|THE DEN|
Islam originated in the Arabian Peninsula in the seventh century with the Prophet Muhammad spreading the teachings of Allah, the God of Muslims. Muhammad died in 632 which sparked a power struggle among his followers. The two main branches of Islam, Sunnism, and Shi'ism, then clashed to decide who had the legitimate right to lead the Muslims. This confrontation caused a deep division that continues to this day.
Sunnis believed that Muhammad's successor should be chosen from among his disciple while Shia claimed that Muhammad chose Ali, his cousin, as his successor. For the Sunnis, Abu Bakr, a confidant of the Prophet, was the first successor. He was followed by two other people from Mohammed's closest circle. Ali came fourth. While Ali's followers recognized neither Abu Bakr nor the other two successors.
Shia considers Ali to be the first successor of the Prophet and regards him and his eleven successors (imams) as role models. They believe that the twelfth successor to the vanished Prophet will return to earth to bring justice and peace before the Day of Reckoning.
On the other hand, Sunni Muslims consider the four successors of the Prophet to be "well-led caliphs" and do not attach great importance to the leaders who succeeded them.
Commentaires