Origin of Shia Islam

The origin of Shia Islam was Shia response to the question of religious leadership; which became manifest as early as the death of Muhammad. The problem was not only who the successor to Muhammad was, but also what the attributes of a true successor were. To the Sunnis the Caliph is a secular leadership,(who is elected by general agreement, though later on the hereditary principle became the norm) To the Shiite, however, the question of succession is a matter of designation of an individual (Ali) through divine command. In the same way, it is believed that each Imam designates the next Imam by the leave of God. So it makes no difference to the Imam's position whether he is chosen as a Caliph or not.Historians dispute the origin of Shia Islam, with many Western scholars positing that Shiism began as a political faction rather than a truly religious movement. However, other scholars disagree, considering this concept or religious-political separation to be an anachronistic application of a Western concept. Sunnis, on the other hand, often claim that Shiite beliefs only first formed under the scheming of Abdullah ibn Saba'; Sunnis reject that Ali followed any beliefs that were contrary to the rest of the Sahaba.