Muhammad, Islam’s creator, was born around 570 C.E. in the Arabian Peninsula during a time of clan rivalry. With his religious appeal he was nearly able to unite Arabs under a single religion. However, upon his death in 632 C.E. he lost many converts. Muhammad’s remaining followers were split between two sides in a succession dispute caused by Muhammad’s failure to appoint a caliph, a successor to his position as leader of Islam, or establish a method of determining the next ruler. The Shi’a thought the caliph should be a direct descendent of Muhammad, but the Sunni wanted to elect the most proficient leader without regards to lineage.
The Shi’a sought to put Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali, into power, but at 33 years old, Sunni members considered Ali too young to fill the role of his cousin. This brought up the essential question that has not yet received a definite answer: Should …show more content…
Characterized by warmth, courage, and wisdom, Abu was a great candidate. His knowledge of the genealogical histories of bedouin tribes helped him determine which might agree to alliance, and which could be turned against each other. To the Sunni, Abu was optimal over Ali because they felt the more capable successor was to be chosen, and Ali may have been unable undertake such responsibility. In the period of initial chaos and fighting caused by the succession dispute, the Sunni won out and Abu Bakr became caliph from 632 C.E. to 634 C.E.. Bakr was given only limited control with no financial support from the umma, Muslim community. He continued working as a part-time merchant during his rule until proving his skills as a general, conducting invasions west into Egypt and north into regions of present day Iraq and Syria in search of booty. It was then that the Muslims realized vulnerabilities of the Byzantine and Persian empires, and decided to launch full scale jihads in pursuit of total
The Shi’a sought to put Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali, into power, but at 33 years old, Sunni members considered Ali too young to fill the role of his cousin. This brought up the essential question that has not yet received a definite answer: Should …show more content…
Characterized by warmth, courage, and wisdom, Abu was a great candidate. His knowledge of the genealogical histories of bedouin tribes helped him determine which might agree to alliance, and which could be turned against each other. To the Sunni, Abu was optimal over Ali because they felt the more capable successor was to be chosen, and Ali may have been unable undertake such responsibility. In the period of initial chaos and fighting caused by the succession dispute, the Sunni won out and Abu Bakr became caliph from 632 C.E. to 634 C.E.. Bakr was given only limited control with no financial support from the umma, Muslim community. He continued working as a part-time merchant during his rule until proving his skills as a general, conducting invasions west into Egypt and north into regions of present day Iraq and Syria in search of booty. It was then that the Muslims realized vulnerabilities of the Byzantine and Persian empires, and decided to launch full scale jihads in pursuit of total