Assignment Paper

Ali that is regarded as the fourth and last of the “rightly guided caliphs” is the key figure at the origin of the split of Sunny and Shia. The split took place after the death of the Prophet in 632. Shias considered that Ali could be the first caliph as the caliphate had to be passed on to a direct Mohammed descendent. Aisha attacked Ali at the Battle of the Camel in 656 but her forces were defeated. Ali was betrayed and struck down in 661. So, Mu’awiya declared himself caliph, but in 680 after his death the caliphate was usurped by Yazid. Ali’s younger son Hussein led an army against Yazid, but was slaughtered at the Battle of Karbala that resulted in the formation of the hereditary Ummayad dynasty. At that very period the division between the Shia and the Sunni was set. However, in a revolt supported by Shias the entire Ummayad aristocracy was wiped out and the Shia spiritual leader Jafar As-Siddig was expected to become Caliph. Suddenly Al Mansur, Abbas’ son, murdered Jafar and usurped the caliphate. That is how the Baghdad-based Abbassid dynasty was founded and was in power until the Mongol foray in 1258.
Though Shias refused to believe that the last Shia Imam had died, spiritual power passed to the ulema. The Shia Imam is similar in structure to the power of the Catholic Church within Chrisitanity, while Sunni Islam that does not have formal clergy resembles more the myriad independent churches of American Protestantism. Shias glorify Ali and believe in the supreme Imam as a spiritual guide.
Both Sunnis and Shias agree on the core fundamentals of Islam and recognize each others Muslims, however, there remain meaningful differences between these two forms of Islam. They range from theoretical to practical differences in traditions and customs that lead to violent strife between the two schools of thought. Yet, despite the numerous population that are Shias, their relations marked primarily by conflict, still their attitude to each other undergoes persistent changes that progress differently in various countries. Generally, the two groups now appreciate cooperation with most positive developments occurring in Shia dominated Iran.

Works Cited
Amin, Hussein Abdulwaheed. The Origins of the Sunni/Shia split in Islam, 2001. 26 April