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17:53
Muslim Schism: How Islam Split into the Sunni and Shia Branches
Kings and Generals
·
May 11, 2026
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Transcript
0:06
Today there are more than 1.5 billion Muslims
living across the globe with Muslim majority
0:11
countries spreading from Morocco to Indonesia.
0:14
But just like virtually all other religions,
Islam is not united and has branches interpreting
0:22
Quran and matters related to political events
in the history of Islam in a different way.
0:28
The two main denominations of Islam are Sunnism
and Shiism with Sunnis making up 85-90% of
0:36
the Muslim population.
0:38
But how did the split in the Muslim world
happened?
0:40
In today’s video we are going to talk about
the schism in Islam, emergence of Sunni and
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0:46
Shia Islam and the effects it had on the Caliphate
and beyond.
0:51
We need to start our story with Ali ibn Abi
Talib, one of the most important persons in
0:56
the history of Islam.
0:58
Ali was born in Mecca in the powerful Hashimi
clan and was a cousin of the Muslim Prophet
1:03
Muhammad.
1:04
They had a strong bond, as Ali’s father
had raised Muhammad when he became orphaned
1:09
and later Ali would live in Muhammad’s household.
1:13
When in 610 AD Muhammad proclaimed his prophethood,
Ali was one of the first persons to accept
1:19
Islam and recognize Muhammad as the prophet.
1:22
But Muhammad’s proselytizing was not initially
popular among the polytheistic Meccans and
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1:28
he and the early Muslims had been oppressed.
1:31
The rumours of a plot against Muhammad were
spreading, forcing him to leave Mecca for
1:36
Medina with majority of his followers in 622,
which was called Hijra - the migration - an
1:43
event so momentous that the new Islamic calendar
starts with that day.
1:49
Initially Ali stayed behind to return people
the possessions they had entrusted upon the
1:53
Prophet for safekeeping, but very soon he
joined other Muslims in Medina and in 623
2:00
married Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah Zahra,
becoming one of the most trusted companions
2:05
of Muhammad.
2:06
Known in the Muslim community for wisdom and
fairness, he earned the nickname Asad Allah
2:11
- the Lion of God - for his military exploits
and courage on the battlefield.
2:17
By 631 the Islamic community - the Ummah - had
been able to assert control over Mecca and
2:23
large swathes of the Arabian Peninsula and
was already a formidable force, but who was
2:29
going to succeed aging Muhammad?
2:32
And this is the root of the split in Islam.
2:36
As one would expect Sunni and Shia sources
offer different interpretations.
2:41
On the way back from his last pilgrimage Muhammad
made a sermon at the Ghadir Khumm oasis, took
2:48
Ali by his hand and proclaimed that "Anyone
who has me as his Mawla , has Ali as his Mawla".
2:55
Shia theology believes that in Ghadir Khumm
the Prophet designated Ali as his successor
3:00
by calling him Mawla - a polysemous Arabic
word with several meanings, one of which is
3:07
leader or master.
3:09
Sunnis believe that the Ghadir Khumm episode
was merely a proclamation of affinity of the
3:14
Prophet to his loyal companion and son-in-law
and interpret the word Mawla using its second
3:20
definition - a friend.
3:23
Another important episode in the succession
dispute between the Sunni and Shia theologies
3:28
is connected to the so-called Pen and Paper
episode.
3:32
This is considered a genuine hadith, as both
Sunni and Shia theologians accept it, but
3:38
interpret differently.
3:39
In Islam, a hadith is a story on the life
of Muhammad with religious and legal messages
3:45
for the Muslim community, and according to
this one, a few days before his death, Muhammad
3:51
asked his companions to bring him pen and
paper so that he could write a statement in
3:56
order to prevent the Ummah from going astray
after his death.
4:00
But one of Muhammad’s closest companions
Umar said: “The Prophet is seriously ill,
4:06
and we have got Allah’s Book with us and
that is sufficient for us”.
4:11
This led to a loud dispute in the room in
the presence of Muhammad, who got unhappy
4:16
and called everyone to leave.
4:18
It is still unclear what the prophet wanted
to write.
4:21
Shias claim that he intended to designate
Ali as his successor, but there is no way
4:26
to determine this.
4:28
According to Sunnis, the Prophet did not explicitly
designate a successor and left it for the
4:34
Islamic community to decide.
