Laurent Kretz

My understanding of the Shi’a and Sunni schism inside the Islamic religion has always been approximative, a gathering of the information I collected watching and reading the news.

As you probably know, the two main Islam divisions, Shi’a and Sunni, have been fighting each other violently in Irak since 2003. But there have also been tensions here and there over the last 1,500 years.

For the Muslims, Muhammad is the last and greatest prophet. He received teachings and revelations from God, and those revelations are known as the Qu’ran. He preached in Mecca, and then in Medina due to persecutions, and started increasing the number of his followers. He established a political and religious authority, won the Battle of Badr in 624, allied with Jewish and Christian tribes, than forced the Jewish communities to exile (or death), then reconquered Mecca. At his death, in 632, Muhammad controlled the Arabian peninsula, i.e. more or less Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the Emirates.

At his death of illness, Muhammad didn’t leave instructions regarding his succession: important questions were raised regarding the future of his religious, political and ruling authorities. Who would rule the land ? Who would lead the faith ? Here lies the sources of the schism, or division, between the Sunni and the Shi’a.

For the Sunni, Muhammad recommended that the people choose, or elect, their leader. Yet during his time, Muhammad had made one of his fathers-in-law, Abu Bakr, a close friend and confident. Abu Bakr sometimes even replaced Muhammad during the preaches. Muhammad followers, and later on Sunni Muslims, then decided that Abu Bakr should be their leader.

The Shi’a believe that the only potential leader will be chosen by God himself. They also claim that Muhammad gave instructions regarding his successor, and that he designated Ali, his cousin and son-in-law. At the time of Muhammad’s death, they interpret specific Hadiths, oral traditions narrating the prophet’s life, as indications of Muhammad choice for Ali.

This is the 1995 distribution of Sunni and Shi’a Muslims in the world. As you can see, Iran is the world center of Shi’a Islam.

Technorati Tags: islam, shi’a, shiite, sunni, muhammad, islamic schism

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