WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -After the death of Muhammad in 632, a group of Muslims, who would come to be known as the Sunnis, believed that Muhammad’s successor should be Abu Bakr, whereas a second group of Muslims, who would come to be known as the Shias, believed that his successor should have been Ali.

Detailed explanation-2: -These disagreements over Muhammad’s true successor led to a major split in Islam between what became the Sunni and Shi’a denominations, a division that still holds to this day.

Detailed explanation-3: -Sunni Islam maintains that Abu Bakr was the legitimate successor to Muhammad on the basis of election. Shia Islam holds that Ali ibn Abi Talib was the designated successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Detailed explanation-4: -The original split between Sunnis and Shiites occurred soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, in the year 632. “There was a dispute in the community of Muslims in present-day Saudi Arabia over the question of succession, ‘’ says Augustus Norton, author of Hezbollah: A Short History.

Detailed explanation-5: -What were the main reasons for the split between the Sunni and the Shi’a? The future of Islam was placed in crisis after the death of Muhammad. Sunni’s claimed that following Muhammad’s example was sufficient to be caliph, while Shia’s believed that the successor to Muhammad should be part of his bloodline.

Detailed explanation-6: -Shiites believe that the rightful successor of Muhammad should have been his cousin and son-in-law Ali.