4:36
There are other events which Sunnis and Shia
base their claims on regarding the succession,
4:41
but in short following Muhammad’s death
in 632, the Ummah did not have a consensus
4:47
on a new leader.
4:49
While Ali took charge of the arrangements
of the funeral, a meeting to decide the successor
4:54
took place in Medina.
4:56
Ali and two other prominent companions of
the Prophet Abu Bakr and Umar were not present
5:01
and deliberations took place without them.
5:04
In fact majority of those present were the
Muslims residing in Medina, who welcomed Muhammad
5:10
or were converted later, while very few of
those who went on a Hijra from Mecca to Medina
5:15
with Muhammad were there.
5:17
Abu Bakr and Umar rushed to the meeting and
took charge of the process in Ali’s absence.
5:23
The latter was one of the first converts to
Islam, Muhammad’s father-in-law through
5:28
his daughter Aisha.
5:30
Deeply respected by modern Sunnis, he was
very rich and contributed a lot to the cause
5:35
of Islam, and arguably one of the main contenders
to leadership.
5:40
Umar was also a close companion of Muhammad,
also his father-in-law through his daughter
5:45
Hafsa, known for his zealous protection of
the Prophet.
5:49
He is known as a just, intelligent and wise
person in the Sunni tradition.
5:55
After a heated debate, Umar was able to persuade
those present to choose Abu Bakr as the successor
6:00
- the Caliph, a ruler of the Muslim Ummah.
6:04
Ali was later presented with the fact of succession
and along with a number of other companions
6:10
initially refused to accept the decision,
as it was taken without him, while he was
6:14
one of the strongest candidates.
6:17
Umar embarked on the process of persuading
or forcing the companions to offer fealty
6:22
to Abu Bakr.
6:24
He personally came to Ali’s house to persuade
him.
6:27
The events which followed have been the subject
of much dispute, as the Sunnis believe that
6:32
Umar was able to peacefully persuade Ali to
recognize Abu Bakr’s Caliphate.
6:38
According to Shia sources, Umar forced Ali
to concede by breaking into the house, slamming
6:43
the door, which broke Ali’s wife Fatimah
Zahrah ribs, eventually leading to miscarriage
6:49
of their child.
6:50
Ali himself was tied with a rope to force
his allegiance.
6:54
It is impossible to verify what really happened,
but eventually Ali accepted Abu Bakr and his
7:00
successor Umar as caliphs and retired from
public life.
7:04
He was often consulted in matters of state.
7:07
Ali accepted the selection of Umar as caliph
and even gave one of his daughters, Umm Kulthūm,
7:13
to him in marriage.
7:15
After the death of Umar in 644, Ali was considered
for the position, but eventually another companion
7:22
of Muhammad, Uthman of the Banu Umayyah clan,
became the new caliph.
7:26
Again, Ali recognized the new caliph, but
very soon discontent in the Caliphate grew.
7:32
Again the sources do not agree on the reasons,
but many claimed that Uthman’s nepotism
7:37
and leniency towards tribal rivalries was
the cause of the opposition against him.
7:43
Rebels offered to support Ali as an alternative
to Uthman, but Ali refused and even sent his
7:49
sons Hassan and Husain to protect Uthman’s
house, where eventually despite all the protection
7:54
Uthman was assassinated by rebels from Egypt
in 656.
8:00
Finally Ali’s turn to become a caliph came
and he became the fourth and the last of the
8:05
Rashidun Caliphs.
8:06
But his election was not smooth and he became
a caliph amidst very tumultuous times.
8:13
The Prophet’s wife Aisha and Uthman’s
relatives from the Banu Umayyah clan, including
8:18
the governor of Syria Muawiya demanded Ali
to punish the plotters of Uthman’s death,
8:23
but since some of them were Ali’s supporters,
the new caliph rejected and soon the First
8:29
Muslim Civil War, called Fitna started.
8:32
In December 656, Ali’s army defeated the
rebels at the Battle of Camel near Basra,
8:39
but Muawiya still refused to accept Ali as
a new caliph and the anti-Ali opposition gathered
8:45
around him.
8:46
Ali was willing to not repeat Uthman’s mistakes
and carried out measures to centralize the
8:51
caliphate and decrease the power of governors.
