third Caliph. When he did gain power, Abus daughter, and Muhammads wife, Aisha claimed that Abu was not doing enough to find the murderers. She launched an attack against Ali called the Battle of Camel. She was defeated, apologized, and was escorted peacefully back to Medina. But the divisions were clear. By this time Syria had adopted Islam. The governor of Damascus, named Muawiya was related to Uhman (the previous caliph) and agreed with Aisha, there was another battle. It was resolved; however, another radical sect displeased with this outcome claiming that the only Allah could make such decisions. They rose up and killed Ali. Muaiwiya assumed control, but the Shia picked their own. The last conflict important in the formation of the two groups occurred when Alis son and the Shia caliph, Hussein, was killed by the Sunni leader, Yazid. Any hope of reconciliation was now gone. A new tradition of martyrdom was instilled shia Islam, a tradition carried on proudly by some today.

Spread of Islam Under each of the first four caliphs the domain of Islam expanded. Once isolated to the Arabian Peninsula, it diffused across the coast of northern Africa and into Spain. Nevertheless Shia discount the first three caliphs following a separate line of his descendants. There are smaller fractures in both groups, in addition to a few distinct branches such as Americas Nation of Islam, but this major division is based on the line of succession. Then as now, the majority of Muslims are Sunni with as much as 90% of the total. Islam spread rapidly under the first Caliphs following Muhammads death. 652-790. It was Soon after this period of growth that it would split apart.

Going Forward On most theological issues, there are no disagreements. But over a thousand years, differences are brought out. In addition to the Qur'an, Muhammad had a list of sayings called the Hadith, and a long list of his behavior called the Sunnah. He did not write these down, indeed saying that the Quaran should be the only record left of him. Nevertheless, these were compiled with contributions from all of those who came into contact with Muhammad. The Sunni believing that any given person (assuming that person is a man) could lead spiritually believe all are equally valid. The Shia have a preference for those that came from Muhammads close family. A different interpretation of what amounts to scripture and their different leaders have led to some seemingly insignificant but distinct practices. Shia and Sunni Muslims forced to live together for a long time. Much of the time they have been peaceful, on occasion, they kill each other. In the year 750, a new dynasty took over the Sunni Caliphate. What followed was mass killings and other atrocities forcing Shia to leave or go underground. Some left to Iran where they eventually became politically powerful. With the ascension of Ismail I, Islam became the official religion of Persia. Most people were still Sunni, a bad choice at the time. Ismail enforced his religious beliefs violently, and the wayward souls were brought into line. This created a tension between nations. The Shia Iran and the Sunni leadership of most other countries, particularly the Ottomans. As Islam spread into Asia, it did so largely by sufis, a mystical side of Islam seeking a direct connection with Allah. Sufis can be Sunni or Shia but the more open nature makes it easier for Sunnis to follow this less theologically strict path. In Asia, Shia were persecuted a direct and bloody conflict continued into the 20th century. Shown here are Sufis dancing. Their personal approach to religion, and gaining a connection with god proved popular as Arabs spread across the world. Shia Sufis are much more common.

Recent Clashes

Recently, the conflict has been especially deadly, in the 1970s as the Middle East realized the power that comes with oil production, they also realized the need to assert control over it. The overthrow of the Shah and some other smaller events brought out a new wave of Back to basics Islamic thought in what is called the Islamic revival. New ministers fired up to reclaim traditional religion called out the differences and roused up greater militancy. In particular, Khomeini, while in favor of overall unity, called out Saudi Arabia as corrupt. This unexpected attack had a huge impact on relations between the two groups. Sunnis were put on the defensive. And it provided some of the justification for things like the Iran-Iraq war. Around the world, as Europe gave up its colonies, the power vacuum brought out violent conflicts in practically all of the Islamic world. The two groups have been able to coexist peacefully in the past; this will not be the case for a long time. A history in which both sides have been persecuted has made it difficult for them to see eye to eye, at present in few cases do the two even pray in the same mosque. The Shia in particular, have felt that they are under constant assault. In many ways this is true. As such, they revere their martyrs, and that mode of thought makes for effective terrorists. Just as they have slightly different forms of worship accomplishing the same thing, they have different forms of the same terrorism. The high casualty bombings are largely to domain of the Shia who enjoy much more official support. There is a long ways to go before peace can be reached within Islamic world, and even longer before there will be peace with the rest of the world. Here is a Shia ralley. They tend to have greater official support and engage in more vicious tactics. (McNeal 1)

Works Cited "Comparison Chart of Sunni and Shia Islam - ReligionFacts." Religion, World Religions, Comparative Religion - Just the facts on the world's religions.. Religion Facts, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. <http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islamic_sects.htm>. Gregory, McNeal. "Shia and Shiite Terrorism - Difference That matter."Combating Terrorism Center. West Point, n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <gsmcneal.com/wp-c ontent/uploads/2008/12/sunni-and-shia-terrorism-differences-that-matter.pdf> HNN Staff. "History News Network."History News Network. George Mason University, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. <http://hnn.us/articles/934.html>. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_f2nWluGLrPE/SwRXfksdgtI/AAAAAAAAAA8/EW3VGF nGU/s1600/Expansion+of+Islam.jpg http://www.badassoftheweek.com/badass-ali.jpg http://veryethnic.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/whirlingdervishesegypt.jpeg http://chitraltoday.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/shia-rally.jpg