The story of Islams division between Sunni and Shia started with the Prophet Mohammeds death in 632. There was a power struggle over who would succeed him in ruling the Islamic Caliphate, with most Muslims wanting to elect the next leader but some arguing that power should go by divine birthright to Mohammeds son-in-law, Ali. That pro-Ali faction was known as the Partisans of Ali, or Shiatu Ali in Arabic, hence Shia. Alis eventual ascension to the throne sparked a civil war, which he and his partisans lost. The Shia held on to the idea that Ali was the rightful successor, and grew into an entirely separate branch of Islam. Today about 10 to 15 percent of Muslims worldwide are Shia
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 23:22:17 +0000
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