8:55
The two men assembled their armies and confronted
each other at Siffin, on the Euphrates, in
9:00
657.
9:01
Neither side was keen to commit to a major
battle, but after three months of occasional
9:07
skirmishes, when serious fighting finally
broke out, Muawiya’s followers called for
9:12
an arbitration, apparently after riding out
with copies of the Quran on their lances to
9:17
bring the conflict to a stop.
9:19
Ali was forced to agree, but some of his followers
objected and abandoned him; they became known
9:25
as kharijis, from the Arabic verb kharaja
to leave because they left Ali’s army.
9:32
According to the arbitration, which took place
at Adhruh in 658 or 659, it was ruled that
9:39
both Ali and Muawiya should relinquish their
claims and the Muslim Ummah should have a
9:44
chance to choose their own ruler.
9:47
Ali rejected this ruling and the stalemate
continued as Muawiya’s supporters proclaimed
9:52
him a caliph in Damascus in 660.
9:55
The following year Ali was assassinated by
the Kharijis while praying in the mosque at
10:01
Kufa.
10:02
Ali’s son Hasan was proclaimed a new caliph
in Kufa, which became the capital during Ali’s
10:07
short reign.
10:09
But Muawiya had a far stronger army, thus
Hasan stepped down as a caliph in order to
10:14
avoid further bloodshed and a treaty between
the sides was signed.
10:19
According to the treaty:
- Hasan accepted Muawiya as a caliph under
10:23
the condition that he would act in accordance
with Islam
10:26
- Muawiya should not appoint a successor and
a new caliph should be elected by the electoral
10:32
council - Shura
- Muawiya should abandon cursing Ali and persecuting
10:37
Ali’s family and supporters.
10:40
But Muawiya would not stay true to his pledges
and towards the end of his reign he designated
10:45
his son Yazid as a successor.
10:48
This would be breaking off the tradition of
the Islamic Caliphate as a state, which elected
10:53
its leader through consultation or election,
to a monarchy.
10:57
Muawiya summoned the Shura in Damascus, the
new capital of the Caliphate and through persuasion
11:03
and bribery was able to secure support for
Yazid.
11:08
This development caused significant opposition
in different quarters and this opposition
11:12
started gathering around Muhammad’s grandson
and Ali’s son, Husain, who replaced Hasan,
11:18
who passed away in 670, as the leader.
11:22
Despite the opposition, Muawiya was able to
secure the support of Mecca and Medina for
11:27
Yazid.
11:28
Ali’s capital Kufa was the potential stronghold
of the opposition and the death of Muawiya
11:34
in 680 put the events, which would further
divide the Islamic World, into action.
11:40
Following Muawiya’s death Yazid became a
new caliph and immediately demanded allegiance
11:45
of Husain.
11:46
Yazid’s envoy could not persuade Husain
to do this and was afraid of killing him,
11:51
since Husain was the Prophet’s grandson.
11:55
Around the same time, the people of the city
of Kufa started sending letters to Husain
12:00
informing him about their opposition to the
Umayyad rule, their support for him and intention
12:05
to remove Yazid from power and install him
instead.
12:09
The Kufans sided with Ali during the first
Fitna, continued to support his family by
12:14
backing Hasan and were unhappy when he abdicated
in favour of Muawiya.
12:20
Husain accepted this call and sent his cousin
Muslim ibn Aqil to Kufa to assess the situation
12:26
and gather support.
12:28
Initially, Muslim ibn Aqil was very successful
and he informed Hussain of the progress.
12:34
Yazid was forced to change the governor of
Kufa to defeat the opposition in the city
12:39
and the new governor succeeded in doing just
that.
12:42
With the support dwindling, Muslim ibn Aqil
decided to carry out a revolt before Husain’s
12:48
arrival, but it was defeated.
12:50
Husain did not know about this and in September
680 started his journey towards Kufa with
12:57
around 50 men and his family members.
13:00
On the way Husain received information about
the death of Muslim ibn Aqil and the defeat
13:05
of the revolt in Kufa.
13:07
He called on those who joined him on the way
to leave, understanding the futility of his
13:12
attempt to challenge Yazid.
13:14
Very soon Yazid’s forces confronted Husain
and an envoy of the Kufa’s new governor
13:20
told Husain to come with him or turn back
and go anywhere, but Medina.
