Islam Sunni and Shi’a

Life After Muhammad Muhammad dies in 632 Had a daughter (Fatima) but no male heirs Muhammad is the only prophet—no one to continue his work Chaos breaks out in parts of Arabia Some tribes abandon Islam Others refused to pay taxes A few individuals claimed to be prophets Muslims leaders elect a caliph, or successor

Early Caliphs 632-634 Abu-Bakr Oldest friend of Muhammad, first caliph Used military force to control Arabia 634-644 Umar Conquered Syria and part of Egypt Also took lands from the east, formerly Persian territory 644-656 Uthman Continued expansion to east and west Murdered, and a civil war ensued 656-661 Ali Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law Assassinated in 661

Umayyad Caliphate With Ali’s death, Umayyad clan set up hereditary caliphate Capital moved to Damascus (Syria) Umayyad caliphate more involved with wealth and material goods Created backlash from some Muslims Felt Damascus too far away from Arab lands Concerned of a disconnect from spiritual teachings

Enter: Shi’a Shi’a a minority group that resisted Umayyads’ rule Name comes from the “party of Ali” Believed caliph was required to be a relative of Muhammad

Enter: Sunni Accepted the rule of the Umayyads Name means following Muhammad’s example Some concern amongst early Sunni of the Umayyad caliphate’s focus on worldly things

Shi’a and Sunni About 10-15% of Muslim population today Believe in strict interpretation of shari’a—conservative See themselves as original Muslims Imams (religious leaders) have spiritual and political authority Follow Five Pillars See Sunnis as Muslims About 85-90% of Muslim population today Follow a looser interpretation of shari’a Believe caliph position is based on merit Separate church and state Follow Five Pillars See Shi’a as Muslims

Sunni & Shi’a Distribution Today