The Shia and the Sunni

The Shia and the Sunni - when, why, and where did the two groups split. Why do they fight each other. I was wondering about the split, so, I decided to check things out [on the web] a couple of months ago.

What follows was collected from multiple sources. Caveat emptor [on The Lowest Rated Blog] we are no experts on this subject, so, proceed with caution.

Here we go with the rest of the story on the Sunni and Shia tribes split. See the year [AD] followed by what happened.

570 = Mohammed born in Mecca.

610 = Mohammed starts receiving the word of God.

622 = Mohammed flees Mecca with followers [to Medina].

622 = Becomes year 1 of Muslim Calendar.

624 = Mohammed victorious against a Meccan caravan.

630 = Mecca surrenders to Medina.

632 = Mohammed dies on June 8th, leaving no instructions on WHO will be his successor. Despite having 9 wives and several children, only daughter Fatima survives him. The leaders pick his father in law, Abu Bakr, as the 1st Caliph [or successor].

634 = The 1st Caliph dies, names Umar I as 2nd Caliph.

644 = Umar I dies without leaving designated successor. The leaders select Mohammed's brother in law, Uthman Ibn Affan, as 3rd Caliph.

656 = Uthman Ibn Affan, the 3rd Calif is assassinated by Medinan troops.

656 = Medina faction picks Ali [husband of Fatima] as the 4th Caliph. This faction is called SHIITES [Shi'ites or Shia]. The term Shia or Shi'ite derives from a shortening of Shiat Ali [partisans of Ali]. The Shia faction believes all Caliphs must descend from Mohammed through Fatima and Ali.

656 = Muawiyah then governor of Syria, cousin of the murdered Ibn Affan refuses to recognize Ali as 4th Caliph unless the killers of Ibn Affan are brought to justice.

656 = Muawiyah claims the caliphate. Supporters of Muawiyah are later called SUNNI or Sunnite [followers of the Sunna]. The Sunna is based on the custom of Mohammed [his words, habits, acts and gestures], second in authority only to the Qur'an.

657 = The Shia and Sunni fight each other inconclusive battles. Both agree to arbitrate succession. Some followers of Ali were not happy with the arbitration and tried to kill Ali and Muawiyah. Ali is killed by one of his own men. Muawiyah survives as Caliph. Ali is buried in Najaf [known as the Holy City of Najaf, IRAQ], and his tomb is housed in a mosque in the city's center.

657 = Ali's elder son Hassan accepts a pension in return for not pursuing the Caliphate. He died within a year [it is believed that he was poisoned]. His younger brother Hussein agrees to wait to become the Caliph after Muawiyah dies.

680 = Muawiyah dies but he named his son Yazid as his successor. Hussein [Ali's son] led the Shia to battle Yazid in Karbala [known as the Holy City of Karbala, IRAQ]. Hussein's team is outnumbered, and slaughtered. Hussein, his brother Abbas, and other members of his family, are killed. Hussein's son Ali survived. Hussein is buried in Karbala [the city of Karbala has become a Shia shrine city]. Hussein's death is commemorated annually in the Ashura ceremony.

680 = After the defeat of the Shia in Karbala, the Sunni outnumber and dominate the Shia ever after.

Notes.

1. Present day Shia. In IRAN 89% of the population are Shia. In IRAQ 60% of the population are Shia. The Shia are also a majority of the population in Yemen, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain. There are large Shia communities on the east coast of Saudi Arabia, and in Lebanon. Around the globe, the Shia constitute ONLY ten to fifteen percent of the overall Muslim population.

2. The Sunni recognize the Four Caliphs as rightly guided. The Shia recognize Ali as First Caliph and his descendants.

3. Shia differ on how many Imams there have been [some say twelve Imams, others say fourteen imams, there are also the Sevener Shias and the Fiver Shias, those groups do not recognize the later imams].

4. There are five Shia principles of religion (usul ad din) and they are: belief in divide unity (tawhid); prophecy (nubuwwah); resurrection (maad); divine justice (adl); and the belief in the Imams as successors of the Prophet (imamah). The latter principle is not accepted by Sunnis.

5. The Sunni and Shia agree on the core fundamentals of Islam - the Five Pillars - and recognize each others as Muslims.

6. The Shia have a strong theme of martyrdom and suffering, focusing on deaths of Ali and [particularly], Hussein plus other important figures in the Shia succession.

7. During prayer, Shia place their forehead on a hardened piece of clay from Karbala, instead of their prayer mat like Sunnis. Shia also prays less than Sunni, three times a day as opposed to five, and hold their hands differently during prayer.

8. The oldest university in the world [and most important place of learning of Sunni Islam], the Al Azhar University, in Cairo, was founded in the year 969 AD by the Shia Fatimid dynasty [the university was founded by the Shia, but it is now Sunni].

And oh by the way, as you can see, the two groups have fought each other [in IRAQ and other places] for over 1,350 years. And some Washington Desk Warriors are dreaming about stopping all the violence in the next 120 days !!!