Download Muhammad died in 632. There was a debate among Muslims over

Muhammad died in 632. There was a debate
among Muslims over who should succeed
him as the leader of Islam. The Muslim
community was divided.
The majority thought that Abu Bakr should
succeed Muhammad and he was chosen a
the first caliph.
He reigned from 632-634 AD.
Caliph = A person considered to be a
religious and political successor to the
Prophet Muhammad.
The 4th caliph was Ali and he reigned from
656-661 AD.
A minority group of Muslims (now known as
Shi’a Muslims) disagreed with the previous
three caliphs and believed Ali was always the
rightful successor of Muhammad. They
believed this because:


He was one of the first converts
He had married Muhammad’s daughter

When Ali died in 661 AD Muslims were
again divided as to who should be his successor. Shi’a Muslims thought that Ali’s son
should be the successor. This is because
they believed that the next Imam has to be
a descendent of Muhammad and chosen by
God. When an imam dies they should select
the next imam before they die.
They believed he was the successor
Muhammad wanted
Ali became Shi’as first Imam (in Shi’a this is
the title given to Ali and his successors).
However, Ali’s claims to be a leader were
ignored by many Muslims.
Following Ali, most Shi’a Muslims believe
there have been 12 Imams in total.
The last of the Imams, Muhammad alMahdi, they believe has been kept alive by
God and hidden somewhere on earth and
will return one day to bring justice and
equality.
After the death of Abu Bakr, 3 more caliphs
were appointed (Umar, Uthman and Ali). In
total, these 4 caliphs led the Muslim
community for 24 years. They did not make
the laws but enforced them once the
community had considered the views of
scholars who had studied the Qur’an and the
Sunnah (Muhammad’s teachings and actions).
The result of these divisions over who should be
the successor of Muhammad resulted in a split
in Islam:

Sunni Muslims (approx. 90% of Muslims)
who believe in the successorship of Abu
Bakh, Umar, Uthman and Ali.

Shi’a Muslims (approx. 10% of Muslims)
who believe in the successorship of Ali. Today, they have their own interpretations of
Islamic laws and only accept sayings of Muhammad that have been passed down
through Ali and his followers.
However, the two groups also hold many beliefs
in common such as belief in God, the
prophethood of Muhammad, the guidance of
the Qur’an and the Sunnah.