Download The Schism of Islam Directions: Read the following account

The Schism of Islam
Directions: Read the following account describing the schism in Islam. Then use the information to
complete the graphic organizer.
Muhammad died in 632 AD. He had been the political, military, and spiritual leader of the slowly
growing Muslim Empire in Saudi Arabia. However, upon his death, he did not leave instructions for how
the next Caliph, or community leader, should be chosen. Some Muslims believe that the Caliph should
be a direct descendant of Muhammad; others believed that the community should elect the Caliph.
These different ideologies lead to a massive split in the religion following the death of Muhammad.
Directly after Muhammad’s death, Abu-Bakr was elected by the community to serve as Caliph.
He appointed the next three Caliphs: Umar, Uthman, and Ali. These men had all been friends of
Muhammad. Under these, “rightly-guided Caliphs,” the empire grew from the Atlantic Ocean to the
Indus
In 656 AD Uthman was murdered by a faction of Muslims who believed the Caliph should be a
direct descendant of Muhammad. Ali was Muhammad’s son-in-law. He was made the next Caliph.
However, another faction of Muslims believed that the governor of Syria, Muawiya, should have been
made Caliph. In 661 AD, Ali was murdered. The Umayyad family supported Muawiya, and shortly after
Ali’s death, they came to power.
The schism of Islam began during this civil war. Muslims who resisted the Umayyad Caliphate
became the Shi’a Party. Shi’a means, “Party of Ali.” They believed that the Caliph should be a direct
descendant of Muhammad. Only 16% of Muslims today are Shi’ites. (The name given to those who are a
part of the Shi’a faction.)
The other faction became Sunni Muslims. They supported the Umayyad Caliphate. They
followed the “Sunna” or “Muhammad’s Example. They believed that the first four Caliphs were “rightly
guided.” They believed that the Caliph should be chosen by the Muslim Community, the same way that
the first four were elected. Today, 83% of Muslims are Sunni.
A third faction of Muslims to come out of the schism is the Sufi. Today they only make up 1% of
Muslims. The Sufi faction rejected the luxurious lifestyle of the Umayyad Caliphate. They chose to live
their life in poverty and devote their lives to prayer.
Today there is continual conflict between the Sunni and the Shia factions. The conflicts today
are primarily related to political turmoil in the Middle East.