13:25
Husain refused and continued on his path with
the envoys forces accompanying him.
13:30
On the 2nd of October Husain reached Karbala
and set camp there.
13:35
On the following day Yazid sent additional
4k men to confront Husain.
13:41
The Umayyad army had orders to prevent Husain’s
men from accessing the Euphrates river, in
13:46
order to force them to concede due to lack
of water.
13:50
But 3 days later Husain’s group was able
to access water, creating a stalemate.
13:56
For over a week Yazid’s officials had tried
to persuade Husain to accept his fate and
14:01
pledge allegiance to Yazid, since they understood
the consequences of attacking the Prophet’s
14:06
grandson.
14:07
Ultimately, Husain refused the offers of Yazid
and on the 10th of October the Umayyad army
14:13
approached Husain’s camp and both sides
took their battle positions.
14:18
Husain’s companions fought valiantly, but
the forces were extremely uneven - he and
14:23
his men were massacred.
14:26
This included 7 sons of Ali, including Husain
himself, two of Husain’s son’s, three
14:31
sons of his brother Hasan and other grandchildren
of Ali.
14:36
Many from the prophet’s family were killed.
14:39
This was a final straw completing the schism
in the Islamic world and dividing into Sunni
14:45
and Shia.
14:46
The process, which started with the dispute
over succession to Muhammad and continued
14:52
with killing of Ali and Husain caused the
split of Islam with Shiat Ali - Ali’s Party
14:58
- first becoming a political movement within
Islam and later transforming into a branch
15:03
of Islam offering alternative interpretation
of Quran and Hadiths, its own view on Islamic
15:09
jurisprudence, on state and some religious
practices, venerating the People of the House
15:15
(Ahl al-Bayt) Muhammad’s direcet descendants
as his righteous succesors.
15:20
The Sunni, also known as The People of the
Sunnah and the Community - Ahl as-Sunnah wa
15:25
l-jamaah) remained the majority in Islam and
although naturally there have been some transformation
15:31
in the Sunni Islam in comparison with early
Islam coming with new times and different
15:36
interpretations of holy texts by the Sunni
scholars, the main distinctions between the
15:41
two largest branches of Islam go back to the
events we have described above.
15:46
And while the Sunni theology respects the
Ahl al-Bayt as well, it rejects the premise
15:51
that the Islamic Ummah should be ruled by
Ahl al-Bayt.
15:56
The Killing of Ali, massacre of Husain, his
family members and companions strengthened
16:01
the sense of injustice against the Prophet’s
family among the Shia Muslims and turned martyrdom
16:06
into one of its main pillars.
16:08
Ali’s martyrdom during the prayer, Husain’s
martyrdom during the struggle against the
16:13
perceived tyrant and usurper, turned into
a powerful symbol of the Shia Islam.
16:19
The first month of the Muslim calendar - Muharram
is the annual period of mourning for the Shia
16:24
Muslims with the 10th of Muharram known as
Ashura, the day of the Battle of Karbala,
16:30
becoming the peak day of mourning ceremonies.
16:33
Millions of devoted Shias make the Arbaeen
pilgrimage on foot to the Holy Shrine of Imam
16:39
Husain in Karbala every year.
16:42
The Shia defeat in the Battle of Karbala did
not stop the supporters of the Ahl al-Bayt
16:47
from opposing the existing state of affairs
in the Islamic World.
16:52
Dissenters to the existing state of affairs
in Islam would take up the flag of the Party
16:57
of Ali and challenge the rule of the Caliphate.
17:01
Numerous powerful states and dynasties such
as the Fatimids, Buyids, Nizaris, Safavids
17:07
and others emerged throughout the Islamic
world armed with the powerful idea of Shia
17:12
Islam.
17:13
In our episode on the Hashashins, link to
which is in description and pinned comment,
17:18
you can learn about some of the events that
followed the Muslim Schism, and we are planning
17:22
more episodes on the topic, so make sure you
are subscribed and have pressed the bell button
17:27
to see the next video in the series.
17:30
Please, consider liking, commenting, and sharing
- it helps immensely.
17:33
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kind patrons and youtube channel members,
17:38
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17:47
This is the Kings and Generals channel, and
we will catch you on the next one.
— end of transcript —
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